A review by ditten
All of Us Murderers by KJ Charles

adventurous funny mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Take some gothic horror, add spoonfuls of mystery, sprinkle in a second-chance romance, stir well and spread across Edwardian era southern English countryside and you got yourself some good food in the form of All of Us Murderers! Bone apple tea

 

Zeb's visit to his uncle who he hasn't seen since he was a child is about to be a nice, relaxing, fun time that he really needs. Except for when he shows up at Lackaday House, there's a surprise family reunion with his estranged cousin, brother, and sister-in-law all there being as terrible as always, perhaps even more so when they start fighting over a large family inheritance. To make matters worse, the house itself is large, empty, and ominous, and there are talks of ghosts roaming the halls and a family curse looming over them all. To top it all off Gideon, Zeb's ex, is yet another unexpected prescence at the family gathering and he's not afraid to show how unhappy he is to see Zeb again. Zeb's dream of a relaxing jaunt to the countryside's turning into an absolute nightmare.

 

This was such a great read! The gothic setting was fantastic and the mystery was highly intriguing. I really enjoyed the messy family dynamics and how KJC never fails to add social commentary to her novels. The romance aspect was also excellent but definitely secondary to the mystery, similar to most other KJC books. While I personally prefer a bit more romance, All of Us Murderers was well balanced. 

 

Zeb was a wonderful and slightly chaotic MC and I thought the ADHD rep was very well done. It hurt to see how everyone dismissed him as flighty, irresponsible, and incapable but I loved his growing self-worth and how kind he was.

 

Zeb and Gideon were great together! I'm not usually the biggest fan of second chance romance but theirs really worked for me and the spicy scenes had me fanning myself! I do so love how great KJC is with kink in histrom - it always feels way filthier than in contemporary books and the dirty talk and kink was most excellent in this one! 
 

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC. All of Us Murderers is out October 7