Don’t Tell Me How To Die
Marshall Karp
336 pages
Published March 4th, 2025
Blackstone Publishing
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Don’t Tell Me How To Die is a super-twisty family drama by an author who is new to me. I requested an ARC of this because of the intriguing title, unusual premise and plethora of 5-star reviews. While I agree with others that it was slow to get going, and the main character is not exactly a wonderful role model, I enjoyed the unpredictability of the plot and the way it morphs into a thriller in the second half.
Maggie is the mayor of her small New York State town, happily married to a gorgeous surgeon, with two great kids, but her world is shattered when she is diagnosed with the same incurable blood disease that killed her mother when she was 17. Having witnessed her father become a magnet for gold-diggers, Maggie is determined to pick a suitable new wife for her own husband to help raise her twins. As she looks back on a life that very nearly went off the rails completely, Maggie reveals just how far she was and still is willing to go for her family.
This was a fun ride and I liked the way our scheming anti-heroine protagonist tells her story. Yes it’s completely implausible, but so are most domestic suspense novels and the payoff is worth the suspension of disbelief. I liked the cast of support characters and the witty dialogue especially between Maggie and her loyal sister Lizzie.
Thanks to Blackstone publishing for the ARC.
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