A murder mystery weekend event to uncover more than just a staged murder…

Synopsis

One murder mystery weekend. Two rival sleuths.

They’re looking for answers. But will they find love?

Kate Brannon is delighted to be attending her first murder mystery weekend in a movie-worthy Victorian manor house. Still getting over being dumped, cracking the case would be a welcome boost to her flagging confidence. And the prize money wouldn’t hurt either.

But Kate’s dreams of victory become a nightmare with the arrival of Max Ravenscroft. Smart, enigmatic and annoyingly handsome, Max is Kate’s sleuthing nemesis.

When she and Max are forced to work together, Kate despairs. But, as the investigation brings them closer, she finds being his partner in solving crime isn’t all bad.

With growing suspicions that the game is rigged against them, can Kate and Max beat the odds to find the killer? And, as their partnership deepens, can they find romance too?

A sweet romantic comedy with a cosy mystery at its heart. Perfect for fans of Kathryn Freeman, Laura Jane Williams and Katie Fforde.

My review

After going through a difficult moment, Kate Brannon is happy to be finally attending a murder mystery weekend in a Victorian manor house.
Not only will that weekend take her mind of her being recently dumped, but also the prize money is a great incentive.
But her enthusiasm diminishes a bit when she learns that Max Ravenscroft will be part of her team. While Max is part of her usual gang, he is also Kate’s nemesis, as he often takes the win barely moments before she cracked the mystery.
With the two of them working on the case, Kate realizes that Max is not what she thought he was, and together they may have a real chance of winning.
That is, unless the suspicions of the game being rigged are true…

Well, I can say that this story for sure took me by surprise. And in a good way!
I found it refreshing that the main characters are taken part in a murder mystery and that there wasn’t an actual murder taken place. It seemed for sure something I would like to do myself too!
And the lengths the ‘suspects’ go to be as believable as possible for sure put a smile on my face! 😊

I truly liked Kate, as I could both feel her sadness but also her enthusiasm for what was waiting for her.
After having her heart broken, it was clear that this weekend was exactly what she needed to get her ex out of her mind.
There were also some bits of Kate that I recognized in myself, like her fear of speaking in public. And I loved her unique style. If only I had the same dresses as Kate does!

And I could also comprehend her dislike towards Max. Max didn’t do anything wrong in the past, but sometimes you just dislike the person who manages to steal your thunder and appears to dislike you just as much.

But in fact, in the whole story I couldn’t find any fault Max. on the contrary, once we get to know him better, we see what a gentle, kind, supporting person he is.
He may antagonize Kate at first, but we also see how he manages to make Kate feel more confident and also stronger in general.

I found it sweet in a way to see how these two nemeses realize that what they to know what the other one was thinking, could be so wrong. And once that realization dawned, they found out that they could rely on each other and that together they are a force to be reckoned with.
And then the moment they see each other in another but amazing daylight, where they realize that perhaps there is more going on between them… no words needed!

Obviously, there are some issues to be taken care of. Not only the fictional murder, but a host that may not be so genuine and honest as we may think. An appearance that was not only unexpected (yet expected from our side!) but also unwelcome.
But all the above only worked in favour of our main characters.

On a last note, I have to say I found the title of the book very clever! It for sure put an extra smile on  my face!

I absolutely enjoyed reading this book, and I found myself sleuthing along with amazing characters. Characters that realize that perhaps their initial thoughts about each other could be wrong, and see the real person in front of them.
And this all taking place in a wonderful setting! ☺️