In an effort to shore up their faltering marriage, Becca and Blake go away for the weekend to a 1920s-themed murder mystery hotel. But when the actress playing the maid disappears, Becca suspects that a real crime might have occurred.
I’ve always thought murder mystery dinners would be fun. I’ve never been to one, but I like stories and I like puzzles, and besides nothing that inspired the Edgar Allen Poe’s Murder Mystery Dinner Party could be dull. I was intrigued by the idea of two mysteries running side-by-side, one real and one fake, and how they might intersect.
This book picks a tricky pair as the lead – a couple that’s trying to stay together after the husband cheated. I thought it was a bold choice, as a lot of readers consequently couldn’t sympathize with Becca, but I thought it offered an interesting way to grapple with the theme of infidelity, which is a common theme in domestic mysteries. I also enjoyed the way the fake mystery, kitchsy as it was, affected Becca’s perception of the people around her and the clues which she could go on for solving the real mystery, throwing up a multitude of red herrings.
However, I thought the plot around Bethany going missing took a long time to heat up – we are introduced to it early on, but no real movement occurs until the last third. In the meanwhile, we focus on the domestic drama between Becca and Blake, which I did not enjoy so much. While it is understandable why Becca was so bitter and anxious, it was unpleasant to read about her constantly stressing out about her relationship and her intense jealousy.
Ultimately I have pretty mixed feelings about this read. It kept me engaged throughout in regards to the central mystery, but the theme of infidelity will definitely turn off many potential readers, especially as the story doesn’t end with a break up.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.
