Oh I loved this. Kj Charles is fast becoming one of my favourite historical romance writers. Her books are charming, romantic and quietly defiant. If you've read and enjoyed her books before this one won't be any exception.

I really love the humour and the way she writes dialogue, It all feels so real. It lends her characters a real authenticity even in outlandish, sometimes silly, situations. You always end up rooting for them and Zeb and Gideon were great. I always wonder how I'm going to feel about second chance romances as they can be hit and miss for me, but I knew I would be in safe hands. The way they actually discuss what happened between them, actually apologized and understood where the other was coming from. It was refreshing (there was drama and jealousy in the beginning, but it was fun. It can't all be healthy one hundred percent of the time or we would be bored. I said what I said.)

I also loved seeing the ADHD representation in the book. It was really well articulated and I loved how Gideon supported Zeb but never patronized him. You could just feel how much they cared about each other and how kindness can change someone's life.

I won't go too much into the mystery because I don't want to spoil anything, but I did feel Zeb's claustrophobia and paranoia throughout the book and was really rooting for him.

I’ve read most of KJ Charles’s historical MM romances, but this book ultimately proves that she’s also a master of the historical murder mystery. In fact, it’s only her second book in the genre – and the second one I’ve rated five stars.

This is the story of Zeb, a recently dismissed clerk who is invited by his cousin to a gothic manor in southern England, only to find himself surrounded by estranged family members, his ex-lover, and a whole lot of unsettling happenings.

The atmosphere is incredible — gothic, immersive, and genuinely tense. The book is set in the Edwardian era rather than the Victorian, and you can really feel the difference. That’s no surprise, as KJ Charles excels at historically accurate worldbuilding.The mystery itself is very solid – everything fits together, each piece of the puzzle is revealed at just the right moment, and the characters’ motivations are both believable and compelling. I don’t read murder mysteries very often, but this one had me completely hooked. The setting of a creepy, closed-off gothic mansion is particularly effective, and the atmosphere is intensified by the fact that nearly everyone inside is creepy and unpleasant in their own way. Most of the characters are hiding something, and it is difficult to fully sympathize with any of them, which only heightens the tension.

As is often the case in KJ Charles’s work, there is also a fairly explicit romantic subplot, which I absolutely loved. In terms of tropes, this is a second chance romance, but what truly made it stand out for me was the simple fact that the characters actually talk to each other. It may sound basic, but I find it incredibly frustrating when a relationship is built on miscommunication or things left unsaid. In this story, the characters take the time to confront their shared past, and through honest conversation, they are able to support each other.

I also want to highlight what might be the best portrayal of ADHD I’ve encountered in fiction. Zeb clearly struggles to meet the expectations of his social class, but that doesn’t make him socially inept or incapable. Despite his challenges and moments of self-doubt, Zeb possesses a strong internal moral compass and a deep conviction in his choices — and he’s willing to stand by them.

All in all, I highly recommend this book to anyone who has enjoyed KJ Charles’s romance novels, as well as to fans of murder mysteries in general. She is simply an outstanding writer, and whatever genre she chooses to explore, the result is always something truly solid and deeply satisfying.

When I devour a book in just over two days, that says something. All of Us Murderers is an incredibly atmospheric love letter to the gothic thriller/mystery genre, from which KJ Charles removes the utterly unbearable tropes typically associated with it (like characters getting themselves killed because they simply can’t talk to each other—here, one sensibly invites the other for a walk to clear up misunderstandings, and as a result, they start working together). She also adds a touch of spice, which, during the romantic interludes, lets you catch a breath between bouts of tension (though I’ll admit, after the author’s last mystery book, I wasn’t expecting that much spice —I’m not sure I needed all of it here).

Aside from that, it has a wonderfully chilling vibe—the novel perfectly transports you to the musty atmosphere of an old house where strange things are happening. Even scarier are the people who come to stay there—Charles presents a repulsive bunch of nasty individuals, and apart from the main characters, no one here is remotely likable. Their elitist, prejudiced banter creates genuine discomfort. The mystery is fascinating, full of twists, and most importantly—it's logical and makes total sense.

I haven’t read much of Charles' books (yet), but I deeply appreciate that even in such a light form, she devotes serious attention to crafting believable characters and relationships, without resorting to cheap clichés. For example: although the main character is seen as weak and vulnerable, the author doesn’t make him a punching bag who silently takes every verbal blow from his family (just to make the reader feel sorry for him); instead, she gives him personality and initiative that allow him to push back and stand his ground. Also a round of applause for intriguing portrayal of a person with ADHD.

I really enjoyed this! It was a fun read and I had a good time with it. I could have read this in one sitting, KJ Charles never fails to draw me into a story. This one is either a 4.5 or a 5 star read for me and definitely some of KJ Charles's best work.

As someone who loved Death in the Spires, I loved that this leaned a bit a fair bit into the gothic horror rather than just solely romance - the gothic ambience was done so well. My dog snuck up behind me at one point and I actually jumped when I saw some movement out of the corner of my eye.

The characters were perfect, the family dynamics were messy, there was fantastic ADHD rep (and rep for severe arachnophobia), I am seen. And I did adore the dynamic between Gideon and Zeb. I'm not usually a fan of second chance romances in any form, but this was done really well. I loved their development and communication.

(And for what it's worth, as someone who has read some B-tier Edwardian gothic novels, this does everything so well and really captures the real essence of the genre. And the epilogue was perfect.)

The biggest thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!