I am delighted to kick off the blog tour for Supper for Six by the aptly named Fiona Sherlock.

The story pulls the reader in by taking the form of a podcast meaning that the story is revealed in tantalisingly controlled little bites!

I loved the setting of Lady Sybil Anderson's Mayfair apartment - and I can imagine how exquisite this would be if it were made into theatre show or a one off TV drama. The opulence and apparel of the era came across well - as did the inconvenient powercut.

As the evening unfolds, so does the mystery and many an exploit is uncovered. This unique take on the murder mystery will delight and entertain in equal measure.

Overall, this surprisingly scintillating crime thriller/mystery has a charm all of its own

Ahhh, I’m so disappointed by this book- I was really looking forward to it but it just wasn’t for me. There was so many times I wished I’d given up but I carried on through and now I wish I had just given up. I wanted to give the author a chance and was hoping it would pick up but it didn’t. The concept is good but it just didn’t work in this book.

I tried, I really tried, because I liked the premise. But no. I just couldn't get past the first 15% or so. It is all very confusing, with only six people but none of them are likable. Not in the least! There are parts where Felix, who is behind the podcast, interviews Elisabeth. Well, it fell totally flat for me because people just don't talk like that.
I skipped to the last chapter to see whether I liked the ending so I could try and read it again. But no. Still confusing, still no real vibes, just disbelief on my side.
I don't like podcasts; ever since I was a child I don't like this format, even when it was still a radio program with people talking. That programmes with people talking are now reborn as podcasts will not say that they are more interesting. To me, at least. But to each his own: if you like podcasts, you may like this book more than I did.

Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this review copy.

To say I’m conflicted about this book would be a gross understatement. I’ll try to explain why that is the case.

But, first things first… What the blurb doesn’t mention is that this case is presented in the form of a podcast, hosted by Felix Caerphilly, an investigative journalist who started looking into the case as a teenager in 1978 but doesn’t make his findings public until the present day.

The podcast format means that the whole set-up is rather high-octane. I get it, with a podcast you need to keep your listeners on edge so that they return for the next episode. While the same is true for chapters in a book—you want to write them in such a way that your reader keeps on turning the pages— the need for cliffhangers is bigger with a podcast, simply because the listeners have no option but to wait for the next episode to be launched.

But…there is such a thing as too much and too fast. A breather, a moment to reflect, every now and again would have been nice. As it was, this story felt chaotic. It went back and forth, repeating itself more than once while also suddenly springing new information on the reader, as if out of nowhere. It had a bit of an ‘everything bar the kitchen sink’ feel to it. One suggested solution seemed to be in the story only to make a (political) point rather than because it had any real relevance to the mystery in question. And finally, I had to suspend my disbelief a bit too far on one or two occasions. For obvious, spoiler related, reasons I can’t actually go into the details of exactly what didn’t feel right to me.

Having said all that, I can’t deny that I read the book in under 24 hours without ever feeling the urge to put it aside because of any of the ‘issues’ I mentioned above. It is definitely a story that keeps you racing through the pages as you try to keep up with the various revelations and possible outcomes. Every single character in this story has secrets they want to keep hidden and reasons to be less than truthful, which raises the stakes and therefore keeps the reader engrossed.

Maybe this is not the book for those who feel strongly about the level of realism they expect to find in their mysteries. However, if you’re in the mood for a fast-paced (turbo-charged) story that will hook you and keep you captivated until the very end, you’ll almost certainly be entertained by this book.

Aha, a murder mystery to get my teeth into, thought I one cold and blustery Saturday, unfortunately I didn’t find the book nearly as exiting as the weather.

Set in posh Mayfair, London, the story concerns itself with a dinner party hosted some 40 years prior by a Lady Anderson, during which a murder takes place. Tus murder remains unsolved and is now the subject of a podcast by the narrator. Elizabeth Chalice, a private investigator, was a guest and it is Chalice to whom the narrator turns looking for her recordings and thoughts of that night.

I can honestly say it’s a long time since I’ve been so bored by a book and so irritated by its format. The narrator’s passages are all in italics which I find really hard on the eyes, but the author has each character’s name in bock capitals followed by what they said or did. These people are not likeable, and as a result I couldn’t care less WhoDunnit to whom or why. There is no flow to the book and I found it a lazy way or writing, as if the author couldn’t be bothered with normal speech patterns and punctuation.

Not for me. I gave up even before my One Third Rule

I found the idea of this really interesting, a locked room mystery from the 70s retold and investigated via podcast in current day. But I found it a bit difficult to keep who was who straight and what was in the past and present.

For me, I think this is where a physical copy of the book may be easier as I can flick back easier to remember the relationships and names, or the audio book with different voices.

I would've liked a bit more of the investigation aspect on the solving the mystery.

I will look out for more form this author, there was nothing wrong with the writing I think the format just did't work for me.

I really enjoyed the format of the book, it definitely made me feel more immersed in the twisted universe of the book.

I tried so hard to like this book, the cover & description were just up my street but sadly the way it was written meant I often was confused who was telling the story & what had happened when. I just couldn't finish it unfortunately, I read it as an e-book on my phone so perhaps an actual paper copy meant be easier to read.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this #Netgalley.

I just reviewed Supper For Six by Fiona Sherlock. #SupperForSix #NetGalley

The premise of the book is what drew me into it! The style of writing like a podcast transcript with the audio transcript from a tape recorder is one of my favorite ways that media is used. the style of the book and the way it is written is like how True Crime podcasts are. As soon as I started reading through this book, I fell in love with the characters as well as the narrator.

This book was my first interaction with the author and honestly will read more!

Massive thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to have this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5

I didn’t engage with either style of writing (a 40 years after the event podcast transcription reconstructing and trying to solve the case), nor the case put together. I found it repetitive, rather boring and wasn’t really interested in knowing who was the culprit, so to speak. I guessed most if not all of the surprises. It wasn’t for me, and I do love a classic whodunnit.

I heard a lot of people talking about how books in podcast forms are in now but I’ll admit I haven’t heard of any and so was thrilled to jump for this: the podcast episodes telling of a murder that happened years ago that was never solved. Add to that the comparisons to Agatha Christie and I was straight in there!

I’ll say I loved the premise, the locked door necessity, the tension at points. I woudl be intrigued to hear what a die-hard fan of eg Agatha Christie rates it, as I don’t read enough books like this where the devil is in the absolute intricate detail. Not being as fast as others on the take-up, I’ll admit I got a little confused at times with some of the characters, although only really towards the end as we were reaching the climax. I had some issues that may or may not have been from me not reading these books enough too, but all in all I kept reading, felt for some characters, raised eyebrows at others and really enjoyed, both the format and the narrative. Ps I didn’t guess the ending!


Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the book in return for an honest review. Out October 2023!

Rating:

4/5

Supper For Six was definitely an intriguing read. However, is quite convoluted and requires you to suspend an inordinate amount of disbelief. The various connections among the main characters become rather tenuous. However, it was a good mystery and a solid read.

Being a massive True-Crime podcast fan, I was excited to read ‘Supper for Six’, a locked room murder-mystery written as a podcast script.

A surprise party hosted by Lady Sybil Anderson with a hidden motive sees Doctor and Lawyer power-couple Agapanthus & Francois Langford, West End makeup artist Chrissy Crowley and her partner Jeremy and PI Elizabeth Chalice gathered for dinner. When one of them is murdered, questions will be asked! We join Felix Caerphilly on his podcast ‘Supper for Six’ as he tells us the story, interviews witnesses and tries to find out the truth.

Although I was initially excited to read this book, I actually found it quite hard to engage with. I’m not sure whether this was the story or the failing of the podcast format. With this format you don’t really feel like you properly get to know any of the characters, and I got them mixed up quite a lot to begin with. It’s also quite a slow start before the murder happens, although the host and characters already know everything about it (just as you would if you listened to a podcast about a famous case), and to a certain extent we are left a bit in the dark without any context to the information we are being presented with.

The plot itself is incredibly convoluted, with everyone having complex links to each other or lying about who they are. I found it all to be a bit far-fetched and unrealistic. I was so unengaged with the book that I found myself not really caring who did the crime or why they had done it and it didn’t leave me guessing who was responsible. There was supposed to be a bit of a twist at the end, but I didn’t think this was at all surprising – just confirming the person who was already the main suspect.

Overall, Supper for Six was not really my cup of tea – with an unrealistic plot and format I found it hard to engage with. Thank you to NetGalley & Hodder & Stoughton for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

On the face of it I should have loved this book. Golden age of crime locked door, the new modern way of writing( the podcast) both things I love I have devoured Agatha Christie’s since I was a teenager and more recently I have been enjoying the way a lot of writers such as the amazing Cara Hunter have been using the means of podcasts etc as a means to telling the story so this should have been the perfect combo for me. Sadly. I couldn’t get into it all, I found it boring, muddled, and the characters were bland. It was real disappointment, I skipped to the end as I had to know how it ended cause my inner Miss Marple wouldn’t allow me not to but even then it was a chore. It’s a real shame as I think the premise was good and the plot but they don’t gel for me. Perhaps would have been better as dual timeline novel. It wouldn’t put me off reading the authors other work as I do think there is a spark there that would hold my interest unfortunately just not this. I have the paper copy of the author previous novel 12 motives for murder, I hope that lives up to my exceptions. Thank you for the ARC but sadly this isn’t a book I’d be in a hurry to buy.

This was a novel approach to a story. It was a very deep read and getting all the witnesses/suspects interviews to correlate was not an easy read. I personally found this slightly confusing therefore to read and also that it did not really feel that they were discussing an event that happened in 1977, more like a Victorian drama.

Intriguing, Entertaining…
The Bruton Square murder mystery of 1977 has never been solved - six guests, apparent strangers, were invited to a dinner party but only five came out alive. Now a true crime podcast will be re-examining that infamous case. Meet your host - Felix. Perhaps, he will uncover what really did happen that night. Another unique, quirky and wholly entertaining offering from this author - and, this time, a murder mystery played out as a true crime podcast. Characters are well rounded and deftly drawn, the plot intriguing and the narrative compelling.

The plot is as deep and dark as it gets, multi-layered with 'who knew what when?' as the strands come together and the finer details get filled in. This is an absolutely compelling, gripping book full of mystery and suspense. Only a few authors can write deeply involving psychological drama of the very highest quality.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

Firstly, I think my enjoyment of this book would be vastly improved if I listened to it as an audiobook. The reason for this, is because of the style the book has been written in. Supper for Six is a closed door mystery that takes place in the Mayfair home of Lady Sybil Anderson, who has invited 5 others for dinner (something that she has never done before) to ask for their help in locating her husband. During the course of this dinner, one of the invitees is murdered and Elizabeth Chalice (another guest and private detective) takes it upon herself to solve the mystery. The story is told as episodes in a podcast with the aid of interviews from tapes that the host has acquired. I love reading stories with this format, but I found myself getting confused as to what part of the timeline I reading, on more than one occasion. I liked the small subplots that were introduced but I didn't think the story flowed the best, at times. One of my favourite scenes was the séance as this was when I was really captivated and found I couldn't put the book down but sadly I was let down by the ending which was a little flat. Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the opportunity to read this ARC

Lady Anderson has invited five guests to an unexpected dinner party. None of the guests have a clue why the have been asked to attend, but soon find out that this is no ordinary supper. Not everyone makes it to the end of the night alive, and the mystery has never been solved. Over forty years later journalist Felix Caerphilly hosts a podcast series on the events of that fateful night. With the help of Elizabeth Chalice, he attempts to solve the case and bring closure to those involved. This was a very interesting book let’s start saying this, this book is narrated by a medium of a true crime podcast. So that was a big YES for me being a fan of true crime podcasts. The book is well written and the plot and structure is different but very enjoyable. The story was very cleaver and I enjoy the twists on it and the characters. If you like clean mass murder mysteries this is the book for you. Very enjoyable and i highly recommend it. Big shoutout to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the access to this ARC

Great concept for the book to be done as a podcast, made it a bit different to normal. Unfortunately I felt the author got a little lost in this theme as the book went on. Also what you expect to be a big reveal at the end was a bit flat. There was no great investigative work done to reach the final proof, just a couple of confessions. I was actually quite disappointed in the end and felt it could have been executed a lot better. Such a shame as I really liked the ideas and the twists and turns held such promise.