A Murder Most Camp by Nicholas DiDomizio
Poisoned Pen Press/April 28, 2026
Scheduled for release just in time for summer, Nicholas DiDomizio’s A Murder Most Camp follows a slug of a human forced to exhibit at least some usefulness if he wants to see his undeserved inheritance. And, because its main character is hilariously flamboyant and ultimately endearing, this comedic mystery is an utter delight.
After Mikey Hartford IV uses his trust to buy his boy toy a prime piece of real estate, his father changes the terms of his trust. Unless he makes a positive contribution to society by his thirtieth birthday, he’ll be eating generic spaghetti for the rest of his life. Enter Mikey’s gold-digging, thirties-something step-grandmother Sierra, who proposes that Mikey spend the summer bonding with her twelve-year-old daughter Annabelle while serving as a camp counselor. The underfunded Camp Lore is woefully understaffed, and Mikey will be its special activities counselor.
Accompanied by a surly Annabelle, Mikey arrives at his location to find himself in the middle of nowhere and sleeping in a cabin with the size and aesthetic appeal of a coffin. Already under-qualified, he also finds himself struggling to deal with a group of tweens obsessed with a local legend that revolves around an abandoned cabin on the grounds. Long ago, a counselor vanished, and the mystery was never solved. No time like the present to do so, right?
A Murder Most Camp is as light and fluffy as the popcorn munched during a showing of Clueless, which is referenced numerous times (after all, it’s Mikey’s favorite movie), along with other Millennial-era pop culture references. There’s plenty to play with considering the setting, and DiDomizio takes advantage of it, with Mikey’s hijinks in this fish-out-water experience serving as constant entertainment aided by the often-hilarious observations of our narrator. (“Her sleek brown hair is pulled into a high pony that’s so Ariana Grande it’s practically Ariana Venti,” “Mikey watches from out back, clutching a lukewarm Styrofoam coffee that’s more bitter than a thrice-divorced rich lady in a chinchilla shawl” ). There are also some truly touching scenes with Annabelle, who initially refers to Mikey as “the flaky gay chihuahua,” but with whom he (fairly predictably) ultimately forges a meaningful relationship.
While Mikey’s character arc is hardly surprising (we’ve seen rich-kid-turned-good in many other titles), and the murder mystery unspools more as one might expect in a young adult novel; A Murder Most Camp should be added to your list for beach season . . . especially if you are a Millennial and can appreciate the pearl of wisdom that “there really is a Cher Horowitz-ism for everything.”
About the reviewer: A writer of dark comedy thrillers, Sarah Reida is currently seeking representation for her sophomore novel, Murder Boat. Her debut, Neighborhood Watch, received a Kirkus Star and was honored as an Amazon editorial pick as one of the Best Books of the Year So Far 2024. Join Sarah’s elite group of Instagram followers here.
