Community Reviews
My Killer Vacation trades the tense atmosphere of the typical romantic suspense novel for sunshine, murder, and a bounty hunter who spends far more time pursuing Taylor than the killer. Tessa Bailey delivers a breezy romantic comedy with a corpse tucked into the background. The mystery may open the door, but Taylor and Myles quickly take over the entire beach house.
Taylor Bassey is a schoolteacher on summer break who expects a relaxing Cape Cod vacation with her brother. Her plans collapse after they discover the rental property owner dead in the laundry room and peepholes hidden throughout the house. The police settle on a convenient suspect, but Taylor’s devotion to true-crime podcasts convinces her that the case deserves another look. Her amateur investigation places her directly in the path of Myles Sumner who is a former police officer turned bounty hunter. He has no patience for the meddling schoolteacher.
Taylor and Myles make a cute pair because their personalities challenge each other without feeling mismatched. Taylor is an enthusiastic busybody with good intentions and very little regard for personal boundaries. Myles has built his entire identity around independence, motorcycles, and leaving town before anyone expects him to stay. Taylor gradually wears down his resistance through determination, sweetness, and an impressive ability to appear wherever he least wants her.
Once Taylor hooks Myles, he is revealed to be protective, grumpy, and extremely talented in the bedroom. Several detailed scenes provide the heat readers expect from Tessa Bailey. I never fell head over heels for him. I supported the relationship like Taylor was my friend and had asked whether she should text him back. My answer would have been yes, but also followed by several questions about his communication skills.
The murder investigation receives far less attention than I expected. Long stretches focus on Taylor and Myles before the mystery suddenly returns and reminds everyone that a man died in the laundry room. The suspects and clues create a playful framework rather than a suspenseful puzzle. Readers hoping for danger, tension, and a carefully developed investigation may feel disappointed. Readers who want romantic comedy with a side of murder will probably love this story.
The proposal was wonderfully silly and slightly unnecessary. Romance novels remain determined to present marriage as the grand prize. While I remain determined to ask, who gets married anymore? The final chapters deliver a cheerful happy ending that resolves the personal conflicts and ties every loose end into a neat little bow.
My Killer Vacation is a flirty summer beach read with a lovable amateur sleuth, a brooding bounty hunter, and enough spice to raise the temperature on Cape Cod. Tessa Bailey gives her readers exactly what they came for. The romance is playful, the writing is easy to devour, and the murder knows better than to compete with Myles Sumner.
Fun and unique!
Love the true crime premise of this book! As for all Bailey books, we get hilarious banter and great steam!
Love the true crime premise of this book! As for all Bailey books, we get hilarious banter and great steam!
The banter. The spice. The SPICE. the cute ways she melts his interior. The moment when he’s like “yep I’m screwed”
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.