I ADORED How To Kill Your Family so was super excited to see What A Way To Go on the horizon!

Super late to leave my review but I’ve recommended and handsold this A LOT in my shop in both paperback and hardback, along with HTKYF!

“Bella Mackie is the Queen of darkly comedic crime novels! Toxic and selfish with zero redeeming qualities, you'll love to hate the Wisterns and their more-money-than-sense attitudes.”

Devious and deliciously dark! I loved Bella’s first novel, How to Kill Your Family, so was excited to dive into What a Way to Go – a twisted tale of murder, greed, and family dysfunction.

Loathsome and stinking rich, patriarch Anthony Wistern is found dead at his 60th birthday party… and his equally hideous family all quickly become suspects as their secrets begin to unravel.

The story is told from multiple viewpoints of the characters, who are mostly unlikeable (which is the point!). It’s a fresh and original story, full of twists and turns and Mackie’s sharp wit. Loved.

If you like a lighthearted murder mystery with twists and unlikeable characters, this is the book for you.

Anthony is found dead during his birthday party. Everyone in the family is a suspect. While Anthony’s ex-wife is true crime obsessed. The plot slowly unfolds and the author reveals true facade of each character. Narrated from multiple povs. You will find yourself pulled in the Anthony’s world. Each character is distinct and each of them has a reason. His death seems like an accident but is it truly an accident? As the author takes us deep in his mystery, the truth comes out. This is a good lighthearted mystery.

Thanks to the Publisher

Thank you Netgalley for the review copy!
I was excited for this one. I hadn't got around to Mackie's How to Kill Your Family which I'd heard great things about so jumped at the chance to read this one. The idea was interesting to me but unfortunately it didn't hit the spot. I understand that most of the characters aren't supposed to be likeable but I found them downright annoying. With the quote "I was immensely grateful that despite the gruesome wag my husband died he'd done it with his clothes on" I was expecting at least a couple of laugh out loud funny moments but I didn't find the book that funny at all.
All in the premise sounded very good but I felt the book overall just fell a bit flat with what felt like an almost rushed explanation of how Anthony died.

Thank you Harper Collins UK for this great opportunity!


I have read only one other book by Bella Mackie and that was how to kill your family and loved that book, I finished it so quick so much happened in that book and loved how fast paced it was. Now I got the chance to read what a way to go and I finished that in a day and a half. I’m happy to say this book is exactly what I expected. I love every second of this book, I didn’t guess the plot twist, it had my heart racing and so many emotions. Thank you HarperCollins UK, Harper Fiction, for approving this for me. I can’t wait to see what else Bella Mackie brings out!

What a Way to Go is a darkly funny novel about Anthony Wistern, a wealthy man who dies during his lavish 60th birthday party. After his death, Anthony finds himself in a strange afterlife, watching his dysfunctional family scramble for his fortune. The story unfolds through multiple perspectives, including Anthony’s own, his icy ex-wife Olivia, and a true-crime podcaster determined to uncover the truth behind his death. Bella Mackie delivers a sharp satire of the ultra-rich, blending mystery with biting humor. The characters are delightfully unlikable, making their antics both shocking and entertaining. If you enjoy stories that poke fun at wealth and privilege, this book offers a witty and engaging read.

Bella Mackie did it again! I really enjoyed this one—especially the use of multiple points of view. I’m a sucker for dual POVs, and this time we get three, offering a layered look into each character’s mind (for better or worse!).

The premise is fantastic, and the cast is exactly what you’d hope for in a book like this: some you'll love, others you’ll absolutely love to hate. It’s a slow burn for sure—it took me a little while to settle into the rhythm—but once I did, I was hooked.

This is dark humour at its best: sharp, witty, and filled with characters who all seem perfectly capable of something awful. It’s clever and biting, with just enough charm sprinkled in to keep things interesting. If you enjoy watching rich, smug, and arrogant people spiral toward their inevitable downfall, this one’s for you.

A promising story but struggled to get into it or connect with the characters, possible just not for me sadly.

Firstly, a big thank you to Harper Collins, UK and Net Galley for the ARC.

This was a 3⭐️ read for me. I loved the premise of this book, and I loved the unique concept of what happens to us once we die. But unfortunately, I ended up being very 50\50 with this book.

Looking at the positives first, I loved the use of multiple perspectives, especially as we got a perspective of someone from outside of the family - an internet sleuth. We get three very different perspectives which gives the story a good structure, and makes it really engaging.

The author created a cast of characters that you’ll just love to hate. On one hand, this was great because as a reader, you’re just hanging on waiting to see their downfall, but on the other hand, too many irritating characters can hinder the reading experience and have you rolling your eyes one too many times. We have a family that have no clue how to not be rich, and that has a toxic dynamic between them because of the obsession with money.

This book was quite slow paced, and it did take a while for me to get into the book. Some scenes were a bit surreal, and had me a bit perplexed, but ultimately, that often makes for a good, gripping story. We had a good handful of twists and turns, and things don’t play out exactly as you’d expect them to.

Ultimately, this wasn’t the best murder mystery I’ve ever read, but with its dark humour and plenty of surprises lurking in the shadows, it was still a relatively enjoyable read.

After LOVING the debut, I was so keen to read this, I perhaps hyped it a little too much in my head.

I enjoyed, especially the last 30% but it took me a while to get into it

I think Bella Mackie deserves more credit for the recent trend of "I am a murderer and isn't it fun" trend that has overtaken book shops in recent years. I loved her "How to Kill Your Family", which was quite cutting edge and was funny and sharp.

I didn't like this one as much- it seemed a bit more route one and without as much of the wit of her first. That said, it was still engaging and enjoyable, and I suspect will keep her at the front of bookshops for a few years to come!

Not a book for me this one, I thought it was an easy read, but the plot didn’t really keep my interest.

Can a book about murder be fun? It can now! I love a book where every single character is awful in some way, so you’re never rooting for any of them. That was certainly the case with the Wisterns and co. Uber rich and truly terrible, we follow the family after their father has died and we try to work out how. It’s shocking, funny, with a lot of schadenfreude, very much in a similar way to How to Kill Your Family.

Also just realised the author wrote ‘Jog On’ which I have but haven’t read - I know what book’s up next!

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

I became a fan of Bella Mackie with her book 'Jog On' even though running isn't my thing. This was further cemented with 'How to Kill Your Family'. I knew this new book would be a great read.

It opens with Anthony dying at his 60th birthday party. He then looks down from above to see how his family react to what has happened. His wife, Olivia's perspective is also shown too. Plus there is a local 'sleuth' who wants to solve this mystery.

It is an utterly enjoyable read.

Brilliant read. Once again it so different from what i normally read.

Well written page turner.

Can't wait to read her other books.

I couldn’t get into this, but I know for a fact that this will be outstanding as an audiobook, and Bella Mackie is really fantastic. So I’m offering 4 stars either way because I don’t think I was in the right headspace on the day! Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the privilege of this arc.

Bella Mackie writes horrible people really well. Everyone in this book is obsessed: self obsessed, wealth obsessed, status obsessed. They’re all obnoxious, frankly.

When Anthony Wistern dies (was it an accident or murder?!), no one is particularly upset. He left enough money behind, after all.

This is told from 3 viewpoints: dead Anthony, his “grieving” wife, Olivia, and an internet True Crime investigator called The Sleuth.

This is a dark, at times hilarious, comedy of errors. There are numerous twists and turns, as well. I loved the sections from the Afterlife, with its many rules that maddened Anthony - he’s not a fan of rules.

I loved listening to this on Xigxag, performed by Kimberley Capero, Gabrielle Glaister, and Colin Mace. They all acted suitably obnoxious and/ or unhinged!

Fun, fun and more fun. Bella is a delightfully fun storyteller. She brings what the majority of people think to life in written word. I love her books!

Loved this! It's wonderfully twisted, dark humour. I liked how awful every single character was. It's tricky to pull that off, and STILL make the reader want to read on. Bravo!

I really enjoyed this one. Even more than her first one. I read this one in just a couple of sittings. Completely unputdownable. Will definitely be keeping my eye out with what's next by Bella Mackie.