A locked room mystery set on the moon in the near future. The premise was interesting though I thought there would be more twists and turns than I was given as a reader. I liked the detective character Penelope forced to transfer her skills into an unknown environment. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

An fun twist on classic murder mysteries, in the vein of Agatha Christie. The ending provided a degree of ambiguity that I found interesting.

I enjoyed the premise of this book - it’s original and interesting. I struggled with the characters though, not really liking any of them, I was largely indifferent to their fate.

This is a classic locked room murder mystery with a twist - it's set on the moon.

While there are certain aspects which require an element of suspension of disbelief, for the most part this is a solid thriller with plenty of suspects for you to choose from. Everyone has something to hide - but which one is hiding a murder?

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.

The premise of this book is that 10 people win a competition to be the first guests at the first luxury hotel on the moon. However, on arrival they find they are alone; no staff, no communication. And then one is murdered. Luckily they have a police detective amongst them, who makes some efforts to find the culprit (although I was amazed she didn't move the body to a refrigerator, rather than let it rot in situ to ''preserve the crime scene'').

It makes a fun read, but overall I was a little disappointed - the setting could be anywhere, really. The characterisation wasn't the strongest. I enjoyed reading it, but hoped for more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bonnier Books UK for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It was a great read and I was rooting for Penelope all the way through. When the book started to drag I almost didn’t finish it. I’m glad I persevered though because it was good read.
I hope Lauren Forry writes a lot more books. I hope to read more by Lauren.

A well-written and well-plotted locked room 'cosy' murder mystery set in a luxury hotel on the moon. Ten diverse characters win the exclusive first of its kind space trip, but there are no staff or astronauts to help them. One of the space travellers is a detective, who searches for clues with the help of a journalist and a student criminologist.

Many thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley UK for the ARC.

I loved the concept of this, such a brilliant setting for a locked room mystery story – there literally is no way the guests can go outside or anyone can sneak in, no need for storms that last a longer than usual time or contrived equipment failures – just 10 people stranded in what amounts to a high class space station on the moon.

Although the book switched between the characters we were watching I think its fair to say that Penelope was our main character and way into the story. She was instantly a character I wanted to get to know better, and we did get that throughout the book. Her reasons why she had entered the competition to go to the moon and how she got to know the other guests. We got to know more about all of the characters over the course of the book but Penelope remained the focus.

If you love a good murder mystery this one definitely needs to go on your 2023 tbr list! I stayed up far too late reading it and couldn’t wait to get back to it – always the mark of a gripping book!

This was a unique location, and therefore I was expecting something huge but it really just fell quite flat for me. I won’t fault it for it’s entertainment as I did want to keep reading this, but the ending especially wasn’t great and I was hoping for something a lot more.

I went into this expecting a real unique spin on a whodunnit, especially as the setting was the first hotel on the moon...well, you could take the moon part away as that's more of a bit part character...so it was a whodunnit in a hotel. Okay, i'm willing to continue - however, I really did not like the characters in this. There motivations and general characteristics almost made me stop halfway through. The writing in general though made me persevere and, as I said, it's a whodunnit in a hotel. It's okay.

A disappointing read, on what could have been a great one. I found it all rather unbelievable and struggled to warm to the characters. I've read worse but also much better books. Not one I'd recommend.

I loved this book! I’m a huge detective and crime fiction lover and this hit the spot perfectly. It’s a classic Agatha Christie closed circle mystery with a load of modern twists. I read it in one sitting as I couldn’t put it down.

This is a good murder mystery with an interesting concept. Penelope is a London Met detective who wins a place on a luxury trip to the first hotel on the moon. Penelope's last case ended with the death of the suspect, and she doubts her judgement, plus has quite a few phobias. Things get a bit strange as soon as the guests disembark, and one of the guests is discovered murdered on the first morning. Penelope tries to investigate, and keep the other guests safe, while managing her suspicions, and the conflict between some of the guests, all of whom have secrets, and some have history. A pacy read with lots of twists, and a surprising solution. Recommended.

From the setting to the plot I found this book different. So many twists and turns it kept me guessing until the end. The characters were all different so the way they interacted was interesting as the plot evolved. One to add to my daughter's reading list

Ten lucky winners are sent into space to be the first guests of Hotel Artemis, the luxury moon hotel. Exclusive adventures, relaxing spa days, and inaccessibly expensive service have been promised to them for two long weeks, and all they'll have to survive is each other. But once their shuttle has deposited them - unceremoniously - in the hotel reception, they discover that the throngs of staff they've been expecting are strangely absent. Are they truly alone on the moon? Have they accidentally wandered onto a reality tv show? At least nothing else can go wrong... right?

'The Launch Party' is a fast-paced tense murder mystery with a host of suitably suspicious characters. Secrets abound and the reader is left guessing until the last possbile second what might really be going on.

I thought I’d enjoy this more - huge sci fi fan & the Moon setting was fascinating. I would have liked to have seen a breach where all the characters were threatened & perhaps a bit more menace. I am a Grimdark fan so blood & gore is quite fine. The killings were perhaps too subtle & I never felt a sense of alarm or terror. And I was baffled by the rushed ‘crane explanation at the end. Felt far more like a synopsis rather than a story ending. But I would another book by the author. Thank you to the publisher & Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

A murder mystery on the moon? The launch party has it covered. When the guests of the Royal Artemis, the first ever hotel on the moon, begin to be picked off by an unknown killer, tensions start to rise.

I enjoyed this ‘locked room’ mystery. A bit quirky, and definitely different from your average who dun-it due to the setting. Great read for anyone fancying something little different!

Probably the most original locked room mystery that I have read to date! The writer definitely knocks it out of the park with this novel taking place in space, with some questionable and suspicious characters.

And Then There Were None... in a hotel on the Moon! What a great idea, a locked room mystery with a touch of sci-fi. I wasn't so keen on the execution of it, however.

The story follows a group of people who win a contest to be the first guests at Hotel Artemis. After the space ship drops them off, they realise there are no staff. Then someone gets murdered and the detection begins...

Generally I found this book to be a page-turner and I wanted to know who the culprit(s) were. It was meticulously plotted and had many references to Agatha Christie. I loved the setting, although I felt that it wasn't exploited enough. The atmosphere of the story could have been more sinister. The characters seemed strangely old-fashioned for a supposedly futuristic setting. I know it wasn't supposed to be very realistic anyway, but who would go into space - one of the most dangerous things you can do - without reading the paperwork the corporation gave them?

The writing style was a little repetitive, with characters often glaring, rolling their eyes, wincing, etc. Moreover, it was mostly linear and I would have preferred a more dramatic beginning - perhaps a foreshadowing to pique my interest. I didn't understand the point of the epilogue and felt the ending was stronger without it. The character we follow the most is Penelope, a police detective on leave, but she seemed bland and we didn't get to know her.

In summary, if this book wasn't set on the Moon, I'm unconvinced it would stand out. If you're a fan of murder mysteries, you may as well give it a try.

[Review will be on my blog, 17th June 2023]

I really enjoy a devious locked room mystery and The Launch Party by Lauren Forry was the ultimate – a murder mystery set on luxurious hotel on the moon.
I received a copy of this book for a free and unbiased opinion
Penelope (not Penny) is the Detective, with many phobias including a fear of trampolines, who has won a place to be one of the first people to set foot on the five star plus Hotel Artemis on the moon. She along with the rest of the winners( or suspects) ranging from a poor college student to the billionaire step off their space craft to find the hotel empty and their transport has rushed off back to earth leaving them alone and stranded. After reluctantly agreeing to stay on the moon, Penny, wakes up the next morning to find a murder victim in one of the restaurants and of course she needs to solve this before someone else ends up dead.
Penny was a fascinating character and I loved how instead of the usual negative traits that crime detectives tend to have, she had a list of phobias including some truly bizarre ones, an absolute dislike of people calling her Penny and the occasional need not to endure forced socialisation with a group of strangers just because they are on holiday.
The rest of the characters are just as three-dimensional and are relatable except for one (who I wished was the murder victim) and I felt sorry for most of them- ordinary people who were given a chance for something only the rich could enjoy but then have the joy taken away.
The world-building serves the purpose of the story, but I wasn’t reading this for the sci-fi elements but the twists, red herring, suspects, and motives which the author delivers magnificently.
I’m sure Penelope won’t be heading back to the moon anytime soon but I would love to see her solve another murder maybe on Mars next time!
Content warning
Racism (one character),references to suicide
Perfect for fans of
Who like Cosy crime with an edge like Anthony Horowitz, The Thursday Murder Club or th Marlow Murder club