Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies

After falling for private detective Connor Smith and helping him solve a bank heist, Eleanor Dash was electrified, quickly writing her first mystery and signing a book deal. She believed Connor would be thrilled that she left his name intact and described him so heroically, but she was dead wrong. After 10 years and almost 10 books, Eleanor feels trapped by this wildly popular series: Connor’s constant “consulting fees” and appearances; her failing relationship with her assistant, who is also her sister and an aspiring writer; and her own imposter syndrome. When her publicist books her, Connor, other mystery authors, and fans on an Italian tour, Eleanor dreads it. Then Connor says that someone is trying to kill him and begs for Eleanor’s help. Sprinkled with newspaper articles, reviews, book blurbs, itineraries, and a protagonist who breaks the fourth wall to speak to listeners, this novel by a pseudonymous bestselling writer takes an unusual, not completely successful approach. Elizabeth Evans accurately portrays Eleanor as an acerbic, self-absorbed, and unhappy protagonist.