Dig Your Own Grave

by Carmen Radtke

Marie Ingram is kind, generous, and lately, a killer …

When her childhood friend takes her own life to escape marital hell, Marie is devastated. But when the widower sets his eyes on a new wife, she knows what she has to do:

Make sure no other woman suffers the same fate.

Knowing she may not have long to live due to a serious illness, Marie considers this her parting gift to the world.

But doing good by breaking bad is a very easy habit to fall into, and there are plenty more evil people who seem to be untouchable by the law.

The question is, is Marie fast becoming irredeemable herself?

Kindle Edition

First published March 11, 2022

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a 4.5 🌟 read rounded ⬆️ to 5 🌟.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel but in no way would I describe it as a "cozy". I feel cozies tend to be light and fluffy and just a bit silly. Although this story has an amateur sleuth, I think the topics it deals with are quite serious. Maybe we need to come up with another genre name other than "cozy".

[Frankie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is only the second book by Carmen Radtke that I have read, I am endeavouring to read more as I was completely hooked when I first discovered her work, so I was very excited to finally get the opportunity to sit down and read another of her books and I was not disappointed.

For a story that is basically all about a woman bumping as many unsuspecting people off as possible, you can’t help but like it and her, also in an odd way agree with her (maybe not her methods for dishing out justice, but hey it’s all great fun) she has her reasons for becoming a serial killer, Marie is dying, she has little time left on this earth so she decides that this is the perfect time to dish out a little justice.

Her first goal is to get rid of the man who made her best friend resort to suicide, and then well you can say Marie gets a taste for ridding the world of evil and keeps ongoing. It sounds macabre and not something that can be humorous, but surprisingly it is. There is an old school black comedy feel about it, think along the lines of With Nail and I (which is one of my all-time favourite films) and you are not too far away from how this book is. It’s a real cracker!

From the first few pages I was hooked – like a fish on a line, unable to flee (not that I would want to) I absolutely loved how this book opens, at a funeral where the characters are all standing around the open grave having the best conversation, yes it was all about death but very funny. I could almost see myself standing beside them as they talk about how she should have done him in. you have to read it to fully understand, but it is such a great scene and sets the reader up perfectly for the story to come. And what a story it is!!

Dig Your Own Grave is a brilliantly funny cosy crime caper with a fabulous twist, you can easily become completely addicted to this and want more, its clever and highly original plot, the writing is engaging and compelling – I honestly cannot find a single fault with it, it is an absolute must-read!

[Pauline Render · Rating 4 out of 5]

When her old school friend kills herself after years of abuse by her husband, the guilt Marie feels is overwhelming and so she decides he too needs to die. But she soon realises he isn’t the only man who deserves the same fate. And as she dying she knows she has nothing to lose.
I found Marie to be a complex character, both loving and regretful as she remembers past years. She is also a troubled woman who wants to do right but is unsure of herself at times. Carmen’s description of Paris is beautifully written, so much so that I felt I was walking the streets and visiting the sights with Marie. There is wonderfully gentle humour as well in this story to do with her dog which I’m sure everyone who has one will understand and a couple of twists which I really didn’t see coming. By the time I finished the book I was left with a feeling of satisfaction, although saying that I really do hope Carmen is planning on writing as sequel as I would love to know what Marie does next.

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great murder mystery that I would say is verging on cozy and a good easy read. Well written with a great storyline.

Briefly, Marie Ingram has returned to England following her parents deaths. She is living alone in her parents house and suffering from terminal leukaemia. She is just waiting to die until her childhood friend commits suicide to escape her abusive husband. Marie determines to make sure he can’t hurt another woman so she kills him. Having got away with murder she decides to put more wrongs right! Through her old friends Peter she meet a lady who is haunted by the unlawful death of a girl and Marie starts to hatch a plan…

An enjoyable read with a touch of suspense, although personally I would have liked to know more about some of the characters. A fun to read crime thriller, light but with a lovely twist at the end. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Kath Middleton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young woman diagnosed with terminal leukaemia sees some huge injustices. She has nothing to lose so she sets out to right the wrongs, but only when further wrong would occur if she doesn’t. I loved the way she was able to rationalise her actions. I don’t want to spoil the story for you but Marie’s sense of injustice is high, which she feels may be due to her illness. It’s an interesting premise, well worked through.
Unfortunately, the publisher has seriously messed up the formatting with line breaks and even centred and right justified sections throughout, which is extremely distracting. It also needs a good proofreading. A really good book, but poorly presented. I feel for the author in this and have not taken it into account in judging the story.

[Sue Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dig your own grave by Carmen Radkte.
Marie Ingram is kind, generous, and lately, a killer …

When her childhood friend takes her own life to escape marital hell, Marie is devastated. But when the widower sets his eyes on a new wife, she knows what she has to do:

Make sure no other woman suffers the same fate.

Knowing she may not have long to live due to a serious illness, Marie considers this her parting gift to the world.

But doing good by breaking bad is a very easy habit to fall into, and there are plenty more evil people who seem to be untouchable by the law.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Great story and characters. 5*.

[Caroline Venables · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was intrigued by the title of this book and the cover, it has all the makings of a really good cosy crime book.

This is a little different to others in the genre but I really enjoyed the premise.

Marie has found herself living back in the UK with a terminal disease, she is convinced that all she needs to do now is count the days until the end. However when a friend of hers dies, she finds a new mission in life. She is determined to use the time she has left to put the worlds to rights.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the thought behind it, it really made me think about the character and how I would act if I were in the same position.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall I really enjoyed this book. The premise is interesting and characters engaging. Loved Dash and Marie and their relationship and the Paris section. The deaths were clever and well thought out and I always looked forward to opening the kindle and carrying on. A few annoying Americanisms - faucet, real estate agent - which detract from a novel set in England. For me the end let the rest of the book down. Not clear if Marie really was being manipulated by Peter - did he know?, and all finished off in rather too much of a hurry. That said I recommend as a good holiday read and will look up the authors other books.

[Lexie Conyngham · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intriguing start – an abused wife kills herself, and her old schoolfriend, herself dying from leukemia, swears to stop the husband doing the same thing to another woman. The plot moves so quickly it’s hard to see, at first, how it will last for the whole book. But it is sustained, and I found myself worrying about Marie when I wasn’t anywhere near the book, wondering how it was going to turn out for her. A very enjoyable and thoughtful book.

[Suzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Edgy cozy mystery

This edgy, cozy murder mystery surprised me in the best way! What would you do if a dear friend took her own life to avoid more spousal abuse? This protagonist decides to mete out her own measure of justice when she finds she as a terminal disease. I was intrigued and enjoyed the routes that were taken. Also, the little dachshund in the story is so adorable. The twist in this tale is a really good one. I can't wait to read more by this author.

[Patrice Gotting - #prdgreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Thoughts: this is a mystery book with a bit of a twist, we know who’s killing people, we know how and we know why, all things that we normally expect to be a big reveal, but somehow this book was addictive.

The writing flowed so easily that it was a quick read and I just couldn’t put it down!

I was behind Marie the whole time, I understood why she was doing what she was doing and I actually found myself agreeing with her reasons and feeling like she was definitely doing the right thing.. (don’t worry, I’m not about to start killing people, I just kind of ‘got it’)

Not that this makes it right, but she’s dying.. she was just trying to right some wrongs and rid the world of bad people 😂

I loved Dash so much, he quickly became one of my favourite parts of the book, he just had so much character!

This was such an enjoyable read without being too heavy despite the subject matter.. I would say it’s more of a cosy mystery but without the huge element of humour that normally comes with that specific genre.

I would definitely recommend picking it up

[Kamini Mehta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marie is ill and decides to give her last days a purpose...murdering evil people. She's a strangely likable character and her sidekick Dash. Somehow, there's a suspension of disbelief at how easy it all seems. But she also wrestles with her conscience.

[Beccy Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I’ve read by this author but what an introduction!
A moral dilemma posed for the reader- by doing bad to do good are you bad?
A real puzzler

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly enjoyed this...all in one day!!

[Dee Groocock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marie Ingram has terminal leukaemia and has returned to England to die. She attends her friends funeral, she committed suicide to escape her violent husband.

Knowing that she is dying, Marie decides to kill her friends husband for payback! When she gets away with it, she decides to kill more people who have done wrong!

I liked this book a lot. An interesting concept, killing to put things right! I couldn’t help but like Marie’s character, in spite of what she was doing. I liked the friendship between Marie and Peter. For a crime thriller, the story wasn’t overly dark and held my interest.

[Helen Frost · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting premise for a book, Marie believes she is dying and is also horrified to discover that a good friend of hers died because of domestic abuse so she decides to take matters into her own hands and murder those who she feels do not deserve to live. I’ve read several books with this general idea and find it an interesting moral code and plausible thought process so enjoy following the killer with a strange empathy for both murderer and victim at the same time. I also found the main character’s attachment to their daschund endearing and this gave their moral compass another skew towards sympathy and empathy so it was hard to entirely hate them.
The writing was good although not entirely compelling or exciting to drive me through, I did want to complete it though to see what the conclusion would be. A good even paced easy read.

[Sally Stackhouse · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first, I was intrigued as to how the heroine justifies her actions to herself because of her medical diagnosis. Then I became dissatisfied and outraged with the character thinking, who made her the judge and able to take justice in to her own hands. That shows good writing. The ending was surprising.
Due to serious formatting errors and spelling mistakes, detracting from the joy of reading I’ve had to mark the book down to 3*.
I received an ARC copy for my honest review.

[Brenda Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Do you know someone who shouldn't be breathing? They just exude evil, no moral compass, no care for those they damage. How many times have you envisioned their deaths?
Marie returns home after decades abroad - her mother is dying. Shortly after her mother's death, Marie's best friend from school dies successfully commits suicide. The blame placed on her abusive husband. Ellie tried several times to leave - she couldn't escape.
Marie's own cancer diagnosis allows her some moral leeway - and the husband is dead.
On a trip abroad, Marie meets a nice man, and another evil person. Should Marie strike again?
A little slow for me - overall enjoyable and lovely look at what if.

[Linda Huber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dig Your Own Grave is a fascinating and very different read. Marie is terminally ill, and resolves to make a difference to the world while she still can. Is murdering evil people so very wrong, when it stops them committing further atrocities? Marie’s dilemma is sensitively dealt with, and her visit to Paris and most especially the dogs make for a fun, entertaining read and a well-deserved five stars.
I’ll read again this one again.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable, light and entertaining read. I pondered the question 'what would I do?' When you know your life expectancy has been cut short it must make you feel invincible... what have you got to lose? For Marie it was time to put a few wrongs to right. Quite thought provoking. Friendship, romance, morals and the love of dogs feature strongly in this book....as does murder! Some may call it justice, karma, Marie does.
It's not a tense read, you are made quite aware of what's going on, but it's still quite intriguing with a good storyline and some interesting and likable characters.

[Ryan Hoffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was definitely a great read. A little different with the plot but very entertaining. The whole story surrounds Marie, a woman with a terminal illness that turns vigilante killer after her friend's husband drives her to an early grave. Marie makes it her mission to make sure he doesn't do it to anyone else, no matter the cost. Besides that there is a dog that she has around her.

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an intriguing book . The main character has a terminal illness and vows to find her friends ex husband after her suicide. After all what will she lose? Interesting storyline. I enjoyed this one.

[Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marie has been diagnosed with a terminal illness. When her best friend commits suicide, because of her husband's violence, Marie decides to send him to his final reward. Good, unusual story.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a murder mystery. We already know that the main character, terminally ill Marie, is the killer. We know the why. Knowing there was a dying woman who became a killer to avenge injustices, I was sure this was going to be a dark book. I was wrong. There are so many lighthearted parts to the story and a cute dog as well. Marie struggles with her decision to kill someone who is responsible for her friend’s death. He can’t be touched by the law and he’s already looking for his next “date”. Carmen Radtke makes us care for Marie and her choices. Nothing is clear cut. I was totally hooked. Marie’s plans are very well researched, thought out, and planned. Some twists and turns along the way and a very unexpected shocking ending. I really enjoyed this and more so because it wasn’t the dark book I expected it to be.

[Rosie Bray · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to love this more than I did, from the blurb I had hoped for more from Marie's character. Now I wasn't expecting her to go on a wild killing spree but felt that the focus was much more on what leads her to take the path she does, which took the shine off the book for me.

The book was well written, but there were times when I struggled to push myself to finish it. Whether it was it was a cosier mystery genre than I'm used to reading I honestly don't know.

I received a copy of this book as an ARC from Spellbound Books and am submitting m honest review

[julie young · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Marie returns home to get her affairs in order after a serious health diagnosis. Life takes a very different course as she takes revenge for people unable to defend themselves, forms a close bond with the engaging Dash and in spite of her murderous actions. Such an entertaining book, packed with dark humour and heart.

[A.J. Griffiths-Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cosy mysteries are Radtke’s trademark novels & this one lived up to the reputation of a great read. Marie Ingram is an extremely likeable character & when little Dash is thrown into the mix, there’s a real feeling of connection & understanding between the two. However, there is murder afoot & plenty of twists, not to mention the topic of terminal illness which puts a very sad but realistic spin on events as they unfold. This mystery delivers on all counts ~ friendship, death, revenge & love. What more could a reader want?

[Sophie Cutler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh…

I grew quite fond of Marie and her vigilante life, putting the world to rights. Unfortunately, the ‘twist’ was predictable and an anti-climax that lead to a very abrupt ending.

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. But interesting main character.

[NESKA · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,75🌟🌟🌟🌟