Content notes: Ableism, homophobia, classism, murder, rape, slavery, incest, suicide
- In general, Zeb’s relatives are just very shitty people who cannot deal with his ADHD and constantly belittle him for it
- One of them also threatens to out him to the others and he has reasons to fear their reaction
- They are generally very snobby
- There is a murder later on page as well as several off
- One minor character recounts being raped
- The family’s wealth is largely the result of slave trade, though this is more of a sidenote in the story
- Incest (aunt/nephew of the same age) is mentioned, as is the suicide of a woman who was kept captive in a tower room
Representation: Gay relationship between main characters, main character with ADHD
You know that feeling when you just want a nice, quiet stay in the countryside, only to find yourself trapped in a remote Gothic house with your entire horrible family and the ex-lover who broke your heart? No? Well, that’s exactly what happens to Zebeedee “Zeb” Wyckham in All of us Murderers by KJ Charles. This book is a genre-bending whirlwind, giving us a perfect blend of gothic horror and a steamy, right person, wrong time romance, all wrapped up in a deadly family drama.
Zeb thinks his trip to his wealthy cousin’s estate on Dartmoor is just a polite social call, but he quickly finds himself in a nightmare: his entire estranged family is there. His older brother plus wife, their artist cousin, a young cousin none of them knew, a family friend and Wynn Wyckham, the cousin who invited them all. And if that wasn’t bad enough, his ex, Gideon Grey, is also lurking around, working for Wynn. When the host announces that the vast family fortune will go to the man who marries their hitherto unknown cousin Jessamine, the family drama ramps up, the estate goes into lockdown, and Zeb realizes he’s trapped.
The whole gothic horror recreation was just so much fun. I honestly adored this book. Zeb was a fantastic main character, and I loved how the author portrayed his struggles with his ADHD and how it impacted his relationships with his family and Gideon. His romance with Gideon was both sweet and quite a bit spicy (which I mostly just skimmed), and it gave that perfect reconciliation arc when two former lovers have to work together to survive and come to realize that they are indeed still in love. While I felt the other characters were quite one-dimensional, it actually worked just fine for the genre—they’re not people you’re supposed to like, just potential victims or villains!
As the entire family gathering soon devolves into a mess of spooky ghost sightings, threatening notes on the walls and other such things, Zeb struggles to figure out what is really happening. I love the atmosphere KJ Charles created here, both with the obvious hauntings that start happening but mostly with the convoluted family history that gets uncovered. The discord between the different stories that are told, the tales that are twisted and the truth that is slowly discovered by Zeb (with some important nudges from his sister-in-law, because Zeb is slightly naive sometimes) is fascinating to puzzle through. And the end result? That is truly grizzly.
If I had one criticism, it’s that the pacing felt a bit off. The beginning was a little slow, and then the ending felt very abrupt and, frankly, not entirely cohesive. There were some storylines – like Zeb’s writing career and the entire plot thread about the family’s history with slavery – that felt loose, somewhat disconnected, and could have been explored further for a deeper impact. As much as I loved the core mystery and the romance, I felt a solid confrontation about Zeb’s actual financial status with his dismissive relatives would have been nice, and generally, the story could have used a little more polishing toward the finish line.
Despite the rushed ending, this was a five-heart read for me. It was spooky, fun, and exactly what I’ve come to expect from KJ Charles. I loved how Zeb’s struggle with his ADHD anchored the family dynamics and added a layer of complexity I wasn’t expecting in a gothic mystery. If you’re looking for a genre-bending story with great representation, a horrible family, and a passionate, second-chance romance, you should definitely pick this one up.
For fans of: Gothic horror, horrible family dynamics, right person at the wrong time, second chance romance, queer mysteries
