"The Family Plot" by Megan Collins

 

At twenty-six, Dahlia Lighthouse has a lot to learn when it comes to the real world. Raised in a secluded island mansion deep in the woods and kept isolated by her true crime-obsessed parents, she has spent the last several years living on her own, but unable to move beyond her past—especially the disappearance of her twin brother Andy when they were sixteen.

With her father’s death, Dahlia returns to the house she has avoided for years. But as the rest of the Lighthouse family arrives for the memorial, a gruesome discovery is made: buried in the reserved plot is another body—Andy’s, his skull split open with an ax.

Each member of the family handles the revelation in unusual ways. Her brother Charlie pours his energy into creating a family memorial museum, highlighting their research into the lives of famous murder victims; her sister Tate forges ahead with her popular dioramas portraying crime scenes; and their mother affects a cheerfully domestic façade, becoming unrecognizable as the woman who performed murder reenactments for her children. As Dahlia grapples with her own grief and horror, she realizes that her eccentric family, and the mansion itself, may hold the answers to what happened to her twin. ~taken from Goodreads

Re-reading that premise has me excited all over again to talk about this book! 

Dahlia is a girl, troubled. She grew up surrounded by mystery and death. She is even named after a murder victim- The Black Dahlia. Her siblings are also named after famous murder victims. She was raised in a mansion on a secluded island and homeschooled by her mother. The curriculum based around true crime murder stories. She grew up hearing the story of how her grandparents were murdered and part of their homeschooling involved performing "honor rituals" of all the murder victims they have studied. 

But even living on an island cannot shield them from real life murder. There was a serial killer that used to roam the island- The Blackburn Island serial killer. Bodies of young ladies found on the beach throughout the years, all wearing the same dress and all having the same marking carved into them. 

Dahlia returns to her childhood mansion to attend her father's funeral. She is in disbelief that her missing twin brother's body is found in her father's plot, apparently murdered from an ax to his head. This story is told solely through Dahlia's perspective. We, the reader, get to know every detail of what she is thinking. How she can't trust anyone- not the outsiders who think her family is a spectacle and she even starts to doubt her remaining family members and what they know of her twins death and disappearance.  

This was not my first Megan Collins novel. I previously read and reviewed "Behind The Red Door", which I found intriguing but only so-so. I had higher hopes for this book, but I have to give it the same 3 star rating. This book had an intriguing premise, an outstanding setting, a very likeable main character, and the writing style is right up my alley. It was just too predicable. I also wished we could have had alternating chapters from each of the family members, as it would have made the story not so one dimensional. 

I will admit there were some plot twists that had me second guessing what I suspected and the overall reading experience was fun and enjoyable. I will 100% read the next Megan Collins novel!

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria books for allowing me an advanced digital copy to read and give my honest review! "The Family Plot" is due to be released here in the United States on August 17, 2021 so get your order in now! 

Happy Reading!