This modern day spin on Agatha Christie’s And Then There Was None is an incredible debut by Ande Peliego. We follow writers who are sent to an island for a themed retreat held by the renowned JR Alastor and to put it simply through challenges and trials (which they are not always aware of) the authors are killed off, one by one.

I would like to start with things I particularly liked:
- The twists were great, they added to the story and weren’t completely illogical like some murder mysteries use. I didn’t feel like this book was dependent of twists to give the reader any feelings. While they did add to the tension and questions I had, suspense was still built throughout with the dialogue and actions.
- The alternating POVs really helped for a successful execution of telling this story. We weren’t confined to one persons perspective and this meant more questions could be asked. I think it worked particularly well here because as the reader we are attempting to comb each person for clues, and we won’t know until further into the book wether our suspicions are right or not.
- The character motivations were something that I was really into and something I had many questions about. I thought the motivations were written well for each character.

I had fun reading about our crew of characters. In the beginning it was a little difficult to differentiate characters that weren’t brought up as much but the more I read the more the characters took shape in my head and I could clearly envision them. It took a couple chapter to get into but after that I was full absorbed, in fact I was up till 5am finishing the book simply because I needed to know how it ended! And I was not disappointed. I don’t want to spoil the ending but I will say I felt satisfied with how it ended, I wasn’t questioning how it was even possible or feeling as thought it was anticlimactic and I thought it worked well.

Overall this was a great read and I would definitely recommend you check it out if you like multiple POVs, characters trying to work out who the mole is and surprising twists.

Really enjoyed this read, perfect thriller for cosying up on the sofa during the holidays.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sharing this book with me for my honest review.

J.R. Alastor is a famous thriller writer, but he always write anonymously. He has never attended book signings etc and no one knows what he actually looks like. So, when six thriller writers are invited to on writer retreat on a secluded island, they jump at the chance to go and meet him. But when they get there, instead meeting the famous writer they meet Mila who is an event planner. Who has planned a set of games. But Mila is hiding something. She has set up the games seeking revenge and that in the end someone dies. But she gets a surprise when the wrong person is found dead, and the others are in a whole heap of danger.
If you like a good, locked room mystery on a secluded island this is for you. As this is a debut novel, I didn’t know what to expect. But I was pleasantly surprised that this is better than I thought. it was going to be, this is a complex thriller, with several points of view but gripping and tense in every game wondering what is going to happen next. This is also quite different to the other locked room mysteries of this type that I have read. I found it to be really good and will look forward to see that the author next endeavour in the future. 4 stars from me.

Ande Pliago: You Are Fatally Invited. This was an arc from NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity! First the cover caught my eye (what a creative solution is that the fountain pen that takes up space in the middle of the book title and replaces the letter "i"), and then the blurb itself, so I was really looking forward to getting started! 🔎

I have to say that this simply was brilliant! The whole story, as it was, completely held my attention, my mind was constantly on this story, and whenever I could, I read further.

According to the story, a world-famous best-selling author, J.R. Alastor, whose true identity is shrouded in mystery, announces a course for writers, and the venue will be on his private island (Wolf Harbor Island), and only the best will be allowed to enter.

J.R. Alastor asks young Mila to organize the entire event. Eventually, six famous thriller writers join the circle, all excitedly awaiting the big meeting with the mysterious writer. (Rodrigo, Olivia, Fletcher, Cassandra, Violet and Ashton)

The plan is for the guests to spend a whole week away from everything and everyone. However, the writers soon find themselves in the middle of a murder and have no one to rely on but themselves...but who can they trust?

I highly recommend it, this book gets a ★★★★★ from me!

Revenge is a dish best served cold - and this book relies on that adage for its plot-line. Two people who have been desperately hurt in the past and have waited for their perpetrator to pay the final price for their earlier misdeeds - except, they are each acting individually and secretly and it is incredibly difficult to tell who is acting and murdering the guests.

A number of thriller writers are mysteriously invited to an island for a writing retreat. On the face of it, they don't appear to know each other or have any prior relationship to each other, except for them all being writers. However, they all lie, names and biographical details are changed and it becomes increasingly difficult to untangle a very complicated web as you read on. This story is told from a number of POV - sometimes chapters are clearly labelled as to which character is narrating, but at other times the 'speaker' is a cryptic name and, as a reader, you need to act like a detective to work out who you think might actually be revealing that information.

This was an incredible read - cleverly plotted with so many twists and turns. Just as I thought I had figured out a relationship or a motive for murder, the character then seemed to die. I had no idea who to trust or how the characters were linked. The murders are inventive and gory to say the least - this is more than a suspense thriller, bordering on horror at times!

The ending was tame, in my opinion. There were some final twists that I did not see coming - but after that it felt a little too neatly parcelled up. so much bloodshed and retribution was tidily laid to rest - exciting read all the same!

This is everything I wanted from the writing retreat and the mystery writer and more! The pacing was perfect!

I really enjoyed this, and it kept me guessing right to the end. Excellent tongue in cheek nods to Agatha Christie type tropes. Recommended.

*You Are Fatally Invited* by Ande Pliego is one of those books that hooks you right from the start and doesn’t let go. It’s a thrilling, twist-filled mystery that keeps you guessing until the very last page.

The plot centers around a group of strangers who receive a mysterious invitation to a remote location, promising them something big—money, power, maybe even a chance to change their lives. But things take a dark turn when they realise that the invitation might be leading them into something far more dangerous. As they gather in this isolated place, secrets come to light, and nothing is as it seems. It’s a slow burn that builds to an explosive climax.

One of the things that really makes this book stand out is its characters. These characters feel real, they have depth, flaws, and complicated backstories that keep you invested in what happens to them. It’s clear that everyone has something to hide, and as the story unfolds, you start to question who you can trust.

The pacing is great, the author keeps the tension high without rushing through key moments. The setting, a creepy mansion in the middle of nowhere, adds to the suspense. You can almost feel the isolation and dread creeping in as the characters start to realise the invitation isn’t just a game—it’s a deadly trap. It’s the kind of book where you’re constantly trying to figure out what’s going on, only to have the rug pulled out from under you every time you think you have a handle on things.

Overall this book is a clever, fast-paced thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat. If you’re a fan of psychological suspense with plenty of unexpected twists, this one is definitely worth picking up. It’s dark, intense, and full of surprises that will leave you thinking long after you’re done.

Up on Goodreads now, live on the blog on 10 February;

Ah tropes. We all have tropes we love and tropes we hate. Are they clichés? Well of course they are, but they work, that’s how they became tropes in the first place. At its core, You Are Fatally Invited is the embodiment of my favourite murder mystery trope: a locked room in the form of an isolated island, a group of people thrown together and a mysterious killer picking them off one by one. Very And Then There Were None, which, incidentally, is probably what kickstarted my love for this trope in my early teens.

You Are Fatally Invited goes the extra mile, though. Why limit yourself to one trope when you can have a whole bunch of them! This results in a delightfully clever murder mystery that, for me, managed to put a new spin on old clichés. Because of the particular usage of tropes and especially thanks to the excerpts from “J.R. Alastor”’s book on writing fear, You Are Fatally Invited is decidedly meta and at times a little tongue-in-cheek.

To be honest, it took me a little while to get into the swing of things, as the first part is used to set the scene and was a bit slower than my fatigue and my inner Fickle Frieda needed it to be, but I got over that and then I got into it and I ended up having a really great time.

You Are Fatally Invited is the kind of book you want to read with a notebook and pencil at the ready. Or a whiteboard, markers and metres of red string. It’s an intelligent, intricately woven, modern, not-at-all-cosy, Clue-meets-The-Traitors murder mystery that packs more than a few Wait. What?! moments and an impressive debut that I would happily recommend.

You Are Fatally Invited is out in digital formats, hardcover and audio on 13 February.

Massive thanks to Bantam Books and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

This book has so many twists and turns that you would think it would be impossible not to get lost. But the author, Ande Pliego kept it all together beautifully. It was very difficult to put down as something strange and dangerous happened in almost every chapter.

You Are Fatally Invited initially sounds like the classic locked room tale, or in this case, locked house, as it all takes place in a large house built on an island miles from anywhere. The six guests are writers who have been invited to a murder mystery weekend by the mysterious author JR Alastor, who has hired an event planner named Mila del Angel to organise the event, with many surprises thrown in. Mila has a surprise in mind for one of the attendees, and the illusive Alastor has something more sinister planned for all in the house, including Mila. Many of the guests know a secret about one of the other guests, and the secrets could destroy them.

One of my favourite aspects of the book is that it is written throughout from the different perspectives of each of the characters, so we could get into their heads and allow their thoughts and personalities to come out through their own words.

If you want to read an unputdownable book that is guaranteed to take you on a wild ride, I can't recommend You Are Fatally Invited More.

Crikey! What a roller coaster ride that was. I needed a few hours to get my thoughts straight, and so here we are. 🎢
It's hard to believe that You Are Fatally Invited is a debut novel. So complex is the plot, with its many twists and turns and obligatory red herrings, it certainly felt like the work of someone who has being turning out murder mysteries for quite some time. ✒
Six mystery writers are invited by another mystery writer, who has lived in anonymity for many years, to a writers retreat on an island. Overseeing the retreat is Mila, an events coordinator. Riddles, games and tropes are the order of the day. Until one of the guests is murdered. 🗡
You Are Fatally Invited is the locked room mystery turned on its head. There are locked rooms, and an island cut off from the mainland because of a storm. ⛈ The story has the feel of a game of Cluedo about it, indeed one of the games to be played by the writers is similar to Cluedo. 🗝
I loved this book. It was fun trying to work out who the anonymous mystery writer was, and sort out who amongst the guests did what. The various twists and turns, and the multiple POV's which threw out red herrings, made this nigh on impossible, but therein lay the fun.
You Are Fatally Invited won't be to everyone's taste, but for yours truly it was a little cracker of a book.
Thanks to Random House UK and Netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When a reclusive author invites a number of guests to a writing retreat they didn't expect to become the characters and the plot ! Each of the authors is forced to confront their owner inner demons as their host plays games with them.
I knew when I opened the book and saw the map that this book was for me. This was a locked room thriller, reminiscent of 'When There Were None' - the story was pacy and left me holding my breath as the plot unravelled. The extracts from Alastor's book about writing were descriptively divine and added to the story. What a cracking debut!

From the island setting to the sinister mind games, Pliego delivers a page-turner filled with unexpected twists and sharp writing. I loved the dynamic between the authors and Mila, and the way the story plays with classic thriller tropes. It’s like Agatha Christie meets The Hunger Games—and you won’t see the ending coming.

Highly recommend this for any thriller fan who loves fast-paced suspense with a meta twist. Keep an eye out for You Are Fatally Invited when it drops in February 2025!

I wanted to love this book. The premise is brilliant and it is well written. However, for me, the pace is far too slow, there seems to be a lot of words used when the whole thing could be much more concise. Each chapter is from a different characters point of view and sometime it gets confusing as to who that person is so you have to go back and check. I also found it really hard to get into so overall sound rate it 2.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK and the author for the chance to review.

This is a modern day retelling of And Then There Were None. Six people invited to a private island, in this case they are all writers invited to a murder mystery retreat, the real mystery is that they all have something to hide and someone knows al about it and starts killing off the guests, who will survive the retreat and who is doing the killing? This was an entertaining read, and I did enjoy figuring out what was going on, who was responsible and why they were doing it.

Writing retreat style books seem to never fully grip me. I'm unsure why. The premise sounds so interesting.
With this at times I felt the book felt messy. With multiple characters all telling lies, it was hard to keep track or who was who. But I also think that was part of the story. Everything was to keep you guessing.

You Are Fatally Invited is a taut, clever, and delightfully twisty debut that reinvents the locked-room murder mystery genre. Set on a private island off the coast of Maine, this thrilling novel transports readers to a weekend of games, riddle-filled fun, and sinister surprises hosted by J.R. Alastor, a reclusive, legendary thriller writer. When a real murder disrupts the festivities, the stakes quickly escalate, and the island becomes a deadly trap where nothing—and no one—can be trusted.

Mila del Angel, an event coordinator, is hired to host the murder mystery weekend, catering to a select group of thriller writers who thrive on deception and misdirection. The setting is perfect: a secluded island, a storm cutting off all escape routes, and a guest list of authors who know every trick of the trade. The narrative teases that the weekend will be filled with playful suspense, but things take a dark turn when a guest is killed. From that point on, the novel keeps readers on edge with a constantly shifting web of clues, red herrings, and dangerous games. The writers at the centre of the story are experts at creating tension, plotting twists, and weaving complex narratives—so when they become the ones caught in a deadly game, the tension is palpable.

The pacing is sharp and keeps the plot moving forward even as the web of intrigue deepens. Just when you think you have figured it out, there is another twist, keeping you on your toes and ensuring that you can't predict the outcome. The denouement is satisfying and rewards readers with a final, satisfying revelation that ties together all the carefully laid threads.

This is a gripping debut filled with tension, wit, and a brilliant mastery of genre conventions. It will keep you eagerly turning pages to uncover the next shocking twist.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my review.

Six authors are invited to a writers retreat on a island - and each one of them has something in their past which could ultimately cost them their lives - but only some of them. Plenty of twists and a clever take on a locked room who dunnit. A fast paced read that kept me fully involved to the last page. Would recommend.

I loved the title and premise - six thriller writers stuck on an island writing retreat - run by an anonymous but famous author - then one by one they start to die. Fun, fast read. and well written with lashings of atmosphere. The twists and turns keep you guessing, with surprises around every corner. Despite the deaths, it has a feel-good ending that’s not too bleak.

The cover is stunning. I love fountain pens, so was immediately attracted, but the whole structure of the cover is inviting. As for the content, this takes the locked room mystery to a new level. Simple premise, a reclusive writer invites a number of authors to a mystery island. Let the mayhem begin. A host of fascinating characters; intriguing and interesting. Who is the reclusive host and why were these individuals invited? This is fast paced and although it’s a well known formula, the twists are brilliant and I had no idea where the overall story was heading. Absolutely loved it; quirky and original take.