F. Scott Fitzgerald’s works continue to fascinate readerships, and the slim novel depicting confidence trickster Jay Gatsby published one hundred years ago in particularly so. This debut novel focuses not on the irreverent protagonist but instead creates a new character by way of a younger sister for Gatsby, who is at the heart of the action. This sister, called Greta but commonly known as Gigi, returns to West Egg after completing her expensive education elsewhere. She steps into some fairly familiar scenes refracted through Nick Carraway’s recollections, with Jordan Baker, Daisy Buchanan and other hangers-on continuing to enjoy Gatsby’s lavish parties – until the appearance of a deceased person among their privileged community. Will Gigi be able to solve the mystery of what happened to this unfortunate Long Islander? And what else will she uncover about the circles she moves in?

Astutely written and with a beautifully executed plot, what I liked most about this novel were its representations of femininity, as female housekeepers, former student Gigi, party girl Jordan and many other females are all afforded narratorial space and hint at the societal inequalities that already bubbled under the surface in Fitzgerald’s original work. Very highly recommended for readers whose appetite for Fitzgerald’s fiction shows no sign of abating! I wish to thank the publishers and NetGalley for the complimentary ARC that allowed me to read this exquisite debut novel, and to produce this unbiased review.

Guessed the killer in the first 20 pages. Completely ruined the vibe of Gatsby for me. Didn't hit at all got bored. Unfortunately not a book I would recommend especially is you love the great Gatsby book.

Thank you for allowing me to review this book. I am not familiar with this author and have never read The Great Gatsby. I did see the film many years ago. Therefore, I can not comment on how closely the characters were to the original. Set in the 1920's America, Greta returns to her brothers house after finishing university. She arrives expecting only her brother to be there, but instead he has 4 guests. Greta is disappointed by these circumstances. The first night she is home one of the guests is found dead on her brother's boat. Although, believed to be suicide, Greta has an instinct that all is not clear cut. She then, does her own sleuthing to uncover the truth. The guests and her brother are happy that it was not murder. The story is slow to develop and although I finished the book it was not really for me. Greta, is an independent young lady who is a likeable character. The others, all wealthy are not so interesting or likeable. The staff show various characteristics, but are of their time. In that they keep their feelings to themselves and it is not until later in the story that we learn more about them.
I'm sure some readers will enjoy this simple historical crime fiction, but it is not one for me.

I really enjoyed this story which I found the be cleverly plotted and completely gripping. I loved Greta, her bright curiosity and her reflections on the time. It was a great cast of characters, mostly not terribly likeable and a murder mystery that kept me guessing till the big reveal. I do hope there’s more to come.

A rather enchanting golden age mystery.

Greta Gatsby, sister of the famous Jay, is finally finished with education and, sporting her new bob hairstyle, heads for West Egg to spend the summer in her brother's mansion. On arrival, she finds that they are not alone - Jay is hosting a house party and the evening stretches before them with a candle lit dinner and dancing to the latest music on the gramophone. However, come the next morning one of their party is missing. A murder has taken place and while Greta didn't plan to spend her summer playing sleuth, she doesn't fancy just waiting around to see who's next to turn up dead!;

It is several decades since I read The Great Gatsby and I have to admit that this is a new author to me. However, the beautiful cover drew me in and I'm so happy I decided to read this one. It's a fine read and one I enjoyed. The period setting was maintained throughout and it was well-written with a grand cast of characters and a puzzling mystery. If you enjoy period mysteries, I would definitely recommend this. For me, 4*.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley.

It’s 1992, and Jay Gatsby, his sister Greta, and some friends gather for a get-together at Gatsby’s mansion. The next morning, Tom is missing. His wife, his brother, the other party guests, and the staff all come under suspicion, especially when he is found dead.

Secrets and lies, and past family issues come to the surface during the investigation, throwing in misdirection with the police getting nowhere. Greta steps in to carry out her own sleuthing; I liked Greta’s character, but felt that some of her exploits were a bit far-fetched for the era. There were a few references back to the original Great Gatsby, which was enjoyable for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Renegade Books and Claire Anderson-Wheeler for the eARC.

As a fan of the original Gatsby, I had fairly high expectations of this spin-off. I rather enjoyed that the objectionable Tom got his comeuppance rather than Jay Gatsby and applauded the new Daisy, who exhibited some backbone. Some of the other characters paled in comparison with their originals, but it was good to ‘meet’ them again. Greta proved herself, though one or two of her exploits gave me pause – I just couldn’t picture a young woman of those times in those particular circumstances – but it is a good fun read when considered as unrelated to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s story.

Finally free of the educational demands placed on her by her older brother Jay, twenty-one-year-old Greta Gatsby returns to the palatial Gatsby Mansion in West Egg. With a new, and very modern, haircut that she is sure her brother will disapprove of, she has plans to have an idyllic summer before deciding where her life goes from here.

When she arrives, she finds Jay in company with his usual set of friends drawn from New York high society - Daisy and Tom Buchanan, Tom's brother Edgar, Nick Carraway and Jordan Baker. she is less than pleased about some of these people being here when she was hoping for some rare time alone with her brother, but settles in to make the best of a glamourous evening of eating, drinking, and making merry to the sound of the latest gramophone tunes.

Inevitably, the night ends with drama brought on by too much alcohol, but no one expects one of their number to be missing when the morning comes. Tom Buchanan is found dead, with a gun shot to his head. Suicide seems the likely cause, but Greta is not so sure. Instead of leisurely pursuits, Greta is determined to get to the bottom of the death by emulating her favourite Agatha Christie detectives and turning sleuth.

In a delicious twist on one of my favourite classic tragedies, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Claire Anderson-Wheeler takes his unforgettable characters and shapes their story in a very entertaining Jazz Age, country house murder mystery.

The story unfurls through the eyes of Jay Gatsby's determined young sister Greta, who brings Enola Holmes energy to the piece by not taking the death of overbearing, and morally dubious Tom Buchanan at face value as a suicide. While plenty of drama takes place in the Gatsby household, in the wake of the death, rife with complicated tangle of grief-fuelled, guilt ridden, and recrimination rich emotions (with the added spice of a jewel robbery), Greta (an avid Agatha Christie fan) gets to work tracking down clues which might reveal a murderer amongst them - and her investigation takes the story to some surprising places.

There are lovely twists and turns, with plenty of Christie like misdirection, and Anderson-Wheeler pays homage to Fitzgerald's original by delving into the same themes of old vs new money, reputation, social mobility, and love. She also incorporates a host themes about the hopes, dreams, and freedoms of women in the 1920s by telling her story through the voice of Greta, especially around the social conscience she develops over the course of the book. There is a of thought-provoking hard-edge to the whole piece about the horrendous history of the American Protective League too, and the shocking misdeeds perpetrated in the name of enforcing patriotism and stifling dissent, which sent me down a lot of unsettling rabbit holes.

Inevitably, Anderson-Wheeler's characters differ from Fitzgerald's in a number of ways. Gatsby here is much more vulnerable than we have seen him before, and the self-absorbed Daisy actually redeems herself somewhat before the final page is turned. Jordan is much more likeable too. But the winners for me are Nick Carraway (as always), with his sense, bravery, and depth of feeling, and the eminently charming, plucky Greta. I also loved the way Anderson-Wheeler adds a bit of frisson through the gentle romantic tension she builds between Greta and Nick.

I thoroughly enjoyed this page-turning reimagining, and all its lush Jazz Age vibes. There is scope for a sequel too, which I would dearly love to read!

1922:

Greta Gatsby is 21, he younger sister to Jay and has finished finishing school. A long summer awaits her at the Gatsby Mansion.

However, when she arrives at the estate she finds she isn't the only visitor. Jay is hosting a party for the great and good of New York: Daisy and Tom Buchanan, along with his brother Edgar, Nick Carraway and Jordan Baker.

They all meet for dinner but at the end of the evening one of them has dissapeared.

I'll start by saying that I didn't really gel with this book, although I don't know why. It is broadly based on the same characters as the Great Gatsby, I've never seen the film or read the book, which doesn't help, but it is a standalone book in its own right. It is at heart a murder mystery, with little or no romance involved, which is the audience that it is intended for, but not what I normally read. There are plenty of twists and turns and the reveal was totally unexpected for me, those who enjoy such mysteries will surely enjoy it, hence my scoring of 4*.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.

The Gatsby Gambit is a cracking golden-age murder mystery which I thoroughly enjoyed reading.

It takes place in the world of Jay Gatsby, Nick Carraway and Daisy Buchanan, but it needn't have. The characters could have been anyone; the plot needed only a historical setting with a big house and servants.

If you enjoyed Golden Age whodunnit mysteries then I would absolutely recommend you read this book.

Summer of 1922, Greta Gatsby is going home to the Gatsby Mansion, West Egg, to stay with her elder brother, Jay. At the mansion, Jay has guests staying - Daisy and Tom Buchanan, Nick Carraway and Jordan Baker. One morning, one of them is missing. A body is discovered and Greta never imagined she would become an amateur sleuth and start to investigate the crime. Who knew what she would discover when she starts to look behind secrets and lies and family dynamics. It was well written and I lost myself in the shimmery world of the rich. All the subplots are woven together to a glittery conclusion with a few red herrings thrown in.

Greta Gatsby, the lesser-known sister of the infamous Jay Gatsby, returns from years abroad and finishing schools with a newfound independence at age 21. Eager to leave the shadow of her brother behind, she returns to Gatsby Mansion in West Egg, a place brimming with both old-world charm and simmering tensions. Greta, an avid fan of crime novels, finds herself drawn into a mystery that soon shatters the calm of her genteel world.

Shortly after her arrival, the household is rocked by the discovery of Tom Buchanan’s body on the boat they were about to board—a death hastily dismissed by the police as suicide. However, Greta senses that something is amiss. Amidst the chaos, even as Daisy Buchanan struggles with the aftermath of her troubled marriage, she finds solace in the support of friends and the lingering affection of Jay Gatsby, who has secretly harbored love for her for years. After Tom’s funeral, despite Jay’s proposal is turned down, it was improper and he was warned against it by both Nick and Greta. Daisy goes with Edgar, Tom’s own brother, choosing instead to remain at the Buchanan home until the situation becomes clearer.

The plot thickens when Daisy’s treasured pearl and diamond necklace goes missing, and suspicion falls immediately on the servants—particularly Ada and Molly—even though no trace of the necklace is found. Driven by her instinct for justice, Greta embarks on a personal investigation into Tom’s death. The trail of clues soon leads to revelations: the police uncover barbiturates in Tom’s system and question anyone who might have had access to them, forcing Jay to admit that he possessed some. The situation escalates when Jay is detained at the police station, leaving Greta distraught and determined to untangle the web of secrets and lies.

Set against the lush backdrop of the 1920s, the novel is a delightful blend of classic crime fiction and the opulent world of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s characters. The author skillfully transports readers to an era defined by its stark social divides—between the old money of the elite and the nouveau riche, embodied by Jay’s constant struggle with his social standing. Beyond the central mystery, the narrative delves into the profound bond between Greta and Jay, whose shared tragedy of losing their parents at a young age forged an unbreakable connection. Despite the glitz and glamour, the story does not shy away from exploring the deep emotional scars borne by its characters.

The supporting cast, including the formidable yet unsympathetic Housekeeper Mrs. Dantry, adds color and authenticity to the narrative. While most characters are endearingly crafted, a few, like Mrs. Dantry, serve as vivid reminders of the rigid and often unforgiving societal norms of Its time.

With its intricate plot, unexpected twists, and a setting that vividly brings the Roaring Twenties to life, this novel is a must-read for fans of cozy mysteries with an Agatha Christie twist. Although the anticipated romantic subplot leaves a touch of longing unfulfilled, the book’s engaging narrative and richly drawn characters more than compensate for it.

Overall, this innovative reimagining of The Great Gatsby universe, combined with a gripping murder mystery, promises a thoroughly enjoyable read for anyone who appreciates period pieces, complex characters, and a dash of suspense.

The Gatsby Gambit offers a nostalgic return to a beloved literary landscape, blending historical intrigue with a fresh perspective. However, its reinterpretation of classic characters and plot elements may not resonate with all readers.

We all know The Great Gatsby is my favourite book of all time (despite my insta handle) so when I saw The Gatsby Gambit on Netgalley I just knew I had to request it asap. I didn’t know how I’d feel about reading my first ever fictional spin off of it…but I really enjoyed it! It was exciting to return to the same old characters, enigmatic Jay, steadfast Nick…even the pesky Buchanans. This time were introduced to Gatsby’s sister, Greta (you see what the author did there 😉) who is a fiery character in herself, pushing boundaries and making her own. This is a perfect read for any fans of Gatsby, you don’t need to read the original first, it’s a completely different story. Just enjoy this one as much as the writing deserves.

I really enjoyed this book; it had a good mix of wealthy estate life (think Downton Abbey on the eastern coast of America!) with a murder mystery thrown in. I kept thinking I had figured it out, only for there to be another twist or vital bit of information come to light which changed things again. I just thought the ending was a little long - all I wanted was to know if two of the characters had ended up together as I thought they should be!

Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review, which is what I have given.

A classic murder mystery. Greta Gatsby travels home to her brother Jay’s big house on Long Island. Their family was relatively poor and Jay was a self-made man. Other guests are there including Tom and Daisy Buchanan, staying there while their own home is being renovated. Greta soon realised that her brother is still in love with Daisy, even though she has chosen to marry Tom. Then there’s a murder. The obligatory Police Inspector arrives. Greta’s a great character, going where she shouldn’t to follow a hunch. Clues and red herrings abound.

The story follows on from The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald in which Daisy chose Tom over Jay, partly because Tom was from old money. A bit long perhaps, but a good read.

It’s 1922 and the author has transported us back to the Gatsby Mansion in West Egg, Long Island, the home of the wealthy and hedonistic Jay Gatsby. His younger sister, close to her 21st birthday, Greta has returned to live there after finishing school. Hoping to have him to herself she is disappointed to find one of Jays intimate house parties in full swing. In attendance are friends and socialites Daisy and husband Tom, Edgar, Jordan and Nick. It’s so good to be back in West Egg. The author has done a fantastic job of keeping this true to the original.

Briefly, shortly after Greta’s arrival one of the party goes missing and a body is found on Jay’s boat. Greta who is a bit of a Golden Age detective fiction fan puts on her sleuthing hat and when Jay comes under suspicion her investigation ramps up a notch.

With many of the characters back from the original book the author did a brilliant job of keeping their voices authentic and the new characters all fitted in well. This is a classic mystery of the era with plenty of red herrings and clues dotted through the narrative and a killer I hadn’t foreseen. I really enjoyed it and will definitely revisit the original book again soon. I hope the author is going to write more from West Egg, I’ll definitely read it. A wonderful golden age detective story with a great cast of character and a decadent setting. Fabulous.
4.5⭐️

Greta Gatsby is Jay (The Great) Gatsby’s sister. Seven years younger, she has never been part of Jay’s hedonistic life. But now she’s free from the protected world of education and finishing-schools and has come to live with him at his mansion in West Egg, on Long Island. Jay’s retinue of friends, Daisy, Tom, Nick and Jordan, are already ensconced house guests by the time she gets there. Greta is young and naïve compared to them, but highly intelligent and socially skilled so fits in with their “Beau Monde” lifestyle. However, the latter is soon disrupted by a violent death, but is it suicide or murder. Greta is also well schooled in the fictional worlds of Agatha Christie and begins to suspect the latter, detecting discrepancies which, unfortunately, are not clues that would persuade others, including the police. Undeterred, she sets out to prove her case and unmask a killer.
Writing a new story based in a preexisting fictional world requires considerable skill. Even though the background and many of the characters are already drawn, the voice, the syntax, the idiom need to be right. The danger that the style will become parody rather than pastiche is obvious. The author here negotiates that with apparent ease; it just feels natural. A reader in 1925 (when The Great Gatsby was first published) would, I think, be perfectly happy. Readers now, a hundred years later, should also be delighted. But style, of course, isn’t everything. This is a murder-mystery, a whodunnit, so it need to also conform to that genre. The plot is a straightforward amateur detective story, there are clues scattered along the way, red herrings at appropriate points, a detective following her suspicions, police who are disinclined to believe her, a killer with a motive which is logical within the story but difficult to spot, and a dénouement which is classic. Perfectly in line with the style of the book. Overall it is, perhaps, a bit longer than it need be, but the prose is enjoyable so I didn’t find this a problem. I could knock off a few decimal points for minor issues like length, but I can’t get it is as low as a 4, so the star system says 5.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

This is an enjoyable read that captures the spirit of the 1920's. I found it slow at first but then the pace picked up. Greta Gatsby is a particularly engaging character. The informative notes at the end were an added bonus.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest review.