Quirky book, part locked room, part traditional whodunit, and part study of grief & loss. This author has an unusual writing style, particularly the way the story switches in part 2, and the way the book ended was unexpected, and non-traditional. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance reader copy.

Lovely unique and clever little murder-mystery book. I thoroughly enjoyed the fast half the book but found it didn’t match the beginning vibes for me. It’s good though, just didn’t quite pull me fully in.

I was disappointed with this despite being excited at the premise. After a murder mystery party, there's a body the next day and the novel takes us through clues to work out who the murderer is.
The author appears to be following a set of rules on detective stories. The parallel stories for me didn't work and were difficult to follow. It might have been because I was reading an ebook which had some formatting quirks. I don't feel like we're told who the murderer was in the end. Just like detective fiction, everyone is a suspect and the repetitive way this is presented is funny but not particularly powerful.
I also don't understand the purpose of Part 3 which seemed a very out of place and didn't serve much of a purpose other than to give some insight into the victims personality...albeit as an 8 year old.
Also, the novel is supposedly set in Ireland. I would have expected some dialect to support this because as it's written, it could be anywhere.

This book was nothing like I expected it is like reading two separate books, and while this can work within some novels I felt it didn't quite gel together with this. That being said it's an interesting book.
Told in third POV we hear Abbie's story surrounding the death of her brother at his NYE's birthday party and we are presented with murder mystery book in the style of classic golden age crime which appears to be the same characters but in set in a different time etc. Take a bit of time to get to grips with.
I loved everything about murder mystery part , that part of book it was real treat. It was true classic golden crime with done slap stick humour a cast of mad characters with secrets and questionable police.
If it has been a stand alone cosy crime I would have enjoyed it but probably forgot about. What makes memorable is the other part of the book which is far from cosy crimes. It very much character lead ,that read more like literally fiction, this part of the book was , told with a tender voice and uses real insight in grief it reads deeply and is very moving. But for me the two parts don't work together without being addressed in some way. I think the writer has tried to show how Abbie might have processed the lose of her brother with the cost crime part being her inner thoughts or even a diary but as it's not stated that's the case it's hard to be sure maybe it's just I am not smart enough to get it
Taking all that into account this is a debut that is an interesting one and I really look forward to reading more from this author if this unique novel is anything to go by.

"Fair Play" by Louise Hegarty definitely is a unique book. I enjoyed the way that it very quickly transitioned from a New Year's Eve Murder Mystery party to a real life locked room mystery who dunnit. From thereon, confusion does reign. There are chapters where famous detective Auguste Bell (based on Poirot) rocks up to solve Abigail's brother's death. Suspects are interviewed and clues are given. Then the very next chapter might be Abigail back at work, coping with Benjamin's death. I imagine that the chapters with Auguste Bell link heavily to the Murder Mystery party that Abigail had set up but I can't be 100% certain. The bit I don't get is the very last chapter/epilogue. I do feel as if I need to go back and read this again as based on other reviews, the answers to the rest of the book lie in those ending words. Clever but maybe too clever for me?

This debut is pretty much perfect from start to end. I ended up at the 4.5 mark as I was confused with the outcome until I read other reviews and everything clicked. This is so good for a debut book. For the most part, it reads like a Lemony Snicket book, which I didn't expect, and there are also two stories told throughout, which I didn't realise until embarrassingly late on. It has both a bittersweet ending and a sort of open ending. You'll have to read to find out what that means. I'll definitely be thinking about this one for a while; it's easily one of my favourites of the year. I also am obsessed with the cover!

4.5

This debut book pays tribute to classic early 20th-century detective novels by weaving a modern locked room murder mystery with a poignant exploration of grief and loss.

On New Year's Eve, a group of friends gathers at an Airbnb to celebrate Benjamin's birthday with a jazz-age Murder Mystery party hosted by his sister, Abigail. As the night unfolds, champagne flows, hors d'oeuvres are enjoyed, and relationships shift—some deepen while others unravel. A murder rattles the other guests and makes them question just how close they really are.

A Poirot-esque detective intent on uncovering the truth along with his Watson-like sidekick try solving the case, where everyone becomes a suspect, and appearances are deceiving.

While I loved the quirky take at a locked-room murder mystery, the ending left me a bit confused, and I wanted something more out of the story.

Fair Play is a unique concept on a locked room mystery.
Abigail throws a party every New year and it just coincides with her brother’s Benjamin birthday. This time she hires an Airbnb which is a mansion in the countryside where they stage a Murder mystery evening which includes maid, butler and even and gardener. But the next morning Abaigail wakes up to find her brother Benjamin dead. A detective is called in to find out who killed him. For months after Abigail struggles to get over the death of her brother.
I liked the idea of this storyline and the references to other well known locked room mystery novels throughout the storyline. But I found this quite confusing with the storyline going through the investigation and back story. I was expecting a bit more than it was. 3 stars from me.

With thanks to NetGalley, Pan MacMillan and Picador for the ARC.

I can appreciate this book is trying to do something completely different but to me it just felt a little messy.

I found it really hard to follow - one minute the characters are in an AirBnB, the next it’s their private residence with staff. The formatting was confusing, and i just really didn’t engage with the majority of the book.

I did enjoy the first part which was the setup of the murder, however! And i can definitely appreciate that this will be a bit of a polarising book - some will love, some won’t!

I finished this book last night and had a "Ohhhhhh" moment of realisation when I got to the final pages. Maybe I am slow on the uptake!

This is a really interesting approach to a novel and a particularly brave one for a debut novelist, fair play to the author. ( I will resist more puns from here on in).


This is a really unique take on a locked room mystery. The first part of the book is ominous if normal, Abigail has arranged a murder mystery NYE birthday party for her brother Benjamin with a circle of their friends. The game is played, drinks are drunk and in the morning everyone wakes up, except Benjamin. Then the book completely switches, elements of the first part remain but their new characters, a different setting and a detective has been hired by Abigail to find out who killed her brother. This section is a homage to the classic locked room mysteries of old. It is entertaining and if are a fan of this genre, this section will delight you with nods to some of the great writers of classic mysteries. I found it confusing at first as I was ripped from one story and plunged into another but once I got to grips with the change, I was entertained if perplexed at times. Once I was finally in the grip of the story once more , everything again changes in part three , the conclusion of the book.

I am really torn on this one. I applaud the originality but for me as a reader, it did not always work for me. although the pay off was absolutely worth it and I did love the ending. I think reading this book in this arc format didn't do it the justice it deserved and I expect the finished final copy to be a much more accessible read. I will return to this in paperback, it deserves a second read. I am looking forward to how this is received, there is lots to mull over and discuss and would be a super choice for a book club.

I am settling on a entertaining then thought provoking three stars. I may revise this as my thoughts settle.
Absolutely recommend though, I think this book will have some detractors but a lot more fans.

I'm still not sure how I feel about this book. It isn't like anything I've read before though.
Spoiler but It took me quite a while to work out there were more than one story going on at the same time, and what the story splitting was about.
It's an interesting premise, and I do love an old detective drama. It's a sort of locked room mystery/ Cluedo style story which to begin with is quite upbeat (despite the murder bit) but I did get a bit lost. I found two of the versions of events/ stories too similar (I get that is the point) and a bit hard to follow in places and quite a lot of the characters are a bit similar (could have cut the cast down a little). I did however enjoy reading it. And have been thinking about it which is usually a sign it's not a bad book!
Thank you to netgalley for the opportunity.

Thanks to the publishers and Net Galley for an advanced ecopy in exchange for my review. I was a bit confused about the story lines as at first they are renting an air b and b and then its their old family home, but both Abigail and Benjamin both have their own homes too towards the end. We begin by meeting Abigail who has organised a New Years Eve/30th birthday party for her brother. Its a murder mystery night with selected guests when there is a real murder. A detective and his sidekick appear and start to try and work out who is the murderer but seem to have a motive and means for almost everyone. I liked the writing and premise for this book however I don't think I fully understood parts and as to whether I worked out or realised who the actual murderer was in the end....I couldn't tell you. A good idea was there but I'm not sure if the story felt completed and felt a bit jumbled and all over the place. It just didn't leave me satisfied!

I loved the premise of this novel because it reads like a modern take on the classic locked room/ murder mystery plot line. I really enjoyed the interplay between the tropes of what makes a good detective novel and the story itself. I felt like Hegarty put together a really nice ensemble of characters but I did feel like momentum did start to lack about half way through the novel.
The writing was of good quality and the way in which the story played out felt fresh and very tongue-in-cheek as it manipulates the conventions of the cosy murder mystery. Although in the end the quirkiness could not keep the story engaging enough for me and the sheer number of unresolved leads and red herrings became to muddied for me to enjoy the ending. I really love the author's style and cannot wait to see what they write next but this mystery sadly didn't;'t keep me hooked.

#FairPlay #NetGalley
An ok read.
A group of friends gather at an Airbnb on New Year’s Eve. It is Benjamin’s birthday, and his sister Abigail is throwing him a jazz-age Murder Mystery themed party. As the night plays out, champagne is drunk, hors d’oeuvres consumed, and relationships forged, consolidated or frayed. Someone kisses the wrong person; someone else’s heart is broken. In the morning, all of them wake up—except Benjamin. As Abigail attempts to wrap her mind around her brother’s death, an eminent detective arrives determined to find Benjamin's killer. In this mansion, suddenly complete with a butler, gardener and housekeeper, everyone is a suspect, and nothing is quite as it seems. Will the culprit be revealed? And how can Abigail, now alone, piece herself back together in the wake of this loss?
Don't expect much from this one. An ok read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan Picador for giving me an advance copy.

Read by my daughter as she loves a copy crime just as much as I do. She enjoyed the beginning of the book and the way there were two parallel story line but felt that as the book progressed that the author had problems sustaining the two stories and they became confusing . The ending was confusing and did not satisfy her expectations.

This novel has a great concept at its heart: what if you turned a modern day death into a golden age murder mystery, whilst paralleling that with someone's present day grief.
I liked what Fair Play does with two parallel narratives of unravelling the truth, but I found in execution that it didn't quite work for me because the parts never fully managed to come together into something beyond what they were each doing throughout. The ending is very ambiguous, with a kind of quiet sadness, which was beautiful but didn't quite feel satisfying.

Every year, Abigail arranges a New Year's Eve party with her brother. Always a double celebration as it's Benjamin's birthday on New Year's Day, it is something Abigail always looks forward to. In recent years she has discovered the joy of hosting a murder mystery themed bash and this year is going to be the most elaborate yet, but on New Year's Day a real death spoils the party mood and calls for a real investigation. This is a complex book, plotting as it does, both the real and the imagined death at the party. It took me quite a while to get into it and figure out what was happening, but once I did, I was able to appreciate the nuance and psychological interplays that make up the heart of the book.

I can see that lots of people have really loved this book, and think it's a wonderful observation of grief, and also a clever play on cosy crime. But I also, thankfully, saw one review describing it as a hot mess which was a response that chimed with my own. I finished the book last night and immediately said 'What?!' out loud. I was frustrated, and mystified. What had I just finished, and what did it all mean? This isn't to say that it was all bad - there were aspects I liked, the beginning of the book is good and I was intrigued and wanted to know what had happened. But then it seems to turn into something else entirely, and honestly for me, it didn't work.
If those separate moments of Abigail's grief had been standalone I would have enjoyed them much more, because it is heart-breaking to watch her trying to make sense of what has happened. But intertwined with the slightly bizarre golden age of crime murder mystery felt jarring. And had that detective story been by itself I might have forgiven it - even if the detective seemed like a dolt who was just wildly guessing at every possible suspect.
But the repetition was frustrating, of quite long passages where pretty much all the text is the same until there is some small change. It felt like a literary device, and I had bad flashbacks to trying to read James Joyce's Ulysses. Perhaps that was the point, the interruption of the story, the unsettling nature of the two plot lines twisting against each other. But I didn't like it. I didn't understand where the book was going, or what the point of the new detective was and the change in setting and scene, and so at the end I felt worn out by the stupid detective who had guessed everyone did it, and whilst I understand the humour of that because in a Christie novel there is an element of it could possibly be any one of the characters. But at the same time, it sad strangely, for me, with Abigail's grief. I kept wondering if the whole thing was part of it being a murder mystery game and we would find that the suicide wasn't a suicide and was interwoven in the party game - that would have made a little sense with the title and the cover of the book perhaps? But no. The title doesn't seem to make much sense, and I really don't know why the cover looks like that, which also bothered me!
Anyway, lots of other people really like this book, so give it a try if you're intrigued. But for me, it didn't work.

Thanks to Pan MacMillan and NetGalley for ARC.

Benjamin's birthday coincides with New Year. His sister Abigail always arranges a special party for him and their close circle, and this year the circle has a couple of new additions. As the night wears on and her carefully prepared events are in full swing Abigail realises that things are changing and people are growing, changing, moving in different directions. Next morning dawns for all but Benjamin. As Abigail struggles to make sense of his death, she begins to investigate his life and discovers she knew less about him than she thought, and it's all a mystery.
This is threaded through with a parallel narrative offering different ways of uncovering this mystery in a structured, satisfying, 'Fair Play' Golden Age structure. Whether this satisfies or bamboozles I think will be down to the reader - I found the parallel structures frustrating and confusing for a bit before I gave myself over to it, but in the end it's a meditation on grief, loss, the narratives we tell to make sense of the world, and although all possible solutions are explored, we will never know what was 'true'. Absolutely fascinating structurally in the end, and the epilogue is outstanding and devastating. Can't believe this is a debut, will be looking out for more from this writer.

A Locked Room Murder mystery novel where every conclusion is reached.

This novel is set in two worlds: in the “real” present day world, a brother and sister hire a country house (in Ireland) and arrange a murder mystery holiday for themselves and their friends over the New Year, which is also the brother’s birthday. Then the brother is found dead, apparently by suicide, and the sister and the friends are left to cope with the aftermath. The sister tries to find closure where there is none and it takes her several months to accept that this is the case. (Does “closure” only exist in murder cases, in fact?)

From the morning that the brother’s body is found, however, a self-aware and self-referential murder mystery narrative unfolds, set in the same house and with equivalents to the same characters, but not in any particularly clear historical era and not even all that clearly in Ireland: the house and other nearby locations are in effect the whole world, which is often the case in that sort of story.

To begin with, this comes across as a co-authorship between Agatha Christie and Spike Milligan, but it’s actually cleverer than that and the author manages to sustain it for a whole novel. (Which is not the case with the one, to be found online, where Beatrice Potter writes “Peter Rabbit” in partnership with Sven Hassell.) Note to self: the Amazon AI won’t like that last observation one little bit, but leave it in for NetGalley.

The murder mystery really is the suicide’s sister coping with a situation where she’s never going to get any answers by trying out every possibility in her head, but it also neatly makes the point that ANY of the initial characters could turn out to be “the murderer” based on the available clues.
And that appears to be the way that Agatha Christie’s famous stage play works: the murderer rotates through the cast week by week.

It is very clever and very enjoyable.