The Launch Party by Lauren Forry

 

376 pages

Publisher: Zaffre

Publishing Date: June 22, 2023

NetGalley

Blurb

THE TRIP OF A LIFETIME. YOU'D DIE TO BE THERE.

Ten lucky people have won a place at the most exclusive launch event of the century: the grand opening of the Hotel Artemis, the first hotel on the moon. It's an invitation to die for. As their transport departs for its return to Earth and the doors seal shut behind them, the guests take the next leap for mankind.

However, they soon discover that all is not as it seems. The champagne may be flowing, but there is no one to pour it. Room service is available, but there is no one to deliver it. Besides the ten of them, they are completely alone.

When one of the guests is found murdered, fear spreads through the group. But that death is only the beginning. Being three days' journey from home and with no way to contact the outside, can any of the guests survive their stay?

 

Review

A mystery set in the first hotel to open its doors on the moon. When I saw the blurb, I knew I had to read the story. I adore intriguing blurbs almost as much as I love mysteries, so diving into The Launching Party as soon as I could get my hands on it was a no-brainer. And I’m really glad I did.

In many ways—apart from the setting—this is a classic closed-circle murder mystery. We are introduced to a group of ten people who don’t know each other but find themselves in a situation where they have to spend time together in a location they can’t leave. When they discover that they are literally the only people in the vast hotel they are surprised and upset. Their feelings transform into fear when one of them is discovered dead in a scene that was obviously created to disturb and scare. Who can be trusted? Who is hiding what and why? Because even before the murder takes place it is clear that all of them have some sort of issue that may or may not be relevant to what happens next.

I’m not going to list and describe each of the ten guests here. One of them, Penelope Strand, is a police officer and as such automatically falls into the role of trying to find out what happened, although she struggles with some issues of her own.

I loved how the story developed. How the atmosphere changed after the first murder and became even more fraught after a second victim is discovered worked really well. As did the changing loyalties between these people. The mystery captured me early on and held me in its grip right until the final pages.

Having said that, the setup of this story raised one or two questions as well.

For starters, I have to wonder about the logistics involved in getting the people who were at the centre of this mystery all in this location. I’m also not sure the scenario where the group of ten ended up in the hotel on their own, without any staff available, made complete sense. Given the scope of the venture and the amount of money involved, I would expect a stunt like this to be (next to) impossible to pull off.

Do I mind? Did it upset me while I was reading the conclusion?

The short answer is no. While I was reading it didn’t even occur to me that there might be a plausibility issue; that thought only came to me after I finished the book. And even when the thought did cross my mind, it was quickly followed by the realisation that I’d just read a mystery set in the first hotel on the moon and I decided that if I could accept the setting without question, maybe I should show the solution the same generosity. 😊

I feel I should also mention that this story is told from multiple points of view and that it wasn’t always immediately clear when the point of view changed. This may or may not be because I read an ARC rather than the final e-book version, though.

When push comes to shove, what we have here is a closed circle mystery, much in keeping with the genre’s tradition. I’m not sure if the reader is given all the clues they need to solve the mystery before the investigator does, but I wasn’t left with any unanswered question when the story ended. What’s more, I thoroughly enjoyed my reading journey while the investigation was going on. It seems to me that the author allowed for the possibility of more mysteries set in Hotel Artemis and if she writes those, I will definitely read them.

The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz

Publisher: Magpie

Released: February 2023

320 pages

E-book

Netgalley

 

Blurb

A book deal to die for.

Five attendees are selected for a month-long writing retreat at the remote estate of Roza Vallo, the controversial high priestess of feminist horror. Alex, a struggling writer, is thrilled.

Upon arrival, they discover they must complete an entire novel from scratch, and the best one will receive a seven-figure publishing deal. Alex’s long-extinguished dream now seems within reach.

But then the women begin to die.

Trapped, terrified yet still desperately writing, it is clear there is more than a publishing deal at stake at Blackbriar Estate. Alex must confront her own demons – and finish her novel – to save herself.

This unhinged, propulsive, claustrophobic closed-door thriller will pull you in and spit you out…

 

Review

If the blurb sounds somewhat dark, it is because this is a dark story. Very dark. If I had to summarize the plot in one sentence I would say: All is fair when the goal is hitting the top spot on the bestsellers’ lists. But that statement may not be strong enough to convey what takes place on these pages.

Take five young writers desperate for their big break, add one bestselling mentor and put them together in an isolated house in the middle of nowhere for a month. The idea is that they each write a book from scratch during those four weeks. The means of keeping the writers on target are, how shall I put it, unconventional. But the promised reward to the person who produces the best story is huge, so whatever reservations our main character and narrator Kate might have are pushed to the back of her mind as she and the others dedicate their time to producing 3000 words every day to be judged by the fabulous Raz.

And that is more or less all I can tell you about the plot without spoiling the story. What I can say is that the story slowly but steadily gets darker, creepier, and more mysterious. While it becomes obvious that things are probably not exactly what they appear to be very early on, the full extent of the darkness doesn’t become clear until much further on. What’s more, it isn’t always clear whether or not we are dealing with something supernatural. Is Kate imagining things or are otherworldly powers (also) at play?

Kate, when the story starts, has issues and is very insecure. This state of mind is made worse by the fact that Wren, who used to be her best friend until they had a nasty falling out is also one of the contestants. But when one of the competing authors disappears, most other concerns take a back seat and Kate finds herself relying on strengths and qualities she didn't know she possessed.

In fact, this is as much a story about learning to have confidence in yourself and trusting your instincts and abilities as it is a cautionary tale asking the characters how much of themselves they are willing to sacrifice in return for fame. Overall, this was a thrilling but not always comfortable ride.

 

 

 

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

 

276 pages

Kindle edition

First published November 6, 1939

Book Club read February 2023

 

Blurb

First, there were ten - a curious assortment of strangers summoned as weekend guests to a private island off the coast of Devon. Their host, an eccentric millionaire unknown to all of them, is nowhere to be found. All that the guests have in common is a wicked past they're unwilling to reveal - and a secret that will seal their fate. For each has been marked for murder. One by one they fall prey. Before the weekend is out, there will be none. And only the dead are above suspicion.

 

Review

 

Ten little soldier boys went out to dine;

One choked his little self and then there were Nine.

Nine little soldier boys sat up very late;

One overslept himself and then there were Eight.

Eight little soldier boys travelling in Devon;

One said he’d stay there and then there were Seven.

Seven little soldier boys chopping up sticks;

One chopped himself in halves ad then there were Six.

Six little soldier boys playing with a hive;

A bumble bee stung one and then there were Five.

Five little soldier boys going in for law;

One got in Chancery and then there were Four.

Four little soldier boys going out to sea;

A red herring swallowed one and then there were Three

Three little soldier boys walking in the Zoo;

A big bear hugged one and then there were Two.

Two little soldier boys sitting in the sun;

One got frizzled up and then there was One.

One little soldier boy left all alone;

He went and hanged himself and then there were None.

From the Author’s Note:

I had written this book because it was so difficult to do that the idea fascinated me.

As for me, I was fascinated from the opening few paragraphs describing several people making their way to a place called Soldier Island. Their destination may be the same, but they don’t know each other, aren’t aware others are making the same journey, or that they’ve all been invited under a different pretence.

As the blurb suggests, the guests are in for one or two unpleasant surprises. And chief among those is the fact that one by one they will be killed as punishment for deaths they have caused in the past but gotten away with.

I do not want to spoil this book for anybody who may not be familiar with the story or for those who, like me, read it so long ago that they've forgotten every single detail. Suffice to say that I was mesmerized by this tale and not just because it appeared to be an impossible crime. Once it becomes clear that the eight guests and two servants are the only people on the island, we know that the only possible explanation is that one of them has to be the deranged murderer. But if all of them die, how can that possibly be the case?

It's not just the mystery of who and how that kept me captivated. The slow but steady slide from disbelief via fear and anger to utter paranoia was fascinating. It was also very cleverly executed because Christie has a very light touch. In fact, if I had to pick one facet of this story that stood out over all others it would be her ability to show her reader darkness without ever spelling it out or layering it on with heavy strokes.

I have to hand it to Agatha Christie. Yes, the idea for this story is fascinating and it reads like an impossible-to-resolve mystery (even) more than her other stories. Yet, once all was revealed at the end of the story—and therefore much too late to save anybody’s life—it did makes sense and both motivation and means of execution convinced me. I’m not sure why that should surprise me; they don’t call Christie the Queen of Crime for nothing. 😊 In fact, if it hadn’t been for the wonderful and in-depth All About Agatha podcast, I would have been oblivious about the one plotting ‘mistake’ in this story.

 

I am delighted I picked this book for my book club and can’t wait for the discussion. Reading And Then There Were None also has made me even more determined to revisit more Agatha Christie mysteries. I rarely re-read any books but I’m looking forward to making an exception for her mysteries.