The Murder Game: A gripping murder mystery from the author of A Fatal Crossing

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The Murder Hame by Tom Hindle is published today by Cornerstone (an imprint of Penguin Random House) and you can now buy a copy from your favourite local book shop! For some unknown reason (most likely my inability to read a synopsis properly) I thought this was going to be a historical who dunnit in the style of Agatha Christies And Then There Were None but while there are some similarities it's a little bit different. For one thing it's set in the present day with a group of residents from a small village, and a few unexpected guests, attending a murder mystery party on New Year's Eve at the local hotel. There are envelopes on the tables – one for each of the quests, informing them of their roles. Each guest plays a different character such as a maid, a solicitor, a doctor, a daughter, a wife, a murderer and a victim. There are clues, there are red herrings and there are the usual suspects and the ever present motives.

The Murder Game by Tom Hindle | Goodreads

My chief problem with the book is that it’s all so entirely predictable. There were lots of strangely abrupt endings to chapters that made me think “eh?” before realising that this was meant to be ‘a revelation’ der-der-derrrr! There just were no surprises, the whole plot and all of the ‘twists’ were signposted so early on that there was no reason to keep reading. There are multiple layers of mystery that overlap as the story unfolds, including the earlier deaths of a young boy in a tragic fall and a previous murder, the discovery of which is the cause of Will’s PTSD. Poor plot with a most uninteresting twist. Weak characters with no depth left me not caring what happened to any of them. Terrible prose and narrative. I'm still getting over 'the smile slipped off his face like grease' and 'she felt panic skirting across her face'. The pace of the book was okay, it was neither super fast nor agonizingly slow, just perfect. I loved that we get different perspectives throughout the night, to get inside scopes to the different guests' mind and their anxiety through the night. It’s New years eve and a murder mystery party is being held at Hamlet Hall hotel. A hotel that has seen better days. In a secluded area of North Devon and there is no phone signal. There are eight guests, all with secrets of their own. Which had something to do with a body that is found on a beach over twenty years ago.The mystery itself is an intriguing one. It is possibly not the most original but sometimes it's great to just relax and enjoy a story that has a traditional feel to it. It's like settling down to watch a classic murder mystery on a Sunday evening. There are a few twists and turns, the odd red herring and a few reveals around events that happened in the past. I did see some of the reveals coming but there were a few surprises in there too. With no phone signal and no way out of the house, the others are trapped with a killer in their midst. This was my first Tom Hindle novel and although billed as in the 'Golden Age' style, I found it to be a very disappointing imitation of this genre. A classic style, small-cast mystery, this story sees a group of locals all assembled for a game, each with their own secrets and strong reasons to hate the surprise guest, Damien White, who is inevitable found brutally murdered during the course of the evening. My hope is that Tom's novels will improve as he acquires greater experience and a more robust style of writing.

The Murder Game: A gripping murder mystery from the author of

With the wedding guests trapped as they await the police, old secrets come to light and family rivalries threaten to bubble over. There is certainly plenty to like about "The Murder Game" and the influence of those aforementioned authors is plainly evident. There is a nice prologue to set the scene and introduce the key protagonists in true "Golden Age" mystery fashion. The setting, too, is very Christie-esque and I liked the way the author made use of a 1920s themed murder mystery game to create a mystery within a mystery. Not only did this allow homage to be paid to that classic era, but it also reminded me of the technique employed by Anthony Horowitz in his "Magpie Murders" and "Moonflower Murders" books. It won't escape fans of Horowitz that there is something of a "Midsomer Murders" feel to this story too. The suspects? Everyone involved in the murder mystery party. From the actors, the guests, to the staff in Hamlet Hall. I love a good closed circle murder mystery so this was right up my street and so well done. There's a small(ish) cast of not especially likeable characters, some secrets from the past, a few grudges and a lot of twists and turns.This is your standard murder-at-the-party format that includes many twists and turns that accompany the complex narrative. There are deep lies and discoveries that intertwine between past and present and Hindle has really set a stride with this one. There are layers to these characters motives that are expressive but brutal. As before, we've had to pay attention to close details to follow everyone's steps and motives. This was an engaging read, but it did fall short on its surprises. The writing is innovative and can be deemed as a step up from A Fatal Crossing but the characters weren't as interesting. This could be more since A Fatal Crossing was one of my favourite reads of the year. Completely unchallenging but thoroughly entertaining read. Felt like a golden age of Agatha Christie and had a very British feel. I requested this ARC from NetGalley last year, it was what prompted me to read the author's debut, A Fatal Crossing, which I DNF'd two thirds in. I thought it only fair to give The Murder Game a fair shot, but as 20% in, have decided to also DNF. An Agatha Christie worthy whodunnit for the Midsomer Murders generation (me then!). Murders and hatred abound but there’s an overall cosy, Sunday night feel. This isn’t about hardened psychopaths, it’s all very middle class.

The Murder Game by Tom Hindle - Penguin Books Australia The Murder Game by Tom Hindle - Penguin Books Australia

Tom Hindle is originally from Yorkshire and now lives in Oxfordshire, where he works for a digital PR agency. A FATAL CROSSING is Tom's debut novel and was inspired by masters of the crime genre from Agatha Christie to Anthony Horowitz.This was a great follow-up to A Fatal Crossing, which might have been the better of the two, but The Murder Game is a strong story that sweeps you right up. A classic murder mystery weekend in an old hotel in a beautiful costal area, where tensions are running high between many of the attendees. The arrival of a man who is hated by all heightens the mystery and as the events of the evening progress an actual murder takes place. A lot is riding on the first murder mystery party being held at Hamlet Hall. Organiser Will Hooper wants to prove himself and right certain wrongs from the past. And Ian Davies, the hotel's owner, desperately need money to keep the Hall running. He's willing to give anything that can draw in the locals out of season a try and has put a lot of money and effort into making the first event a roaring success. as the guests start turning on each other things hot up as more disclosures abound but can the murderer be unveiled or has someone else have a hidden agenda Finally, we are left with a satisfying ending, all loose ends are tied up neatly. Whilst I had figured out who the murderer was it did not take away the enjoyment of seeing this Cluedo story play out.

The Murder Game - Penguin Books UK The Murder Game - Penguin Books UK

The characters were mostly unlikeable apart from Theo, one of the actors hired for the party, and Lily, the victim’s daughter. I would have quite liked to see them team up and try and solve the mystery together. A really interesting storyline peppered with characters who interlink in ways that the reader becomes aware of mainly at the end reveal. Well written and tense, another hugely enjoyable book. The owner of Hamlet Hall has organised a murder mystery evening with a 1920s twist, and everyone has their own part to play. Book Genre: Boarding School, Contemporary, Crime, Fiction, Horror, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, School Stories, Teen, Thriller, Young Adult The characters are not especially likeable and I'm not sure there's a single one you can trust but they're all very well crafted. I could picture each and every one.

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I enjoyed what I read of this more than the A Fatal Crossing, because it felt more focused and more clearly plotted. However, there are a lot of characters and perspectives though, which I was struggling to keep on top of, but this may have improved had I continued to read. On the private island of Castello Fiore - surrounded by the glittering waters of Lake Garda - the illustrious Heywood family gathers for their son Laurence's wedding to Italian influencer Eva Bianchi. There is some authentic-feeling portrayal of PTSD in the story and it was a clever idea to focus the narrative mostly on the viewpoint s of the four younger (early 20s) – all very different – characters: Lily, heiress to and daughter of the murdered man; Will, organiser of the event but struggling with long-term trauma; Theo, actor in the game and aspiring actor outside it; and Justin, local journalist, desperate for a big story to break him out into the big papers.