Reviewed by Kristin
Eleanor Dash has made quite a name for herself by simply
telling the truth. Well, a version of the truth anyway. Since that fateful trip
to Italy a decade ago where she got mixed up in solving crimes, she is now an
accomplished author of the Vacation Mystery series. Eleanor thought that
changing most of the names except for Connor Smith, the star of her book series
and the original star investigator would be a great idea. After all, Connor
should be flattered that she used his name and gave him credit. Unfortunately,
Connor decides to take it as a chance to usurp a significant percentage of
Eleanor’s royalties—for the first book, When in Rome, and every one
after. It’s no wonder that Eleanor is ready to kill Connor. On the page, that
is.
The second in the series sees Eleanor, sister Harper, actress
and best friend Emma, Emma’s fiancé (actor) Fred, and a large cast of
characters on Catalina Island off the coast of California, for Emma and Fred’s
wedding. Conveniently, Emma and Fred are also starring in the movie adaptation
of When in Rome. Keep it in the family, and all that. But a storm is
brewing, and not just metaphorically. Eleanor and the entire crew are trapped
on Catalina when a note turns up that says, “Someone is going to die at the
wedding.”
I listened to both of these titles as audiobooks, so was
charmed to see the cover and end pages of the physical books at the library.
The covers are realistic cartoon drawings, and the inner end pages look like
scrapbook bits and pieces with fun little notes like, “Harper, have you checked
the latest forecast? There’s not an ACTUAL hurricane coming to Catalina, is
there? That’s, like, fake weather news—right?”
I enjoyed these fast moving stories that were a bit over the
top, but still wickedly funny. The characters are very likeable (except Connor;
we don’t really like him, but he still hangs around.) Coming in April 2026: This
Weekend Doesn’t End Well for Anyone.
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