In the gay, gothic, murderous house-party novel All of Us Murderers, a soft, bumbling children's book author finds himself cloistered in a remote English estate, surrounded by a pack of people he'd rather avoid and entered into an inheritance game he doesn't want to play, all while encountering ghostly figures and oppressive mist. KJ Charles (The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen) introduces readers to Zeb Wyckham, who agrees to visit his eccentric relative, Wynn, after a difficult year in which Zeb lost his boyfriend and (yet another) job. Upon arrival, Zeb is dismayed to discover his dysfunctional family in attendance--and his ex, Gideon, on staff at Lackaday House, Wynn's estate.
Tensions escalate when the guests learn Wynn intends for them to woo his young ward, with the winner marrying her and claiming the family fortune. Events go from unpleasant to unsettling as the party encounters disturbances that seem to be pulled directly from a shelf of lurid novels, and escalate from bad to worse as their numbers dwindle. Meanwhile, Charles reveals more of Zeb's family history, and Zeb wars with feelings of insufficiency and shame, fighting to stay true to himself. But the sinister shadows circle ever closer, and Zeb and Gideon revisit past regrets with tender honesty while wondering if they can find their way back to each other--and out of Lackaday House. In a novel full of eerie happenings and unsavory characters, Charles strikes the right balance of sweetness with the pair's rekindled romance, making this a perfect read for spooky season and beyond. --Kristen Coates, editor and freelance reviewer