REVIEW: You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego

Legendary mystery author J. R. Alastor’s books are sold all over the world, but no one knows his real name. After years hiding in the shadows, he has sent out six invitations to an exclusive murder mystery retreat on his private island. Mila del Angél has been hired to ensure the week runs smoothly. She has yearned for revenge on a ghost from her past for years – and this could be her chance to get it.

The six bestselling thriller writers accept their invitations without question – it’s an opportunity any author would kill for. What should have been a week of trope-filled games takes a sinister turn when one guest is found dead, and the others find themselves in the midst of a nightmare drawn from Alastor’s dark imagination. They may have written thrillers – but now they and Mila must survive one...

"I've rarely written about literal months; I'm much more fascinated by the monster within."

Review:

A decadently dark modern thriller with a gothic twist. Combining the classic excitement of a locked room mystery with high stakes murder and fear, You Are Fatally Invited is a book for readers; playfully experimenting with horror tropes, crafting an entire Cluedo board of characters and full of clever, sharp twists.

A group of eccentric writers, taking their turns switching perspectives and letting us into their lives, a stunning setting and an isolated, suffocating atmosphere made for an absolutely brilliant time. For people who adore all things horror and thriller, you might be able to see some of what’s coming before it does, but the journey is still marvellous, moving quickly from scene to scene with snippets from books throughout with plenty of moments that made me audibly gasp.

Twisted games, plots, horror tropes brought to life — there are so many secrets, betrayals and conspiracies clawing their way to the surface and it’s clear you can’t trust a single narrator is telling the truth despite becoming fond of them in a strange way. Everyone is grey, morally questionable and could be a villain depending on where you’re looking from.

Think Misery Meets The Menu meets An Inspector Calls - then you’ve got something like this. A layered, dark, revenge fuelled murder that could only be dreamed up by a writer.

"We've all done things in the dark, after all."

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

You Are Fatally Invited will be available from February 13th with Random House UK.
I was gifted an advanced reviewers copy of this title in return for a review.

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