As a book reviewer, I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher or author to facilitate this review. I received no other compensation, and all opinions are always 100% my own.
It sounds like a dream invite. Six authors of suspense, thriller, mystery and horror are invited to a reclusive island retreat by the best-selling and anonymous writer JR Alastor. It’s an honor reserved for a select few, all at the top of their game, and it’s irresistible. And so they come, in late October, to a remote island off the coast of Maine, 17 miles offshore, and the sumptuous home. The retreat has been organized by Mila del Angél, event coordinator and former aspiring writer whose motivation is clear to herself–this is her way to avenge herself on one of the other writers. She and Alastor craft a perfect murder-mystery weekend, with games, writing sessions, and more.
From the beginning things go wrong, beginning when one of the writers disappears the first day. By the time his dead body is discovered, a sense of dread is settling over everyone, including Mila. Alastor has somehow discovered that each writer hides a dark secret, and he has decided to enact vengeance on each. He claims to Mila that only by confessing their sins to each other can they be set free. But, as one realizes, that opens them all up to police investigations, loss of income and status, and a lot more. Who will be willing to risk all in order to set things right?
You are Fatally Invited echoes Agatha Christie’s famous And Then There Were None. There’s the island location, the group of people all with dark secrets of murder or manslaughter well-hidden in their pasts suddenly exposed, etc. The novel pays homage to Christie’s work while setting up a thoroughly modern take on it, with different characters and a unifying theme not apparent until the end. It’s creepy all right, and keeps you on your toes as the number of potential suspects gets smaller and smaller. Different chapters take us into different character’s heads. For me personally (admittedly a queasy person), it danced right up to the edge of the amount of gore I can handle, but the characters kept me engaged and reading till the end. It was definitely worth it! Recommended!
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