My Favorite Read of January 2025: Every Time I Go on Vacation Someone Dies by Catherine Mack

Title: Every Time I Go on Vacation Someone Dies

Author: Catherine Mack

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Publication Date: April 30, 2024

Description:

All that bestselling author Eleanor Dash wants is to get through her book tour in Italy and kill off her main character, Connor Smith, in the next in her Vacation Mysteries series―is that too much to ask?

Clearly, because when an attempt is made on the real Connor’s life―the handsome but infuriating con man she got mixed up with ten years ago and now can’t get out of her life―Eleanor’s enlisted to help solve the case.

Contending with literary rivals, rabid fans, a stalker―and even her ex, Oliver, who turns up unexpectedly―theories are bandied about, and rivalries, rifts, and broken hearts are revealed. But who’s really trying to get away with murder?

Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies is the irresistible and hilarious series debut from Catherine Mack, introducing bestselling fictional author Eleanor Dash on her Italian book tour that turns into a real-life murder mystery, as her life starts to imitate the world in her books.

My Thoughts:

I read a lot of great books in January, but what put this one to the top was the unique writing style. This book completely breaks the fourth wall. The protagonist is an author who is writing her story directly to the reader. My favorite part was the footnotes that included things like “This will be important later.” As an aspiring author, I love books that give a behind-the-scenes look at the publishing industry. Eleanor made some poor choices and had definite flaws, but she was relatiable. This was a very fun read.

---

Honorable Mentions

This January was probably one of the best reading months I have ever had, not necessarily in the volume of reading, but in quality. I’ve already read several books this year that would’ve made my top ten list last year. I’ve included their Goodreads links below: