Book Club “Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies”
For July, we chose a summery book that we thought would make a good beach read. We eagerly picked up Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies - the title alone was compelling! We were excited to follow author/sleuth Eleanor Dash on her Italian literary tour as she navigates eluding attempted murder.
Book
Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies by Catherine Mack
Description:
Ten days, eight suspects, six cities, five authors, three bodies . . . one trip to die for.
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 it is, because when an attempt is made to kill the real Connor―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 competitors, 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 an irresistible and hilarious series debut from Catherine Mack, introducing bestselling fictional author Eleanor Dash on her Italian book tour where life starts to imitate the world in her books when she’s caught up in a real-life murder mystery.
Club
Snack suggestions:
This book has summer vibes, so you can lean into that and create your favorite summer treats.
However, you also can recreate some of the Italian delights that Eleanor and her entourage encounter on their tour. An easy approach is to order pizza!
We opted to focus on dessert and had gelato! It wasn’t exactly like the ones Eleanor enjoyed (along with her spritzes) but they did make us feel like we were on vacation.
Check out Cozy Crimes’ book club questions that can be used for any mystery.
Here are our questions targeted to Every Time I Go On Vacation, Someone Dies:
1. What did you think of the narrator/author main character (Eleanor) as a writer, as a sleuth, and as a person? What about the other characters on the tour? How does Eleanor’s potential to be an unreliable narrator influence their characterizations?
2. How did the author make use of footnotes?
3. Secrets were an important part of this book. How did Eleanor dole them out? Which ones did you “solve” before it was revealed? Which surprised you?
4. How did Eleanor’s real past and literary fictional past influence her life and the mystery of the book? Did your opinion of Connor change throughout the book based on these parallel versions of what happened in Rome?
5. What were your thoughts on the love story within the book? Were you rooting for the couple to reunite?
6. How did the setting contribute to the murderous plots and the tone of the book?
7. How did Eleanor react to realizing so many people wanted both Connor and her dead? Which motive for murder did you find most compelling?
8. Would you go on this literary tour if you won a ticket?
9. What lies came into play within the story?
10. What jokes and humorous plot points made you laugh?
