I had to stop reading as we’re going through some traumatic stuff at present, and whilst to begin with I was intrigued by the book, I didn’t like the distressing energy I was feeling as I was reading it as it was causing me extreme anxiety - perhaps because I was picking up on the energy of the victims in their last moments. But hope in a less stressful time in our lives I may be able to borrow it from the library and finish it.

But out of respect for the author and NetGalley wanted to review what I had read.

I found it to be very well researched, and written with a great deal of compassion and respect for the victims and survivors. Which I appreciated as it didn’t come across as voyeuristic. And whilst I don’t like the word “entertaining” for true crime, as I am only interested in it for the psychological and human behavioural aspect and trying to understand why some humans can perpetrate atrocities like these, instead of the schädenfrude some people watch/read/listen to true crime for.

The only thing I somewhat disagreed with, is a mention of a particular murderer as transgender. I am an ally, but am not fully convinced the murderer is trans instead of trying to avoid accountability with an excuse for their atrocious actions. But I did respect the author’s decision to include that perpetrator’s name after transition. As a friend and ally to transgender persons I feel I am yet to be fully convinced that one of the said perpetrators of the Cheshire murders is truly trans. Having watched multiple documentaries on these murders and seeing genuine accounts from this person’s brothers and others on the extent of his severe aggression and abuse, I have an incredibly difficult time compartmentalizing how a person who would want to identify with and transition to the feminine genuinely could act in such an aggressive way. Especially when they r*ped one of their victims so savagely. I feel a true transgender woman would never brutalize another woman that way. The only thing I can fathom if they are genuinely transgender, and are not instead using it as a convenient cop out to the crimes as their siblings believe (and I really hope not, as if so it’s a slap in the face to genuine transgender women everywhere) that they were so savage as a result of extreme jealousy. However, I will never intentionally gaslight another person, so am still somewhat open to the possibility they may genuinely be transgender, I am still on the fence about that scenario. Hence I will not deadname or misgender that person here in the off chance they are genuinely trans. But I do remain dubious as to the legitimacy of this claim, or whether it’s an attempt to avoid accountability. But, again, I did appreciate the author’s attempt to be respectful by including both their name at the time of the crimes, and their transitioned name.

Vacations Can Be Murder is a treasure trove of information for true crime readers and curious travelers looking for something different to explore. This first volume covers New England (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT). Organized into the following chapters for each state, it provides a deep dive into information, sites, and resources related to crimes that have occurred in cities across the region:

*Crime Statistics
*Read Before You Leave (lists of true crime books)
*Accommodations and Restaurants that are Crime/Justice-Related or Haunted
*Crime Tours and Paranormal Tours
*Police/Crime/Prison/Courthouse Museums and Other Attractions
*State and Federal Prisons of Note
*Notable Crime-and-Justice-Related Burial Sites
*Putting it All Together: Itineraries
*Victim Resources

I especially love the inclusion of the itineraries and resources for victims. The itineraries make the planner in me happy and the inclusion of resources for crime victims is thoughtful with the potential to help many. True crime readers often are criticized for being morbid and/or voyeuristic, but it's been my experience that there are many factors driving my fellow "true crime junkies". Many, like myself, have traumatic pasts and are drawn to these stories out of empathy and the desire to help raise awareness for unsolved cases. Others, again like myself, admire law enforcement and judicial entities who have helped solve cases, as well as authors, journalists, and other professionals who have been instrumental in understanding crime patterns and motivations. The inclusion of victim resources highlights the humanity and care involved in the true crime community.

The next volume covering Mid-Atlantic states (my region!) is set to come out next month and I can't wait.

Review: Vacations Can Be Murder by Dawn M. Barclay

Dawn M. Barclay’s Vacations Can Be Murder: A True Crime Lover’s Travel Guide to New England is a unique blend of travel writing and true crime that delivers on its promise. Designed for readers with a fascination for the morbid side of history, it offers a detailed and well-organized dive into New England’s most infamous criminal sites, paranormal hotspots, and justice-themed attractions. From ghost tours to converted jails now serving dinner, the book is packed with local intrigue and historical context.

Presented by state, the structure allows for selective reading, whether you're planning a trip or just curious about your favorite corners of New England. Each chapter includes a summary of notorious crimes, suggestions for immersive experiences, and reading lists for deeper exploration. It’s flexible enough to read casually or study in depth, depending on your appetite for true crime tourism.

The tone is factual and restrained, which makes it easy to take in despite the heavy subject matter, but it’s also dense. This is not a quick read—it’s a full-on reference guide. I found myself returning to it over multiple days because the information is extensive and best absorbed slowly. Barclay has built something useful for travelers who want more than lighthouses and lobster rolls. If murder mysteries and eerie landmarks are your idea of sightseeing, this book is a must-have.

Thank you Level Best Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Vacations Can Be Murder, written by Dawn M. Barclay, is described as a true crime lover’s travel guide to New England. The various chapters cover different states in New England, and have summaries of serial killings, mass shootings, mob hits, and other crimes. The book features crime statistics and famous crimes from each state, as well as recommended reading, and true crime and paranormal places to visit or take a tour in each state. One thing from this book which I really appreciated was that the author also shares victim resources for each state, and how victims might reach out and to who for help and services.
I have never been to the New England area, but I have always wanted to, and this book made me feel like it is possible, and that I would be well prepared! I loved the tips included in the book, and I think that it was very well rounded. I also appreciate that the author included cases that were well known, and also ones that were less known. I am sure this is a hard road to balance, but I feel they did a wonderful job!
I would like to thank NetGalley and the author and publisher of this book for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A perfect blend of travel and true crime, two of my favorite things. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

This was fascinating...

As someone with a deep interest in true crime, this was right up my alley, but I was blown away when I read it. It is incredibly well researched, an easy read, and there is sooo much information! What I loved about the cases covered were they weren't not all well-known cases, there were very few nationally/internationally known cases, so this was a ton of new information that I now have to consider. I loved the addition of the itineraries, and different locations that you can visit, it really makes this book unique, and will keep it in mind if I ever make a trip up to New England! I am usually a little hesitant to pick up nonfiction True Crime books because they can often times be so insensitive, but this book did not feel that way at all, and I appreciate the care that goes into making sure victims are talked about as humans rather than using their horrific experiences as a story.

There are a few spelling mistakes (Section 3 Massachusetts, Boston, the Craigslist Killer- "raffic" instead of "traffic" was used, for example) and formatting issues (the th's for dates were too large and split the paragraph up strangely), but overall this was an amazing read that I will come back to in the future! Looking forward to the next books in the series.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. I found the information in the book to be interesting, but I found it very problematic that the author included where the victims of these crimes gravesites were located, as if they were a tourist attraction.

Thank you NetGalley for the read. If you are into a travel guide for crime lovers, you've come to the right place. Where you can eat, sleep and breathe crime in New England.

I honestly didn’t mind this, although it wasn’t a book that caught my attention quickly, it wasn’t awful

Thanks to Netgallery and Dawn M. Barclay for this ARC

I love true crime and this is a must have for any fan of it
If you wish to see these places this book with give you hints, places to see and an itinerary to help plan your trip if you wish to indulge in a little dark tourism. If you aren't able to travel this book is still good as it covers crimes you may not have heard about but also true crime book recommendations and numbers and websites for helplines.

This is a book which must be read in the right context. It’s for people interested in true crime. It’s not intended to be insensitive or feeding trauma tourism. It offers the true crime enthusiast some guidance to allow them to find out more about cases in the region and also offers interesting statistics and information.

Vacations Can Be Murder--New England, is the perfect gift for the traveler who is planning a New England road trip. This well-researched book identifies where crimes occurred, from pre-Colonial days to the present, and offers a one-paragraph synopsis of the events.

Full of interesting facts, true crime statistics, itineraries, everything you need to plan a dark macabre trip to New England.
Really enjoyed the layout of the book, everything was easy to read. Good book for anyone who likes true crime and New England

Informative and entertaining. A good travel for true-crime aficionado
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This is a fairly extensive account of Dark Tourism in New England. Each state has a short list of incidents, organized by city. There are potentially haunted hotels, restaurants, and itineraries to make it super easy for you to make a trip to hit all your favorite hot spots.

I'm not a huge true crime fan, but I am definitely interested in checking out some of the haunted restaurants and ghost tours listed the next time I head up to New England.

There's also a great list of books and resources listed for each state in case you want to read more about a specific incident.

This was super well researched and lovingly put together

This guide has a lot to offer to those true crime loving readers and tourists alike wanting to know more about the crimes happened in New England region, northeastern United States, including the states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.

Author Dawn M Barclay has included a rich list of resources that are crime books, website links to crime reports, crime statistics, summary of serial killings, mass shootings, cold cases, unsolved crimes, crime/justice related accommodations, police, courthouses, museums and other attractions in this guide.

For example, explore the neighborhoods of these regions like Boston and its suburbs and use this guide to stay at a hotel that was also a crime site mentioned in this guide. If you are more interested in the justice aspect of true crimes that happened you may also visit the courthouses in this book.

Amazing to read the statistics numbers of killers who preyed upon vulnerable women and children. Hats off to the author for the idea of putting all the crime itineraries of each of the states together in a nutshell.

THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND PUBLISHER FOR AN ADVANCE COPY FOR MY HONEST REVIEW.

I’m not entirely sure what I thought I was getting myself into when I asked to read this but this wasn’t it. Other than the fact that this is just downright tasteless, it’s boring and hard to read. It’s basically an encyclopedia of true crime stuff from New England. It had just enough detail to be unpleasant to read and enough to feel guilty about reading it. I’m sure this is my fault since I haven’t really read a lot of true crime before this and I’m not really into the genre. Maybe true crime fans will like this but I really didn’t and apparently this isn’t the book for me. DNF. Will not rate on Goodreads but giving 2 stars here since I’m quite literally forced to.

Vacations Can Be Murder is like no other book I’ve read. As a big true crime fan I was so excited to see all the detail the author put into this book!! It’s like going on a murder road trip without leaving the comfort of your home!

*Crime locations
*Where the bodies are
*Prisions with infamous occupants
*Prisions in now altered locations
*Ghost tours & haunted locations
*and much more!

If you love true crime, paranormal & learning about the most interesting New England history, this is a must read!!

Such a fun experience!

While I primarily read romance, I enjoy a good true crime novel or tv show from time to time so I decided to check out Vacations Can Be Murder by Dawn M. Barclay. This book has brief discussions about crimes based on location, supposedly haunted places, and detailed itineraries that can be followed if you like seeing where both historical and modern crimes occurred.

Overall, I found the book well researched and easy to follow and if I was traveling to the east coast some of these locations would be included in my list of places to go and things to see.

Thank you, Level Best Books, for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All thoughts and options are my own.

Vacations Can Be Murder is exactly what it promises: a delightfully dark travel guide for the macabre-minded. From haunted hotels to infamous true crime landmarks, this book is packed with eerie excursions and spine-tingling suggestions that are sure to spice up any gloomy getaway.

The organization was on point—neatly broken down and easy to follow, making it feel like you could genuinely plan your next spooky sojourn straight from its pages. My only wish? A few creepy visuals to break up the text. Photos, sketches, or even some gothic embellishments would’ve elevated the experience.

Still, it delivered everything I hoped for and more. A perfect read for those of us who believe the best souvenirs are ghost stories.

The perfect travel itinerary for the Addams Family—or anyone who likes a little murder with their map.

Thank you to NetGalley, Level Best Books, and Dawn M. Barclay for the privilege of receiving this ARC in exchange for an honest review.