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When legendary horror writer Mortimer Queen dies, seven authors are invited to his manor for the will reading. However, this is no conventional reading; it’s an escape room quest.

As the authors move from room to room they are compelled to confess their sins to solve the clues or risk dying one by one.

Will anyone make it to the finale?

A gripping and clever gothic horror full if twists and turns.

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I had a great time with this tense and strange horror novel. I read an eARC of this book on NetGalley so thank you to the author and the publisher.

Seven (mostly) horror authors visit a secluded mansion for the reading on a will of a renowned author. All of them are connected with him in different ways, except for one girl who isn’t really sure why she’s there. The guests are expecting the author’s enormous wealth to be bestowed upon them but get a bit of a shock when they’re told they will have to participate in a macabre and dangerous game. There’s no way out, and their participation is mandatory.

The book really leans into the concept of horror authors and the bizarre and gratuitous ways they treat their characters. Aside from the main character who is quite bewildered, most of the cast are self-centred and driven by their own egos. I thought the way this was explored was really interesting. I’ve seen some reviews that didn’t enjoy the shock horror value of some of the scenes in this book, but I thought it was commentary on certain types of horror writing overall and pertinent to that discussion. I say that as someone who doesn’t enjoy gratuitous violence, I thought what this book did was pretty clever.

I enjoyed the game playing, the puzzle solving littered throughout the book and how it held a mirror up to the characters. I also found the conflicting narratives clever. It’s hard to know who to trust in this book. Were presented with different statements on the same events and knowing explicitly which one is correct is challenging. The sense of unreliability from the speakers was done very well.

The book is so fast-paced, so tense and danger is lurking around every corner. Yes some of it is predictable and it uses known tropes, but this was part of what made it so enjoyable because of how it was framed as a discussion on horror writing. I think the author has done something really fascinating here and the writing is sharp and keeps up the suspense throughout.

I really did enjoy this, I’ll be looking out for more from this author.

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✨3.75-4 stars✨

This was a fast-paced and engaging read following seven writers who are invited to the late Mortimer Queen’s manor for a will reading. Once there, secrets are revealed and we discover that there’s more to the characters, and the manor itself, then it first seems.

All of the characters are unlikeable and have done terrible things and yet once I started I found that I couldn’t put the book down. I finished this book in two sittings!

I would have like more information about Mortimer and the manor itself as quite a few incidents few cartoonish - you definitely have to suspend your disbelief for some of the things that happen in the book.

Overall, I found this book to be easy to read and once I began I found myself hooked.

I received an ARC from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

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Haunting from start to finish, this book follows a collective of horror authors who are invited to the will reading of the genres reigning ruler, Mortimer Queen. This book will keep you captive from start to finish in more ways than one, with dark secrets revealed and lies unravelled.

Set in Queen's personal house of horror, it focuses on revealing how theres a lot more to each person that originally meets the eye. A true embodiment of vengeance, it is a journey of finding out who wronged him and how, and oh melanie is there too.

Incredibly well written I was kept guessing right up until the very end. Mallory is a master of creating villains and almost even better at shrouding them until the time is right for a reveal. Dark truths revealed, careers both ended and started, Queen's legacy truly lives on.

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A locked room mystery that had chilling moments. I enjoyed the mix of the genre of thriller/mystery/horror definitely a fun take on a classic trope

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This is a mix of mystery and escape room.

The thing that let's this down is that it was extremely predictable for a mystery. I also felt the "punishment" didn't fit the crime. It had the potential to be a fantastic book, but felt a little too fluffy at times.

If you want an easy read, with haunted house vibes, this wouldn't be too hard to get into.

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The concept of this book had so much promise - And Then There Were None but make it horror, but sadly it didn't live up to that promise. How to Survive a Silly Story would be a more accurate title because the whole thing was far too silly to be scary. Buck probably had the most chilling end but honestly did anybody still care by that point? The suspense, the creeping sense of dread, all completely absent and sorely missed.

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This is a really fun and fast-paced debut novel revolving around 7 people's secrets and a hungry haunted house. It really reminded me of the film House on Haunted Hill (I could not stop picturing Queen as Geoffrey Rush from the film 🤣).

Although it was spooky in places, which I did love, my favourite parts were the short stories about each of the characters throughout the book as they added background but you weren't sure if it was true.

Would recommend this to anyone that is a fan of locked room mysteries or haunted houses.

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This was locked room thriller with a horror twist and I loved every minute of it. Part high stakes competition, part study of human nature, this is a thrill ride not to be missed.

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Enjoyable locked room mystery with some interesting characters, and well written. I enjoyed this, my first book my this author. I love horror fiction and there's just not enough new stuff coming out these days. Thanks for the ARC.

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