“Apart from the murders, it had been a successful reunion after all.”

Like locked escape rooms, I’m not a locked-room mystery kind of reader. I don’t like riddles and impossible puzzles. I don’t want to muddle through hidden clues or Sherlock Holmes myself through a story. But because of the recommendations of some favorite readers, I picked this one up, and I’m so glad I did. Yes, it’s a locked-room mystery, littered with clues and riddles (so if that’s your thing, you’ll enjoy this), but it also has so much more. It’s a meta-mystery full of dry-witted humor and curious characters who give off some major Wes Anderson vibes. It’s funny. It’s also told through a really unique narrator’s voice and was (to me) more about the relationships in this dysfunctional family—who belongs to the family, roles within the family, living up to the family name—than it is about the mystery and murder happening around them. It really was a uniquely enjoyable read—so much so that I look forward to reading the next book in this series. ( )

This was the second audio book in a row that I listened to where the author felt the need to offer a running commentary to the reader about the writing of the book and the literary devices employed. Just tell the damn story. ( )

Dreadful. Plot full of holes, ridiculously convoluted story, and at the end, the author throws in an incredible (and I mean that in the literal sense) basis for a crime with no explanation whatsoever. I wasted a couple of hours of my time with this; don't make the same mistake.

Un giallo stile "british" anche se ambientato in Australia.
Esce un po' dai soliti schemi narrativi, visto il dialogo che l'autore intrattiene di tanto in tanto con il lettore.
Condito di ironia, si legge volentieri.
Non sarà un capolavoro letterario ma vale la pena leggerlo. ( )

All the clues needed are here, some so subtle it’s easy to pass over them, but it all ties together in the end. For me, it’s the style in which it’s all presented that made this book so engaging. I’m not usually a fan of first person and I’ve seen that the fictional author of the book talking to the audience has annoyed some readers, but I loved it. Others call it confusing and say it’s all been done before by better. That can be said for many books, but that doesn’t negate other novels. I wasn’t confused and don’t feel it’s fair to assess a book against another. All I know is I had fun with this. I did, however, set my sights on the suspect(s) before the denouement, but not early enough to spoil the outcome. I may check out other works by the author. ( )