All of Us Murderers by K.J. Charles

All of Us Murderers

The lush Gothic drama of Crimson Peak meets the murderous intrigue of Knives Out with an LGBTQIA+ love story to die for from award-winning author KJ Charles.

WHO WILL SURVIVE LACKADAY HOUSE?

When Zeb Wyckham is summoned to a wealthy relative's remote Gothic manor, he is horrified to find all the people he least wants to see in the world: his estranged brother, his sneering cousin, and his bitter ex-lover Gideon Grey. Things couldn't possibly get worse.

Then the master of the house announces the true purpose of the gathering: he intends to leave the vast family fortune to whoever marries his young ward, setting off a violent scramble for her hand. Zeb wants no part of his greedy family―but when he tries to leave, the way is barred. The walls of Lackaday House are high, and the gates firmly locked. As the Dartmoor mists roll in, there's no way out. And something unnatural may be watching them from the house's shadowy depths…

Fear and paranoia ramping ever-higher, Zeb has nowhere to turn but to the man who once held his heart. As the gaslight flickers and terror takes hold, can two warring lovers reunite, uncover the murderous mysteries of Lackaday House―and live to tell the tale?

Content Tags:

Perfect for readers who want:

• Adorable queer M/M historical romance between two utter cinnamon rolls.
• Protagonist with ADHD (including a cute support system!)
• Crimson Peaks meets Knives Out
• A whole cast of morally grey characters with secrets that are to die for . . . literally
• Creepy Gothic mansion in the middle of nowhere
• Dumpster fire families that will surely make you feel better about yours

Overall

I’ve been obsessed with K.J. Charles’ work since a coworker thrust The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen into my hand and insisted I read it (despite the smut). And I loved it! The second book was even better yet. So when this book popped up, I knew immediately I needed to read it. The fact that it’s also comped to Knives Out, which I also happened to really enjoy, was an added bonus. A queer historical romance with an absolute dumpster fire of a family keeping secrets they might be willing to murder someone to keep? Sign me up!

All of Us Murderers is a queer historical romance with Knives Out vibes, where everyone is a villain guarding their secrets. The question is, how far are they willing to go to keep them?

Yet again, K.J. Charles lives up to my expectations! All of Us Murderers is filled with delightfully morally grey characters, an utterly adorable queer M/M romance, a protagonist with ADHD, and an ominous, secluded house filled with people you absolutely do not want to be stuck in a house with. A.k.a. family members. (Thankfully, not yours, but Zeb’s. Poor Zeb.) Despite being able to spot some major plot twists way ahead of time, I wasn’t at all disappointed and thoroughly enjoyed the book. I need more of these!

I received a copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

My Thoughts

Welcome to Lackaday House, a beautiful Gothic mansion that’s been passed down within the Wyckham family. Because nothing creepy ever happens in old, isolated houses.

And you certainly shouldn’t expect anything creepy to happen! Talk of ghosts? Pah! Don’t be superstitious. It’s not like there have been a series of mysterious deaths over the decades. Baseless rumors, I assure you!

Lackaday House is the perfect setting for a slightly creepy, atmospheric mystery, where nothing is quite as it seems. The house itself is the sort that begs to be explored, because something that old obviously has secrets it’s guarding. The best part of this house? It’s currently where all the young Wyckhams are staying, each with a vested interest in inheriting it. Several who would stop at nothing to do so. Oh, and they absolutely hate each other, thanks to very messy and dramatic histories. What could possibly go wrong? (Except, you know, everything you might expect . . . and then some!)

The atmosphere in this book is delightful. By which I mean tense, spooky, and with everyone at each other’s throat. Because everyone has secrets. It’s just a matter of how far they’re willing to go to keep them from reaching the light of day. While I was able to predict many of the major plot turns, I still found the story enjoyable, and since there were so many twists and turns, even predicting some doesn’t ruin the overall surprise of what’s coming.

Zeb is a fantastic main character, who I utterly loved for his realism, cynicism, and absolutely adorable ADHD rep.

Am I biased in thinking his ADHD is adorable? Obviously, because I also have ADHD. We are quirky people. While I wholeheartedly understand the frustration of the people around him (because I, too, have frustrated relatives), I love me some healthy ADHD rep! Zeb understands his shortcomings, and while he is extremely frustrated by them at times (and honestly, who isn’t?), he also exhibits healthy coping mechanisms and has at least one neurotypical person who is willing and able to support him with some of his quirks.

If you’re going in thinking that Zeb is going to be a unicorn amongst hippos, you will be sadly mistaken. I could see how a reader might assume that, given the rest of his family (and I assure you, the Wyckhams are wild). At the end of the day, though, Zeb is just as messy as the rest of them, which is what I love so much about him. He’s a better person than most of his family, sure, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s a good person, as he’s quick to point out. That’s an important difference, one that makes him feel so much more human!

This book has a super cute queer M/M second chance romance, which I was totally here for.

Having read some of K.J. Charles’ previous work, I already knew I would enjoy the romance, and I wasn’t disappointed in that regard. Zeb and Gideon have a bit of a sordid history, which makes it all the more thrilling that they’re stuck in a house together and have to try to avoid each other to the best of their abilities, right? Except Gideon is hot, and Zeb has impulse control issues (see: ADHD above).

There isn’t much build-up for the romance, which kind of makes sense given it’s a second chance romance. I did like that there was clear growth in the characters, though, and improved communication. I mean . . . romance is hard. So is being gay, historically, when it was, y’know, illegal. These two cinnamon rolls are just the right amount of cute to offset the otherwise creepy mystery going on in the background.

About K.J. Charles

KJ Charles is a recovering editor and RITA-nominated author. She lives in London with her husband, two kids, an out-of-control garden and a cat of absolute night. She writes mostly historical: queer romance, paranormal, fantasy, mystery. Shenanigans may occur. High body count.

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