Review: Murder Most Actual

Murder Most Actual by Alexis Hall
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Liza and Hanna's marriage is in trouble. Hanna is a high-flying corporate finance-type and Liza has always been this scatty, flighty, artsy type. But now Liza's true crime podcast has really taken off and she has less time to spend with Hanna, it doesn't help that her podcast listeners are shipping romance between Liza and her co-host Rachael.

Hanna, in her typical high-handed fashion has determined that a weekend in a Scottish country hotel will do wonders for their marriage and booked it without consulting Liza which has created a bit of tension. When they arrive the other guests, many of whom are semi-permanent residents, are reminiscent of the board game Cluedo (as is intended by the chapter titles) with a Colonel who wears mustard coloured clothes, the Reverend Lincoln (as in green), a private detective, and a mysterious shadowy underworld figure known only as Mr B, etc, etc.

Then when the hotel is stuck in a blizzard and all internet/telephone lines are down, one of the guests falls/is pushed to his death from his room in one of the turrets. At first Liza thinks this is some kind of murder mystery weekend that Hanna has organised but it all becomes too real and the bodies keep piling up.

I adore Alexis Hall's books but sadly this one just wasn't for me. I see now that the blurb references Clue and Knives Out which should have given me fair warning as I didn't like either of them. Highly stylised to the point of absurdity, I persevered to the end but it didn't redeem itself. So very sorry because I really wanted to like it.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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