I thoroughly enjoyed this, a locked room (moon hotel) whodunnit. I felt that the ending was a bit of a brain melt and wanted it to hurry up.
Thank you Netgalley & Lauren Forry for an advanced copy of this book.

An isolated location combined with a killer on the loose makes this a page-turning read. I wouldn’t say it was a hands in your mouth kinda book but it certainly draws you in and the interesting characters all add depth to the book. I really enjoyed it.

A locked room mystery set on the moon in the near future. The premise was interesting though I thought there would be more twists and turns than I was given as a reader. I liked the detective character Penelope forced to transfer her skills into an unknown environment. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

An fun twist on classic murder mysteries, in the vein of Agatha Christie. The ending provided a degree of ambiguity that I found interesting.

I enjoyed the premise of this book - it’s original and interesting. I struggled with the characters though, not really liking any of them, I was largely indifferent to their fate.

This is a classic locked room murder mystery with a twist - it's set on the moon.

While there are certain aspects which require an element of suspension of disbelief, for the most part this is a solid thriller with plenty of suspects for you to choose from. Everyone has something to hide - but which one is hiding a murder?

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.

The premise of this book is that 10 people win a competition to be the first guests at the first luxury hotel on the moon. However, on arrival they find they are alone; no staff, no communication. And then one is murdered. Luckily they have a police detective amongst them, who makes some efforts to find the culprit (although I was amazed she didn't move the body to a refrigerator, rather than let it rot in situ to ''preserve the crime scene'').

It makes a fun read, but overall I was a little disappointed - the setting could be anywhere, really. The characterisation wasn't the strongest. I enjoyed reading it, but hoped for more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bonnier Books UK for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It was a great read and I was rooting for Penelope all the way through. When the book started to drag I almost didn’t finish it. I’m glad I persevered though because it was good read.
I hope Lauren Forry writes a lot more books. I hope to read more by Lauren.

A well-written and well-plotted locked room 'cosy' murder mystery set in a luxury hotel on the moon. Ten diverse characters win the exclusive first of its kind space trip, but there are no staff or astronauts to help them. One of the space travellers is a detective, who searches for clues with the help of a journalist and a student criminologist.

Many thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley UK for the ARC.

I loved the concept of this, such a brilliant setting for a locked room mystery story – there literally is no way the guests can go outside or anyone can sneak in, no need for storms that last a longer than usual time or contrived equipment failures – just 10 people stranded in what amounts to a high class space station on the moon.

Although the book switched between the characters we were watching I think its fair to say that Penelope was our main character and way into the story. She was instantly a character I wanted to get to know better, and we did get that throughout the book. Her reasons why she had entered the competition to go to the moon and how she got to know the other guests. We got to know more about all of the characters over the course of the book but Penelope remained the focus.

If you love a good murder mystery this one definitely needs to go on your 2023 tbr list! I stayed up far too late reading it and couldn’t wait to get back to it – always the mark of a gripping book!

This was a unique location, and therefore I was expecting something huge but it really just fell quite flat for me. I won’t fault it for it’s entertainment as I did want to keep reading this, but the ending especially wasn’t great and I was hoping for something a lot more.

I went into this expecting a real unique spin on a whodunnit, especially as the setting was the first hotel on the moon...well, you could take the moon part away as that's more of a bit part character...so it was a whodunnit in a hotel. Okay, i'm willing to continue - however, I really did not like the characters in this. There motivations and general characteristics almost made me stop halfway through. The writing in general though made me persevere and, as I said, it's a whodunnit in a hotel. It's okay.

A disappointing read, on what could have been a great one. I found it all rather unbelievable and struggled to warm to the characters. I've read worse but also much better books. Not one I'd recommend.

I loved this book! I’m a huge detective and crime fiction lover and this hit the spot perfectly. It’s a classic Agatha Christie closed circle mystery with a load of modern twists. I read it in one sitting as I couldn’t put it down.

This is a good murder mystery with an interesting concept. Penelope is a London Met detective who wins a place on a luxury trip to the first hotel on the moon. Penelope's last case ended with the death of the suspect, and she doubts her judgement, plus has quite a few phobias. Things get a bit strange as soon as the guests disembark, and one of the guests is discovered murdered on the first morning. Penelope tries to investigate, and keep the other guests safe, while managing her suspicions, and the conflict between some of the guests, all of whom have secrets, and some have history. A pacy read with lots of twists, and a surprising solution. Recommended.

From the setting to the plot I found this book different. So many twists and turns it kept me guessing until the end. The characters were all different so the way they interacted was interesting as the plot evolved. One to add to my daughter's reading list

Ten lucky winners are sent into space to be the first guests of Hotel Artemis, the luxury moon hotel. Exclusive adventures, relaxing spa days, and inaccessibly expensive service have been promised to them for two long weeks, and all they'll have to survive is each other. But once their shuttle has deposited them - unceremoniously - in the hotel reception, they discover that the throngs of staff they've been expecting are strangely absent. Are they truly alone on the moon? Have they accidentally wandered onto a reality tv show? At least nothing else can go wrong... right?

'The Launch Party' is a fast-paced tense murder mystery with a host of suitably suspicious characters. Secrets abound and the reader is left guessing until the last possbile second what might really be going on.

I thought I’d enjoy this more - huge sci fi fan & the Moon setting was fascinating. I would have liked to have seen a breach where all the characters were threatened & perhaps a bit more menace. I am a Grimdark fan so blood & gore is quite fine. The killings were perhaps too subtle & I never felt a sense of alarm or terror. And I was baffled by the rushed ‘crane explanation at the end. Felt far more like a synopsis rather than a story ending. But I would another book by the author. Thank you to the publisher & Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

A murder mystery on the moon? The launch party has it covered. When the guests of the Royal Artemis, the first ever hotel on the moon, begin to be picked off by an unknown killer, tensions start to rise.

I enjoyed this ‘locked room’ mystery. A bit quirky, and definitely different from your average who dun-it due to the setting. Great read for anyone fancying something little different!

Probably the most original locked room mystery that I have read to date! The writer definitely knocks it out of the park with this novel taking place in space, with some questionable and suspicious characters.