Where to Begin: Recommended Starting Paths
Catherine McKenzie is best known for her razor-sharp domestic suspense, but she has also written contemporary relationship fiction, a Jane Austen variation, and witty cozy mysteries under a pen name. Because most of her work consists of standalone novels, you have plenty of flexibility in choosing where to begin. Depending on your favorite reading style, we recommend one of three paths:
- For the Suspense Fan: Start with I'll Never Tell (2019). Set at a family summer camp where siblings reunite to parse their parents' will and solve a decades-old murder, this novel highlights McKenzie's trademark ability to write high-stakes familial tension and complex secrets.
- For the Classic Contemporary Fiction Fan: Start with her debut novel, Spin (2009). This story of an aspiring writer who goes undercover at a rehab facility to spy on a celebrity is filled with witty dialogue and emotional depth, offering a lighter touch than her later thrillers.
- For the Cozy Mystery and Comedy Fan: Start with Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies (2024), published under her pseudonym Catherine Mack. It is a comedic, voice-driven whodunit that feels like Only Murders in the Building set on the Amalfi Coast.
The Metafictional Companion: Fractured & The Murder Game
One of the most fascinating entries in McKenzie's bibliography is her 2016 novel, Fractured. The plot follows a woman named Julie Apple, a bestselling author who relocates her family to escaping a stalking incident, only to find herself embroiled in new neighborhood tensions. Within the universe of Fractured, Julie Apple is famous for writing a thriller titled The Murder Game.
In a brilliant meta-literary move, McKenzie actually wrote and published the real-world version of The Murder Game under the pseudonym Julie Apple in the exact same year. While they are companion novels that can be read independently, reading Fractured first provides incredibly satisfying context for the origins of the book-within-a-book.
The Vacation Mysteries (Writing as Catherine Mack)
If you are looking for a departure from McKenzie's darker psychological thrillers, her books written under the pen name Catherine Mack are highly recommended. This series features Eleanor Dash, a mystery novelist who finds herself solving real-life murders while traveling the globe. The series relies on humor, footnoted commentary, and classic whodunit tropes:
- Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies (2024) - Eleanor's book tour along Italy's Amalfi Coast goes awry when someone tries to kill her ex-boyfriend.
- No One Was Supposed to Die at This Wedding (2025) - Eleanor attends her best friend's wedding on Catalina Island, only for a bridesmaid to turn up dead.
- This Weekend Doesn't End Well for Anyone (2026) - Eleanor's chaotic mystery adventures continue in another destination-themed thriller.
The Spin Dilogy
Before transitioning primarily to suspense, McKenzie wrote contemporary women's fiction. Her only direct narrative sequel consists of the following two stories, which should be read in order:
- Spin (2009) - The novel introducing Kate Sandford and celebrity Amber Sheppard.
- Spun (2014) - A companion novella that picks up two years later, focusing on Amber's life after rehab and her struggle to rebuild her career.
Standalone Thrillers and Contemporary Novels
McKenzie’s standalone novels can be read in any order. Note that publication dates can sometimes vary by a year depending on whether you are looking at Canadian or US releases (for example, Arranged appeared in late 2010 in some markets and early 2011 in others). The publication order of her standalone novels is:
- Arranged (2010/2011) - Anne Blythe impulsively signs up for an arranged marriage service, leading to unexpected complications.
- Forgotten (2012) - After being missing for months following an earthquake, a woman returns home to find her life has moved on without her.
- Hidden (2013) - A story told from multiple perspectives exploring the aftermath of a workplace affair and a tragic accident.
- Smoke (2015) - A wildfire threatens a small town, exposing long-buried secrets between two former friends.
- Fractured (2016) - A tense domestic thriller about a stalked author trying to rebuild her life in a new neighborhood.
- The Good Liar (2018) - The survivors of a devastating gas explosion must navigate the lies they told to survive.
- I'll Never Tell (2019) - Five siblings return to their family's camp to divide their inheritance and confront a dark secret from their past.
- You Can't Catch Me (2020) - A woman who shares a name with several others finds herself the target of identity theft and a deadly game.
- Six Weeks to Live (2021) - Diagnosed with a terminal illness, a mother sets out to discover which of her family members poisoned her.
- Please Join Us (2022) - A lawyer joins an exclusive, secretive networking group for women, only to realize the dark price of membership.
- Have You Seen Her (2023) - Set against the backdrop of Yosemite National Park, this thriller follows a woman searching for missing hikers while hiding her own secrets.
- Always, Elizabeth (2023) - A clean and wholesome epistolary Pride and Prejudice variation that marks a brief departure from her suspense catalog.
Anthology Contributions
If you want to explore McKenzie’s shorter fiction, look for these two collaborative anthologies:
- Montreal Noir (2017) - Edited by John McFetridge and Jacques Filippi, this collection features McKenzie's short story "Joke's on You."
- A Thousand Doors: A Story of Many Lives (2018) - Compiled by J.T. Ellison, this unique collaborative novel features chapters by different authors exploring the alternative lives of protagonist Mia Jensen; McKenzie wrote one of these alternate-life chapters.