I particularly like locked room murder mysteries so I was really taken with the idea of one set on the moon.  However, I don't think this quite lived up to its promise.  For the vast majority of the book, the moon setting is irrelevant.  It could just have easily have been set in a remote area on Earth.  There's a lot of characters initially and so some of them seem to have be little more than stereotypes.  Even the main character, Penelope, comes across as a bit flat and two-dimensional.  This makes it a bit difficult to care as the characters get picked off or their huge secrets are revealed.  It's a quick and easy read, although the plot seems to be fairly slow with no real sense of urgency.  In the end, the big reveal is a bit of a cliché and doesn't really suit the novel idea of the setting.  I felt quite disappointed by that.  It's such an intriguing idea, it's really let down by the commonplace reason for the whole thing.  The epilogue, with the Reddit posts is ridiculous and adds nothing to the book at all.  I'd probably give this book 2.5 stars because it is lacking in several areas.  I'll round it up to 3 just for the unique idea and because it is fairly readable.  It would probably make a good holiday read, ideally while staying at a luxury hotel as long as it's not on the moon! 

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me an advance copy to review.

Go and read this book! I thought it was so good, and so different. The setting on the moon was fab and just totally different to anything Ive ever read before, combining this with a murder mystery made this book so fun that I couldn’t put it down!
It really gave me chills and the thrill came through in every chapter. Loved it!

I love a locked room mystery and Lauren Forry has managed to create the ultimate scenario - a luxury hotel on the moon. Ten lucky contestents have won the opportunity to be the very first guests at the Artemis, a hotel designed to cater for everything a guest could want except the ability to leave under their own steam. But when they arrive, although their dinner is set out and waiting, their rooms allocated and prepared to their own individual preference down to the flowers and scent, there are no staff anywhere. To one guest, multiple reality show veteran Bobby Rannells, the answer is clear - they are being filmed. So why not settle back, enjoy the food, the literal out of the world views and the supply of vintage wines? And that advice seems wise, until one guest is found murdered and they have to ask themselves not just who did it but was it one of them - and if so, who's next? When they discover that their call for help has been sabotaged paranoia runs high, and it's soon clear that every single one of them has something to hide, and a reason to fear that they might be a target.

Taut, tense and twisty The Launch Party is a huge amount of fun. Recommended.

I'm not a big fan of murder mystery stories but I love sci-fi, especially when it's centred around technology so I figured this book would be able to enthral me if I was ever going to be enthralled by any of them.
I loved the setting of the moon and all the little sci-fi touches and it is definitely the most fun I have ever had reading a murder mystery.
I did waver a bit in the middle of the story as, for me at least, it felt like there were a lot of characters and I didn't feel like they were different enough to actually keep track of who was who so it made it a little difficult to try to figure out who dun it and therefore meant that I didn't really care much about who it was either but that may be more on me than the story.

This is such a hooking read, a who-dun-it sci-fi mystery set in the first hotel on the moon. This is a really unique take on a locked room mystery which, although repetitive at times, is very twisty with a faced pace and multiple POV's that keep you guessing until the end. I thought this was a really well done mystery and I would recommend to any sci-fi and/or mystery fans.

I read an eARC of this book so thank you to Net Galley, the author and the publisher for allowing this.

This book was so much fun to read, it’s Agatha Christie in space! This is a locked room mystery set at a luxury hotel on the moon.

It’s not breaking the mould in terms of mysteries but it just works so well on the moon setting. The space theme was just brilliant and so well integrated into the mystery. The feeling of being trapped is so prevalent. Some of the clever and creepy things this book does are less to do with murder and more to do with the way they’ve been left in the hotel. I didn’t feel this was explained satisfactorily at the end, however it was wonderful tense and unnerving during the story!

We have ten personalities trapped in this hotel and of course they have their own secrets. This was well explored with them coming out through the characters’ natural investigations rather than being dropped in for shock value. I thoroughly enjoyed viewing these characters, never knowing who can be trusted, watching their alliances grow and fall apart. There’s a lot of conflicting agendas and it works wonderfully for making the characters create their own drama and tension on top of the terrifying situation they find themselves in.

Highly recommend for mystery fans.

'The Launch Party' by Lauren A. Forry.
I first saw this book recommended a while ago by a fellow mystery fan and then it was added to my Waterstones wishlist.
A murder mystery set in the first hotel on the Moon, sounds perfect to me. You don't have to wait long before disaster strikes and then it seems it's one thing after another. I really didn't guess who the murderer was, I think at some point in the book I had guessed everyone even the protagonist of the book 'Penelope'. I love how the author makes you feel like you're aboard the Hotel Artemis with them, you really get a feel for how eerie and deathly silent it is. Overall the book was really enjoyable, I particularly loved the fact it was set in space, it just felt like there was even more hidden dangers lurking about. I would recommend this book to fans of murder mysteries and thrillers.
Thanks so much to NetGallery UK, the author Lauren A. Forry and the publishers for letting me read a copy in advance in return for an honest review.

I absolutely loved everything about this book! It had me hooked from the very first pages and, whilst I didn't want it to end, I absolutely had to unravel the clever plot.

I can't wait to read Lauren Forry's next book.

Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for the ARC, in return for an honest review.

My main reason for requesting this book was its comparison to Andy Weir, who does incredibly detailed and hilarious sci-fi. This didn't quite hit the mark, and felt more like a classic whodunnit but set on the moon instead of an ordinary hotel. It didn't feel hugely sci-fi, and excluding a few sentences, could easily have been a hotel in a rural countryside.

Imagine this. You’ve been selected as one of the ten lucky few, who had won a place on the most prestigious launch event of the century. The grand opening of The Hotel Artemis. The first ever hotel on the moon. Yep, you heard that right. The freaking moon.

The Launch Party places you at the heart of the story, as you follow the various ten winners and their experience at Hotel Artemis. You experience the anticipation on their journey up, excited for the free flowing champagne and the opportunity to live a life of luxury. Until those steal doors close behind them on arrival, and they realise that they are completely alone. Soon, a killing spree starts and some members of the party ends up dead…

This was such a gripping book, that was extremely fast paced. It contained multiple POVs from the various characters, and had a very interesting twist at the end! Such a good read!

3.5 stars
This was definitely a unique take on the locked room mystery but it didn't quite live up to what I imagined it could have been.
It just fell a bit flat for me.
There are quite a lot of characters to keep track of and none of them feel particularly fleshed out or likeable.
Certain parts/phrases felt a bit repetitive too.
I did expect a few more twists and turns but it was a fun read.
And the premise was a really interesting one.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The killer premise of this book is based on setting an Agatha Christie-style murder mystery in the Hotel Artemis, a five star establishment built to cater to wealthy tourists visiting the moon. A total of 10 lucky people win the opportunity to become the first set of visitors to stay in this luxury hotel.

Unfortunately, things don't go quite as planned. For start, the hotel turns out not to have the promised staff on-site to provide room service, massages and other goodies to the visitors. There is plenty of food and the facilities appear to be functioning properly, but there is no explanation for this sudden change of plans!

Since it takes a minimum of three days for any emergency assistance to be sent from Earth , and there appears to be no immediate need to send out an emergency signal, the guests settle in for a 2 week vacation, reassured after one of their number - a reality TV star, Bobby Rannells - suggests that this is some kind of experimental TV show.

Their complacency dissipates quickly after Bobby is found gruesomely murdered. Since one of the guests, Penelope Strand, is in fact a police detective, she steps up to take charge of the situation.

But then there is a second murder... And things deteriorate in short order, after which a general atmosphere of mutual suspicion prevails, and people end up at each other's throats as they wait fearfully for rescuers to arrive from the blue planet.

With very few resources and nowhere to go, this really is the ultimate locked room mystery. And the setting of the story, the moon's surface, is very atmospheric, as well as enabling the bleak but beautiful environment to become a key part of the story.

Overall, this is engaging storytelling with a terrific hook. The characters are a diverse bunch with some interesting back stories thrown in for good measure - the billionaire, the reality TV star, the tabloid journalist, the criminology student, the academic, the police officer etc.

The part which I liked the least was in fact the denouement, which lacked clarity in terms of the logistics, seemed far-fetched in terms of motive, and was not entirely well-explained. After the story had been unfolding nicely, the ending seemed unnecessarily rushed.

Nevertheless, with a little suspension of disbelief, there's quite a bit of fun to be had here, and I liked the originality of the premise. I would therefore give this one 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 for the storytelling possibilities offered by the location of Hotel Artemis.

The synopsis is what caught my attention, and the locked room murder mystery on the moon should've been thoroughly intriguing.

Sadly, I couldn't bring myself to finish the book; it dragged all the way to the moon, and I never made it back. The style was too languid, and I found the characters unlikable and tedious. Not being able to engage with these 10 moon travellers left the book wanting, to the point where I actually didn't care who dunnit.

This was not a novel for me, but I'm sure it has appeal to many others.

A murder mystery set in a 5-star hotel on the moon? Count me in! Sci-Fi meets Murder Mystery meets Locked Room Thriller in The Launch Party by Lauren Forry.

I was so excited for this one which, if you’re a frequent reader of my blog you’ll know, only ever usually spells disaster! I thought the location of this book was really exciting – a luxurious hotel with the twist of space travel – no staff, temperamental building controls and creepy music playing in the foyer. Unfortunately, the story itself could have really been set anywhere and it stretched the realism to have the added hassle and people involved to make the premise work.

There are a lot of characters and the narrative flicks between them somewhat at random and sometimes with little warning that you have switched perspective which I hope will be fixed before final publication. There’s a Detective, a Journalist, a Doctor, a Billionaire, a TV Star, a Fan, a Student, a Racist (!), a Lawyer and an Architect. This feels like far too many characters for a whodunnit and I got a lot of them mixed up, particularly at the beginning. Also, the characters that were at the centre of the plot were also the ones that weren’t focussed on very much in the earlier narrative and so I found it hard to particularly care that much about them by the end!

The conclusion of the story felt a bit like the author was just trying to sandwich in as many characters as possible into the reveal – as if needing to justify the reason for her red herrings which was a bit of a shame. I also found it a little silly that some key information (alibis, clues, sightings etc) were not disclosed from certain characters with no narrative reason given as to why, other than it would ruin the ending of the book.

However, for all of its faults, The Launch Party did hook me in and keep my engaged throughout. If you like locked-room style thrillers and sci-fi, this might be the book for you! Thank you to NetGalley & Bonnier Books – Zaffre for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked the premise but I felt that the characters lacked development which made it difficult to sometimes relate actions to a specific character. In a "locked-in" mystery I feel that is an important trait to have.

I was intrigued by the premise of this book but, sadly, I found the execution just didn't work for me. I didn't warm to any of the characters and count muster any enthusiasm to continue reading. I did finish it but it was hard going.

Wow! What a brilliant mystery book set in space. The way the story unfolded left me questioning what was going to happen and the outcome was awesome. I loved the descriptions of space and earth from the moon, wishing I was there (albeit without the drama!)

Do you like an entertainingly implausibe mystery as your beach read? Have you ever wanted your closed room shenanigans to take place somewhere more exotic than a quaint English village? Somewhere, say, like a luxury hotel on the moon?

Anyway, this book is a SFF version of a beach read — has a good momentum, suspense and ridiculous plot propulsion. Relax and enjoy.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of the book.

The Launch Party is a phenomenal thriller from start to finish. Filled to the brim with twists and a captivating plot, this one is sure to keep readers hooked. The characters are well-developed. The story is incredibly fast-paced. This is one not to be missed! Highly recommended! Be sure to check out The Launch Party asap.

My interest was piqued by the premise of this story and I was further encouraged to read it by the suggestion that it is 'perfect for fans of Lucy Foley and Anthony Horowitz'. I am very much an admirer of the work of both those writers, but although it is not without merit, this offering from Lauren Forry is certainly not up to the standard of either of those authors.

There are many aspects of the classic murder mystery evident in "The Launch Party". The action takes places in a secluded location - a luxury hotel in space rather than the more conventional country house - and there is a restricted cast of characters, each with some form of hidden secret. On the face of it, the format is not markedly different from the Agatha Christie novels that are referenced in the course of this story. Sadly, the overall product is not able to regularly emulate those classic mysteries in other respects: The protagonists are not particularly well-drawn or memorable; the pace of the novel is too often disappointingly pedestrian; the eventual unravelling of the mystery utilises too many simplistic and convenient plot devices; and, like its outer space setting, it lacks atmosphere.

This is certainly not an awful read and I applaud the author for trying to inject a novel scenario into a very well established genre, but overall it just doesn't deliver on its potential strongly enough, nor as consistently as it should,

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.