I loved the concept of What A Way To Go. It's told from the perspective of three people - mega rich Anthony Wistern, his wife Olivia and the Sleuth. All pretty standard stuff, but Anthony is about to die when we first meet him, and then ends up watching the post-death proceedings from some kind of budget Grim Reaper waiting room. Not so standard now.

As you read through the book, you uncover a lot more about Anthony, Olivia and their grown up children. They're all a pretty unloveable bunch; let's just say they would get on well with the Succession clan. How will they deal with the demise of their father and all that comes with it? Will the Sleuth get to the truth?

An excellent read, you'll want to devour it in one sitting.

The story is told from the points of view of the 3 main characters; Anthony Wistern who is dead and is watching his family from the afterlife, unable to move on until he figures out how he died. His widowed wife, Olivia, who is having to deal with the fallout. The ‘Sleuth’ a true crime fan who can’t believe her luck when a renowned multi-millionaire dies in her hometown. But everyone believes it was an accident, can she prove that it was murder?
Key characters also include Olivia and Anthony’s 4 adult children who are set to inherit his fortune. Despite none of the characters being likeable, it was still an enjoyable read.
With thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What A Way To Go is such a great concept and grabbed me straight away. The party and the drama felt very Saltburn. Then there’s the gruesome death. Loved that! Saying this the story is very much character driven, but I found every character unlikable and toxic. There are three points of views, this was interesting and having the added view from outside the family unit was really beneficial. This gave the plot another element otherwise I would have been bored. The psychological mystery did fall into the background for the characterisation and I didn’t feel as gripped by the story as I hoped. I liked the humour and tone of the book and think many people will enjoy it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

This is the first book that I have read by this author and it will certainly not be my last. This is a book full of twists, plenty of humour and characters that are easy to relate to, despite the society status that they are living in. The story starts with the proverbial bang when Anthony is found dead at the end of his 60th birthday party. Anthony was a particularly nasty piece of work with many enemies and people who had reason to kill him. The story is totally on was he murdered, was it suicide or simply an accident and throughout the book all three become a possibility. His children were very badly behaved and totally inconsiderate of other people, his wife tried to act as expected of a socialite. The characters are easy to follow and believe in and I thought that Olivia showed some sense when she was preparing to leave him and the family. I loved the way that this was written with the duality of the in between worlds waiting room and those that had been left behind on earth. The online sleuth added yet another perspective to the story and enabled the reader to fully see the characters that the children portrayed.
I loved the fact that everything was so neatly and comically brought to a closure.

I loved this book. After reading and loving How To Kill Your Family, I knew I just had to read this and it did not disappoint. I thought it was funny in places, very dry and I loved the multiple povs. The best way I can describe this book is that its an absolute romp and would make the perfect holiday read (or cosy weekend read depending on when you pick it up). I will definitely be recommending this to my friends/followers and its safe to say that Bella Mackie is an auto-buy author for me!

The story is told from 3 different perspectives Anthony and Olivia Wistern and the Sleuth. A bit of a slow burn but picks up and give you a good few laughs along the way.

What A Way To Go
Bella Mackie

‘Life is a funny succession of swings and roundabouts.’

This falls flat to me. This story is told from three different perspectives, Anthony, Olivia and the Sleuth. The concept is great fun, after life’s waiting room where you solve your own death to proceed but the story and characters just didn’t gel for me.

‘Had my own progeny conspired to off me for their inheritance? I can’t lie, it’s something I’ve had uncomfortable thoughts about before. When you’ve got a lot to lose, your trust in people diminishes, family members aren’t exempt from that.’

The book is full of dark humour, some intrigue and characters who seem capable of despicable acts but are mostly just rich, smug and arrogant characters. There was definite times you warmed to the characters but for the most part, I wasn’t at all invested.

“Now you’re dead, I’m going to be your new favourite person.”

This comes from the author of How To Kill Your Family and I’m sure plenty of fans of that will be jumping for this book on 2nd October 2024.

“You can sit here and destroy his character all you want but you will not speak a word of this outside of these walls. Our reputation is all we have in life. At this moment, ours is in tatters, but memories are short, and one day, this horrible month, this mensis horribilis, will be a brief blip - if we handle ourselves with dignity.”

Massive thank you to @harpercollinsaustralia @harpercollinsuk @netgalley and @harperfiction for this ARC.

‘You might waterboard a woman for her secrets to no avail, but tell her to cheer up and you’ll meet a banshee.’

“Just look at her. The woman doesn’t really have an identity without him. He sort of designed it that way, right?”


(Posted September 10th 2024).

What A Way To Go was the devious love child of Saltburn and Succession for me with scandal, schemes and salacious details. It utilises true crime fascination with such a skewering twist.

Bella Mackie has such a gripping writing style - she creates these complex, compelling characters that you sort of love to hate and their voices just hook you straight in. The Wistern family holds immense wealth and status, the type that feels otherworldly. It is a cold and calculated space where love feels sparse and every move is part of the game where power is the prize. So when the death of Anthony, the patriarch, throws a giant wrench into the mix, everything spins out of control.

Mackie allows us to relish in this as we get an insider’s account of everything going on, mixed in with a true crime inspired investigation into what really happened. Without giving anything away, there is also an additional investigative narrative that I absolutely adored and Mackie is inspired for including it. For me, it added an extra layer of forced reflection, which the family deeply lacks. There is just little or no self-awareness. It encapsulates that bubble mentality of the uber privileged, able to move through life unaware of the ripple effects of their actions.
Mackie places the reader as complicit in the interrogation of the family and the shredding of their privacy as gossip spreads and true crime fanatics latch on. This allows for some interesting thoughts about the ethics of true crime, but also flips the script on the expected power dynamics. There is a relishment of their downfall that you delight in, even as you feel some empathy for them.

What A Way To Go was a creative and extremely captivating look at the lives of the privileged and just what may lead to their downfall. It is a darkly comic, delectable read.

I received a free review copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest unedited feedback. Thank you NetGalley & The Borough Press!

Anthony Wistern is a filthy rich financier with a picture perfect family & a lavish lifestyle. Little do they all know, their world is about to come crumbling down when Anthony dies. His perfect life isn’t quite as it seems… would his family really kill him to inherit his millions?

Darkly funny with a very clever narrative like I’ve never seen before, this is far from your usual whodunnit.

Bella Mackie is the queen of writing unlikeable characters that you just can’t get enough of!

I really enjoyed the multiple POVs and the story kept me engrossed from start to end. I also really liked how it touched on the true crime obsessed society that we live in & the sense of entitlement that it brings.

If you like reading about awful rich people, dysfunctional families, revenge & female rage, this is the book for you. The way that Bella Mackie writes female rage is just so accurate & relatable (even if you don’t have rich people problems like the Wisterns).

DNF @15%

This is not the most original concept but coupled with the worst POV choices, it makes for a boring read.

"They might've taken my death as a win, but they were in for a nasty surprise when the will was read out. Even though I'd lost my life, I'd still come out on top. It takes a special kind of man to do that."

Anthony Wistern is wealthy beyond measure. His way to the top was not on the straight and narrow though. At his 60th birthday party, he dies in a gruesome way. The police think it was an accident but from his position at a kind of halfway house for the dead, he thinks he was murdered. He cannot pass on to the afterlife until he remembers what happened.

There are plenty of suspects – his four money-obsessed children, his wife who may have gotten tired of his affairs, or even his business partner. Now, a true crime armchair detective is on the case. She doesn't believe Anthony's death is anything but murder, and she starts uncovering clues.

This is a quirky whodunit that had me gripped from the start. It's loads of fun trying to discover who the killer is. The dialogue was sharp and witty, and I had plenty of smiles. I didn't manage to work out who was responsible for Anthony's death, which is always a bonus when it comes to mysteries.

This is a clever mystery that will keep you guessing. The characters will surprise you. We have the viewpoints of Anthony, his wife Olivia and the true crime-obsessed sleuth.

Highly enjoyable.

It the party of the year. Anthony Wistern is turning 60th and no expense has been spared at the bash at their Cotswolds home. When he is found dead in the lake, impaled, grief isn't the first thing on his wife's mind. She can't understand how he has managed to upstage her again. She was planning on leaving him early the next morning after putting up with his philandering and lies throughout their marriage. His four children are interested in what the multi millionaire has left them> From his viewpoint in the waiting room, he can see what is going on and can't do anything about it All Anthony needs to do to move on is to tell the powers that be how he died. The trouble is he can't remember. He spends his time viewing the family. Meanwhile, the true crime podcasters are convinced that he was murdered. One of them is being given tips by an insider, you just know that it's all going to go pear shaped. When the will is read and the family find out that they won't get what they were expecting, suspicions rise within the family as well.
A fun read. This family are just horrible.

The concept of this book really intrigued me + sounded like something I’d enjoy but unfortunately I found it underwhelming. It’s slow paced & I couldn’t connect with the plot so I found it difficult to maintain an interest.
There are some witty moments + dark humour which is what kept me reading.
Although this wasn’t for me, I can see others loving it.

★★½ ROUNDED UP ⬆️⭐️
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I want to thank NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for the opportunity to review this book.

I was a big fan of how to kill your family. It was fun and fresh and I think I read it in a couple of days. Because of that I think I had some really high hopes for this one that just weren’t quite met…

It started off really promising! I loved the concept, the character voices felt fresh and unique. It was so funny (I was literally reading bits out loud to my friend as I was reading it on a beach trip because I couldn’t get enough!)

But all that sort of… tapered off. It ended up taking me ages to finish this book bc I’d read a good chunk but felt like I’d got nowhere.

I do think if I’d had more time to sit down and read this book in larger sections I would have enjoyed it more, but in the end it just felt like a bit of a slog to get back to.

Saying that, it was still funny throughout and there were parts I did find really interesting and fun to read. The plot was strong and it’s a good read if you love a good murder mystery.

Review posted on @reytgoodbook on insta on 10/9/2024

I hate not finishing a book but I came close to it a number of times with this book. It was beyond slow and at some points I just didn't even care what had happened to Anthony. It picked up a little towards the end but not quite enough for me.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

This was a fun read, albeit one that took a little while to get into.

It opens with the birthday party - and death - of the wealthy Anthony Wistern. Impaled on a spike in a pool, his death draws interest and suspicion from far and wide. If he was murdered, who did it? One of his ungrateful grown-up children? His wife? Who else had cause to hate him?

There are three main viewpoints - the murdered Anthony himself, his wife Olivia, and a true crime obsessive - the 'Sleuth'. None of the viewpoint characters, nor the murdered man's children, are particularly sympathetic, and I think it does mean it's a little tougher to get into this one. You're less driven to find out who did it, if you don't care too much about the implications.

But it is well-written, with some very funny and wryly-observed lines. With Anthony's viewpoint (and I don't think it's a spoiler to say this, as it's basically part of the premise), we also get to see a touch of the afterlife - or the inbetweeny-life - and that's really quite funny too.

So it works well as a dark comedy and it's interesting to see how it plays out, and who will get their comeuppance. I just wish I had someone to root for!

When Anthony Wistern, financier and CEO, dies at his 60th birthday party, he ends up in purgatory. Forced to watch his family through CCTV until he remembers how he died, he is unable to move on to “the next stage” until he works it out. His adultery and misdeeds are all uncovered whilst his family argue over the money, his wife has her own secrets and they’re just a truly awful bunch of people to boot. They’re part of the 1% and none of them seem to have any idea that they’re horrible at all.

On the other side of the story is The Sleuth, a podcaster who starts to try and solve what she is sure is a murder and acts as a fab plot device to move the story on without spending too much time with the entitled Wisterns. She’s got her own issues, with a sick mum and a need to solve something after the mystery of her dad’s death is unsolved in her eyes.

It’s a slow burn mystery rather than a pacy thriller, with lots of satire and dark humour thrown in for good measure. You really want both Anthony and The Sleuth to work it out and yet enjoy his discomfort in not being able to. I also enjoyed how whiny they all are about how it’s all terrible while eating at the finest restaurants and living in their country house to escape the London one. It’s a reflection of how you expect anyone you’d ever meet with more money than sense to behave! The ending is just chefs kiss perfect and left me smiling too.

I flitted between the arc ebook and audiobook, and the audiobook in particular really brought the personalities to life. Definitely worth a listen to if you like an audiobook.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for a free arc and audiobook in return for an honest review. 4.5/5

A wealthy financier dies at his birthday party. Was he murdered or was it an unfortunate accident.
An online crime sleuth seeks the truth. Meanwhile the family finds out their finances are not all they thought and the financier was running a scam. Infighting ensues as each tries to grab a slice of the remaining money whilst Anthony looks on at the antics in Purgatory. He needs to know how he died to move on.
An entertaining unusual crime drama.
What really happened and who is the guilty party. There are enough candidates.

a fun and interesting look at a family who implodes and self destructs when their patriarch is found dead at a party. there follows a foray into true crime blogs, family secrets, and how money can warp everything. enjoyed the perspective from purgatory and even though i didnt love the ending, i had fun reading this one

I loved HOW TO KILL YOUR FAMILY so I had really high hopes for this one and I was not disappointed at all, Full of Bella's great way with humour, sarcasm and darkness.