You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.29 AVERAGE
4.29 AVERAGE
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
When Zebedee accepted the invitation of his cousin Wynn to spend a fortnight at the family's fake Gothic manor in Dartmoor, he did not expect to meet several despicable members of his family at Lackaday House, nor his former lover. Although he wants to turn back to London nearly on the spot, Zeb stays, for cousin Wynn's sake.
I absolutely loved Zeb and I enjoyed being in his head while the story unfolded. He's scatter-brained, speaks before thinking, fidgets, and has self-worth issues which are being exacerbated by the constant chiding of his family members. The only person who has been able to understand Zeb and actually help him is Mr Gideon Grey, Zeb's former lover, who is working as cousin Wynn's secretary now and seemingly doesn't want to interact with Zeb at all.
Zeb seems to be the only one who sees that Wynn has trapped all of them in the house and grounds and has planned for more than just getting to know his possible heirs. Escaping Lackaday House seems tantamount, but it might only be possible with Gideon's help.
An M/M second chance Gothic mystery romance with neurodivergent representation - it shouldn't work, but KJ Charles makes it work!
I enjoyed it so much, I re-read the ARC immediately after finishing the book for the first time.
I absolutely loved Zeb and I enjoyed being in his head while the story unfolded. He's scatter-brained, speaks before thinking, fidgets, and has self-worth issues which are being exacerbated by the constant chiding of his family members. The only person who has been able to understand Zeb and actually help him is Mr Gideon Grey, Zeb's former lover, who is working as cousin Wynn's secretary now and seemingly doesn't want to interact with Zeb at all.
Zeb seems to be the only one who sees that Wynn has trapped all of them in the house and grounds and has planned for more than just getting to know his possible heirs. Escaping Lackaday House seems tantamount, but it might only be possible with Gideon's help.
An M/M second chance Gothic mystery romance with neurodivergent representation - it shouldn't work, but KJ Charles makes it work!
I enjoyed it so much, I re-read the ARC immediately after finishing the book for the first time.
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I wanted gothic haunting, but what I got was family drama. Unfortunately, the vibes were just not it for me. I was quite bored through the first 50% of the book, where it didn't seem like anything but arguing between characters was happening.
In the second half, things at least did get more exciting and I felt more entertained. But I was still quite disappointed with...how mundane it all was. It's not quite what I thought I was signing up for. Plus, the plot seemed laid out in a way that there really was no big reveal. Because everything felt gradually known.
In the second half, things at least did get more exciting and I felt more entertained. But I was still quite disappointed with...how mundane it all was. It's not quite what I thought I was signing up for. Plus, the plot seemed laid out in a way that there really was no big reveal. Because everything felt gradually known.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
*KJ Charles is one of those authors who is equally talented at writing well developed characters as she develops a tightly crafted mystery. In this novel, the main character , Zeb, is a recently laid off clerk who was invited by his estranged uncle, Wynn, to attend a house party for two weeks along with his closest family members who all dislike him because they think he is a lazy irresponsible, immature layout because they do not understand his ADHD symptoms, but mostly because they are all terrible people in their own specific way.
Once the family arrives, at his uncle’s estate, he explains that he will decide who will inherit the family wealth by the end of this family reunion.
He also informs them that the person who will inherit the family wealth will marry his niece so that the wealth stays within the family. As you can guess, all hell breaks loose as several of the family members scrambled to become the victor in this very twisted plan (trap) that Wynn has set up. The only family member who is not interested in participating in this game is Zeb. Although he is not excluded from the mental anguish that is exerted by Wen on all of the family members during this hellish reunion.
The storyline also features a second chance romance with Zeb’s ex (Gideon), who now works for His uncle,
as they both try to navigate Zeb’s toxic family while confronting some hard truth about their future. In this book, KJ has expertly crafted a Gothic mystery, family drama, and a beautiful romance between two characters that learn just how well they complement each other.
The storyline also features a second chance romance with Zeb’s ex (Gideon), who now works for His uncle,
as they both try to navigate Zeb’s toxic family while confronting some hard truth about their future. In this book, KJ has expertly crafted a Gothic mystery, family drama, and a beautiful romance between two characters that learn just how well they complement each other.
Also worth noting that the main character Zeb has ADHD. Of course, ADHD is never described in the book as such because this is in period of history (Early 1900s) before ADHD was recognized as a neurodivergence. That said, KJ does an excellent job of describing his symptoms and how it is perceived by other people as being irresponsible or immature, but also how his neurodivergence makes him someone that sees the world in a very unique way that ends up being a big advantage for him in solving the mystery at the center of this story.
Overall, it’s an excellent story that I highly recommend. The story was tightly paced and kept me engaged the entire time.
Overall, it’s an excellent story that I highly recommend. The story was tightly paced and kept me engaged the entire time.
*I received an ARC copy ahead of the official publication date, but I was not compensated in any way to review this novel.
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Thank you to Poison Pen Press for the eARC
4.25/5
With "All of us murderers", KJ Charles takes the core of gothic horror and uses them to weave a narrative of mystery and second-chance romance. Set in Edwardian England, following Zebedee, who's visiting his family at his cousin's manor. He seeks to know his cousin better and have some relaxing time. Unfortunately for him, his brother and another cousin are there too. And Gideon as well, his ex, with whom he parted with on not so nice terms. Oh and there is a ghost, or something that want to pass for a ghost. Nice time awaiting him, right?
I had a great time with Zeb. He has that awareness of the genre he has been written into, helping in making some great choices. He's also deeply kind, and a little chaotic (ADHD coded, in the best, well researched way). His relationship with his family is tense, to say the least, and despite his best efforts, it's hard to push through that. In contrast, his relationship with Gideon is more nuanced, with its hardship but mostly full of love and care. Seeing them talk about what happened between them and creating a new basis was delightful.
As for the mystery plot, it was very entertaining. Full of little clues and misleading infos, playing full on the gothic atmosphere. Some things were easy to guess or to grasp with a little time, other were a delightful surprises and nice plays.
Really glad to have read this!
4.25/5
With "All of us murderers", KJ Charles takes the core of gothic horror and uses them to weave a narrative of mystery and second-chance romance. Set in Edwardian England, following Zebedee, who's visiting his family at his cousin's manor. He seeks to know his cousin better and have some relaxing time. Unfortunately for him, his brother and another cousin are there too. And Gideon as well, his ex, with whom he parted with on not so nice terms. Oh and there is a ghost, or something that want to pass for a ghost. Nice time awaiting him, right?
I had a great time with Zeb. He has that awareness of the genre he has been written into, helping in making some great choices. He's also deeply kind, and a little chaotic (ADHD coded, in the best, well researched way). His relationship with his family is tense, to say the least, and despite his best efforts, it's hard to push through that. In contrast, his relationship with Gideon is more nuanced, with its hardship but mostly full of love and care. Seeing them talk about what happened between them and creating a new basis was delightful.
As for the mystery plot, it was very entertaining. Full of little clues and misleading infos, playing full on the gothic atmosphere. Some things were easy to guess or to grasp with a little time, other were a delightful surprises and nice plays.
Really glad to have read this!
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
got this arc from netgalley!
you might be thinking to yourself: just how gothic can this book be? and the answer is, all the gothic. it is equally as batshit as it is gothic, although i am sure there is a lot of overlap going on there. if you are ever thinking to yourself, "i want a book about rich people behaving badly and then bad things happen to them," well you have come to the right place.
kj charles is a long time favourite of mine, and this book is going to be one that i come back to over and over again (there are so many things i am sure i missed, and i can't wait to find out what they are). zeb is an extremely compelling character and also someone i would love to have as a friend. also, as far as adhd rep goes, i think he does a pretty good job. i have definitely, absolutely, 100% read worse, and i can't off the top of my head say that i have read better. gideon is cool too! but we don't live in his head so i can't tell you as much about him. i would probably like to be his friend, also, because he seems like a nice guy.
i would love to know more about jessamine, but who knows what is happening there! if we ever find out, that is amazing, and if not i promise to suffer in silence because i understand that we don't always get the answer to every little thing no matter how much i may want to etc.
anyways, i have nothing to complain about, and only things i loved, and if i just keep going about them i will end up spoiling the whole novel so i am going to stop writing now while i still can. but read this book!!! it is excellently written and plotted and you won't be able to put it down!!! unless you have bad taste, but then i can't help you.
you might be thinking to yourself: just how gothic can this book be? and the answer is, all the gothic. it is equally as batshit as it is gothic, although i am sure there is a lot of overlap going on there. if you are ever thinking to yourself, "i want a book about rich people behaving badly and then bad things happen to them," well you have come to the right place.
kj charles is a long time favourite of mine, and this book is going to be one that i come back to over and over again (there are so many things i am sure i missed, and i can't wait to find out what they are). zeb is an extremely compelling character and also someone i would love to have as a friend. also, as far as adhd rep goes, i think he does a pretty good job. i have definitely, absolutely, 100% read worse, and i can't off the top of my head say that i have read better. gideon is cool too! but we don't live in his head so i can't tell you as much about him. i would probably like to be his friend, also, because he seems like a nice guy.
i would love to know more about jessamine, but who knows what is happening there! if we ever find out, that is amazing, and if not i promise to suffer in silence because i understand that we don't always get the answer to every little thing no matter how much i may want to etc.
anyways, i have nothing to complain about, and only things i loved, and if i just keep going about them i will end up spoiling the whole novel so i am going to stop writing now while i still can. but read this book!!! it is excellently written and plotted and you won't be able to put it down!!! unless you have bad taste, but then i can't help you.
i am a huge fan of kj charles’s work, so i was ecstatic to get the chance to review this book early! a gothic mystery set in edwardian times sounds exactly like something she would knock out of the park — and i’m very pleased to say she did just that.
zeb, our poor unfortunate ingenue (narrator), is lured to his family’s dark, mysterious countryside manor under false pretenses. what he finds there? a list of increasingly terrible relatives, an unfriendly skeleton crew of staff, and worst of all — his ex, currently working as his cousin’s secretary. it’s not a great start for our dear zeb, but damn if he doesn’t try and try again throughout this book! he tries to make amends with his ex, he tries to get along with his family, he tries to atone and apologize for the wounds his own family inflicts on others (which certainly isn’t easy). i really liked his determination to believe in the good in other people, especially after seeing how awful his family is. his interactions with gideon equally touched me — i loved seeing them actually communicate and talk things out, while still maintaining a nice level of angst. it was perfect.
speaking of perfect: i loved the mystery!! i expect nothing less than a perfectly plotted, perfectly paced intrigue from kj charles, and she delivered once again. there are no slow spots, and certain events genuinely gave me chills. i also appreciate that she didn’t shy away from how privilege lends itself to some truly terrible acts of cruelty and violence. overall, it was another hit from kj charles! i can’t wait for more.
thank you to netgalley & the publisher for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4.5 stars, I really enjoyed this! It was a fun read and I had a good time with it. I could have read this in one sitting, KJ Charles never fails to draw me into a story.
As someone who loved Death in the Spires, I loved that this leaned a bit a fair bit into the gothic horror rather than just solely romance - the gothic ambience was done so well. My dog snuck up behind me at one point and I actually jumped when I saw some movement out of the corner of my eye.
The characters were perfect, the family dynamics were messy, there was fantastic ADHD rep (and rep for severe arachnophobia), I am seen. And I did adore the dynamic between Gideon and Zeb. I'm not usually a fan of second chance romances in any form, but this was done really well. I loved their development and communication.
(And for what it's worth, as someone who has read some B-tier Edwardian gothic novels, this does everything so well and really captures the real essence of the genre. And the epilogue was perfect.)
As someone who loved Death in the Spires, I loved that this leaned a bit a fair bit into the gothic horror rather than just solely romance - the gothic ambience was done so well. My dog snuck up behind me at one point and I actually jumped when I saw some movement out of the corner of my eye.
The characters were perfect, the family dynamics were messy, there was fantastic ADHD rep (and rep for severe arachnophobia), I am seen. And I did adore the dynamic between Gideon and Zeb. I'm not usually a fan of second chance romances in any form, but this was done really well. I loved their development and communication.
(And for what it's worth, as someone who has read some B-tier Edwardian gothic novels, this does everything so well and really captures the real essence of the genre. And the epilogue was perfect.)
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol
Moderate: Child abuse, Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Torture, Sexual harassment, Colonisation
Minor: Domestic abuse, Rape, Slavery, Suicide
This book is excellently done, but is an exploration of a family made up of individuals who have committed horrific acts, save for our protagonist, who modern readers would recognize as having ADHD but who is treated by his contemporaries as lazy/selfish/unreliable/clumsy (and so on). The second chance love story is sweet and their reconciliation is believable. There are also a few scenes with spiders or where the main character (who has a phobia) is afraid there will be spiders.
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The House of Usher meets (2002 live-action) Scooby Doo
Right off the bat, the most notable thing about All of Us Murderers is the excellent ADHD rep in our main character Zeb. Even without relying on modern language, it's clear what's going on and it's well-executed. His constant internal monologue hits all the right notes.
Overall, I would say that this book is "jack of all trades, master of none." It's a fun little romp across the three genres of romance, gothic horror, and whodunit.
I personally think it would have been stronger if there had been a bit more focus on one out of the three. For my taste, I would have liked a more robust Gothic atmosphere.
Above all else, I really enjoyed the messy family dynamics and the slow reveal of the character's histories with eachother. The Wyckhams are a tangled mess, and they deserve eachother.
A second-chance romance with a fumbling neurodivetgent. Gothic-lite backdrop and a twisty ghosty whodunit. Wraps up nicely. This is an effortless read that you'll finish in one or two sittings. Easy to reccomend.
ARC provided by NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press.
Right off the bat, the most notable thing about All of Us Murderers is the excellent ADHD rep in our main character Zeb. Even without relying on modern language, it's clear what's going on and it's well-executed. His constant internal monologue hits all the right notes.
Overall, I would say that this book is "jack of all trades, master of none." It's a fun little romp across the three genres of romance, gothic horror, and whodunit.
I personally think it would have been stronger if there had been a bit more focus on one out of the three. For my taste, I would have liked a more robust Gothic atmosphere.
Above all else, I really enjoyed the messy family dynamics and the slow reveal of the character's histories with eachother. The Wyckhams are a tangled mess, and they deserve eachother.
A second-chance romance with a fumbling neurodivetgent. Gothic-lite backdrop and a twisty ghosty whodunit. Wraps up nicely. This is an effortless read that you'll finish in one or two sittings. Easy to reccomend.
ARC provided by NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
Moderate: Homophobia, Murder
Minor: Incest, Rape, Slavery, Abortion