Book Review: "Don't Tell Me How to Die" by Marshall Karp

Believe the hype, y’all! This book was totally not what I was expecting but it was utterly fantastic. Now…to write a review that doesn’t give anything away!

Maggie loves her husband tremendously, has two great kids, a sister who’s her best friend, and an incredibly fulfilling career. Not bad for a 43-year-old!

She’s spent her adult life waiting for a bombshell to drop. Then she finds out she’s dying, and has only a few months to live. It’s not really a surprise, as her mother died when Maggie was 17, and she and her sister knew it was possible that they could inherit the disease she had.

Before Maggie’s mother died, she asked her daughters to look out for their father. She knew the women in town would descend upon him, wanting to claim him, and he would be too grief-stricken to resist. That nearly happened, but Maggie got wise in the nick of time.

Now, facing her own impending death, Maggie would like to find the woman to take her place, to care for her husband and kids. She wants to be sure to protect her husband from anyone with ulterior motives. She knows if she tips her hand, she could leave her husband and kids open to manipulation. But time is running out.

You may think this book is primarily a family drama, and while there are some elements of that, be ready to be thrown some curves. I’ve never read any of Marshall Karl’s books, but given how quickly I devoured this, I certainly will be jumping into his backlist! This really was that good.