This intriguing literary mystery unfolds with an engaging story-line that truly captures the imagination. At its centre is Elspeth Bryant Bell, a former starlet whose life has taken some unexpected twists. Now she’s a dedicated mum to her nineteen-year-old daughter, Lillie, and has navigated the ups and downs of being the ex-wife of Richard, a well-known British movie director.

When Elspeth receives an invite to Richard’s fiftieth birthday bash, she imagines a glamorous Hollywood affair filled with excitement. However, her expectations quickly shift when she arrives at Sedgwick, Richard’s grand but slightly eerie estate. Instead of the lively crowd she anticipated, she finds only a small gathering of guests, which raises some red flags. To make matters worse, Lillie is nowhere to be found, leaving Elspeth frantic and confused.

The intimate group consists of a fascinating mix of characters: Anton ‘Honey’ Carlisle, Richard’s stylish current partner who loves the spotlight; Thomas ‘Tommo’ Coates, a childhood friend carrying the weight of their past; Jerry Debrowski, Richard's loyal yet mysterious manager; the influential producer, Miguel Montana; the talented cinematographer, Keiko Nakamura; the ambitious leading lady, Sabine Semi; and Charles Pace, a budding young actor eager to shine.

At first hesitant to stick around, Elspeth finds herself enchanted by Sedgwick's charm, especially the stunning aquarium that houses Richard's prized octopus, Persephone. The graceful movements of the octopus resonate with her own whirlwind emotions as she juggles the complexities of her past and present. Motivated by concern for Lillie’s safety, she ultimately decides to stay.

But the next morning brings shocking news: Richard has been found dead under mysterious circumstances. The guests quickly shift from celebrators to suspects, each hiding their own motives and secrets.

The story artfully weaves through time, featuring a series of interviews between Elspeth and the police. As she reflects on her complicated relationship with Lillie and the unfolding situation, readers are drawn into her emotional journey filled with guilt, love, and betrayal, all while surrounded by the backdrop of her history.

As the layers of deception begin to peel away, it becomes evident that Richard’s claims of friendship among the guests were more of an illusion than reality. Many held hidden grudges, and the atmosphere thickens with suspicion. With vivid descriptions and lively dialogue, the writing creates an immersive reading experience that keeps you eagerly turning the pages.

"The Octopus" is a gripping and stylish thriller that unfolds with a sense of intrigue and psychological depth. Set in the glamorous yet sinister backdrop of an LA mansion, the story begins with Elspeth arriving at her ex-husband Richard's 50th birthday party, only to find a strangely intimate gathering of just eight guests and an octopus named Persephone in her tank, ominously watching over the event.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

A curious and quirky book, I found it difficult to get into at first, but i'm glad I persisted. Touches of classic murder mystery books, but in a modern and glamourous setting.

Here I am, way too late with my feedback. I lost the login to my Netgalley account, but it seemed unfair to leave the books I downloaded 2 years ago unreviewd. I'm not going to lie, I DNF'd this one. I can't pinpoint what it was exactly, but nothing was keeping my attention.

A challenging read. Took me ages to get into this book I really wasn't enjoying it and was ready to give up .there were no chapters and it kept changing from one time frame to another so it really didn't flow at all. I'm glad I perceived though and in the end I quite enjoyed it for the most part but it wasn't really my usual genre but its sometimes good to have a change

A brilliant debut. The right amount of literary wit and quirky oddballs fill this murder mystery, and there’s even some behind the scenes Hollywood glamour and an incredible pet Octopus. I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be getting it into store.

This felt like a classic murder mystery party with a twist. Definitely and enjoyable read with some not so predictable aspects to it, but nothing I would shout from the rooftops about. It had some charm to it, funny and easy to fall into.

Interesting idea, with unique characters and not really my normal read. I sort of enjoyed but left me a little unsure - didn't like the back and forth.

I struggled a little with this book but on the whole it wasn’t a bad read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.

An interesting and original read with a promising premise. However, unfortunately this was not for me. I found it slow paced, I couldn't engage with the main character or the style of writing and found it to be a fairly bleak read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC.

Not your typical mystery here! Very interesting book with unique characters and some back and forth on the timeline. Is Elspeth a trustworthy story teller? Read this to find out. I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

A very strange literary mystery.

It’s been done so many times before where people are invited to a party and one of them is killed, but this didn’t do anything for me like previous books similar to it.

Reminiscent of Lucy Foleys The Hunting Party but it didn’t quite have the same element that makes you compulsively read and flip the pages as fast as you can

The book is about a woman called Elspeth. She is divorced and lives with her daughter. Her husband, Richard, is a big shot in the movie business in LA. When Elspeth gets an invitation to Richard's 50th birthday party she expects it to be a huge party with a crowd of guests that she can disappear into, but when she arrives she finds it's just a small, intimate dinner party. She manages to make it through the night, but when they all wake up in the morning they find that Richard is dead.

I was expecting this to be essentially a murder mystery, with an octopus involved somehow. It isn't really that at all. The book is more about Elspeth and her journey through her marriage. The murder is actually almost a side plot. The story focuses very much on the characters, Elspeth and Richard in particular. The characters are very well written, deep and interesting. I think because the characters are showbiz types, this gives the story an edge and it does stand out from similar books for that reason.

I did find the book to drag a little, it seemed quite long and there wasn't as much drama or tension as I was expecting or hoping for. There wasn't the big ending I was hoping for either, so it was a bit anti-climactic.

Overall I felt this book was an okay read, but it didn't really meet my expectations and I don't think I would recommend anyone to read it.

A birthday gathering, where a murder occurs but with a difference. One of the suspects, is an octopus!
I really liked the concept, the characters are great but it just seemed to drag on a little for me. Hence the 3 stars.

A brilliantly surreal, complex story about the abuse of power, financial superiority and the passive lies and ignorance that allow men like the totally odious Richard to flourish. An excellent debut from a talented author who isn't afraid to take a few risks. The character of Perspehone the Octopus is a brilliant creation and I can't wait to see what Tess Little writes next!

A debut novel told in 3 sections from Richard’s ex wife’s view. He’s 50 and holds a party to celebrate but the people there pretty much despise him. The next morning he’s dead. I really enjoyed second guessing this one. Didn’t get close. Very clever. Will look forward to her next book. 4/5.

I very much enjoyed this book. It has a good story and excellent main characters. I would definately recommend this book.

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆’𝒔 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒂 𝒍𝒊𝒇𝒆.

The Octopus is an unusual literary murder mystery! The book is divided into three parts and has no chapters. The narrative mixes the present and past so it takes a while to understand the format. Once I got used to it though, I became invested in the story. I could see how the format illustrates the disorientation of the main character, Elspeth, making her an unintentional unreliable narrator.

Elspeth’s discomfort at the dinner party is palpable - she has to deal not just with Richard but his new boyfriend, Honey, and Richard’s friends and stars from his new movie. But her connection with them is deeper than it seems. Everyone has secrets and reasons to want Richard dead. While this is Elspeth’s story, I was disappointed that we didn’t know more about the other guests, particularly Honey. His presence caused much disruption in Elspeth’s life yet he is friends with her daughter, Lillie. I felt that angle and conflict could have been explored further.

In the end, I found The Octopus to be a haunting take on the #MeToo movement and delves deep into the dark side of Hollywood. It explores power, influence, abuse, and silence. I couldn’t stop thinking about the powerful ending. Recommended.

When her ex-husband dies at a party, Elspeth isn’t sure who to trust. What has happened in her husband’s life since she left him and how well does she really know the people who surrounded him?

The Octopus is an interesting murder mystery story and one that is set up differently from a usual take on the genre. The story is split between flashback and present storyline – in the first half of the book the flashback is the party when the murder happened and the present storyline is the police investigation. In the second half the flash back focuses on Elspeth’s marriage and the present is the memorial service and wake. This means a lot of the plot is kept from the reader and we find out details through slow reveal which works well although it did start to drag in places. This device actually confused the plot - particularly in the second half where I couldn’t really work out which party was being referenced. This was perhaps down to the formatting on the ARC and I hope that this is sorted for the final publication.

There are some very dark themes explored in the second half of the book and I liked how this is not explored until you have already formed opinions on certain characters. This makes more of an impact when these views are challenged rather than giving you all the information from the outset. I liked the focus on the Octopus Persephone as well which really meant you suspected everyone! Other than Elspeth I didn’t really find myself drawn in or empathetic to any of the other characters though - they are all introduced so quickly in the initial party I found it hard to follow who was who for a while.

Overall, The Octopus is an unusual thriller but lacked a certain spark with confusing time jumps and unlikeable characters. Thank you to NetGalley & Hodder & Stoughton for a chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.