The novelty value of those cynical comments wore off before I’d got a quarter of the way into the book. An aspect that makes this book really ironic (and funny) is that Grace is put into prison, which really starts to disrupt her serial killing plans, That’s the part in all of this that Grace doesn’t see coming, she’s arrested for murder! For me, Grace was not the witty anti-hero she should be, but rather came across as an extremely unlikeable, self-centred and, ultimately, shallow individual. A lot of it was unnecessary as the novel is meant to be about Grace’s revenge against her relatives. I’m get the impression the author was trying to be funny, in a darkly humourous way, and didn’t pull it off.

I urge you to delve into the mind of this perplexing and amusing character on her journey to wipe out her family, if only to reconfirm your suspicions that the human mind is strangely complicated, or if not that, to get some ideas for how you might tackle your own checklist! I haven’t been inspired to send my own relatives to the grave but Bella Mackie’s first foray into the world of fiction did tap into a complex emotional streak I didn’t know I had. one of the main themes of the book was about class, but it wasn’t really discussed in any profound or nuanced way, and it actually became quite trite after a while.and the juicy details of her life along with the creative offing of six members of her family, she had me laughing out loud. It actually has more in common with The Thursday Murder Club than it has with Sixteen Horses – a very dark book I read recently.

It’s absolutely Kind Hearts and Coronets down to the list on the back of the picture but didn’t see this mentioned in other reviews. Funnily enough, not because she’s a serial killer but because she’s constantly complaining about someone or other and how they’ve either wronged her or how their mere existence annoys her.The book started out strong but slowly started its slow descent downhill, right up until it crashed and burned at the end. So an OK concept, dark comedy that didn't work for me, but good writing and plotting sees me give this one a Two Star, 5 out of 12, for a book that I thought I would really like.

This niggle and a certain twist at the end put my nose out of joint, though kudos to Mackie for pulling off something so unexpected. The format made this incredibly difficult to read, as it was very slow paced, quite disjointed, and involved a lot of telling. It’s not a book that you have to learn anything from, it’s a book that you’re supposed to laugh at – that’s what I really want.

Readers have a front row seat as Grace picks off the family one by one – and the result is gruesome in this dark romp about class, family, love… and murder.

Yes, she’d made a vow as a young teenager to revenge the harm she thought her family had done to her mother but I found it hard to believe that she’d still be following that plan more than a decade later. I loved the split scene and time aspect, as we got a story telling aspect, the decision making of the murderer and her hindsight in one go.Based on other reviews of this novel I've read, this clarity was definitely needed for most readers as it really takes a lot of thought before you have that lightbulb moment of understanding. Although her feelings could be understandable, and could have been written in such a way as to allow for her character to grow, there was a distinct sense that we should be agreeing with her full stop even when she is spewing hate for no discernible reason. And her killing her cousin, who is nice and rejects the wealth just because she thinks that because he's a man he will give in eventually and become like them anyway. How To Kill Your Family follows Grace who is on a mission to get rid of the family who wronged her and take their fortune.