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growintogardens's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Sigh. Well, I'm happy to see the lgbtq rep in mysteries, especially a bi protagonist. That said, I didn't really care for the story or the characters. Too many deaths, not enough character development. I also really didn't like having to read about pregnancy. Overall I just couldn't get into it, which sucks because I love the whole stuck in a house mystery.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Incest, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Murder, and Pregnancy
Minor: Biphobia, Bullying, Toxic relationship, Car accident, and Alcohol
tuhkasirius's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
Minor: Biphobia and Incest
librariangeorgia's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I absolutely loved this book. The concept was so well thought out and every single character had completely different personalities and therefore brought something different to the story.
The clues and riddles completely went over my head so I didn’t even attempt to solve those. But I did love the family dynamics and competitiveness.
It is the classic and-then-there-was-only-one murder mystery but the fact that literally no-one was freaked out when the murders started happening was very weird. They just carried on as if someone being murdered is normal - maybe it is in that household… I didn’t actually guess who the killer was, but it’s actually obvious when you think about it - I also didn’t guess the reasoning/plan behind it all either.
I loved the various lgbt characters and them actually having happy endings!
Overall, I thought it was a fun festive read and it has now pushed MURDER ON THE CHRISTMAS EXPRESS a lot higher on my tbr list!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Cancer, Death, Incest, Suicide, Blood, Car accident, Murder, and Pregnancy
juliette_95's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Car accident, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy
Minor: Biphobia
purplepenning's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
A classic, tense, atmospheric whodunit with a dysfunctional family and a rising body count during a snowed-in, country-mansion inheritance game full of clues, puzzles, and the weight of the past, present, and future. Not entirely my cup of tea (I like my Christmas murder mysteries to have at least a little Christmas warmth and cheer 😆) but a good one for word-puzzlers who like to play along at home.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Biphobia, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Gun violence, and Sexual content
lastblossom's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for a review copy.
tl;dr
A tense, atmospheric, closed circle mystery with a classic whodunnit feel. End feels a little contrived.
About
Liliana Armitage is dead, and ownership of the family mansion is up for grabs. A series of twelve riddles are all that stand between the remaining members of the family and ownership of the luxurious house called Endgame. Lily Armitage has no desire to return to Endgame and the painful memories it holds of her mother's death all those years ago. But a secret letter arrives, informing Lily that her mother's death was actually a murder, and the culprit's identity will only be revealed if she can solve the riddles of Endgame.
Thoughts
The book opens with a map of the house that looks purposefully like the board for Cluedo/Clue. I think it's the best hint possible for readers to set their expectations. What lies within this book is a mystery that feels very classic: strict rules, only one winner, no world-breaking plot twists. Fans of closed circle mysteries, "And Then There Were None" plot lines, and angry family members scrambling to solve clues for an inheritance will find all that in spades here. The numerous puzzles in this book rely heavily on in-universe knowledge to solve, so it's not a fair game mystery. The author makes up for it by hiding anagrams within the text of the book for readers to find. I played along for the first part of the book (it was fun), but I stopped once the plot picked up because I was too engrossed in the story.
The main character Lily is clever and talented, but she spends a lot of time making herself smaller (literally and figuratively) to avoid the attention of her louder cousins. While she does learn to be herself a little more, I was disappointed that she didn't manage to be more assertive in the end, relying on a bit of contrived luck to get out of a bad situation. Other characters vary in likability (on purpose), with some rather clear-cut villains and several genuinely sympathetic friends. Overall, a fun read for fans of classic-styled murder mysteries.
tl;dr
A tense, atmospheric, closed circle mystery with a classic whodunnit feel. End feels a little contrived.
About
Liliana Armitage is dead, and ownership of the family mansion is up for grabs. A series of twelve riddles are all that stand between the remaining members of the family and ownership of the luxurious house called Endgame. Lily Armitage has no desire to return to Endgame and the painful memories it holds of her mother's death all those years ago. But a secret letter arrives, informing Lily that her mother's death was actually a murder, and the culprit's identity will only be revealed if she can solve the riddles of Endgame.
Thoughts
The book opens with a map of the house that looks purposefully like the board for Cluedo/Clue. I think it's the best hint possible for readers to set their expectations. What lies within this book is a mystery that feels very classic: strict rules, only one winner, no world-breaking plot twists. Fans of closed circle mysteries, "And Then There Were None" plot lines, and angry family members scrambling to solve clues for an inheritance will find all that in spades here. The numerous puzzles in this book rely heavily on in-universe knowledge to solve, so it's not a fair game mystery. The author makes up for it by hiding anagrams within the text of the book for readers to find. I played along for the first part of the book (it was fun), but I stopped once the plot picked up because I was too engrossed in the story.
The main character Lily is clever and talented, but she spends a lot of time making herself smaller (literally and figuratively) to avoid the attention of her louder cousins. While she does learn to be herself a little more, I was disappointed that she didn't manage to be more assertive in the end, relying on a bit of contrived luck to get out of a bad situation. Other characters vary in likability (on purpose), with some rather clear-cut villains and several genuinely sympathetic friends. Overall, a fun read for fans of classic-styled murder mysteries.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Incest, Suicide, Blood, and Car accident
Minor: Biphobia and Miscarriage
shelfofunread's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Suicide, Car accident, Murder, and Pregnancy
Minor: Biphobia and Cancer
what_heather_loves's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
"Endgame House is even darker than she remembers. A hulking, seventeenth-century grey Manor house made for marble and limestone that once, she was many times told as a child, seemed to glow at dawn and dusk. Now it absorbs all the light around it and keeps its secrets close. Curtains are drawn on the many windows. Ready or not, here she comes."
Following the death of her aunt Liliana, Lily (named after her) is summoned to the family house, Endgame House, in Yorkshire. Her cousins and their partners have been summoned too, for the family Christmas get-together. Since they were children, clever, but cruel Liliana devised 'the Christmas Game', whereby they raced around the house and its grounds, following clues to find their presents.
Managed by the family solicitor, with a housekeeper to look after them, this year it will be different, because this year the winner will become heir to Endgame House. However, Lily knows more is afoot, warned in advance by a letter from aunt Liliana, that Lily's late mother did not commit suicide, but was murdered.This is why Lily has come to Endgame House for the first time since childhood. Will Lily follow the clues, uncover the truth and survive her Twelve Days of Christmas at Endgame House?
With likeable, deteremined, but vulnerable Lily as the protagonist, the narrative quickly draws the reader into Endgame House. Tensions between this dysfunctional family (with some horrible characters) combine with them getting snowed in and the mystery of following the clues, make for an atmospheric and engaging read. A locked room mystery, one by one family members disappear or are found dead, leaving the reader, and Lily, guessing. Whilst the setting is not realistic it does feel like classic golden age crime fiction, and the author does a great job or rationalising the setting. I throughly enjoyed reading this pacy, engaging and immersive whodunit in the run-up to Christmas.
Following the death of her aunt Liliana, Lily (named after her) is summoned to the family house, Endgame House, in Yorkshire. Her cousins and their partners have been summoned too, for the family Christmas get-together. Since they were children, clever, but cruel Liliana devised 'the Christmas Game', whereby they raced around the house and its grounds, following clues to find their presents.
Managed by the family solicitor, with a housekeeper to look after them, this year it will be different, because this year the winner will become heir to Endgame House. However, Lily knows more is afoot, warned in advance by a letter from aunt Liliana, that Lily's late mother did not commit suicide, but was murdered.This is why Lily has come to Endgame House for the first time since childhood. Will Lily follow the clues, uncover the truth and survive her Twelve Days of Christmas at Endgame House?
With likeable, deteremined, but vulnerable Lily as the protagonist, the narrative quickly draws the reader into Endgame House. Tensions between this dysfunctional family (with some horrible characters) combine with them getting snowed in and the mystery of following the clues, make for an atmospheric and engaging read. A locked room mystery, one by one family members disappear or are found dead, leaving the reader, and Lily, guessing. Whilst the setting is not realistic it does feel like classic golden age crime fiction, and the author does a great job or rationalising the setting. I throughly enjoyed reading this pacy, engaging and immersive whodunit in the run-up to Christmas.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Pregnancy
Minor: Suicide, Car accident, and Death of parent