I was sent an advance proof copy of Murder on Lake Garda by Tom Hindle to read and review by NetGalley. I wasn’t quite sure whether to give this novel 3 or 4 stars. While I enjoyed reading it I didn’t feel that there was enough tension throughout the book and I didn’t really feel any connection or empathy with any of the characters. Having said that I didn’t feel that I wanted to give up on it at all and was happy enough to read to the end. Not quite a cosy crime novel but a modern day more affluent alternative!

A definite who done it with lots of culprits to keep you guessing right up to the very end, even if it was a little far fetched, sometimes we need a bit of far fetched. A wedding on a sunny island, it was just what I needed on cold dark nights to keep me going until some real sunshine appears.
Not my first read by Tom and def not my last, this is my favourite so far. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this early copy

In this intriguing murder mystery, we have a murder at a wedding on an isolated island in the middle of Lake Garda! The bride is rude and unpleasant, and there are also hints that the groom and his groomsmen are not all they seem.

The families of the couple are also harbouring secrets, all of which adds up to a fun whodunit. Also I did work out who the murderer was pretty early, I did enjoy the writing. The location was great, and I would read more by this author.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the arc to review.

Loved the setting for a perfect murder to take place with various people for motive. I have always enjoyed this author work.

This was good - I felt a bit weird reading about a sunny island during the cold winter months but it was great for some escapism tied into a mystery - in fact, multiple mysteries. I will be going back to some of Tom Hindles older books as really enjoyed this and it kept me hooked - finding out about this motley crew of characters.

Such an enjoyable read!!
This was the 1st book I've read from Tom Hindle and I will definitely read more from him!

The book gave me very much the vibes of The Guest List from Lucy Foley so if you're a fan of her this is a must-read!

A beautiful, small Italian island, a wedding party, and a murder. Just a normal day. Who killed the glamorous but controversial Influencer Eva Bianchi minutes before she was supposed to walk down the aisle? We have a handful of suspects. Who hated her the most? Does it have something to do with the influential Heywood family she is marrying into or the financial problems her father is facing? Is everyone who they seem to be?

A delightful read for fans of Agatha Christie and Lucy Foley.

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House UK and Cornerstone for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Love, intrigue, marriage and murder this book has it all in spades!
A wonderful whodunnit that has you double guessing.
The setting for the story is spot on, I've visited Lake Garda in Italy several times and Mr Hindle has written the backdrop superbly.
The characters are wickedly unlikeable which makes this a perfect murder mystery for you to solve.

I’ve read all of Tom’s books, and I think this one may be my favourite so far.? The storyline is excellent, the scene setting is excellent, I felt transported, and it’s all very relatable in this world of the obsession with social media and “clicks”.

There are so many twists and turns I really did not know who the killer was, and I enjoyed every second of it!

A great book to read on holiday…by a lake..and a castle…and a boat! Beware…

My thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Another good read from Tom Hindle. I really enjoyed this one. I liked the storyline, it’s written in the third person so you get to hear from a few different characters. I had an idea who the murderer was, but instead of putting me off, it made me want to read faster to see if I was correct. If you are a fan of murder mysteries, this will be right up your street. I definitely recommend this one. Thank you #netgalley

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

A murder at a wedding on a secluded island where lots of the guests had a motive. Slightly far fetched but an easy read

Wow just wow!!!
This book was amazing!!
Ok let me start by saying I havent read a thriller or a book indeed from this author before but have a wonderful bookworm friend who loves this author so I read this one with her and we had a wonderful time.

I didnt like any of the characters except Robyn, she was fantastic - everyone else was just plain hateful lol which i think was the point.

I didnt have a clue who the killer was until about 2 chapters from the end of the book which is a great feat as I am usually one who can sniff out the killer from early on in a book

I will be picking up all available backlist titles from this author and will recommend this book to anyone who will listen
5 stars

My third book from this author and my favourite one yet. I love an isolated setting mystery with short chapters and a countdown to the murder.

The authors books have gone from strength to strength for me and now an autobuy author.

Set on an island on the lake for a prestigious wedding all of the guests are hiding something and then there is a scream. This one packs a punch from the prologue and hooks you in immediately.

Highly recommend.

More than a year ago, I first encountered Tom Hindle’s books. As a fan of classic murder mysteries, my interest was piqued. The funny thing is that I had already bought Tom's first two books, “A Fatal Crossing” and “The Murder Game”. But unfortunately, they ended up on my large and ever-growing TBR pile. So when I saw that his new book, “Murder on Lake Garda”, was on NetGalley, I applied for a digital ARC. That way, I would have no choice but to finally read one of Tom Hindle’s books.

After finishing the book, I instantly became a fan of his work, and I sincerely hope that his other books have the same quality. “Murder on Lake Garda” had all the ingredients that I like in a proper murder mystery. Starting with the location: a stunning setting for a gripping scene. Secondly, an interesting array of characters who could have a motive for the murder. And finally, enough breadcrumbs to give the reader the illusion of solving the mystery but also providing red herrings to keep the reader on their toes.

I enjoyed the short chapters and the change of POVs. It gives more dimension to the story and a chance for the reader to see more of the location.

“Murder on Lake Garda” is a must-read for anyone who appreciates a well-crafted mystery, offering a perfect blend of family intrigues and a perfect guessing game of who did it.

I give this book four stars, and Tom's other books are now higher on my TBR pile. I hope to finish them before another book comes out.

Who doesn’t love a murder mystery to try and solve before they get to the end of the book, especially when the weather is so cold outside, I will admit now Tom had me befuddled I like to think I make a good detective but I didn’t guess this one.

The setting couldn’t be in a better place, a place I would love to visit, my daughter and her family went there last year and are going back this year. Lake Garda as the places surrounding were described so beautifully you could imagine you were in the stifling heat and seeing everything the characters were seeing, or should I say the ones that were interested.

The story revolves around the wedding of Laurence Heywood and Eva Bianchi. Eva wants the perfect wedding, with the most perfect photograph’s, and what Eva wants Eva seems to get. I can honestly say she is not the nicest of characters with a number of flaws. The couple haven’t chosen to have a large wedding, just close family and friends. As the wedding is taking place at Castello Fiore which stands around a mile from the nearest land standing prominently on Lake Garda. With views of the mountains and beautiful blue sea surrounding the area it should have been the perfect wedding. Unfortunately the bride to be was murdered around the time she should have been taking her vows. But who would want her dead? Maybe I should say who wouldn’t want her dead? Except for her Italian parents of course.

This is where the fun begins because it seems that no one trusts anyone, even Stephen and Abigail who are married wonder whether the other has done the deed, Robyn who is dating Toby, Laurence’s brother are suspicious of each other, who are the two Italian strangers attending the wedding? Even Eva’s Instagram agent/manager Harper is a suspect.

What Tom Hindle has done in this story is make it look like it could be any one of the characters at the wedding, several of them have very good reasons to be the killer. The pace of this picks up as you read on, I felt myself getting more and more drawn in as I raced towards the end. Every twist and turn is perfect sending you off in another direction, when a second murder happens that sends you wondering again.

The characters are all believable I won’t say likeable although I did like a couple of them, but when some have only met a day earlier and start throwing accusations how nice can they be. There were several ways the story could have gone but this one was perfect, almost an Agatha Christie ending.

If you like Agatha Christie’s writing I think you will enjoy this one, it’s almost a locked room read as no one can leave Castello Fiore, they are all stuck until the police arrive. I would love to see this dramatised it would make a brilliant film/tvdrama.

Lake Garda, Italy, the perfect venue for a wedding, especially for any family with enough money to afford to hire the private island of Castello Fiore. And the Heywood family most certainly can for the wedding of their son Laurence to the influencer Eva Bianchi. So the families gather, including reluctant son Toby and his would-be journalist girlfriend Robyn, Laurence’s loyal band of, well, henchmen from university and two mysterious Italian gentlemen wearing black suits with gun-shaped bulges in their jacket pockets.
As the wedding approaches, the air is split by a terrifying scream. Eva (who hasn’t exactly been making friends) is found stabbed with an ornate dagger, a duplicate of a priceless antique housed in the castle museum. As the wait for the police to arrive stretches on, the tension rises – someone on the island is a murderer…
Tom Hindle is touted as the “new heir to Agatha Christie” by Ragnar Jónasson – which does beg the question, who was the old heir? I’ve enjoyed A Fatal Crossing for the most part, and The Murder Game as well, despite finding it a bit… obvious. Here, we have yet again an enjoyable set of characters and a complex plot with lots of moving parts.
There are some nice ideas here – for example, why was Eva killed with a duplicate of the antique dagger? – and, as with The Murder Game, the relatively large cast of characters are distinct and at no point did I find myself going back and check who was who, something always appreciated. This is achieved in part by jumping the narrative from character to character – although mostly using Robyn – which gives an insight into motivations.
That, though, is my problem with the book, in that too much is given away too early in narrative in these sections that Robyn, the sleuth, is unaware of. The question of why there is a duplicate dagger is revealed to the reader very early, for example, but Robyn has to work it out and does so much later. It’s rather odd when the reader can basically rule out a lot of characters and answers some questions that the sleuth cannot, so it makes it much easier for the armchair sleuth to spot the murderer.
And that’s the problem, by the halfway point, there was only one candidate for me for the murderer – all of the other characters had their roles in the plot clearly defined to the reader.
All in all, it’s a very enjoyable read – I don’t think it’s intended as part of a series, but I’d like to see more of Robyn in the future – but if you’re an experienced armchair detective, it’s best just to sit back and enjoy the ride.
Murder On Lake Garda is out now from Penguin in ebook and hardback. Many thanks for the review e-copy via NetGalley.

Murder in Lake Garda
Tom Hindle
*****

Classic Agatha Christie style, well executed.

Classic Agatha Christie style - first of all we have a gathering on an island for a small wedding - in this case some 18 characters, many with some reason or other to dislike or hate another attendee and thus potentially wish to murder them. Then a murder occurs (as you would expect, as it is in the title!), but the police can’t be called.

We are in fact nearly halfway through the book before the murder occurs and we have been entertained and had our interest piqued as to who it will be, by whom and why.

The second half is, of course, the amateur investigation, and everyone seems to have a toe in the water. It is quite amazing how much can occur in the three hours following the murder, but before the police do eventually arrive one of the characters does indeed come up with the solution.

It is a well tried format, but Tom Hindle carries it off very well, indeed I think Miss Christie herself would approve.

I read this book from a pre-publication copy kindly supplied by the publisher, but this is an honest review with no concession to their generosity.

Not quite my usual genre but I loved it. Well written with lots of twists and turns. Will happily read this author again. Highly recommended

Laurence Heywood is getting married to social media influence Eva on an Italian island with lots of publicity planned. Laurence’s younger brother, Toby, is part of the guest list with his girlfriend Robyn. The Heywood family are not very welcoming to Toby and Robyn as he is expected to join the family company but he has plans to own and run a bar alongside Robyn. There is no let up in the pressure being put on Toby and Robyn in the run up to the wedding.

Just as the wedding is due to begin there’s loud scream and someone is found on the beach having been stabbed to death. This then essentially becomes a ‘locked room’ murder mystery as everyone is stuck on the island as there are no boats in the dock.

We learn of plenty of secrets among the guests and many have reason to wish ill on others in the wedding party. It's a well told story that kept me both gripped and guessing to the end. I really enjoyed this book, more so than the previous book by Tom Hindle I read (A Fatal Crossing). Almost 5 stars but I found some of the detail about the castle and paths and sightlines on the island a little too detailed while being hard to visualise.

With thanks to NetGalley and Cornerstone for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this, not only the story but also the style, it starts with the murder and then you go back to the the characters in the events leading up to it.

I've heard great things about Tom Hindle's previous work and really look forward to reading more.

I loved the build up with the prologues It was a great way for the action to start right away and then get character build up. I must've changed my mind a 100 times about the killer and loved that it really kept me hooked to the end.

Well, Tom Hindle has only gone and done it again and wrote a very engaging and satisfying murder mystery. This time we are transported to the height of summer, in the lush surroundings of Lake Garda on what should be the happiest of days. But of course that isn’t to be the case! I absolutely adored ‘A Fatal Crossing’ and Tom became an auto-read for myself and I thoroughly enjoyed his third stand-alone. His books are always perfectly plotted, he creates great characters and I’m sure that this will be loved by many a reader.

Robyn has been invited to Lake Garda to the wedding of her boyfriend’s brother, Laurence. A typical hedge funder he is marrying an Italian social influencer, Eva. Robyn is very nervous as she is not of their class and this is the first time meeting her boyfriend’s family. The wedding is to take place on the private island of Castello Fiore and just as the ceremony starts there is a loud scream and the assembled guests and wedding party find a body. As the guests are trapped on the island, Robyn quickly comes to the realisation that the murderer has to be one of them…

I love how Tom loves to play around with the notion of ‘locked room’ mysteries, well in case this is more of a locked island. It means it has to be one of either the wedding guests or the wedding party being the guilty party. Or does it??? And what a host of selfish and conceited individuals we have to choose from. Laurence and his family are one of those wealthy families that ooze entitlement, think they can get away with anything and are hideous to us mere normal types. The bride and her family aren't much better either. Eva is more concerned with getting the perfect shot than mingling with her guests. If she isn't going to get a ‘like’ for it, it's not worth doing. Then there is poor Robyn completely out of depth and really the only nice person in the whole book. I really loved her sense of right and wrong, her determination to figure out what is happening even though she isn't really integrated into the group per se. She has the element of being slightly detachment and that helps her gather the clues behind the reason for the murder!

Hindle does a great job of putting a golden-age crime premise into the modern age and its packed full of reveals, revelations and red herrings! The juxtaposition of dark events happening in such a beautiful environment is really played upon and done well. I flew through it in one day and I recommend it very easily!

Let me know if you pick this one up!