Book Review: All of Us Murderers, by KJ Charles

I've loved everything I've read by KJ Charles, and her latest novel, All of Us Murderers, coming out Oct. 7, is no exception. Misunderstandings and frustrated pinings, followed eventually by hot m/m sex? Check. Mystery and suspense? Check. Period details that ground the scenes? Check. Deftly inserted and relevant historical explanations illustrating some of the unfairnesses of the class system? Check.

Magic? Well, figuring out whether that's actually in this book is part of the fun. Charles has written some really good books in which magic plays a major part, but lately, she's been writing quite a few books which focus purely on the mundane, and they do that very well. (I wrote last year about how much I enjoyed Death in the Spires, a gaslight-era mystery about the travails of a former Oxford clique.) Here, there's apparently a family curse, or at least some family members who strongly believe in one; characters hear lots of footsteps and other mysterious noises in the isolated mansion; lights constantly flicker for no good reason; and several people claim to have seen ghosts, or mysterious monks, or something.

Yes, it's a Gothic drama, and it revels in its Gothicness (check out the lovely role-reversed cover!), and several genre-aware characters refer to the Gothic elements of what's happening around them. The original patriarch of the family, the ancestor of protagonist Zeb, actually wrote Gothic novels himself! But most of the family money has a much darker origin. 

The setup of All of Us Murderers, once revealed, also reminds me strongly of a certain Regency romance, Cotillion by Georgette Heyer. As the promotional copy on Charles' website says, the current patriarch has invited his relatives to the manor to announce that he's leaving his fortune to whoever marries his young ward. Tensions flare dramatically, and awful accusations are exchanged; unlike in Cotillion, consequences go far beyond landing a "facer."

Most members of the family are not nice at all, and Zeb himself, although meaning no harm, previously destroyed someone else's career by accident. He's seen as the loser of the family, unable to hold on to a job, converse without fidgeting, or even dress properly. However, eventually he finds a kind of redemption. 

I will admit to thinking several times to myself, while reading the book, that although I was really enjoying the journey, the overall plot seemed a little ridiculous; however, I should have had more faith in Charles, who is a very skillful plotter and writer. There were methods to the seeming madness, and everything ended up making sense after all. It was very satisfying, and worth buying for anyone to whom it sounds at all interesting.

Content warnings: Death, use of force; references to past sexual assault and to slavery; negatively portrayed ableism toward a character with ADHD.

Comps: Cotillion by Georgette Heyer, Knives Out movie; Gothic novels in general.  

Disclaimer: I received a free eARC for review from the publisher via NetGalley.