Thank you Minotaur Books, #partner for the advanced copy of This Weekend Doesn’t End Well for Anyone in exchange for my honest review. I obtained the audiobook via one of my audiobook subscriptions.
Publisher: Minotaur Books / Macmillan Audio
Published: April 28, 2026
Summary:
The third in the witty and captivating series following bestselling author Eleanor Dash, who once again has to swap her sun hat for her detective hat, when a body is found at a murder mystery writing conference in the Bahamas.
Eleanor Dash can never catch a break. Not only has she had to solve two real-life murder plots in the past year, but both times it was when she was meant to be on vacation. Now she’s finally got a ticket to a relaxing weekend—an all-inclusive resort at the Bahamas where she’s speaking at a conference for murder mystery writers—but she arrives to find a body on the floor of her hotel room. Because of course she does.
With plenty of familiar faces at the resort, any one of them could have been the intended target or the culprit behind it all. Was it Oliver Forrest, Eleanor’s dashing boyfriend who’s in danger of getting dropped by his publisher because his sales are dwindling? Or Connor Smith, Eleanor’s infuriating ex-lover-turned-bestselling-rom-com-author with a sordid past of his own? Or her sister Harper, whose own stilted writing career has been a sore point for years as Eleanor’s has soared? Perhaps it’s one of the other writers also in attendance, as friends, frenemies and foes from Eleanor’s past all seem to be invited to the island.
Surrounded by mystery writers who know all too well the many ways to craft the perfect crime, Eleanor is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery and do whatever it takes to get out of this weekend alive.
My thoughts:
This is the 3rd book in Catherine Mack’s Vacation Mystery series and it’s another clever, fun read. Just like the Finlay Donovan series, but with more snarkiness, witty banter and a meta fiction vibe, this series is definitely one I cannot get enough of! While I realize it’s not everyone’s cup of tea – the whole footnotes thing and having Eleanor talk directly to you, the reader – I happen to find it quite refreshing but I will say, there aren’t quite as many footnotes in this book as there have been in the previous books. And while this book can be read as a standalone – in fact the author addresses this very point in the beginning of the book – both she and I are of the same mind that reading the series in order only enriches your enjoyment of the book.
Once again, we have a mystery that kept me guessing – this time a locked-room mystery (hell0 – these are my absolute favorites!!!) on what is supposed to be an island retreat where Eleanor is supposed to be relaxing and just speaking at a conference for murder mystery writers. But nothing goes to plan, starting with Eleanor arriving at her room to find a dead body there. And it only gets worse!
I loved the Knives Out/And Then There Were None vibes I got from this story. The body count keeps rising and the suspects are contained…so who is the guilty party? No one could figure it out and it really kept me guessing all the way through. But besides this mystery, I loved that the gang was back together again. All the quirky characters we have come to love from the previous books have all gathered at this conference and it was so fun having everyone there, even if I did suspect a few of them a time or two.
And let’s not forget that because Eleanor is at a writing conference, we are privy to lots of behind-the-scenes information and all the cliches you can imagine involving writing and the publishing world at large. I loved these tidbits…it was so fun!
I am enjoying this series so much! I love Eleanor and cannot wait to see what disaster awaits her next!
Audio thoughts:
I knew I had to listen to this book when I saw that Elizabeth Evans was back as the narrator – she does such an amazing job. Between all the characters & having to read the footnotes, she really made this audiobook a joy to listen to. I do hope she’ll be back to narrate the next in the series, no matter how many books there end up being!
Books in this series:
- Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies
- No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding
- This Weekend Doesn’t End Well for Anyone
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