About The Book
Book: All Killers Aboard
Author: David Fennell
Standalone or Series: Standalone
Publisher: Orion
Publication Date (UK): 30th July 2026
My Review
Fennell is best known for his dark DI Grace Archer series, now four books in. I loved The Art of Death, though I still need to catch up with the rest, so I was interested to see how his switch to a more humorous murder mystery would work.
As the title and blurb suggest, All Killers Aboard takes place on a cruise ship with some rather unsavoury guests. Alongside the regular passengers, the ship is hosting the annual convention of the elusive Midnight Chorus Society, a group made up of serial killers. Think London’s Serial Killer: The Exhibition meets Dexter: Resurrection, with a healthy dose of Below Deck and Kate’s “rocket ship” towel origami thrown in.
The main character is Martha, a writer struggling to get her debut novel off the ground. Her mum’s partner keeps suggesting she gets a job at Greggs, while her literary agent persuades her to take on a ghostwriting job for former TV star Jacqui DuLac. So, Martha heads off on the cruise with Jacqui.
Jacqui delivers some of the funniest lines in the book, including telling an old rival: “‘It’s such a shock to see you. I’d heard you were dead.’ Jacqui takes her in. ‘I can see why people thought that.’“
As Martha forges a relationship Jacqui and the pair work on the book, the Midnight Chorus Society convention is in full swing. But with an active killer on board, it soon becomes clear that even the serial killers need to keep their wits about them…
All Killers Aboard is a successful and humorous change of course.
Thank you to FMcM and Orion for the proof copy.
Beth Reads Crime 
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