I really enjoyed Bella Mackie’s novel “How to kill your family” so jumped at the chance to read an ARC of her most recent offering.

The 4 star rating is because it took me a little while to get into this one but I’m glad I stuck with it. The rewards come much later…

I appreciate a multiple narrator approach and this book features three: the victim from beyond the grave, the wife (neither of them are likeable), and a true crime sleuth. I would have liked to have explored the POVs of some of the children and potentially the married-ins as well.

Mackie has a skill for creating characters I dislike whilst still keeping me invested in the whodunnit plot. “What a way to go” is dark, funny, readable and not too taxing. What I’d call a perfect-autumn-Sunday read.

I really love how Bella Mackie tells a story, it is interesting and keeps you guessing. Her character development is amazing and I cannot recommend this enough. I legit devoured this book, read it and you won't regret it!

Anthony Wistern, a wealthy business man, dies at his lavish 60th birthday party. In the afterlife Anthony needs to work out how this happened and sets about watching his family to try and solve this mystery. Unfortunately for him, each member of his family seem to have a reason to wish this fate upon him. Will the truth come out?

I enjoyed How To Kill Your Family previously, therefore was excited to read this author’s second novel. I really enjoyed the character’s in a love to hate way, they were all pretty awful and would win an award for being the most dysfunctional family. The actions, thoughts and conversations between them were entertaining and the overall story contains a lot of dark, witty humour. The only issues I had with the characters were that there was quite a few and I found myself confused on occasions who was who.

The story is told in the voices of Anthony, wife Olivia and the sleuth, a true crime lover who is investigating what happened. My favourite voice was the sleuth as I found these sections the most interesting and containing information that helped push the story forward. There was a lot of excess detail and conversation in the other sections, which really slowed down the flow and made it seem like not a lot was happening.

I did like the supernatural/fantasy element, which I don’t usually, I think this added a bit of extra intrigue here. After finishing, I am in two minds. Although I did like the premise, I found it a bit too drawn out which meant that my interest was not maintained. Saying that there were fun elements and it is a great book for those looking for a mixture of mystery, dark humour and entertaining characters. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

Having read this author's previous books, I was happy to be able to read a copy from Netgalley.
At his 60th birthday party Anthony Wistern somehow dies. The reader then observes the fallout of his truly spoilt children and vile wife as they learn more about Anthony and one another, alongside an amateur online sleuth who is trying to solve Anthony's murder. Told from the perspectives of Anthony, Olivia and the Sleuth, secrets are uncovered. With so many characters to dislike, and numerous laughable moments this darker story was slower to get going, but enjoyable.

So a little bit of an admission here: I wasn’t the biggest fan of Bella Mackie’s How to Kill your Family. But at the same time I ‘got’ it, and really wanted to love it. Essentially I requested this thinking it’d be the one that hit right for me…and it did and it didn’t. From reading this I now know two things. The first is that I absolutely will continue to read Mackie’s fiction. The wholly unlikeable characters she creates are - for want of a better description - laugh out loud funny. Truly, the dark humour is at times on par with Eliza Clark (who I love); not always retweet = agreement, but shockingly witty and ironically relatable. The second thing I know is that, for me, Mackie’s reads have a lot of unnecessary parts - that’s my overarching feeling for both novels. This one was The Sleuth’s chapters which were unfortunately weak compared to the Wisterns’. While Mackie has a knack for writing terribly unethical, aggy and sarcastic personalities, the more ‘normal’ ones fall veeeery flat - better not to try. That said, I enjoyed this and it did what it was supposed to - had me coming back for more and more til I knew what had happened (which I didn’t guess!); especially surprising for someone that isn’t a supernatural lover. 4 stars despite my niggles meaning it really was a joy.

What we have here, is a wonderful cast of despicable characters. A well written story of a hateful, backstabbing family. Who doesn’t love that?
This author has such a fantastic style of writing, that you’re drawn in and thoroughly lose yourself in someone else’s mess. And you love every minute of it!
I really do love this author’s style and can’t recommend her enough. I know the danger, when a writers previous novel was so good, is whether or not their subsequent work can keep up. This novel is absolute proof that it can be done.
Truly, an excellent read.

This is the second novel from Bella Mackie and I it is fantastic. It is witty and fast paced and I couldn’t wait to get to the end. It was such a refreshing read and with a plot that I personally don’t think I’ve ever come across before and I massively enjoyed it.

Millionaire Anthony Wistern is celebrating his 60th birthday in style when he goes and dies and what a way he goes, but before he can pass through the the afterlife he has to work out exactly how he dies by watching his family closely (on tv).

The story is told from Anthony’s POV as well as his wife Olivia and a real crime fanatic sleuth. I found that these POVs all interlinked well together and we found out just what kind of man Anthony really was. I love books that delve into the lives of the super wealthy and this one did not disappoint.

I wasn’t quite sure how the ending would go but I must say it left me howling 🤣 this was a true pleasure to read, I really hope Bella writes more books like this!

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins and the author for this digital arc!

What a hoot! This is hilarious!

Who doesn’t live a backstabbing, rich, awful family? I loved the style of this - we have a chapter for each main character - Anthony (the deceased) - his wife - kids- the Sleuth who’s trying to work out what happened to Anthony…etc etc. All combined together into one hilarious “who dunnit - without of course, any evidence anyone did do it! Did someone? Did no-one? Who knows? Everyone has their own theory of course. Who has the money? Anyone?

Brilliant- so much fun, I loved and laughed through all of this.

My thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was brilliantly bizarre & everyone was wonderfully awful!

Mackie has the kind of dark humour, wit & social commentary that I just love & while I didn’t love this as much as How to Kill Your Family, it was still a very fun & enjoyable read, especially as it was something quite unique

I couldn’t help but read Andrew’s chapters with an internal old posh man voice (you know the kind) & it was such a fun experience having him watch on from the processing centre! I also grew to love Olivia. By the end I was such a fan!

I gobbled up the story & laughed a lot. Definitely would recommend!

This is a fantastic story of the death of a hideous individual called Anthony Wistern. Anthony is married to the equally vile Olivia and they have four incredibly entitled and insufferable children. Anthony is found dead at his 60th birthday party and the story is about the quest to find his killer. It is told from three points of view, 
Anthony himself, Olivia and a local online sleuth who is obsessed with finding the murderer.

The story is fast paced and builds an ever increasing dislike for most of the characters, including Olivia’s brother Charles. It is cleverly punctuated with comedy which works really well.

All in the story has a great plot and just as you think you have solved the mystery, Mackie throws in another twist.

I really enjoyed this light hearted, comedic “whodunnit”

We read Mackie's first book 'How To Kill Your Family' as one our book group picks and all thoroughly enjoyed it. This one is quite different in many ways, but the essential ingredients are all still there - quirky lead character, dark humour and some interesting family dynamics.

The Wisterns are highly dysfunctional and so when Anthony unexpectedly dies, not only are there plenty of suspects and motives aplenty, but the family itself falls apart in spectacular fashion. Accusations are thrown around and it's a scramble for, if not survival exactly, then certainly for the top of the family pecking order and any potential inheritance.

The perspective switches between Anthony, his family members and an amateur sleuth who is hot on the trail of the murderer - whoever that might be - and is determined to bring them to justice. Mysterious messages encourage the sleuth along the way, but in this book, no-one is quite what they seem. Secrets abound, some more explosive than others and literally everyone is a suspect.

An unexpected, but welcome addition to the narrative is Anthony's post-death observations. The dead are not often given a voice in literature and even more rarely does it happen in crime fiction. This adds another dimension to the narrative and allows the reader greater insight into Anthony's personality. We see his behaviour and attitudes, but also the way he reacts to his family's actions. This is particularly interesting as he sees and hears things he would not normally have been privy to. It is not always the most flattering of portrayals from his family and opens Anthony's eyes to the vast difference between the way he sees himself and the way others perceive him.

This was an interesting twist on the crime novel and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I loved this whodunnit, full of snide dark humour. The author has a brilliant talent for writing the most awful, vile characters who you hate but can’t help being entertained by. She kept me guessing who the culprit was from start to finish, so it was a real pager turner. The multiple narratives and different perspectives they offered really added depth to the story. I thought the purgatory aspect of it was really clever. The ending was sooooo satisfying.

If you loved the author’s first book, you will definitely enjoy this one. If you found the ending of her first book disappointing, I would still urge you to try this book as the ending is so on point that you may just scream “Yeeeeeeesss!” out loud. Perfect for fans of whodunnit reads, domestic thrillers and sure to generate a brilliant discussion at your book group.

I didn’t think that I could love this as much as ‘How to kill your family’ but I did! It was just as brilliant, sharp & witty! Bella Mackie is brilliant! Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my ARC x

'What A Way To Go' is a satirical, supernatural whodunnit centred on the death of Anthony Wistern, an extremely rich and extremely unpleasant man who is found dead at his own 60th birthday party. There are no shortage of suspects - the party was packed with guests, most of whom had credible motives for wanting him dead. But the book focusses mostly on his equally horrible family. The story has three viewpoint narrators - Anthony himself, who is watching the investigation into his death from a modern version of purgatory; his nasty wife Olivia; and 'the sleuth', a lonely young woman who produces a true crime vlog and is determined to solve the case.

It's well paced and full of incident, never dull, and written in a waspish, amusing style. Mackie gets around the problem of murder being an upsetting thing but ensuring all of the characters are so irredeemably vile that you couldn't feel sorry for them for a moment. Even the sleuth is not entirely likeable, and of course it's hard to support an internet amateur detective knowing the damage such individuals can do in real life cases, distressing families and disrupting police work. The problem with the characters being so unlikeable is that you don't really care what happens to any of them or develop any emotional link with the story. There's something draining about reading an entire novel where there is no one decent or nice. Ultimately the story is as superficial and shallow as the characters it parodies.

But not every book has to be deep and meaningful, and this clearly isn't intended to be. It's meant as fun, and it is. If you are looking for a whodunnit that doesn't take itself seriously - perhaps a fun book to read on holiday - this would be a good choice.

I was really looking forward to this book. I liked the premise of the book and I am mad on thrillers. Unfortunately I just couldn’t finish the book, I got partway through. I couldn’t relate to the characters and I got a little bit annoyed with Olivia. It felt very slow paced and I normally go for something that is very fast paced. I was disappointed that I couldn’t finish it as I liked the idea of Anthony and how he is stuck between the worlds.

I loved Bella Mackie's first book How to Kill your Family, and this follow-up didn't disappoint. Pure, sassy entertainment

I hadn’t read Bella Mackie before, but had heard good things, so was eager to give this a try. Anthony Wistern is a man who likes to make money – a financial wizard, who is the centre of attention at the birthday party thrown for him by his wife, Oliva, at their country estate. Attending are his business partner, Olivia’s brother, plus the couples four adult children – Freddy, Lyra, Jemima and her husband, Will, and youngest daughter, Clara. When Anthony is found dead, impaled at the bottom of his lake, the question is, was it an accident or murder?

Anthony Wistern needs to discover this himself, as he finds himself in a ‘holding centre,’ dead but unable to move on until he works out how his life ended. Meanwhile, a self-styled, online ‘sleuth’, also throws herself into the investigation. While Wistern’s family, money obsessed, suspicious and frankly unlikeable, are left to deal with the mess after his death reveals that – like so often – his wealth is a house of cards about to fall down.

This was humorous, rather than funny, with a lot to think about alongside the lighter side of the storyline. Why do people feel they can, or should, solve crimes on the internet? What does this craving for likes and views do to people? What do the super wealthy do when it all comes crashing down and will death really be so dull? A fun read which I received from NetGalley for an honest review.

I found What A Way To Go quite slow to begin with, it took a few chapters to get into the swing of things, that said it was a really fun and unexpected read. I wasn't expecting the perspective of Antony and thought it was an interesting plot device(?).
Unfortunately the "who dunnit" element fell incredibly flat and was a bit of a let down once you'd got to the final pages.
3.5 Stars.

4.5/5

Thank you Harper Collins, Harper Fiction and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this ebook!

The author of the sensational How to Ki”” Your Family is back with a new standalone book.

Anthony Wistern is wealthy beyond imagination but has been known to cut corners in business. He has everything from a beautiful family, a French chateau and Cotswold manor and a long line of mistresses. Unfortunately for him, he is dead and before he can pass over to the next life, he has to work out how he died. Watching his family from above, every member if the family has reason to want him dead

I was worried after the popularity of her previous book that this might not cut it, but I actually thought that this book was even better!

I’m not a big supernatural lover but I thought the ghost element worked really well. All the characters are unlikable but that is the whole point of the story. I laughed a lot while reading this and it’s such a good light reading option!

Even better than How to Kill Your Family, Bella’s latest takes behind the scenes of the super-rich and super-privileged again to prove to us that money doesn’t buy you happiness.

And just like How to Kill Your Family had delicious echoes of vintage British film – Kind Hearts and Coronets – so this novel hints at A Matter of Life and Death with a delightfully funny look at the bureaucracy of what happens after you die and the intimation that hell really is other people.

Three narrative voices, expertly interwoven between wealthy corpse, Anthony, his widow, Olivia ¬and @TheSleuth, a crime podcaster, take us through the events leading up to Anthony’s gory death and the inevitable money-grubbing family antics that follow.

Black humour and satire at its book-ish best.