Author: Gloria Chao
Rating: ★★★3/4☆ (3.r5/5)
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: Carolyn Kang
Source: NetGalley
Publisher: Harlequin Audio | Park Row Books
Publication date: July 28, 2026
Series: A Hu Done It Mystery #2
I received an advanced listener copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
Find the book: StoryGraph
What It’s About
Kat Hu is trying to move forward after the chaos of the first book, but murder-free living is apparently not in the cards for her.
This time, Kat gets pulled into helping Mandy, the person who caused her a lot of trouble last time. Mandy claims someone is threatening her, and even though she is basically Kat’s mortal enemy, Kat ends up involved because helping Mandy could potentially lead to a more lenient sentence for their friend.
Then someone ends up murdered, and Kat and Olivia jump in to help solve the crime. Kat’s new boyfriend, who is a cop, is also part of the story, which adds a little romance and relationship tension to the mystery.
Why I Picked It Up
I listened to this as an ALC from NetGalley because I had read the first book back in November and still had it fairly fresh in my mind. I liked the first book enough that I wanted to see where the series went next.
I also liked the narrator in the first book, and this one had the same narrator.
What Worked For Me and What Could Have Been Better
The mystery was probably stronger in this one than in the first book. It felt more complex and layered, with more moving pieces and more people with reasons to be angry. There were lots of grudges, hidden identities, and old podcast victims with their own messy histories. It was a lot.
I also liked that Kat and Olivia already had an established relationship going into this book. Their friendship felt stronger because they had a real reason to understand each other. They are both trying to get over past hurt and betrayal, and that made their connection feel more believable.
I liked Kat well enough in this one too. I appreciated that she is trying to do things for herself, including changing careers, even with her parents pressuring her.
The humor was entertaining, though I would not say it was laugh-out-loud funny. Kat’s parents were funny, and I could tell they were going for a Vera Wong type of energy. It did feel a little forced at times, but still fun enough. The book definitely has that slightly chaotic mystery vibe.
The part I struggled with most was the whole premise of trying to help their friend get out of jail or get a more lenient sentence. I understand that their friend turned herself in to help Olivia and Kat, but also, she murdered someone. I kept coming back to that. It is weird to be rooting for someone to get out of jail when the reason she is there is murder. Maybe I am being too practical about my cozy mystery criminals, but still.
Characters / Setting / Atmosphere
Being back with Kat was fine, and I liked seeing her continue to figure out what she wants for herself. Her relationship with her cop boyfriend added a little romance without taking over the book.
Kat and Olivia’s friendship was one of the stronger pieces. They had been through something awful together, and this book builds on that instead of starting from scratch.
Mandy being part of the story was also interesting because she is not exactly someone Kat wants to help. Mandy caused a lot of damage in the first book, so the fact that she asks Kat and Olivia for help was surprising. It also gave the story a good setup because there is a lot of tension baked into that relationship already.
The overall atmosphere is semi-cozy, chaotic, and a little over-the-top. It has enough humor to keep it from getting too dark.
Mystery / Plot
The mystery worked well for me. It felt more layered than the first book, and I liked that there were so many people with motives. Mandy’s podcast had hurt a lot of people, so it made sense that there would be a long list of people who might want revenge.
There were also a lot of identity and relationship twists, which made the mystery feel busier. Some people were not who they said they were, some old cases connected in unexpected ways, and there were enough suspects to keep things moving.
I was also surprised that Mandy even asked Kat and Olivia for help. After everything Mandy did, that is a bold choice. I was also surprised that Kat and Olivia were trying to help Elle get a more lenient sentence after everything Elle caused in the first book. Sort of shows the complexity of friendships and the ability to overlook bad things people do if they are our friends..
Audio Notes
The audiobook was great. It had the same narrator as the first book, and I liked her in both. She did a really good job with the humor, the chaos, and the different character dynamics.I would recommend the audio version.
Final Thoughts
The Mortal Enemy Murder Club was a fun follow-up and a solid 3.75-star read for me, just like the first book. I think I may have liked the mystery in this one even more than the first because it felt a little more complex, but I would still strongly recommend reading the first book first.
I would recommend this to readers who like semi-cozy mysteries, amateur sleuths, messy friendships, over-the-top family dynamics, and books with a lot of shenanigans. If you liked The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club, I think this is worth picking up. If you have not read that one yet, start there.
Spoilers below! By registering as a Book Lover (FREE!) you will be able to view summaries and spoilers on this site.
What Happened
At an event set up for people who had been victims of Mandy’s podcast, one of the previous victims dies. He is stabbed with a knife from Mandy’s house. Mandy says the knife had been left at her house as a threat, but of course, that makes her look very suspicious.
Mandy’s assistant, Jocelyn, also ends up dead. Later, we find out Jocelyn was actually Mandy’s half sister. Jocelyn had been sending threats to Kat and Olivia to get them to stop investigating, but not because she was the murderer. She wanted to be the one who helped solve everything because she wanted Mandy to love her. That is sad, messy, and honestly a lot.
The Ending
The murderer is Wyatt, a previous podcast victim with a complicated backstory. He had been dating someone, and they had decided they were serious. Then she came home one night and found him in bed with another woman, and he asked if she wanted to have a threesome. So, naturally, things went downhill from there.
To get revenge, his girlfriend changed the names in his phone. She changed his mom and stepmom’s names to names of women he had been texting, which led to him accidentally sending them explicit photos. Truly horrifying. Also, a little bit deserved.
Then it gets even more complicated because Wyatt had changed his name. He had actually been on a previous episode of Mandy’s show. He had been cheating on his ex-girlfriend, and to get back at him, she slept with his dad. Wyatt then stalked his ex, his ex ended up marrying his dad, and they got a restraining order against him. So the phone-name revenge was even more humiliating because of everything that had already happened.
Wyatt ends up stealing ethylene glycol and working with the other man who dies to get back at Mandy. He wants to clean up all the loose ends, so he poisons the man’s drink with ethylene glycol. Since that man had chronic kidney disease, it affects him faster and makes him delirious. Wyatt then stabs him and frames Mandy.
There is evidence on the phones, so Wyatt tries to get the phone back. Jocelyn ends up with it, realizes she is in danger, and mails it to Kat just in time. Wyatt murders Jocelyn, but she pulls out some of his hair, which helps connect him to the crime. They are able to trace it back when the hair shows a 50 percent match to his dad.
My Spoiler Thoughts
The mystery had a lot going on, but I liked that it was more layered than the first book. There were multiple victims, old podcast episodes, hidden identities, family connections, revenge plots, and a lot of people with reasons to hate Mandy.
I also liked that the book tried to make us suspicious of Ricky, Kat’s boyfriend’s new partner. Ricky had been the officer on the stalking case, which was actually Wyatt stalking his ex after she slept with his dad and later married him. It seemed like Ricky might be involved, but that turned out to be a coincidence. He had been partnered with Kat’s boyfriend on purpose because he had been friends with the old partner before that partner went bad, and Ricky wanted to fix that.
The ending was definitely twisty. Maybe a little too much in places, but it was entertaining. I liked that the mystery had more layers this time, and even when it got chaotic, it kept me interested.