My review, on this occasion, contains slight spoilers…

Having written my own piece about a ‘Murder Mystery’ weekend event that goes wrong, I was drawn to this for that reason alongside the concept of a ‘And Then There Were None’ style tale set on an island (just like Agatha Christie did). Only here, the characters attend as part of a writer’s retreat. As a big fan of locked room style novels, the concept of the island was a big plus for me. I am also an escape room fan and there were some great scenes along these lines too.

The mysteriousness of the visit in Christie’s novel is similar to the mystery of who has really invited the authors to the island. It is, J.R. Alastor. Despite being a well-published author, nobody knows his real name, yet…

In this novel, Mila (an events organiser) gets a message from the mystery man asking her to help host a murder mystery event on his island. He wants to invite peers - six other authors who have all been successful within the crime/mystery/thriller genre. Mila accepts the job for a specific reason, but things quickly descend into chaos.

I really enjoyed the Cluedo concept and can appreciate how much thought must have gone into laying all the false trails and breadcrumbs that readers will, undoubtedly, follow. The use of foreboding/foreshadowing gives you a hint of what’s coming, however, I fell for the numerous red herrings and did not solve the case successfully.

A stunning debut by Pliego and something I would enjoy watching on television.

There are multiple perspectives shown and (something I really appreciated) the serial killer has a voice too – clever!

My only issue with this was the disruptions to the Kindle version as there were some pieces of text that were not where they should be/font sizes different to others and – as this book has some interesting features – it was sometimes hard to tell what was there in error/what was meant to be there.

With thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the chance to read this.

An intense thriller filled with deceit and twists, this book follows six authors of the same genre on a writers retreat. This is perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and knives out.

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

SPICE: 🆒 (while there is a small romance element, there is no "spice" other than kissing)

What a book! This is Ande Pliego's debut novel and it's an absolute cracker.

As a millennial, I remember very vividly when Scream was released in cinemas. It's now considered an absolute classic slasher horror, even though it is clearly a parody. Art imitating life, imitating art. Filled with intentional tropes, poking fun at the obvious, yet nailing each one and proving why the tropes work so well.

This book does that but with thriller books/locked room mysteries rather than horror movies.

The book centres around a group of successful, bestselling, thriller writers after they are invited to a themed retreat by the reclusive and anonymous J.R. Alastor. They are promised a week of themes, games, and riddles, and they are all tempted by the thought of meeting the elusive author.

To throw a spanner in the works, the event coordinator, Mila, has her own plans for one of the guests. Plans that take advantage of the theme of the weekend.

Nothing goes to plan and authors are dropping like flies, it's up to the remaining people to decide whether to play the game or not, to survive.

I enjoy locked room mysteries, but can often find myself figuring them out before the "big reveal" which can dampen the moment for me. Not this time, I had no idea what was coming, and the big reveal was exactly that!

The storytelling was complex, with multiple points of view (which worked really well for this story) each peeling back another small layer, revealing tidbits of information to progress the story. It was fast-paced while maintaining a good sense of intensity, with a sense of anticipation throughout.

Mila's story, was a great addition to the plot, adding an extra layer of complexity. There were a lot of moving parts here, which could have made for a messy story, but everything was finely tuned, working in tandem toward a shared goal without getting too jumbled.

The trope references throughout were delightful for me as a thriller reader. The book excerpts also did a great job of moving things forward clearly and concisely, avoiding unnecessary dialogue or explanations.

I connected with the characters' love of reading, writing, literature, and the thriller genre. Some of the lines resonated with me exceptionally.

"Sometimes the art of fiction isn't in how intellectual it is, but how well it makes you actually forget the world around you. Sometimes, binge reading to escape reality can save a person's life."

That line could have been surgically removed from my own brain, it's a perfect description of how reading makes me feel and I ADORED it!

As the story had multiple points of view in short bursts, I initially found it hard to match the names with the characters, which caused a few moments of confusion. It was naturally easier in the latter stages of the book because:

1) There were fewer characters due to unaliving!!

2) I'd had more chance to get to know them, which made it easier to slip back into their perspective :)

This was a really well-thought-out thriller brimming with twists, turns, backstabbing, unaliving, and tongue-in-cheek tropes that, while at risk of becoming comical, found the ideal balance that came together to create a solid, engaging story.

Absolutely Fabulous…
A writing retreat, a small and elite gathering of authors, a private island and a mysterious benefactor. What could possibly go wrong? Pulling in the reader expertly from the very off, this perfectly woven mystery has every single essential ingredient thrown into the mix and will keep the reader guessing to the very end. A well crafted cast of eclectic characters populate the twisting narrative and the meta fiction element before each chapter is honed to perfection. Absolutely fabulous.

The story is very gripping and wow the ending is a big surprise. I thoroughly recommend this book, another thrilling read by this talented author

A locked-room mystery - in this case with an island full of authors.

Six authors, one event manager and two staff arrive at an island for a writing retreat - invited by the enigmatic J. R. Alastor, king of murder mystery. One by one, over a number of evenings, they go missing or are found killed.

I read to the end of this because I did want to find out how the plot resolved. But it was hard. The writing felt 'spiky' - I know that's not a real description, but somehow it made me feel quite anxious. I strongly disliked hearing Mila think of the 'you' that she was trying to get revenge on - it threw me out of the writing. Apart from the older author and one younger man, I couldn't remember who the other guests were. The constant switch of perspectives kept leaving me confused. Overall, not an easy read, though it did have an interesting and twisty plot...

This book was exceptional, if you’re a fan of mystery and slashers it’s a must read.

The story follows a group of authors who receive an invitation to a weekend writers retreat. The host is a well established author who has so far chosen to keep their identity a secret. For reasons that unfold as the story continues, things quickly descend into chaos.

It includes horror, mystery and thriller elements. I especially liked the escape room like scenes.

It kept me guessing as to what the ending would be right until everything was revealed. The ending was very well crafted. My biggest critique of the mystery genre is that sometimes the ending will be too predictable or impossible to predict, this ending was neither making it incredibly satisfying.

This book is insane! Wow! Amazing twists and turns. I read so many thrillers and mysteries and 90% of the time I guess what’s going on. This one just takes you to almost the very end before you have your aha moment. Everyone is a suspect and no one is safe. Loved it!

I have read a lot of mystery/ thriller books over the last few years and this one is exceptional! Six crime writers are invited to an island for a private writing retreat hosted by an anonymous writer known as JR Alastor. Mila, who is in charge of running the event for Alastor has her own plans for the retreat, hoping to get revenge on one of the writers who has wronged her in the past, but when someone else is unexpectedly found dead, Mila realises she is not in control of the whole thing after all.
As more murders occur, the writers desperately try to figure out the identity of Alastor and seek to find a way to get off the island alive.
The book is very fast-paced and it kept me reading.
While I worked out the identity of Alastor, there were plenty of other unexpected twists and I loved the ending.
Highly recommend this book!

With many thanks to Netgalley for this free arc and I am leaving this unbiased review voluntarily
OMG this book!! It is such a rollercoaster ride that you do not want to get off. Agatha Christie meets Cluedo in this unique and utterly brilliant story. It has some wonderfully delicious characters and twists in the story. The suspense never lets up as the author weaves her mysterious web of secrets, lies, games and riddles and in the process also playing a game with the reader! Kudos to Ms Pliego because this is a very clever book. An absolute must for locked room mystery enthusiasts. A dazzling 5⭐️read

Wow! I’m gonna need a minute
That was amazing!!! Like really amazing I’m gutted it’s finished! What an unique story it had everything I love in a good thriller and so much more
Serial killer, games, locked rooms secrets lies murder
Blood and gore I couldn’t put it down
It was so fast paced even the quiet parts were intense.
I don’t think I could have loved it more absolutely amazing!!!!

#Yourefatallyinvited #NetGalley
Engrossing.
For decades, bestselling author J. R. Alastor, king of the murder mystery, has hidden in the shadows. His novels adorn countless bookshelves across the world, but no one knows his real name. One day, event coordinator Mila del Angél gets a message: Alastor wants her help to host a murder mystery retreat on his private island. The guest list? Six crime and thriller writers, all masters of the genre. He plans to give them the thrill of their lives: a week of party games, trope-fueled riddles and maybe a jump-scare or two. It’s the perfect cover for Mila to finally carry out her long-held plans for revenge on one of the authors, a ghost from her past. But when a different guest turns up dead, she finds herself in a lethal game she didn’t plan for. With a storm cutting off the island and the body count rising, Mila has no idea who to trust. How do you escape a faceless killer who wrote the book on murder?
You'll love this thriller. It's a masterpiece.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK Transworld Publishers Bantam for giving me an advance copy.