I loved How To Kill Your Family so I was very keen to read the new book from Bella Mackie and it was a fun romp from the start. The tale of the unscrupulous Anthony and how he met his demise was funny and ascerbic. It is well written, pacey and keeps you interested throughout.

Well, it certainly is.

Allow me to introduce you to Anthony Wistern, CEO of Wismere Holdings, an influential financial wizard. Perhaps. It’s his 60th birthday and his wife Olivia has gone all out with lavish celebrations at their Cotswolds home, one of several. However, something goes terribly wrong and Anthony is dead.

What of Olivia? She’s ice cold, doesn’t believe in unnecessary emotions, so will she be a grieving widow??? Similarly, how will their four children- Freddy, Jemima, Lyra and Clara - react to their father’s unfortunate demise?

Finally, there’s The Sleuth who is a mere three miles away when the incident happened. Maybe this will be their big break?

It’s told from three perspectives, Anthony, Olivia and The Sleuth so sit back and let the shenanigans commence.

This is darkly funny, witty and creative slow burner character driven mystery/psychological thriller. What a family- toxic much? I’ll say, in spades. The dynamics are horribly fascinating, they really are all quite ghastly but it’s delicious in its awfulness! Selfish, avaricious and all the rest of it. What about the patriarch? I’ll leave this joy to future readers to discover his personality and morals. If he has any. The Sleuth is entertaining, the approach taken here is current and adds to the puzzling mystery.

Although this family are not great examples of humanity they do make for some excellent and vivid scenes - the scope is endless! Some scenes are surreal, some are of the entertaining Fred Karno circus variety and others are just dark and they certainly give us a feast of lies. There are numerous twists as it makes its way to a surprising ending. Well played.

If you like Succession then you’ll probably relish meeting the Wisterns.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to the publisher for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

In 'What a Way To Go', Bella Mackie has created a deliciously dysfunctional cast of characters. It's a fun read, with eyes stretched in delighted horror at the awful antics. It's a quick, fun read for a summer's day and I will look out for further work from this author.
I was provided with an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Such an interesting premise of a story and told brilliantly well. None of the characters are likeable at all but the story is gripping.

I hated this awful family, but loved to read about their awfulness and I’m very glad that what happened: happened. It is clear to see the delight Bella Mackie takes in writing about these abhorrent people and their selfish ways - you can tell that they’re based in reality, and that is perhaps the scariest thing of all. An easy read corker of a book; you’ll stay up late to whizz through it and wish you’d savoured it a little longer.

Wildly Entertaining..
When the obscenely wealthy Anthony Wistern is found very dead at his sixtieth birthday party- impaled on an orb lance - things go from bad to worse for his family and friends and, indeed, for Anthony himself. One would imagine that it couldn’t get much worse for Anthony - but remarkably, it does, as he finds himself in a very odd place indeed. With suspects numerous, was Anthony murdered or was he hoisted by his own petard? Wildly entertaining with a plot populated by an irreverent and eclectic cast of characters and a narrative heavy with humour and satire, this is a one sit escapist and wholly compelling read.

A murder mystery with a difference - if you read How To Kill Your Family then you will have an idea what to expect, which is the unexpected!

Anthony is a wealthy businessman, successful in work and life. Married to Olivia with 4 ungrateful older children who see him as a cash cow. So when Anthony is found dead in unusual circumstances, suspicion falls upon those closest to him. So who is responsible for his death?

I really enjoyed this book and will be recommending.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review.

Anthony Wistern is dead, and honestly what a way to go!

The only thing is, he can’t remember how he died so now he is busy watching his obnoxious family trying to figure out who murdered him, while they squabble over their inheritance.

His children are spoilt, his wife is long suffering (and awful), his many secrets are waiting to come out of the woodwork, and an online sleuth is trying to solve Anthony’s murder on TikTok.

I wish the ending had been a little clearer & that I could connect with the characters more, but they are horrible so maybe it’s best that I don’t. I enjoyed reading from different peoples perspectives & trying to figure out who the murderer was.

Well what a treat this turned out to be! Anthony Wistern celebrates his 60th birthday by dying. The seriously rich businessman with a family, a few mistresses, fancy watches, art and a delight in not playing by the rules, is dead – and his family aren’t exactly heartbroken. But to get to wherever he’s meant to go, Anthony has to discover who is responsible for this cruel act, and whether or not the buck stops with any of his family, all of whom believe they’re to inherit his fortune. Split between family goings-on and Anthony shooting at cameras, the reader must also work out who is the culprit. A heady blend of Succession with a cosy crime drama, this is a funny, often very funny, read.

Anthony Wistern is a wealthy, obnoxious man, with 4 spoilt children and an equally entitled wife. Anthony is found dead at his grand 60th birthday bash, the list of suspect is long!

The story is told from 3 points of view:

Anthony himself
Olivia his wife
A local online sleuth obsessed with finding out who killed Anthony.

The story is witty, comically and full of twists and turns! Bella Mackie has a way of capturing you right in to the story and gets those laugh out loud scenes perfect

The format the book is written in, is really unique and makes the book more captivating.

I adored Bella Mackie's previous novel How To Kill Your Family. It was a thoroughly cheeky update of the classic black comedy film Kind Hearts and Coronets. What A Way To Go is so much better. A truly vile man, Anthony Western, dies in an innovative and funny way at his 60th Birthday Party. We then follow the fall-out from his event, and its impact on Anthony's awful family, and also, hilariously, on Anthony himself. Will we find out what happened to Anthony, and will there be any redemption for the Western family? You'll have to buy this super book, and find out!