Surely this is a parody. That was my exact thought halfway through this book and judging by the Goodreads reviews, I’m not the only one who felt this way.
To be clear, I finished the book. Out of sheer stubbornness and morbid curiosity. But I really tried not to write something negative. Unfortunately, this story simply doesn’t make sense. To put it plainly, the book is overly dramatic in all the wrong places, and deliberately ambiguous in a way that feels more evasive. I have no issue with classic, even cliche, murder mystery tropes. But here, the writing, plot progression, and overall execution fall short.
The premise had potential though. Abigail hosts a murder mystery game for her brother Benjamin’s birthday. A group of close friends and mutual acquaintances gather for the New Year's Eve event, but by morning, Benjamin is found dead behind a locked door.
Part Two introduces Auguste Bell, a consulting detective and mystery writer who declares this a classic locked-room mystery with a closed circle of suspects. The setup is pretentious. Everyone has a motive, and while it’s officially ruled a suicide, Bell believes otherwise.
The plot is disjointed, characters blur together, motivations are unclear, and the pacing stumbles between overexplaining and underdelivering. It feels like an attempt to mimic Agatha Christie without her finesse, restraint, or insight.
To be fair, there are a few glimpses of atmosphere and tension that hint at what this story could have been. And the ending left me more confused than intrigued. If you've read it, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Perhaps there’s something I missed. But for me, what on earth did I just read? 😂