Modern (yet vintage) take on the traditional locked-room mystery
"Suddenly a Murder" is a highly enjoyable take on the traditional locked-room mystery. In this case, the "room" is a posh vintage mansion on a private island. A group of friends attend a week-long 1920s themed high school graduation party there, someone winds up murdered, and detective are called in to figure it out.
This is a great set up for the rest of the novel, as the reader is treated to getting to know the group of teens along with the police as the investigation proceeds. Conveniently, main character Izzy finds a hidden passage from which she can eavesdrop on all the police interviews. While this is a bit of a trite device, it's really the only way for Izzy to find out everything as the investigators do, and combine this with her own knowledge of both current events and her past history with her friends.
I enjoyed observing the progress of the investigation. The detectives seemed professional, asking all the right questions. I also liked reading the flashback scenes about things that happened to and between the suspects over the past year. I figured out who the killer was about the same time as Izzy. And there was a nice, dramatic ending to the whole thing that I thought fitted perfectly.
Definitely an enjoyable and well-written mystery!
This is a great set up for the rest of the novel, as the reader is treated to getting to know the group of teens along with the police as the investigation proceeds. Conveniently, main character Izzy finds a hidden passage from which she can eavesdrop on all the police interviews. While this is a bit of a trite device, it's really the only way for Izzy to find out everything as the investigators do, and combine this with her own knowledge of both current events and her past history with her friends.
I enjoyed observing the progress of the investigation. The detectives seemed professional, asking all the right questions. I also liked reading the flashback scenes about things that happened to and between the suspects over the past year. I figured out who the killer was about the same time as Izzy. And there was a nice, dramatic ending to the whole thing that I thought fitted perfectly.
Definitely an enjoyable and well-written mystery!