Our Marriage Is Murder

by Carol Goodman

In the latest thrilling mystery from Mary Higgins Clark Award–winning author Carol Goodman, a writers’ conference at an Italian castle turns deadly when a killer begins using a husband-and-wife writing team’s novel as a blueprint for murder.

Fred and Thea Morgan-Lane are the envy of the mystery community, the perfect partners in life and in writing. Together they coauthor the wildly successful Death Takes a Holiday series, and they’ve been invited to the Italian castle where it all began for a mystery conference celebrating their first novel, Death Takes the Castle.

But their story isn’t quite the fairytale it seems to outsiders. Twenty years and twenty books after they met, Thea wants out. Their marriage and partnership haven’t been working for some time, and what better place to announce the end of the series than where it started?

Except shortly after their arrival at the beautiful Castellarosa, a shocking death takes place when the wrong person drinks a cocktail meant for Thea. The stunned conference-goers put it down to an unknown allergy, but Thea isn’t so sure. Could someone be trying to kill her? Perhaps her loving husband isn’t as ok with their series ending as he pretends, or maybe Nadine, the upstart young author who is vying to take Thea’s place, wants her out of the way. Suddenly, it seems like everyone has a motive, and when a second death occurs, a disturbing pattern emerges—these deaths aren’t random, they’re following the murders in Death Takes a Castle exactly. Murders that Thea and Fred wrote.

In order to save the day—and maybe even their marriage—the unhappy couple will have to work together to figure out who is using their book as a blueprint for a killing spree. That is, if they can trust the person they’ve spent twenty years plotting murders with…

Genres: Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Fiction, Italy, Cozy, Thriller, Cozy Mystery

327 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 21, 2026

About the author

Carol Goodman is the author of The Lake of Dead Languages, The Seduction of Water, which won the Hammett Prize, The Widow's House, which won the Mary Higgins Clark Award and The Night Visitors, which won the Mary Higgins Clark Award. She is also the co-author, with her husband Lee Slonimsky, of the Watchtower fantasy trilogy. Her work has appeared in such journals as The Greensboro Review, Literal Latte, The Midwest Quarterly, and Other Voices. After graduation from Vassar College, where she majored in Latin, she taught Latin for several years in Austin, Texas. She then received an M.F.A. in fiction from the New School University. Goodman currently teaches literature and writing at The New School and SUNY New Paltz and lives with her family in the Hudson Valley.

Reviews

[Erin McInnis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

2.5 stars. This book was just okay… I honestly had to put it down, read a couple other books and pick this one back up. It felt like somewhat a fantasy book mixed with a mystery when I only signed up for the mystery portion. The fantastical portions made my brain shut off and made me want to quit. The mystery portions were good though and what made me finish the book.

[Tricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been a huge Carol Goodman fan for the past 10 years and this one did not disappoint! A murder mystery/treasure hunt that kept me guessing until the very end. Absolutely loved this, thanks William Morrow Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4.5 stars ✨

[Jerry]

Under new policy this is the first book I did a DNF couldn’t relate to any of the characters. 100 pages is enough

[callistoscalling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher for a gifted copy; all thoughts are my own.

📖 Book Review 📖 Sometimes things are not as good as they seem from the outside. And when a beloved husband/wife writing duo decide to retire their career together, the cracks begin to appear at a writing conference in an Italian castle.

Carol Goodman brings a cozy mystery, perfect for summer. At some point in our lives, most of us dream of a visit to a charming castle in Europe. And for us book lovers, add in a bunch of writers and now we’re talking about a good time. Sure there is an accumulating number of dead bodies and everyone is a suspect, but the view is spectacular…

Our Marriage is Murder feels like hearing your favorite authors talk about their writing process as it actually comes to life around them. The characters are relatable and the plot unravels at the perfect pace. This was my first Carol Goodman book and it will not be my last.

[Love_booksforlife Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Married writing couple Fred and Thea Morgan-Lane's marriage is on the rocks. Now, they are back in the old monastery that they met and based their first book on for a mystery retreat. But when attendees start dying the way their characters did, they must find out who is really behind the murders...even if it's each other.

This was such a good one! Here's what I liked:

Goodman's love of mystery and myth: This comes across in this book and her last one I read last year. The way she weaves a great mystery with different myths and history is just so beautiful. I loved the story of the heartbroken woman waiting for her knight to return to her. This with the very modern story of Fred and Thea not only solving the mystery but trying to figure out their marriage was so well done.

Fred and Thea: Not only do I like them as characters, but I really liked them as a couple. This is really a mix of a marriage in trouble romance and an Agathat Christie like mystery. All in an amazing setting.

Goodman is becoming an auto-read for me for her really great mysteries that weave a romance in it. This is a good one to pick up this summer!

Thank you to the author and publisher for the gifted copy!

[Tiffany E-P · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun! Kind of a cosy mystery version of the Da Vinci Code. It was pretty clear the husband and wife duo just needed to work out some miscommunications. Good plot and good characters. Plus an old castle in Italy and a grumpy cabineri inspector…

[Delaney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This felt like a chaotic mess of multiple dimensions and I was not on board. I can see how this would be a much better read for someone else, if you’re looking for more of a comically cozy vibe at the time of your read. A lot of characters and plot points to keep track of, and it’s not the easiest so pay attention. I found myself quick to exit my kindle throughout this read, sad to say.

Thank you for the gifted arc

[Tana · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 stars

Not my favorite of her works. Felt like quite a departure, though she has written about European locals before

[Judy Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

GOTHIC INTENSE CHARM MEETS A LETHAL MARITAL RECKONING

"A married couple's summer residency at an isolated Italian castle becomes a terrifying prison when a real-life murder reopens a vault of dark academic secrets."

In Our Marriage Is Murder, three-time Mary Higgins Clark Award-winning author Carol Goodman delivers a deeply atmospheric, intricately layered, and hauntingly elegant domestic psychological suspense. The story hinges on a sophisticated, estranged married couple facing immense psychological and historical hurdles as they try to survive a tense mystery conference when buried community sins resurface. A high-stakes lockdown at a secluded estate turns into a frantic, paranoid investigation when a sudden death unearths a toxic web of secrets, proving that even the closest partners can keep deadly secrets.

💡 Elevator Pitch
A slow-burning, beautifully written psychological thriller following an intellectual couple isolated at a historic Italian castle. When a real-life murder forces them to unearth decades of buried academic secrets and lies, it triggers a lethal reckoning within their own writing partnership and marriage.

📖 Review Breakdown
The Setup
Mystery authors Fred and Thea Morgan-Lane seek refuge from their fractured past and failing partnership by attending an exclusive writers' conference at a historic, isolated castle in Italy. Together they coauthor the wildly successful Death Takes a Holiday series, and they’ve been invited to the Italian castle where it all began for a mystery conference celebrating their first novel, Death Takes the Castle. But their peaceful sanctuary is instantly shattered when a prominent member of the local literary community drops dead from a poisoned cocktail meant for Thea.

As the remote castle is cut off from the outside world, a series of cryptic clues begins to appear. The deaths aren't random—they are mimicking the exact chapters of the couple's debut novel. Thea is forced to dig into the dark history of the castle and their competitive faculty circle, only to realize that the trail of deception leads directly back to the person she has spent twenty years plotting murders with.

THE HEAT IS SWELTERING, AND THE CALL IS COMING FROM INSIDE THE MARRIAGE.
"What begins as an intellectual mystery festival fast becomes a claustrophobic, paranoid fight for survival where your partner is the prime suspect."

Setting
The moody, claustrophobic, and deeply historic environment of an elite Italian castle, beautiful Castellarosa, in a suffocating summer lockdown.

The Vibe
Haunting, intellectual, and thick with gothic dread. It beautifully channels the sharp, dark academia suspense of The Lake of Dead Languages colliding with the paranoid domestic isolation of The Guest List.

Genre: Gothic Psychological Thriller / Dark Academia / Domestic Suspense.

Themes
~The toxicity of academic ambition and literary rivalry
~The weight of long-buried institutional secrets
~The fragility of marital trust under isolation
~The intersection of fiction, memory, and truth

Standout Characters
~Thea: The sharp, deeply intuitive writer protagonist whose methodical unravelling of the castle's dark past forces her into a terrifying defensive position.

~Fred: Thea's brilliant co-author and husband, whose charming intellectual facade masks a labyrinth of professional secrets, making him an increasingly chilling figure.

~The Writers' Circle: A highly competitive, insular group of local academics and upstart authors whose historical grudges and fragile egos form the suspicious backdrop of the murder.

Author Writing Standout
Carol Goodman proves yet again why she is a master of the genre, delivering her signature, multi-layered prose dripping with rich literary allusions and striking, tactile realism. She builds the environmental tension so flawlessly that the remote Italian setting functions like an active, threatening antagonist in the room.

Takeaway
The most dangerous ghost haunting a marriage is the truth you choose to bury in the name of professional and personal survival.

Title Significance
Our Marriage Is Murder serves as a brilliant double entendre—playing on the dark, chaotic state of Fred and Thea's relationship while pointing to the literal, lethal conspiracy woven between them.

Metaphor
The rigid, unyielding stone of the historic castle functions as a physical manifestation of the marriage itself—polished, grand, and completely locked over secrets that are bound to crack under pressure.

Why You Should Read
For devoted fans of Goodman's entire backlist, this is an absolute triumph that showcases her elite gift for blending dark academic intrigue with razor-sharp domestic paranoia.

✒️ My Thoughts:
A Flawless, Five-Star Gothic Masterpiece
"The reigning queen of dark academic suspense returns with an intricately layered, slow-burn puzzle dripping with rich literary dread."

Our Marriage Is Murder by the legendary Carol Goodman is an absolute masterclass in gothic dark academia and domestic suspense. As a massive fan who has read all of her books, I can confidently say this is one of her absolute best! It's moody, incredibly intelligent, and keeps the tension dialed to a ten. Add this to your July TBR immediately!

The pacing turns the screw with absolute perfection. I was blown away by how masterfully she balances the sophisticated, intellectual tone of a dark academia puzzle with the raw, high-stakes panic of a locked-room thriller. Thea is a brilliant, grounded guide through a deeply unsettling maze of clues, and the final sequence of twists is exquisitely executed. If you want a psychological thriller that is deeply atmospheric, highly intelligent, and filled with dark academic intrigue, you have to read Our Marriage Is Murder!

Verdict: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5) "A flawless, five-star gothic masterpiece that cements Goodman’s status as a reigning queen of psychological suspense."

📚 The Modern Closed-Circle Trio (Read-Alikes)
If you love modern mysteries that pay homage to Agatha Christie's "closed-circle" format, Our Marriage Is Murder sits perfectly alongside the work of Ruth Ware and Lucy Foley. Together, these three authors form a brilliant trifecta of contemporary suspense, each bringing a distinct flavor to the trapped-with-a-killer trope:

~The Event-Driven Spectacle (Lucy Foley): Much like The Guest List, Goodman excels at showing how an elite gathering in a hostile, remote environment collapses under the weight of old secrets.

~The Claustrophobic Survival Thriller (Ruth Ware): If you devoured Ware's luxury hotel-bound thriller The Woman in Suite 11, you will recognize the same visceral psychological dread, pushing isolated characters to their absolute breaking points inside an elite, locked-in residency.

~The Meta-Fictional Intellectual Puzzle (Carol Goodman): The "Writers’ Retreat" Duology: Our Marriage Is Murder serves as a brilliant thematic sibling to Goodman's Writers and Liars. Goodman has mastered the meta-fictional "authors trapped with a killer" subgenre over her last couple of books. She delivers the ultimate treat for book lovers, weaving together writer rivalries, academic subtext, and stories-within-stories.

The Ultimate Companion Read
However, the most rewarding companion read to this novel actually comes from Goodman’s own catalog: The Bones of the Story. Where Our Marriage Is Murder uses an active manuscript as a blueprint for real-life deaths, The Bones of the Story traps a group of creative writing alumni on a campus where a killer brought old student horror stories to life. Reading these two books back-to-back offers a thrilling masterclass in self-referential suspense from an author at the absolute peak of her powers.

Special thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for graciously sharing an advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

🎧Audiobook: I look forward to listening to the audiobook narrated by the talented Marni Penning.

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: July 21, 2026
My Rating: 5 Stars
July 2026 Must-Read Books
Creator & Host of the #AuthorElevatorSeries
#LitLiftMiniAuthorChats | #AudioElevatorSeries

[Kelly NuclearFiction · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok girlies…..this one surprised me!!! It was a loooot of fun! Like solid murder mystery - a combo to Catherine Mack and Agatha Christie.

If you want hateful married couple in Italy solving a murder well here ya go!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25

[Suesyn Zellmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a highly entertaining story about an author couple, Thea and Fred, whose marriage and book series are coming to a close. They are attending a mystery conference taking place where they first met and wrote and set their first book, in an Italian castle. The perfect place for an event that will feature mystery authors from all genres - cozy mysteries to international espionage mysteries, to historical mysteries. It's fun to read from the insiders' points of view. Like how they come across (and put up with) the same types of attendees everywhere - the goth librarians, the middle American housewives, the fawning fan girls, etc. Those in the know have to keep the readers happy and fulfilled at every step, no matter how annoying they can be, because their fanbase keeps them in business, after all.

And the attendees at this conference are true fanatics. Thea is planning on announcing the end of their series and knows the news won't go down easy. She hasn't even told Fred yet, but figures he'll handle it fine since they've been separated for a while now, and it makes sense for their series to end just like their relationship. But of course, this being a mystery about mystery writers, someone inevitably ends up dead soon after the conference begins. And it's all downhill from there, because the deaths keep coming.

That doesn't stop the conference from continuing, though. And the main event is a treasure hunt that was designed by the first victim. Everyone believes that if they can solve the treasure hunt, they will discover who the murderer is, because it must be related. Thea and Fred aren't exactly willing participants, but since the crimes are mimicking the deaths in their book, they have the most knowledge about where the treasure hunt could lead. The attendees are hoping to be the ones to solve it, of course, so they can claim to be the ultimate armchair detectives. That is, if they don't end up becoming victims themselves.

The book is quite engaging, a total tongue-in-cheek representation of murder mystery authors and readers. There are red herrings everywhere and nods to various famous authors and their tales. And of course, the lure of hidden treasure! And a poison garden! I couldn't put it down, and neither will you.

[Rebecca June · Rating 3 out of 5]

I kind of struggled with this one. I would swing back and forth from enjoying it to over it. The hardest part, I believe, was that there are really three storylines woven into one:
• Fred & Dora’s story of the past 20 years, falling in love, writing their books together, distrust and infidelity, and now having to work together beyond writing books in order to solve the mystery they are currently in.
• The legend of Bianca Rosa and her knight in shining armor and their eventual deaths at the Castellarosa Monastery.
• The current murders happening at a murder convention at the very same Castellarosa the inspired Fred & Dora’s famed murder mystery series. These murders have been suspiciously following the tracks of their first book, Death Takes the Castle.
While I found all of these plots interesting, the way the author wove them together felt very scattered and chaotic and I sometimes would find myself rereading the same paragraph over and over because I’d checked out. Plus, I called the culprit from the very beginning (yikes) but their motive was meh and didn’t feel important enough because there hadn’t been any buildup of stakes. I had a hard time rating this one because I definitely didn’t love it, but I also was loving parts of it? So, middle of the road it is. I am inspired to read more murder mysteries, though!

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

OUR MARRIAGE IS MURDER
BY: CAROL GOODMAN

I have been reading this author since she Published her novel called "The Lake of Dead Languages," and think her novels are both fun and stimulating. This is an absolutely Electrifying additional narrative that might just be my very best that I have read to date yet. It begins with a married husband named Frederick, and his Wife Dorothea flying to the beautifully restored Italian Castle in Italy that has significant historic meaning in a few ways. The new owners Greg and Sonia Wilson have updated it since the husband Fred and Wife Thea Morgan-Lane wrote their first Murder Mystery called, "Death at the Castle," Thea, and Fred's Debut was written there together as a Dual team had conceived of the idea when they met at this very same place twenty years ago and the words just poured out of them as they were falling in love with each other. Since then they have enjoyed a lucrative career writing a total of twenty novels in all which Thea has been the Workhorse of the two where she comes up with the ideas, outlines etc. for their Mystery Series called, "Death Takes a Holiday."

During the flight there Thea is thinking to herself while they are still flying up in the air that this
Twentieth is going to be their last one since she plans on getting an end to not only their marriage, but the series of "Death Takes a Holiday." Six years ago when Fred cheated on Thea in San Miguel the husband and wife writers of this series have been living under the ruse that they both were happily married. Behind their fairy tale facade they owned two separate pieces of Real Estate meaning that they both owned two homes where each one of them spent time living in two separate cities apart from one another. If they both stayed together in the same home under the same roof they have each slept in separate bedrooms. At this Writers Mystery Conference they are sleeping in two separate bedrooms in which they were granted the Penthouse Suite free of charge by the Wilson's, the new Owners of this historic new Hotel that used to be a Monastery. Fred and Thea invented a drinks game called Roulette where they were gathered at the conference since they were nominated for a Poirot Award, but first Thea takes a drink which went by her on a tray of drinks that was made of either Pomegranates or Grapes which is red to symbolize blood. They are crushed and made into juice that is getting passed out as crushed fruit juice to drink. Thea took a lipstick out of her bag and with the lipstick marked a big letter "X" under the glass. When the Waiter came back by her she placed the drink back on the serving tray for someone else to pick up the marked glass of drinks since Thea and Fred pretend that the marked glass has poison as the tray makes its way around the room where they are serving delicious food that was harvested on the land in the many gardens on the Estate. They had fresh herbs on fresh sliced tomatoes dripping with Olive Oil that this place used to be a Monastery Twenty years ago with the Nuns who planted all of the fruit, Olives, herbs but most beautiful of all the red and White Roses that grow all over the grounds on the remodeled Hotel.

Twenty years earlier Sister Beatrice who Thea knew while she was doing research there the Stone and Marble Castle was a Monastery where the Nuns stayed there a perfume was made out of the Roses and sold to raise money for either expenses for the Monastery or given to charity. I forget which but now that scented Rose perfume scent was popular all over and Thea wonders if Greg and Sonia, the new owners keep the profits from the locally sourced Roses were Kept Ed by the new owners of this fancy new Hotel.

Bianca Rosa was wanting to marry a Squire which Bianca Rosa's father refused to allow the Squire to take his daughter Bianca Rosa's permission to give his daughter to be able to grant that the marriage between his daughter and the Squire which her father refused. The Squire promised that he would come back a White Knight fighting in the Crusades. Bianca Rosa was keeping herself from having to marry another man who her father promised her hand in marriage to a different suitor. She wanted to wait for her White Knight to come back from the fighting during the Crusades from a Squire turned into a White Knight returning home with treasure. He kept his promise only to come back as a White Knight from as a Squire with his treasure only to find Bianca Rosa had locked herself away saving herself from her father from marrying her off to a man she didn't love and she perished. When the newly Knighted man found her dead locked away he locked himself away with her and the treasure until his death. That could explain the White and Red Rose Hybrid that the Nuns grew and that could either be what that White and Red Rose Hybrid that they called the Invisible Rose in the treasure hunt was that Thea's friend Deb Andersen had spent all week organizing. Then when Thea handed Deb Andersen her drink that Thea picked the berry of the Belladonna out of Deb's broken glass off the floor when Deb fell to the floor dead after drinking from the drink in the glass that Thea handed Deb who was murdered from poison that was the first murder taken from Thea and Fred's first book in the series called "Death Takes the Castle." Was it meant for Thea to get that drink taken that the first murder in their book was death by poison for Thea to die instead of Deb from her husband Fred? Anyway that was from the Myth of King Arthur. Bianca Rosa and the Squire who came back fighting in the Crusades with treasure and a White Knight. The death from the poison drink was taken out of the first Chapter of their first book in the series when they fell in love called "Death at the Castle."

Fred's motive to kill Thea was because of the fact that she was ending the Series "Death Takes a Holiday".
The Collaboration Clause was that if one of the pair dropped out of the Series she would still get fifty percent of the sales for royalties. Now that he was starting to replace Thea with the younger and more glamorous writer who had an MFA from three Sociopath mysteries the kill clause was if one of the pair of married writers should predecease the other than the alive writer would revert the deceased partners share of money in the writing couple in the marriage fifty percent again. Was that poison drink meant from Fred or his new writing partner Nadine St. George for Thea to die? Fred and Nadine St. George had made plans on continuing the series and the new writing partner Nadine St. George is all too willing to step into Thea's position so Thea would not get her Fifty Percent Royalties and Sales with her dead from the poison drink.

The murders keep happening following exactly as they were written in "Death Takes the Castle," Fred and Thea's first murder mystery. There's a lot to admire in Carol Goodman's new novel called, "Our Marriage is Murder." There are a lot of Literary references that make this Gothic Cozy Mystery full of atmospheric settings plus things that mirror writers literature and awards along with the deaths that keep piling up. Not only is this very well written, but it has many intriguing writers references that are spot on. If you ever wanted to learn more about the Publishing world and the different Awards that this genre of writers aspire to win which was not news to me but maybe it will be informative to the new audience of readers that aren't familiar in this area of expertise. I highly recommend this novel since it was enjoyable and additionally at this Mystery Conference that takes place in Italy it's perfect for both advanced and amateur sleuths.

Publication Date: July 21, 2026

Thank you to Net Galley, Carol Goodman and William Morrow for generously providing me with my Wonderful ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own, as always.

#OurMarriageIsMurder #CarolGoodman #WilliamMorrow #NetGalley

[Wendi Flint Rank (WendiReviews) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I struggled to connect with the many characters, not really
feeling a part of the story until the very end. I feel like I am
the last person at the party, never feeling quite a part of the
group, forcing myself to stay with it and by the last 5 chapters
I was finally figuring things out. I did really like the premise
of Fred and Thea as the perfect couple with a mirror perfect
and hugely,successful series.
This was just not easy for me to feel a part of the action.
My hope is that the intended audience will enjoy the
book
My thanks to William Morrow Publishing for the download
copy of the book for review purposes.

[Ray Palen · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a blurb on the front cover of the latest novel from Carol Goodman, OUR MARRIAGE IS MURDER, which reads: “Good man is our generation’s Christie”. High praise indeed, but there is plenty of strong moments of homage to classic mysteries, including Dame Agatha, in this novel to more than warrant that praise.

Goodman follows WRITERS AND LIARS with another clever mystery centered around mystery writers. In this case, Fred and Thea Morgan-Lane, authors of the immensely popular mystery series featuring Rick and Dora Charles --- an obvious tip of the hat to the classic Thin Man novels by Dashiell Hammett featuring husband and wife sleuths, Nick and Nora Charles.

With their marriage secretly breaking down for years, the popular mystery-writing duo are planning their last collaboration in the Rick and Dora series to coincide with a trip to the annual Murder Con mystery writer’s conference and awards ceremony set in Europe at the aptly selected locale of Castellarosa which ironically resembles the location for their famous first novel, Death Takes the Castle.

Adding to the feel of a Christie-inspired murder mystery is a mix of dynamic and ultimately untrustworthy characters who play out perfectly against the idyllic backdrop. One of the initial and primary plot twists occurs when Thea’s agent and publisher announce to her that, since she has not relented on her desire to end the Rick and Dora series, they will be handing the reins over to a rival and far less worthy author named Nadine St. George. To date, Nadine has produced three novels in a serial killer series and in Thea’s eyes is far from a worthy successor to a series she has spent decades creating. Additionally, she suspects her soon-to-be ex-husband of potentially having an affair with her, further fueling the idea of a conspiracy and set-up in her eyes.

Fred was never on board with ending their successful series and made that abundantly clear to Thea. The games officially begin when the first in a series of mystery-inspired team-building exercises ends in a completely unexpected death. Deb Andersen, someone Thea considered a close friend as well as the organizer of the Murder Con games, falls victim to what appears to be a poisoning --- straight out of Dame Agatha’s murder catalogue. To make matters worse, the drink glass Deb last sipped out of was marked as belonging to Thea, making her believe she was the intended victim.

Deadly nightshade was identified as the poison found in the glass that claimed Deb Andersen’s life, and a collection of individuals who belong to the professional literary murder game suddenly found themselves in the middle of a very real murder case. Thea immediately suspects Nadine St. George, and has her back up as she believes the murderer may not miss her with the next attempt on her life. When paperwork is found claiming that if either Thea or Fred died the remaining partner would retain one hundred percent of the financial proceeds of their series, Thea truly believes she has been selected for murder during this literary event.

A very real detective is called into the ceremony to investigate and will quickly have his hands full with a list of suspects who all kill people for a living from a fictional perspective, making them the closest thing to experts at getting away with potential crime as he has ever before encountered. Things take on a truly diabolical twist when more murders occur, including a serious potential suspect. Even more ironic is that the series of murders now seem to be happening in the same order as the fictional murders of Death Takes the Castle, a fact that does not bode well for Thea and Fred.

Goodman is in full command in this fun and unpredictable murder mystery, which highlights her intricate plotting and well-evidenced knowledge of mystery lore with OUR MARRIAGE IS MURDER in a story that will appeal to any murder mystery lover.

Reviewed by Ray Palen for Book Reporter

[Get Your Tinsel in a Tangle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second this book introduced a married mystery-writing couple returning to the Italian castle where they fell in love, while secretly planning to end both their marriage and their bestselling series, I was already seated. Then someone gets poisoned with a cocktail meant for the wife basically immediately, and suddenly the vibe becomes “what if Agatha Christie and couples therapy got locked in a wine cellar together.”

Thea and Fred are one of those literary power couples everybody envies while they privately communicate like exhausted hostage negotiators. They’ve spent twenty years writing murder mysteries together, and now Thea wants out of both the marriage and the books. Unfortunately for her, MurderCon is apparently not the place for quiet life transitions because people immediately start dropping dead in ways that perfectly mirror the murders from their first novel.

And honestly? The mystery writer conference setting is hysterical. Every single person at this castle feels emotionally unstable enough to either commit murder or write a 900-page Substack about it. You’ve got rival authors, obsessive fans, ambitious younger writers circling Fred like he’s recently divorced at a farmer’s market, and everyone reacting to literal homicide with the energy of theater kids who just got cast in the lead role.

The Italian castle atmosphere is doing serious work here too. Secret passageways, creepy gardens, tragic romantic legends, hidden treasure, dramatic staircases built specifically for accusing people in candlelight… this book is fully committed to the aesthetic. At one point I stopped trying to solve the murders because I was too busy wanting to live there as the mysterious woman locals whisper about.

Now, the middle gets a little crowded. There are a LOT of characters and plot threads flying around, and occasionally it feels like the book dumped an entire true crime corkboard directly into your lap. But honestly, the chaos weirdly works because everybody in this story is operating at full emotional instability anyway.

What surprised me most was how much I cared about Thea and Fred underneath all the murder nonsense. Their relationship has this deeply sad “we built a whole life together and now don’t know what’s left without it” energy that sneaks up on you between poisonings and literary drama. The book never lingers too long in the feelings though, which I appreciated. It hits you emotionally, then immediately throws another suspicious author into a hallway holding cryptic clues and a glass of wine.

By the end, I was fully invested, accusing everyone, and craving pasta. A very solid 3.5 stars for me. Messy in spots, but clever, atmospheric, funny, and exactly the kind of mystery that makes you want to book a flight to Italy and absolutely never trust a cocktail again.

Whodunity Award: For Making MurderCon Sound Like the World’s Most Expensive HR Nightmare

And thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the ARC, which confirmed my belief that mystery writers should never be allowed near ancient castles unsupervised.

[Bookreporter.com Mystery & Thriller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Award-winning author John Copenhaver has proclaimed that Carol Goodman “is our generation’s Christie.” There are plenty of strong moments of homage to classic mysteries --- including Dame Agatha --- in OUR MARRIAGE IS MURDER to more than warrant that praise.

Goodman follows WRITERS AND LIARS with another clever novel centered on mystery writers. In this case, it’s Fred and Thea Morgan-Lane, authors of an immensely popular series starring Rick and Dora Charles --- an obvious tip of the hat to Dashiell Hammett’s THE THIN MAN featuring husband-and-wife sleuths Nick and Nora Charles.

With their marriage secretly breaking down for years, Fred and Thea are planning the final installment in their Death Takes a Holiday series to coincide with a trip to MurderCon. The annual mystery writer’s convention is taking place in Italy at the Hotel Castellarosa, a former monastery where the couple met, fell in love, and began working on their first book, Death Takes the Castle.

Adding to the feel of a Christie-inspired murder mystery is a mix of dynamic and ultimately untrustworthy characters who play out perfectly against the idyllic backdrop. Since Thea has not relented on her desire to end the series, her agent and publisher inform her that they will be handing the reins over to a rival author, Nadine St. George. Thea strongly believes that Nadine is far from a worthy successor to a series that she has spent decades creating. Additionally, she suspects her soon-to-be ex-husband of potentially having an affair with Nadine, further fueling the idea of a conspiracy and setup. Fred was never on board with ending the series and made that abundantly clear to Thea.

The games officially begin when the first in a series of mystery-inspired team-building exercises ends in a completely unexpected death. International Murder Writers Executive Director Deb Andersen, a close friend of Thea, falls victim to what appears to be a poisoning --- straight out of Dame Agatha’s murder catalogue. To make matters worse, the glass that Deb last sipped out of was marked as belonging to Thea.

Deadly nightshade is identified as the poison found in the glass, and Thea immediately suspects Nadine. When paperwork is found claiming that if either Thea or Fred dies, the surviving partner would retain 100% of the financial proceeds of their series, Thea is convinced that she has been targeted for murder.

A very real detective is called in to investigate and quickly will have his hands full with a list of suspects who kill people for a living from a fictional perspective, making them the closest thing to experts at getting away with potential crimes that he has ever encountered before. More murders follow, and they seem to be happening in the same order as the killings in Death Takes the Castle, which does not bode well for Thea or Fred.

Carol Goodman is in full command of this fun and unpredictable novel, which highlights her intricate plotting and well-evidenced knowledge of mystery lore.

Reviewed by Ray Palen

[Gali · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Our Marriage Is Murder" by Carol Goodman is an engaging locked-room mystery about a husband-and-wife author team who find themselves entangled in a real-life murder case. After reading several fantasy books in a row, I was in the mood for a mystery, and this one fit the bill perfectly.

Fred and Thea Morgan-Lane are partners in both life and writing, coauthoring the successful Death Takes a Holiday mystery series. When their novel Death Takes the Castle is nominated —along with several others—for the prestigious Poirot Prize for Best Mystery Series, they are invited to the Italian castle Castellarosa to attend a mystery conference called Murdercon, where one book will ultimately be chosen. One of the highlights of the conference is a treasure hunt designed by the organizer and based on the Morgan-Lanes’ book. However, after twenty years of marriage and collaboration, Thea wants out—of both the marriage and the writing partnership.

Things take a darker turn when the conference organizer is poisoned in a manner that mirrors the Morgan-Lanes’ book. As deaths among the attendees continue, Thea quickly becomes the prime suspect. Yet the treasure hunt goes on, each clue drawn from their novel and supposedly leading to a buried treasure tied to a local legend. With a killer on the loose and the police breathing down their necks, the unhappy couple must solve the mystery—and perhaps save their marriage—before it's too late.

With mysterious deaths, intriguing clues, and plenty of red herrings, the book kept me turning the pages. The pacing is occasionally slow, but it didn’t significantly affect my enjoyment. The story is told from Thea’s first-person point of view, which helped me connect with her. I was less fond of Fred, though that may have been influenced by the narration.

I appreciated the many nods to Agatha Christie and other classic mystery authors. I enjoyed the literary references, the glamorous Italian setting, and, of course, the mystery itself. A particularly fun detail was that the cats mentioned in the tale were named Tommy and Tuppence, after Christie’s protagonists. That said, the slow start and the repetitive tidbits of local legend and backstory sometimes pulled me out of the story.

The plot could have benefited from some tightening, and because of that, I deducted a star, rating the book 4 out of 5 stars. Still, I enjoyed it and would recommend it. Our Marriage Is Murder is a standalone (as far as I know, it isn’t part of a series), though I would be happy to meet these characters again. This book should appeal to mystery and suspense fans, as well as to readers looking for an entertaining, light read with a classic mystery feel.

* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc. All opinions are my own.
* Review on my blog: https://galibookish.blogspot.com/2026...

[Heidi Zuva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is this a thriller? A mystery? A second-chance married romance? Who knows, but I'm in!

Premise - Fred and Thea Morgan-Lane are a power couple, as successful as their marriage as they are in their joint writing career. To celebrate their first novel, 'Death Takes the Castle,' they attend a mystery conference in the Italian castle of the novel.

But 20 years and 20 books into their marriage, Thea wants out. She figures the conference is the perfect opportunity to bring their story full circle -- until a death rocks the conference shortly after its begin.

The poisoned cocktail was meant for Thea. Is the murderer her husband? Nadine, an upstart young author who'd love to fill Thea's shoes? More bodies pile up and a troubling pattern emerges: they stack perfectly onto the killings in the couple's debut novel.

The estranged couple have to team up, despite their old hurts and simmering resentments, if they want to put a stop to the killing (and survive themselves).

This was definitely mystery/romance rather than a thriller, because even when they were buried alive I never doubted they'd come out of the story just fine. It's pretty clear, more or less from the jump, where this story will end up and so it's cozy despite the murders.

Trying to figure out who the baddies were was fun! I figured it out by murder 2 and wasn't surprised at all when I was proven right, but for the rest of the story the romance kept me engaged.

I'm not a Romance person generally, and even a romance subplot is a hard sell to me, but it's different when the couple is mature and their relationship has real stakes (see: 20 years of partnership, not a little summer fling). This was the kind of second chance romance I eat up, with communication, compromise, and love that endures. Butterflies are fun and great (and there's still attraction in these pages) but when the couple is all-in on lust I never end up sold on the love. When it's all about his chiseled jawline and her beauty, what happens when they're 40, 50, 60+ and start to sag? Here it was clear the connection between the characters was soul-level and not only skin deep.

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Mami Penning. She did a great job, especially with Thea, but even with the Italian characters! She gave the villains such a jolly evil vibe.😂 Mustache twirlers, basically. This would make a great airplane listen on a flight to vacation.

Thanks, NetGalley and HarperAudio Adult, for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Carole Barker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dead bodies accumulate at a mystery writers' conference

Twenty years ago Fred and Thea met and fell in love while staying at Castellarosa, an ancient Italian castle. Each was attempting to write (he attempting the Great American Novel, she a scholarly study on a legend attached to the castle). Instead they worked together to create a mystery starring a couple who was in many ways their literary doppelgängers. That novel launched a wildly successful series which brought them fame and financial security even as it put an end to their more serious literary aspirations. The series has recently started to falter (as has their marriage) yet here they are headed back to a renovated Casellarosa to headline a mystery writers' conference. Thea wants to announce that their forthcoming book will be the last in the series, and with its end she suspects will come that of their marriage; but Fred doesn't agree. Before the opening reception has even finished one of the attendees dies after drinking a poisoned cocktail (which Thea fears may have been meant for her) and that won't be the last death at the isolated setting. With so many people well versed in how to bump off others, and just as many possible motives, Thea and Fred must work together to find out who is using the plots of their books to kill while avoiding both suspicion and becoming the next victim. And who knows, maybe solving the crime will help bring their marriage back from the brink.
Our Marriage Is Murder is a mystery/thriller that weaves in allusions to earlier classics, a dash of gothic vibes, and intricate character dynamics. Author Carol Goodman has taken the framework of a cozy amateur sleuth couple mystery, set it a mystery writers' convention in a spot remote enough to count as a locked-room setting, and then layered in complex yet relatable relationship drama. Ambition, trust, and secrets new and old all add to the mix to produce an enjoyable read with the author's trademark polished writing. Did I guess who the culprit (or culprits) might be early on? I did, but I couldn't be sure I was correct until the end. It is more mystery than thriller, and the pacing slowed down at points, but overall I found it a solid read likely to appeal to readers of Lucy Foley, Ruth Ware, and Sulari Gentill. My thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow Paperbacks for allowing me access to the novel in exchange for my honest review.

[Barbara Schultz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Title: Our Marriage is Murder
Author: Carol Goodwin
Format: 🎧
Narrator: Marni Penny
Publisher: HarperAudio Adult- William Marrow Paperback
Genre: Mystery Thriller (not a Cozy Mystery)
Pub Date: July 21, 2026
My Rating: 3 Stars!
Pages: 336

Fred and Thea Morgan-Lane are married and partners in both life and writing, coauthoring the successful -Death Takes a Holiday mystery series. When their novel Death Takes the Castle is nominated for the prestigious Poirot Prize for Best Mystery Series, they are invited to the Italian castle Castellarosa to attend a mystery conference called Murdercon.
However, on the trip over Thea suggests that after they finish the next - Death Takes as Holiday which will be #20 perhaps their main characters, Rick and Dora need to call it quits hmmm as does their marriage!
Fred doesn’t agree with calling it quits in either situation!

When someone dies shortly after they arrive, it appears Thea might have been the intended target. When a second death occurs, it seems the murders are too familiar and are copying the plot of a Fred and Thea story.

I wanted to love this as I love mystery thrillers and love this idea. In fact, I did like the story -but Thea was sooo annoying – perhaps it was the audiobook performance (audiobook fans know the narrators are key!) She did do a great job with performing characters who spoke Italian.

I hung in there and as I like when there was mention of an author I read many years ago ~
Mary Stewart – A author who wrote Romantic Suspense by transforming the thriller genre by moving away from traditional, helpless female leads. She introduced intelligent, capable heroines and everyday protagonists who confronted danger with psychological depth. Some of her most famous novels include Madam, Will You Talk? (1955), Nine Coaches Waiting (1958), and The Moon-Spinners (1962), you may have heard of it as it was adapted into a Walt Disney film- starring Hayley Mills.

I have only read one other Carol Goodman and it was okay as it really wasn’t a cozy and I was surprised with the profanity in a recipient of a “Mary Higgins Clark Award”.
“Cozy Mystery’ needs to meet some criteria - https://cozymystery.com

Want to thank NetGalley and HarperAudio Adult/William Marrow Paperback for this audiobook.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for July 21, 2026.

[Victoria Colotta · Rating 4 out of 5]

OUR MARRIAGE IS MURDER has murder, duplicity, amateur sleuthing, and even a little treasure hunt. Goodman continues to deliver smartly crafted mysteries that infuse tense situations with heart and humor.

This story brings to life a mystery conference littered with all the usual suspects, and many of them aren’t who they show the world to be, including Fred and Thea. However, it is these two who will go down the rabbit hole to find the villain committing murders, many of which are modeled after those in their first novel. There are twists, turns, appearances by nuns, and even an inspector who has his own thoughts about the bodies dropping at this castle. But what I was drawn to was the variety of quirky characters coming in and out. They added color and dimension to the story, which could have been flat. Luckily for us, Goodman excels at breathing life into those people who appear on her pages.

OUR MARRIAGE IS MURDER is more fun than a murder investigation should be. I think it has a lot to do with the setting and the richly developed lore surrounding it. This was one of my favorite parts. I will definitely be adding this one to my shelf.

Audiobook Note: Seriously…listen to this audiobook. Marni Penning did a brilliant job narrating it. I spent most of my time with the audio version, so I can tell you, the pace and elocution were perfect.

Pace: ☕ ☕ ☕ ☕
Elocution: ☕ ☕ ☕ ☕
Characters: ☕ ☕ ☕ ☕

Reviewer Disclaimer: I have been experimenting with a hybrid reading method in which I read and listen to the same book. The publisher gave me the physical book and audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Highly Caffeinated Rating of… ☕ ☕ ☕ ☕

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[𝘫𝘢𝘴 ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of advanced copy received from Netgalley

4.5 ⭐️

I had a great time with this. Not only do we have a murder mystery set in a castle in Italy, we have a gothic legend about a princess and her knight in shining armor. As a lover of gothic literature, I had no complaints on that front. Then, we have Thea and Fred who have been married for twenty years, and writing a famous series about an iconic detective couple inspired by themselves. I enjoyed all three of these interwoven storylines. I think each one of them added something unique to the storyline, resulting in a very engaging read.

The deaths follow the murders of Thea and Fred’s first novel to a T, which was an aspect I thought was very fun. Their dynamic with each other had me feeling all sorts of things and I almost cared more about them than the murders. Despite their struggles, they clearly still cared for each other and I wanted to scream at them to just talk. When they were investigating the final clue together underground, I was so happy.

And oh my god, Nadine? I genuinely despised that woman, I literally wanted to curb stomp her the whole time. Like go away!!

I don’t know that I liked the reveal of who the killer was. It almost felt too simple? The motive felt too easy, too much like what you’d expect, when I was hoping it would dive deeper.

I also wish we got more resolution with Thea and Fred. The ending felt very abrupt, but I guess also fitting, in a way? I suspected a more ambiguous resolution for the two of them when they kept repeating that Fred doesn’t like endings that tie everything up in a neat little bow—though funnily, the novel’s reveal of the killer ends up doing just that—but I was hoping it wouldn’t be the case. I was rooting for them the entire time and I would have liked a little more payoff.

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.

thank you to the publisher for the arc♡

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings with this book. Overall, the concept of the novel is interesting: a couple who co-writes murder mysteries starts seeing the murders in one of their books come to light. I'll start with what I really liked: Some of the side characters (Deb and Joan mainly) were entertaining and seemed like fully imagined people I could picture. The setting was incredibly cool and I could picture myself in most of the places in Castlellarosa, be it the hedge mazes to the inner workings of the building. It was a really neat place for all of this mystery to take place.

Some things that frustrated me: I couldn't stand Thea, and Fred wasn't that much better. Thea seemed constantly behind what was happening and complained about things before realizing what that would mean (left vague so I don't spoil things). As someone who writes mysteries for a living, it felt really inaccurate for her first reaction to always be disbelief and for her to not think through what consequences might be. Fred seemed a bit more real I suppose, but the pair of them were a tough hang out for me. There were aspects of this story that pushed it to a 4 star review for me, and then parts that lowered it to a 2 star.

I will say I thought the narrator, Marni Penning, did a good job changing up the voices of the characters and I occasionally forgot there was only one narrator. That said, I thought she made Thea sound really whiny and dense, but I'm not sure how much of that was the text vs. the interpretation of the narrator. I would listen to another story she read.

I found the ending to be really annoying, but overall I thought the book was entertaining enough to be a 3 star read, so that's where I landed. I think the author knows how to write and how to weave a story, I just didn't care for the main character, which made it tough to appreciate the whole story.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperAudio Adult for this advanced copy of the audiobook and my honest review.

[Shoni Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had mixed feelings about this one. At times I was completely invested, and at others I found myself struggling to stay engaged. The biggest challenge for me was keeping up with the three different storylines woven throughout the novel:

Fred and Dora’s complicated 20-year relationship, from falling in love and building a successful writing career together to navigating betrayal, mistrust, and their current efforts to solve a mystery that hits close to home.
The tragic legend of Bianca Rosa and her knight, whose story unfolds at the Castellarosa Monastery.
The present-day murders taking place during a murder mystery convention at the same monastery that inspired Fred and Dora’s bestselling series. The crimes eerily mirror the events of their first novel, Death Takes the Castle.

Individually, I found each storyline interesting, but together they often felt disjointed and overwhelming. The constant shifts between timelines and perspectives made it difficult for me to stay fully immersed, and there were several moments where I caught myself rereading passages because my attention had drifted.

Unfortunately, I also guessed the culprit very early on, which took away some of the suspense. While the reveal itself wasn't terrible, the motivation behind it felt underdeveloped and didn't have the emotional impact I was hoping for. There just wasn't enough buildup to make the resolution feel truly satisfying.

Overall, this wasn't a bad read, but it wasn't a particularly memorable one either. There were elements I enjoyed, especially the setting and the layered mystery, but the execution didn't fully come together for me. A decent read, but ultimately one that I think will be fairly forgettable in the long run.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperAudio/William Morrow for providing me with an audiobook copy in exchange for my honest review.

[JoAnne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read my review on NovelsAlive.com by clicking the link below. It is also posted in full.

https://novelsalive.com/2026/07/20/4-...

Set in Italy at a writer’s conference, Our Marriage is Murder by Carol Goodman is a mystery thriller highlighting a treasure hunt.

Full of book references, authors, and wannabe authors, it takes place in a medieval castle that had been a monastery. The main characters are married, but are pulling apart. They met twenty years earlier and decided to become writing partners, writing themed mysteries centered on death.

Thea and Fred are basically estranged but have to finish their last book together. He’s decided his life will take a new direction, but is that what they both really want? When murders start occurring as the clues are drawn from the first book they had written, pointing towards where the treasure is, where will it end? Especially since they never found any treasure twenty years before and their book is fiction, isn’t it?

We meet many characters on the surface who are woven throughout the story. The history of the castle, some of its predecessors, including the nuns, are discussed. We trek all over the grounds looking for clues and the treasure and find a lot of red herrings. The author writes vivid descriptions, lots of Latin, and the translations. There are twists and turns to the story along with many surprises. Most of the loose ends are tied up, and there is closure with the discovery of the murderer and with Thea and Fred deciding to move forward after they write the last chapter of their last book in their twenty-book series. But with so many historical and mythological events and characters mentioned, the story did not always flow well.

Our Marriage is Murder has dual contexts, with a beautiful backdrop in Italy and so many murders to solve.

[Laura Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on July 21st, 2026.

A love story and a mystery, immersed in literary and classicist references with a touch of modern greed and drama. Master genre novelists Fred and Theda Morgan-Lane are both writing and life partners. At least they were. Now — on the cusp of attending a mystery convention at the gorgeous Italian castle where their very popular “Death Takes a Holiday” series was launched — they plan to announce the end of both. Or at least Theda does; Fred has a few other plans up his sleeve. Ignoring whatever plans they each may have, things start going horribly wrong as one by one the murders from their first novel seem to be repeating in real life.

The writing is (as always) good; the pacing deliberate and triggering just the right blend of edge of the seat and calm curiosity; and the characters are all interesting (to me) people. The people and their various relationships are intriguing because they capture multiple levels of overlapping and inconsistent emotional undercurrents. Especially once the murders start and everyone is forced to look at everyone else in a whole new, and highly suspicious, way. Goodman is both a classicist and a feminist, and both themes ran through the narrative in credible fashion. Most importantly, the resolution was surprising (to me), tenable, and completely satisfying — the perfect combination!

[mkm_bookloverarchivistreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carol Goodman's Our Marriage Is Murder is a clever, humorous tale that pokes fun at the world of murder mysteries. In a shocking twist, Thea Morgan-Lane plans to use a mystery conference at an Italian castle to announce not only the conclusion of her and husband Fred's bestselling series but also the demise of their marriage. Life imitates art - and then some. Real-life murders start mirroring the fictional deaths in the couple's debut novel, Death Takes a Castle. Talk about a killer plot twist! Get ready for a wildly entertaining ride, full of sharp wit, clever banter, and a healthy dose of dark humor. This show is a masterclass in suspenseful storytelling, with twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the very end. This gripping tale follows an "unhappy couple" as they navigate their crumbling relationship and learn to trust each other again. Critics have praised the story's "intriguing" emotional depth and the "overlapping" web of suspicion that binds the characters together. Buckle up, friend, because this thoughtfully energetic page-turner is about to take you on a wild ride! The 'completely satisfying' and 'surprising' resolution is the 'cherry on top' of this 'gripping' narrative - and you'll be 'breathlessly turning pages' till the very end. While set in a beautiful Italian castle, the story is a real 'killer' with its 'sinister' and 'suspenseful' atmosphere as everyone at the conference becomes a suspect. Our Marriage Is Murder, Carol Goodman's latest novel, is a 'whodunit' you won't regret reading - highly recommended!

[Elisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pure, delicious, escapist fun! This whodunit is a meta-love letter to the mystery genre. A group of authors, with their quibbles that I can only imagine are too real; a bunch of readers, who I know for a fact seem very realistic; in a wonderful setting solving a series of crimes… could I have loved it any more? Fred and Thea have made a successful career out of a murder mystery series, but their marriage is in tatters. They travel to an old monastery-castle, now a five-star hotel, for an award conference/fan event. There is a gothic setting, a treasure hunt, easter eggs and discussions about writing. The love Goodman has for the genre is front and center. She pokes fun at it, the writers and the readers, but it’s always well meaning. Thea is a likable protagonist. Her personal story and her relationship with estranged hubby Fred is a big part of the plot, but only as a way to move the action forward. The atmospheric descriptions are never too long, and they set everything in a creepy but delightful context. I enjoyed the red herrings, the clues and, especially the look into a mystery author’s method. I loved the cast of suspects/potential victims, as well as the legend at the heart of the mystery. Is this the great literary novel that Fred is dreaming of writing? No. It is a fun, entertaining, addictive and suspenseful page-turner that any of the author characters could only dream of publishing. I loved it!
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/William Morrow.