I had high hopes for this, but was ultimately underwhelmed.

The story itself was pretty straight-forward without much tension or suspense, but for a fairly short book it felt really long. It felt like a lot of time was spent waiting for things to happen and it wasn’t until about 30% in that anything related to the mystery happened.

There was also a lot of telling instead of showing, and many of the clues were especially obvious. Even in the scene where we get the riddle there are very obvious clues signaling the solution to the puzzle. In terms of the characters, several of them could have been better fleshed out. Our knowledge of them was somewhat superficial, almost like they were outlines for characters instead of fully realized participants in the story.

The best part of the book was the relationship between Skip and Henry. I enjoyed their scenes together and would have enjoyed learning more about them.

Thanks NetGally and Bold Strokes Books for the advanced copy.

I do not read a lot of murder mysteries and to my knowledge I have not read any book set in the 50s, so I did not know what to expect. What I read was a gentle relaxing story which after the books I had read was a well needed change.
The story follows Skip and Henry who due to the timeline had to hide their relationship as they spend a weekend at Henry's uncle's home and after finding out about the death of the groundsman, Skip a lover of puzzles wants to investigates.
Whilst I liked both characters, Henry was my favourite, I cannot explain why but Skip felt that he was more prim and proper maybe it was his background I just do not know. Henry had a more carefree nature. But as a team they understood each other, their partnership worked well and I loved reading how their minds worked with this mystery.
When I do read mysteries, I like to see if I can guess who did it and why and whilst I got quite a bit I was still surprised at the end. The era was well researched and whilst their fashion was mentioned a lot this just added to story. I found it interesting.
If you are looking for a cozy mystery with twist then this is the book for you. This is the first book I have read by this author and I am going to check out what else they have read. Oh and if there are any more stories of Skip and Henry count me in.

I was really excited when i saw what this book was about!
I am a big Agatha Christie fan, but let´s be real there was never a chance that there would be any (positive) queer elements in her stories.
So to have a fun mystery premise AND a cute queer couple too?
Yes.

Romance:

The romance/couple aspect of the book wasn´t bad. They really were quite the sweet duo.. And it was nice seeing them in a full-fletched relationship instead of a "will-they-won´t-they buddy cop"- esque dynamic.

Writing:

My main problem was the writing.
The story begins with our MCs talking on the phone with each other, retelling their meet-cute. The story would have been fine, even if it was purely for the sake of giving us a quick backstory, but i would have prefered just having it in third person or snippets, as a way to introduce them to us. Instead we get a point by point retelling between both the characters that were present when it happend. It just doesn´t sound natural to me.
This lack of being subtil was a concurring pattern thru out the book.

For example Character A tells our MCs about a (seemingly) relevant case or circumstance, but the way they tell it sounds more like a report than a casual chat. i would get it if it was a culprit trying to confuse or distract the amateur detectives, but it really is just someone giving you yet again a too detailed account of relevant infromation you as the reader potentially need.
I think it would have worked a lot better, if we got these informations in chunks, thru different people or clues, and had to puzzle them together ourselves.
It was also weird, when one character get´s asked where they were at a specific time, and they tell you BUT also say, unprompted, were all the other characters were. It doesn´t make sense to me. Why would they do that, if they weren´t asked?

Plot and Mystery:

It was kinda predictable, which doesn´t have to ruin the whole experience per se, but some aspects of the mystery stood in the way.
Mainly the end, Without going into spoiler territory, let me say, it didn´t feel high stake. All the characters were too chill about it. It was no built up to the confrontation, i didn´t feel the tension or any fear for anyone.


So yeah. I am sorry.
I did like the idea and enjoyed Henry and Skips moments, but overall i couldn´t get into it as much as i hoped.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for this eARC! Puzzles Can Be Deadly was a super sweet historical cozy mystery. It follows two main characters Skip and Henry who are dating in 1950. They decide to take a getaway to Michigan to visit Henry's second cousin after learning he is the heir to the family fortune. What ensues is murder, mystery, and puzzles. This was a nice read that really made me feel like I was in that old victorian house with them! Everyone was a suspect and had motive, but the ending was definitely a surprise! I really enjoyed this book.

4.5/5 ⭐️ There’s nothing like a good murder mystery to cleanse the reading palette. I really, really enjoyed this one. It’s my first mlm story and it being a historical fiction on top of that was even better. The story was soo twisty and kept me guessing until the big reveal, and while I had a hunch for a few things it still took me by surprise when it was all laid out (though I’m glad to say I deciphered the note on my own, haha). The MCs were so likeable and funny with a very sweet and realistic relationship. It’s a very accurate depiction of the stigma of being a gay man in the 50s but still lets them be happy, which I appreciated. The puzzles were just so well done with so many twists and turns, I enjoyed the guessing and speculation quite a bit. It includes all the best parts of the murder mystery genre and is a must read for anyone interested. I can’t wait to read book 2 if there ever is one and hope to read more of the authors other series’! — thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review 🤍

David S. Pederson does a great job in writing this book, it had everything that I was looking for from this mysterious books. It had everything that I was overall looking for and had that element of suspense that I was looking for. I enjoyed the overall story and glad I got to read this.

If I am being completely honest this book is only worth reading for the last 30 or so pages. The plot hinges around a riddle, that I unfortunately figured out instantly, however I did test it on other people who did not figure it out as easily. Thelast 30 pages of this book are just entirely unhinged and I am here for it. As someone who often struggles with thrillers due to pattern recognition, this book was quite the reprive as it was just so bonkers that I would have never been able to guess what had happened.

Do I think this book could have been 50 pages shorter? - yes, yes I do, but beyond that the writing itself was generally fine, though I would suggest having prior knowledge of 1950s menswear as it is discussed, a lot. All in all this book was fine. It was a little hard to get into, but it makes up for it in the last 15% bu being just so unhinged that I had a really good time.

A thrill of a mystery

Skip and Henry are visiting Henry’s uncle for the weekend, but their visit soon turns into a bit of a mystery that Skip is curious and determined to solve. With only the rhyme left by the dead groundskeeper to go on, and the strange goings on and stories they are being told leading them to suspect foul play, they are left wondering if they can solve it or whether they might meet the same fate.

This was such a thrill and a lot of fun! I have come to adore David’s mystery stories and this one did not disappoint! It had all the same elegance I know and love, fitted perfectly with the 1950s era in which it is set, and kept me guessing at all times, and even when I thought I had something figured out, once again I discovered I hadn’t. David writes fantastic mysteries, and this one, had some really good twists. The characters Skip and Henry encountered all had quirks and strangeness about them making each of them a suspect when clues started being discovered.

Skip and Henry were both so charming, and they shared such an easy chemistry and way with one another. They made a great team, with Skip being outgoing and determined to discover the truth, and Henry a little more reserved. After all, they were Henry’s family so he wasn’t so keen to join the dots in the way Skip was, but Skip was on the money in reading these people as characters and getting a feel for who was genuine and who he wanted to be more suspicious of. It was all those characters that made this so much fun, not only did they keep throwing Skip and Henry off the trail with unexpected actions and things they said, but they did the same with me as the reader. I got so tangled up in it all, I wasn’t sure who to point the finger at or where this would all end up, but I knew it was going to be great whatever the reveal!

A most clever and engaging mystery that I thoroughly enjoyed, and despite knowing the outcome now, I know I will enjoy reading it again and again, and getting the thrill of solving the mystery again.

Puzzles Can Be Deadly by David S. Pederson

I honestly should have known I wouldn’t like this just based off of how on the nose the title is. The rest of the book is just as on the nose. The MCs boyfriend says the title of this book in the first chapter, and you can just feel the author winking at you.

The people here don’t read like people. They read like people reading from a script, and they’re aware that the script has clues in it, so there’s certain things they have to be sure that the main characters (and you, the reader) hear, etc. Literally one of the first conversations in this book is a telephone call between Skip and his boyfriend, where they do this painfully awkward thing where they recount moment by moment, in a way two people who are aware of the events never would, how they met, and what they said to each other and how they reacted to what the other said, and so on.

The mental health representation is bad. I know we weren’t particularly sensitive to mental disabilities and illnesses in the ‘50s, so the ableist lingo is but expected. However, the characters with mental illnesses and disabilities are clearly just there as plot fodder and have no real depth to them beyond their diagnoses.

With all this going on, my breaking point is going to sound ridiculous, but I was sort of trudging along in this book, when a side character falls down the stairs. The MC describes this character laying at the bottom of the stairs with his ankle twisted in an odd direction, which sounds like a broken ankle/leg perhaps. But then the side character goes on to say that nothing is broken, just sprained his ankle. Excuse you. There is no way. And maybe at a later point, it turns out that the side character did break his ankle, idk. I honestly didn’t stay to find out. I skipped to the end. Sounds like there is an interesting twist to the mystery, and I’m just sorry the rest of the book isn’t there to support it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I've read a lot of this author's other books, so I was excited to be approved for an advance copy of this one. Unfortunately, it didn't work for me as well as I expected it to. The dialogue was very stilted and tell-y, and the attention to period detail often felt shoehorned in. I also never found any of the characters particularly compelling. The mystery itself was fine, if predictable, but again, the debriefing/denouement seemed cumbersome. I'm rounding up to get to four stars here, I'm afraid.

My thanks to the publisher/NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.