Review: Suddenly a Murder by Lauren Muñoz

Seven friends throw a 1920s-themed party, where it’s all pretend–until one of them is murdered. One of Us Is Lying meets Knives Out in this killer locked-room mystery.

Someone brought a knife to the party.

To celebrate the end of high school, Izzy Morales joins her ride-or-die Kassidy and five friends on a 1920s-themed getaway at the glamorous Ashwood Manor. There, Izzy and her friends party in vintage dresses and expensive diamonds–until Kassidy’s boyfriend turns up dead.

Murdered, investigators declare when they arrive at the scene, and now every party guest is a suspect. There’s the girlfriend, in love. The other girl, in despair. The old friend, forlorn. The new friend, distressed. The brooding enigma. And then, there’s Izzy–the girl who brought the knife.

To find the killer, everyone must undergo a grueling interrogation, all while locked in an estate where, suddenly, the greatest luxury is innocence.

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Overall Recommendation:

Suddenly a Murder captured my attention from the start with its intriguing premise (locked room mystery, anyone?) and a cast of equally suspicious characters. The 1920s themed setting was so much fun, even though the story is set in the present. With a fairly fast pacing and plenty of flashbacks from each potential suspect that only makes them each look more guilty, I couldn’t make up my mind on who the culprit is. That’s the ultimate highlight for me in a murder mystery: a book that keeps me on my toes and constantly guessing.

The setting: an old mansion on its own private island that’s been empty since the 1920s.

The beginning: a group of just-graduated high school seniors get the privilege of staying for a week at said old mansion. Did I mention they’re a bunch of super privileged kids?

The surprise: everyone has to stay in 1920s character for authenticity during the week as part of the fun. Oh, and also, one of them dies. And it wasn’t an accident.

The cast of characters: oh boy, where do I even start?

Suddenly a Murder has one of my favorite things in mysteries: locked room mysteries. When you’re isolated in such a setting, is it more believable that the killer is someone random who somehow magically broke in? Or is it more plausible it’s one of the few people present? Who would want to kill Blaine, a popular guy who was among friends?

The cast of suspects has to be interesting, with motive or at least opportunity, or else the whodunnit would be solved way too easily. And this book does it all.

Kassidy, the girlfriend.

Chloe, a girl who may be more upset at his death than expected.

Fergus, the (neglected) childhood best friend.

Ellison, the new friend with his own hidden secrets.

And Marlowe, the aloof rich boy who may be harboring ulterior motives.

Oh, and of course, Izzy, our protagonist, who brought the knife to the mansion. When your protagonist is an unreliable narrator, it heightens everything as it makes it hard to believe everything as it seems on the page.

What made this book such a page turner for me was the inability to make a solid guess at the killer for most of the book. Everyone could’ve done it. Everyone has a motive. And everyone was hiding secrets from each other and our point of view.

In the vein of Knives Out, the pair of detectives assigned to the case were an eclectic match, with one not actually being a real detective but a consultant with interesting techniques for sniffing out killers. I loved seeing how they themselves went about looking for the truth when everyone lies and no one’s narrative may represent the events fully.

I will say the ending was not what I expected. I’d like to think I’ve read enough YA mysteries to know how most end, so it was interesting for it to conclude this way. All in all, a really solid read.