Banter banter banter
Bella Mackie really knows how to make with laugh with the best sarcastic banter
I loved this so much
Brilliant funny crazy amazing characters
I also loved the cover
One of my favourite books of the year

I loved this book! I did enjoy Bella Mackie’s previous “How to Kill Your Family” but not as much as “What a Way to Go”. The life after death perspective was unique and gave a great twist to the tale. Although the characters were unsympathetic, I felt like they were somewhat less so than her previous novel. I was so engrossed in the last few chapters that other people were commenting on how focussed I was,

A brilliant story with a completely different viewpoint - coming from beyond the grave! Loved this book, it had some great comedy moments as well as being told from different perspectives.

What a Way to Go by Bella Mackie dives into a thrilling narrative where Anthony Wistern's extravagant facade unravels upon his mysterious death. Mackie paints a vivid picture of a family entangled in suspicion and greed. The story unfolds with suspenseful twists and turns, which kept me on edge until the very end. Mackie's writing seamlessly weaves together the characters' complexities, making them both relatable and intriguing. A masterful exploration of the dark side of wealth and privilege, What a Way to Go is a gripping mystery that will leave you questioning the true cost of ambition. Thank you to NetGalley for the early release copy.

I loved this book! Just like Bella Mackie’s other books - it was totally addictive and unputdownable! The storyline was fantastic and addictive. Thank you for allowing me to read this!

3.5 rounded up.
I really enjoyed How To Kill Your Family and couldn’t wait to read this book. I found it took a bit of time to get into it. Overall I did enjoy it. I really like Bella Mackie’s style of writing, humorous and light-hearted murder.

Having really enjoyed How to Kill Your Family, I was so excited to learn Bella Mackie was releasing another novel and even more excited to get an early access copy thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins!

Mackie’s second offering certainly didn’t disappoint and was full of the mystery and dark humour that I enjoyed so much in her first novel.

I really enjoyed Anthony and later Olivia’s perspectives and thought this was a really clever plot that added something unexpected to the story!

Bella Mackie may have become an auto-buy author for me after two great and unique reads!

Thanks the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have been a fan of Mackie since I got my hands on 'How to Kill your Family' and have been excited to see what her next book would be so I was very thankful that I was given the arc for this book as it made my wait a little less.

I think one of the issues is that people are comparing to her first book, but they need to be judged on an individual basis. This book is more of a slow burn and is told over multiple POV's. Think of it as a knives out style murder mystery with a lot of dark humour mixed in.

This is a go to read and will be recommending it to everyone as they all need to experience the diverse set of characters created int his world.

Bella Mackie sure has a knack for writing the most awful, unlikeable individuals! This novel drips sarcasm, wit and humour and keeps you guessing until the end. Thouroughly enjoyable.

Thank you Netgalley, HarperCollins Collins and Bella Mackie for this ARC.

Loved this book, I found it very amusing. Told from three different perspectives, firstly Anthony, who dies in unexplained circumstances at his 60th birthday party. On passing he finds he’s unable to fully move on until he works out how he died. So is told from above, like a big brother overseeing how his family are grieving….

And then there’s Olivia, Anthony’s wife dealing with the aftermath of the party and revelations that come about. Finally The Sleuth, whose title speaks for itself.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book from the first page to the last… I look forward to more books from this author.

In the likeability stakes, the Wistern family effortlessly reaches bottom place.
Immensely rich, spoilt, ruthless and very possibly murderous, each family member has more than one “skeleton in the cupboard”. When their patriarch, Anthony Wistern, ends up dead during his lavish 60th birthday party, eyes remain firmly dry and the scrabbling for the inheritance begins without delay.
Meanwhile Anthony suffers with the unexpected bureaucracy of his afterlife.

As a whodunnit, this book tries to cover every possible angle, but sadly ends up being a tad repetitive: yeees, they are all despicable creatures, yes despicable I say, look how despicable they all are…
Multiple POVs by husband, wife and internet “sleuth” really bring very little to the table and the plot would benefit from a rigorous nip-and-tuck. And whilst there are some witty moments, Mackie often goes into silly mode stylewise:
“ (…) for the cosiest autumn looks, turn to page 48 where we suggest you try spun silk cashmere handmade in Orkney by nuns who only use eighth-century looms.”
Mackie’s debut wins hands down against her latest offering.

Anthony Wistern's life is to die for - blessed with riches, a beautiful wife, a good looking family, and more lovers then you can check a stick at. Unfortunately, that's exactly what he does.

And once Anthony is gone, it quickly becomes clear that as far as his nearest and dearest are concerned, his assets and lifestyle weren't just to die for, but very possibly worth murdering for...

Mackie has delivered a wickedly funny and clever tale, which will be enjoyed by her many fans even as it helps to expand her fan-base. It gets 3.5 stars.

Like a lot of people, I loved How to Kill Your Family so was excited to read the author's second book. While it is indeed similar in that it introduces us to a host of arrogant, unlikable individuals, for me it wasn't quite as good as HTKYF. It's definitely a slow burn of a read but it lacked a certain spark that I'd hoped to be rewarded with. I did enjoy the addition of the Sleuth and how the book touched on the popularity of true crime as well as the reader being able to join Anthony for his POV as he watched over his family following his death. I was disappointed that the ending wrapped up pretty quickly and quite uneventfully but overall it's an easy read with deliciously awful characters that the author is fantastic at bringing to life and I look forward to her next book.

4.75 stars
As a huge fan of Bella Mackie's How To Kill Your Family, I was counting down the days until I could start reading What A Way To Go. And it did not disappoint.
Now, I will say, it's a little bit of a departure from Bella's last book in terms of the the layout and the change of POVs with each of the chapters but I really enjoyed this shake up.
Are they all pretty terrible people? Yes, with the exception of 'The Sleuth'. But I loved how we got an insight into the thoughts of the super rich and some brilliant social commentary on them too.
It has the same wit and dark humour that I was expecting from this author and I enjoyed having some of it be set in literal limbo, as well.
It's actually the second book that I've read this year that's featured death's waiting room (The Love Of My Afterlife by Kirsty Greenwood being the other) and both used this setting in such a compelling way.
This kept me hooked the whole way through and I was so intrigued to see how it would all wrap up in the end, even if I was always very wary of two of the male family members in particular and I wasn't wrong about either.
The only thing stopping me from giving it 5 stars was the fact that the ending was a little bit rushed for me, especially once we find out what really happened to Anthony. But I absolutely devoured this book and it's easily one of my absolute favourites of the year so far.

Entertaining and humorous but not quite as good as her previous writing.
A decent book to take on your holiday.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for this ARC.

Anthony Wistern, an immensely rich and equally obnoxious businessman with a fondness for power and Ponzi schemes, dies at his lavish 60th birthday party at his country mansion. He is found impaled on a glass decoration and drowned in the family's man-made lake. Even in death, Anthony knows how to draw attention. What a way to go indeed!

The death is ruled accidental but some are not so sure. A local sleuth starts investigating the many, many suspects, and Anthony himself cannot move on to the next stage of his afterlife until he remembers how he died. This part convinced me the least - it's a contrived means of keeping Anthony and his thoughts in the game, plus casual remarks about people with dementia having problems with this rule offended me for personal reasons.

The narrative moves between dead Anthony, wife Olivia and The Sleuth. This is how Olivia feels about her husband's death:

"I was immensely grateful that despite the gruesome way my husband died, he’d done it with his clothes on, and not, like Jane Borrall’s husband, naked but for a latex trench coat."

I loved Bella Mackie's debut novel "How to Kill Your Family". It was full of nasty people getting their comeuppances, interspersed with dark humour. This book isn't quite as satisfying because we read about all these "morally agnostic" people, the cold, selfish wife and the spoilt and entitled children (ok, one wants to be an eco warrior), but they don't get offed one by one. Bummer that.

Nevertheless, the way this dysfunctional, self-serving family try to outmanoeuvre each other at every turn, always just looking out for themselves, is as entertaining as it is infuriating. You'll really love to hate these people!
There is no redemption for any of them, not even Anthony, getting more and more vexed about the indignity of this uncomfortable and chilly limbo holding pen he's in and seemingly can't get out of.

Apart from sly digs at rich people, it also shines a light at true crime forums and podcasts and the obsession with follower counts and internet fame - is the sleuth chasing the truth or notoriety?

This is beautifully written, darkly funny, enjoyable and witty, with a few surprises up its sleeve. If you have a penchant for unlikeable characters and dark humour, this is for you!

3.5 ⭐


What a thoroughly unlikeable family. Each and every single one of them.
I could have happily pushed them all into a lake.
Unlikeable, but honestly such good fun.
A very enjoyable read,.
Genuine funny moments, and a surprise or two on the way.
I liked thr bits from Anthony's pov, that just added a little extra something.
Very good.

Bella Mackie, the darkly witty wordsmith, is back with her latest novel, "What a Way to Go," published by Harper Collins UK. Fans of her previous work, the wickedly delightful "How to Kill Your Family," will find themselves once again drawn into a web of sharp humour and dark intrigue.

The story centers around Anthony Wistern, a loathsome rich man whose influence is matched only by his repulsiveness. As fate would have it, Anthony meets his end in the most inconvenient fashion—right in the middle of his own 60th birthday party, thrown by his beleaguered wife, Olivia, at their posh Cotswolds retreat. The timing, of course, is quintessentially Anthony: always stealing the spotlight, even in death.

From this point, Mackie spins a tale of familial dysfunction and dark humour that is as biting as it is entertaining. Anthony's grown-up children—Freddy, Jemima, Lyra, and Clara—are scarcely mourning their father's demise. Instead, their attention swiftly shifts to the potential inheritance, revealing their true, self-serving natures. It's a testament to Mackie's skill that despite their awfulness, each character remains compelling, their flaws laid bare with a kind of morbid fascination.

In an intriguing narrative twist, Mackie allows Anthony himself to provide commentary from beyond the grave. Temporarily residing in a 'half-way house', the spectral narrator adds a unique layer to the unfolding drama. This clever device not only gives voice to the deceased but also offers a scathingly honest perspective on the events and characters, further enriching the darkly comedic tone of the novel. You'd assume that he'd follow the fate of Scrooge and find redemption in seeing others' reaction to his death, but Anthony Wistern is far too pompous and self-important to conform to expectations, and his ability to justify every one of his previous actions, whilst criticising others, is fascinating.

Adding to the mix is an 'armchair detective' known simply as The Sleuth, an internet sensation who thrusts the Wistern family into the harsh glare of public scrutiny. Her relentless pursuit of the truth—and her own online notoriety—brings additional chaos to the already tumultuous proceedings. The Sleuth’s meddling serves as both a catalyst for the revelation of family secrets and a satirical nod to our culture’s obsession with true crime and internet fame.

While "What a Way to Go" may not reach the elaborate heights of "How to Kill Your Family," it stands firmly on its own as an original and engaging read. Mackie's knack for character-driven storytelling, laced with her signature black humour, ensures that readers will be thoroughly entertained from start to finish.

"What a Way to Go" is a delectable blend of wit, dark humour, and biting social commentary. Bella Mackie has once again proven her prowess in crafting stories that are as thought-provoking as they are laugh-out-loud funny. For those who enjoy their humour with a dark edge and their characters delightfully detestable, this novel is an absolute must-read.

So much fun! A very worthy follow up to the brilliant How to kill your family.
This is told from. 3 perspectives…. There’s Anthony, a millionaire investor who has just been found dead at his 60th birthday party, the. There is Olivia, his long suffering wife. And finally an internet sleuth who lives local to the dead millionaire and sees this as her opportunity to make her mark in the True Crime community.

Anthony’s story is told from the afterlife. At first I was really really sceptical… but I stuck with it and gave the author the benefit of the doubt, and glad I did as it actually works really very well!


There have been lots of copycats to Bella’s debut novel. From titles to writing style. And this was a great reminder that the original does it best! Bella’s acerbic wit on fine form. It’s devilishly dark, very funny, and that’s exactly what I needed!

When Anthony Wistern is found dead, skewered on a piece of glass from an orb dropped into the middle of his lake as a feature for his obscenely grand 60th birthday party, the finger is pointed at each member of his family - was it murder or an accident and who was responsible for his bizarre death?
Told through the voices of the dead Anthony, his cold wife Olivia and a bored true crime podcaster, the story cracks along with its host of awful characters and sly digs at the conspicuously wealthy. It’s great fun and the perfect holiday read.