Thanks so much to Picador Books, NetGalley and Louise Hegarty for the eARC, all opinions expressed are my own.

What an interesting read, the structure slightly threw me off at first but the writing was captivating, I loved the murder mystery element and it definitely kept you on your toes and constantly guessing.

Mixed feelings, but a good read none the less

I’m really sorry but I just don’t think this book was for me. I couldn’t get into it at all but that could have been my frame of mind as I had a bad cold so apologies to the author but I did not finish it, I just found it too complicated. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the early read.

***advance review copy received from NetGalley in return for an honest review***
Well I suppose it’s an attempt at something different. This is a book which starts out as a party and then abruptly swerves into a fictional murder mystery - but first the intersection between the two is a list of rules for writing a detective novel. It’s very random and quite a swerve.
Eventually, as the “real” story progresses, I get the sense that the author intends the “fictional” side to be something like the main character attempting to work through her grief.
It ends as abruptly and unusually as the rest of the book - something like a vignette which doesn’t seem to relate to anything else within the narrative.
I think I get what the author was aiming for, but for me it’s a swing and a miss - if I hadn’t been reading to review I would probably have given up long before it became apparent why there was suddenly a separate “fictional” story.

I just don’t think I got this book, I really enjoyed part 1 and the set up for the murder but as soon as I got to part 2 with Bell I was like what is going on?? I didn’t love any of the characters and Bell breaking the fourth wall and stuff just confused me. You don’t really get to know anyone properly and it goes from being at the Airbnb to Abigail and benjamins house and I was like how did we get here! It’s definitely a different and unique murder mystery but not one I was clever enough for unfortunately.

‘IT’S THAT TIME OF THE YEAR AGAIN WHERE WE CELEBRATE BENJAMIN’S BIRTHDAY, RING IN THE NEW YEAR, AND SOLVE A MURDER!’
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What a fun and captivating book to start my year with! 2025 is off to a great start, and by the looks of the current forecast of interesting and out of the box mystery novels coming this year, I think we’re in for a good year!
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Fair Play by Louise Hegarty had me up till the early hours reading, flipping between narrator POV’s I was held in it’s pages trying my hardest to unravel the mystery, whilst also feeling myself fully immersed in the heart of the book, and the gut wrenching look at what life feels like when you lose someone you love and the helplessness you feel. Both the heartfelt moving side of the story and the twisty golden age vibes mystery were delivered with such craft and care that it has firmly put Louise Hegarty on the map and I’m excited to see what’s next after such a wonderful debut novel!
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Thank you to Kieran and Picador for sending me a copy of this one! I adored it!

There seem to be a fair few negative reviews of this book, which in a sense don't surprise me - it's all about opinions after all.

The book is often described as being confusing, repetitive and with a really poor ending. Although I enjoyed the book, I do see where its critics are coming from so would caution anyone going in to read this novel, that it is not your typical locked-door whodunnit.

The book is set out that way, in a manner which many recent mystery novels are set. A single location, a dead body and a list of suspects - one of whom must be the murderer. However, this book (for me) is almost a comical look at these types of novels with its tongue firmly in its cheek, almost like an homage to murder mystery novels of the past.

This will definitely not be for everyone, I will say that. The ending may annoy you.

But if you go into it with eyes open, mind open and few expectations, you will enjoy it!

Thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan | Picador for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

While I thoroughly enjoyed the first part of this light hearted murder mystery, the sudden change was confusing and jarring and I couldn’t quite figure out what was going on. I ended up picking it up and putting it down many times. It seems some people really loved this and I can see what the author is trying to do, but for me it didn’t really work.

The format of the book was interesting, I’ve never read something like this before, quite an unusual concept. At the beginning I was very confused, it definitely took me some time to settle into it. But I would say I still enjoyed it. Abigail’s grief and her thoughts between chapters are the parts that I liked the most, very well written.

The last couple of chapters of the murder mystery part were not to my taste and it was not a satisfying conclusion to the story. I think I understand what the author wanted to do with this, but I just didn’t like it. I felt worn out by the stupid detective who had guessed everyone did it.

I don’t know how I feel about this style. I think I would have enjoyed it more as just a murder mystery or just a literary fiction novel on grief.

I can see the appeal of this, but for me it just didn't work at allllllll... I don't know exactly why, we had to essentially read the same ending a million times but I ended this book actually none the wiser about what happened. Maybe I am not smart enough?

I read the reviews of this book and was quite confused by how negative some of them were. I thought this book was clever and a really interesting way of exploring grief and how we try to find meaning in situations with no clear answers.

My interpretation is that the murder mystery element is Abigail’s way of trying to find reason and meaning in what’s happened. Juxtaposed with her real life experiences of getting nowhere, finding nothing and struggling to keep moving. It was a very clever use of format and gave an honest glimpse into the grieving process.

The negatives for me were that I feel all the effort went into form and structure, so the characters felt a little underdeveloped. I wish we knew more about Abigail and Benjamin, had more of their relationship and then I think the narrative would be more affecting.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book.

Part 1 of this book was excellent and really intriguing. I thought it was an excellent set up for a murder mystery. The set up for all the characters was very promising, and I was excited to see how that would play out.

Part 2 started off promisingly, and the tone and style was something completely different. At first, the unexpected style was fun and amusing, though I found it quickly became grating, and lost its appeal for me very quickly.

From about 80% of the way through the book, the book completely lost me. The ending, whilst I think I understand what the author was trying to do, quickly became tedious to me, and was not a satisfying conclusion to the story.

The style felt very experimental to me, and may well be something that people enjoy, but it was not for me.

I also, inevitably, didn't feel able to connect with any of the characters, or feel invested in any of their stories

Louise Hegarty’s Fair Play offers an inventive twist on the classic locked-room mystery, blending suspense with clever meta-narrative elements. This unique book starts with a seemingly straightforward setup: Abigail organises a murder mystery party at a grand old house to celebrate her brother Benjamin’s birthday. The gathering of friends leads to a night of revelry, tension, and emotional upheaval. However, the following morning brings a shocking discovery—Benjamin is dead.

The atmosphere shifts dramatically as a professional detective arrives to investigate, and the house transforms into a world where the butler, gardener, and housekeeper become central players in this mysterious tableau. As Abigail wrestles with her grief and the perplexing circumstances of her brother’s death, she begins to uncover hidden facets of Benjamin’s life. The narrative cleverly straddles the line between fiction and reality, introducing fourth-wall breaks and self-aware nods to the detective genre.

Hegarty’s writing is sharp and playful, paying homage to traditional whodunits while subverting expectations. The locked-room format, reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s works, is given new life through inventive storytelling techniques and character dynamics. The book delves into complex relationships, secrets, and betrayals, all while maintaining an engaging and often humorous tone.

Fair Play is a compelling read for fans of murder mysteries who enjoy a modern twist on classic tropes. With its blend of suspense, wit, and originality, this book stands out as both an homage to and a reinvention of the genre. It’s a must-read for those looking for a detective story that dares to break the mould.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

i can't decide how i feel about this one! really interesting and different format which had me confused at points but i appreciated the inclusion of the golden rules of murder mysteries, the alternate endings, the meta commentary. i just didn't find the actual characters and plot compelling. but really interesting way of telling the story

New Year's Eve is also the eve of Abigail's brother Benjamin's birthday. To celebrate, this year like others, she's organised a murder mystery party to mark both occasions. The guests arrive, the night goes off largely without a hitch and everyone goes off to bed, but the morning after Benjamin is found dead in a locked bedroom and things take a strange turn.

Unable to accept the authorities declaration that her brother's death was a suicide Abigail calls in celebrated detective Auguste Bell. What follows is an Agatha Christie-esque country house mystery intercut with Abigail trying, and failing, to come to terms with her brother's untimely demise..

Things get annoyingly repetitive towards the end as Bell gathers the suspects in classic fashion, lays out his deductions and identifies the culprit again and again and again, but this is neatly mirrored by Abigail meeting with, and herself almost interrogating, each of the guests.

Without this, and a poignant final chapter, I'd have been left slightly underwhelmed. Perhaps wanting a solution or twist, but this is rarely the case with suicides. There are often no easy answers, no solutions or even closure and I suspect this was author Louise Hegarty's intention.

Thanks to NetGalley, Picador and the author for an advance copy.

An interesting book written in quite an unusual way. At first I found the change in delivery a bit jarring but I got used to it and really enjoyed it overall. The characters were well-developed. Rightly or wrongly I found myself liking Abigail best out of all of the right from the beginning. So she definitely didn’t do it. Or did she… Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read an early copy of this book.

A locked room murder mystery that got quite confusing and strange. Some really good characters but I think I prefer either Agatha Christie-esq or not. This was something in between but entertaining nevertheless.

"At this point in the narrative, you should have everything you need to solve the crime. You should, through use of logic and deduction, be able to not merely guess, but prove, the identity of the culprit. You should also be able to explain how the murder occurred, and indeed, why."

I think it's safe to say that at no point in this narrative did I feel able to solve the crime. I barely understood what was going on most of the time. While I appreciate how the author has tried to put a unique spin on the classic detective novel, Fair Play just didn't work for me.

In honour of her brother's birthday, Abigail rents an AirBnB and gathers a group of friends for a murder mystery-themed celebration. It's all fun and games until the next morning, when they discover that one of their party is actually dead. So far, so good. But then it all gets a bit confusing. There's an unexplained location change, new characters are introduced seemingly at random, and a famous Poirot-style foreign detective and his sidekick are invited to investigate the murder.

Without giving any spoilers, it reads almost like two similar but entirely distinct stories have been mashed together: a "locked room mystery" and a study of grief. I enjoyed elements of each strand — particularly the little references to classic crime writers (there's mention of St. Mary Mead and a pair of dogs named Tommy and Tuppence) — but overall it was just a bit too difficult to follow. An interesting concept, but perhaps it needed more to help guide the reader through.

Thanks NetGalley for the e-ARC. Unfortunately this isn't for me, but maybe good for other fans of classic crime, murder mysteries, and genre-bending fiction.

Agatha Christie’s novels have had several ‘re-imaginings’ over recent years, and Fair Play is a particularly skilful twenty-first century take on Christie’s ‘locked room’ murder mysteries. As the pages unfold, however, it becomes something more. The plot opens in Part One with the preparations for a murder mystery event that Abigail organises for her brother Benjamin’s birthday on New Year’s Eve in a big Irish country mansion. Each guest is assigned a role to play and there can only be one murderer and one victim …. But sadly, it turns out there is one victim to the game and one victim in real life, as the day after the murder, Benjamin is found dead. Overcome with grief, Abigail implores seasoned detective Auguste Bell to solve the mystery behind Benjamin’s death. This leads onto traditional ‘locked room’ investigation by a cunning detective and his hapless sidekick in Part Two. As readers before me have pointed out, there are plenty of satirical moments referring to the ‘golden age of crime’ here and plenty of subtle homages to well-loved fictional detectives of the past. What makes this part of the novel special and keeps it fresh, however, are the interspersed chapters of how Abigail navigates her grief. The various backwards- and forwards- in time and the gradual revelations of the ancillary characters’ backstories make this quite a challenging murder mystery to digest, but a very worthwhile one for readers willing to persist. I am grateful to the publishers and NetGalley for the free ARC that allowed me to write this unbiased review.

A Locked Room…?
A grand old house, a murder mystery party, a murder, a highbrow detective and a host of suspects. Beginning, rather stylishly, as a locked room mystery the author pulls the reader into a tale of suspense, mystery, murder and suspicion. The tale takes a turn, becomes something else entirely and ends on a wholly alternative key. Plenty to like here initially but whilst the turn in the tale is, perhaps, unexpected it may not be to every readers liking and may, ultimately, be rather a disappointment.

I am not sure how to write this review, for the most of the book I loved it. The last part was awful and while I understand that all publicity is good publicity, I struggle to see why an author would write such a considered novel just to end it in the same way an elementary school child would.

Benjamin and Abigail are siblings that lost their parents a long while ago, they celebrate Benjamin’s birthday every year on New Year’s Eve with friends from childhood. This year Abigail has hired an Air BNB and we first meet them as she is organizing ready for everyone to arrive.

I had some confusion here as they are at hired house, but later in the story when the investigation begins they have moved to their own home. I’ve read and reread but I can’t see how this could possibly happen if the investigation was ongoing?

The characters are hard to get a read on, and this does work well here. Bell and Sacker however are truly some of the best characters I have ever read (which is why this is possible too passionate review). I love when books are self aware and I love injokes with the reader. I would love to see them again and think they have many a series in them.

The book is written with intentional joy for the reader in mind. The use of repetition is sublime

But the ending; I felt like I had wasted my time.

I received this eARC from Netgalley in return for an honest review, which this is.