A Murder Most Camp
Author: Name
Reviewer: Sophia Rose
Rating: B
What I’m Talking About:
A father’s ultimatum to his spoiled trust-fund-baby son leads to a cold case murder mystery, romance, and antics in the wilds of summer camp. Nicolas DiDomizio is not an unfamiliar name for me, and I’ve been meaning to try his books, but the promise of a rustic summer camp setting made A Murder Most Camp the must-read moment for me.
Mikey has grown up with wealth and even now he will throw money at anything from problems to friendships. He’s a little (no strike that) a lot of lost, and turns into the worst version of himself every time he is in the same room with his father.
His stolid hardworking father has decided enough is enough and tells Mikey he’s got a short amount of time to prove he can do something of value for others or he can say bye-bye to his trust fund millions. His dad has landed on the perfect idea for this. Mikey will go off to a struggling summer camp as a counselor and be there for his teenage Aunt Annabelle (grandpa married a girl Mikey went to high school with, yep) and rusticate with the campers for a summer.
Once situated at Camp Lore, he’s terrified of being responsible for kids, having no idea how to function outside his uber wealthy playboy environment, and several hilarious missteps occur. Annabelle, a True Crime enthusiast with a penchant for the darker side of humanity, stumbles upon the perfect project for their camp group- the old, unsolved murder of Camp Lore. They will work the mystery and solve it for the win. Meanwhile, a love interest in Jackson, a guy who takes on Mikey’s foibles and helps him figure out life at camp, counseling, and even how to face the issues he’s been hiding from. Can he glean wisdom from his favorite nineties movies for staying one step ahead of a murderer who doesn’t want the case reopened and all the confusion of an actual relationship?
A Murder Most Camp struck me as a lighthearted piece that had some deeper layer possibilities when I first picked it up. This turned out to be an accurate assessment. Mikey is a mess and has been drifting for a long time pretending he doesn’t care about anything to cover how he cares a great deal. He and his father have a chasm between them of misunderstanding and miscommunication. He discovers his aunt and he have something in common as the kid who is ignored and brushed aside and its with his young aunt and the other campers that this bumbling and annoying man starts to get his footing and grow.
The murder mystery came at a good time for me because I was struggling to relate with Mikey’s floundering and issues. Yes, it was funny and yes, I felt sorry for him, but I also was impatient. Jackson was so good for him and acted as Mikey’s compass helping him figure it out and work through his issues.
With Jackson, the kids, 90’s pop references, hilarious summer camp antics, and the murder mystery, A Murder Most Camp turned out to be an abso-fab entertaining read and I heartily recommend it to those who love romances at camp, murder mysteries solved by a quirky squad of amateurs, and a main character who has to start over to find his way.
My Rating: B Liked It — Recommend
Sophia Rose
About the Book:
Rustic cabins. Lakefront bonfires. A painfully hot lifeguard. And a murder? Summer has never been this camp.
Mikey Hartford IV has coasted through his twenties in a distracted blur of yachts and sex and partying. But when his father discovers his latest million-dollar impulse buy and changes the terms of his trust, the party’s finally over. Now, unless Mikey can make a positive contribution to the world before his thirtieth birthday—one that doesn’t involve throwing cash at his problems—he’ll never see another yacht again. (Or even so much as a canoe.)
Enter: Camp Lore, a struggling summer camp in upstate New York where Mikey has to work as the oldest, least-qualified staffer to prove that he can “do good” alongside his twelve-year-old aunt. (Yes, aunt.) But Mikey isn’t sure he’ll be able to survive the camp’s ramshackle living conditions, let alone the gaggle of preteens who won’t leave his side. And when his campers become obsessed with a local legend set at an abandoned cabin on the grounds, Mikey’s chances of not making it through the summer become dangerously real—because it turns out there’s a murder hidden beneath Camp Lore. And someone there will stop at nothing to keep it that way.
Solving a decade-old cold case will surely be enough “good” for Mikey to earn his inheritance. He just has to stay alive long enough to do it…
Release Date: April 28, 2026
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
Series: Standalone
Genre: Mystery Comedy, Romance, LGBTQ+
Format(s): paperback (368 pages), e-book, audiobook
Book Source: NetGalley