The Launch Party

Ten lucky people have won a place at the most exclusive launch event of the century: the grand opening of the Hotel Artemis, the first hotel on the moon. It's an invitation to die for. As their transport departs for its return to Earth and the doors seal shut behind them, the guests take the next leap for mankind.

However, they soon discover that all is not as it seems. The champagne may be flowing, but there is no one to pour it. Room service is available, but there is no one to deliver it. Besides the ten of them, they are completely alone.

When one of the guests is found murdered, fear spreads through the group. But that death is only the beginning. Being three days' journey from home and with no way to contact the outside, can any of the guests survive their stay?
Really enjoyable read totally recommend
Thank you NetGalley and Bonnier Books Uk
I just reviewed The Launch Party by Lauren Forry. #TheLaunchParty #NetGalley

A trip of a lifetime turns into a nightmare when one of the selected guests to travel to the moon is found murdered. Luckily a detective is onboard to help solve the mystery.
I really enjoyed the different setting for this book whilst it kept the locked room mystery to it. A refreshing change and one that kept me interested.
I did struggle a little to get to grips with all the characters but once I sorted them in my head I flew through the book in two sittings.
Easy to read, enough happening to keep you guessing and overall an enjoyable read.
Thank you Bonnier Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I really enjoyed this book, it is well written with a compelling storyline and well developed characters. It hooked me right from the start and didn't let me go, it was completely gripping and I couldn't put it down. A great read

This pitch! I was hoping the writing would live up to the premise, and boy did it - and more. I can't wait to read more from Lauren Forry.

I was excited to read The Launch Party since I'd already heard some buzz about the book and the premise was highly unusual: a "locked room" whodunnit on the moon!

My reading experience could have been improved if I'd related more to the protagonist, but the concept was excellent and kept me turning the pages. Even though it seems like a stretch of the imagination, the situation became believable in Lauren Forry's hands. A challenging idea was executed well and there was good character development as well as a plot that kept me guessing.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and the publisher for a free advance copy of The Launch Party in exchange for an honest review.

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.

I really enjoy a devious locked room mystery and The Launch Party by Lauren Forry was the ultimate – a murder mystery set on luxurious hotel on the moon.
I received a copy of this book for a free and unbiased opinion
Penelope (not Penny) is the Detective, with many phobias including a fear of trampolines, who has won a place to be one of the first people to set foot on the five star plus Hotel Artemis on the moon. She along with the rest of the winners( or suspects) ranging from a poor college student to the billionaire step off their space craft to find the hotel empty and their transport has rushed off back to earth leaving them alone and stranded. After reluctantly agreeing to stay on the moon, Penny, wakes up the next morning to find a murder victim in one of the restaurants and of course she needs to solve this before someone else ends up dead.
Penny was a fascinating character and I loved how instead of the usual negative traits that crime detectives tend to have, she had a list of phobias including some truly bizarre ones, an absolute dislike of people calling her Penny and the occasional need not to endure forced socialisation with a group of strangers just because they are on holiday.
The rest of the characters are just as three-dimensional and are relatable except for one (who I wished was the murder victim) and I felt sorry for most of them- ordinary people who were given a chance for something only the rich could enjoy but then have the joy taken away.
The world-building serves the purpose of the story, but I wasn’t reading this for the sci-fi elements but the twists, red herring, suspects, and motives which the author delivers magnificently.
I’m sure Penelope won’t be heading back to the moon anytime soon but I would love to see her solve another murder maybe on Mars next time!
Content warning
Racism (one character),references to suicide
Perfect for fans of
Who like Cosy crime with an edge like Anthony Horowitz, The Thursday Murder Club or th Marlow Murder club

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!

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 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.

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

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!

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 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.

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 Launch Party by Lauren Forry, is a intriguing locked room mystery .
Ten strangers win a competition to be the first guests at Hotel Artemis. A luxury hotel on the moon. But when they arrive, they realise that something is not right and that there is no staff at the hotel. At first they are enjoying themselves until they found of the guests ends up dead, murdered in fact and to contact anyone by the emergency alarm takes three days before someone will respond. Luckily one of the guests is a Police detective who does her best to find the murderer before they strike again.
Thank you, Bonnier Books for an advanced copy of ‘The Launch Party’ by Lauren Forry. This is a fabulous, locked room mystery, quite unique storyline to others that I have read. This is also a quick read and I managed to read it in nearly one sitting that will keep you guessing until the end. 4 stars from me.

I loved this!! As soon as I read the premise, I was completely hooked and knew it was something I would be absolutely obsessed with!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. A locked in room mystery set on the moon which is an interesting concept. A good, unique storyline which kept me interested throughout. Easy to read and I finished it quickly.

The ultimate prize is a trip to stay in a hotel on the moon. Now, what could go wrong? Well, you will have to read it to find out.

An excellent who-done-it book, mixed in with troubled pasts, and scary secrets that the people all hide. I thought I had guessed really early on as to the outcome, was I right? ummmm pleased to admit I was wrong. A book that I did not want to put down. Very enjoyable and well written.

Lauren Forry is an author to follow in her literary journey for the future.

What an incredibly cool setting and story!

The Launch Party follows Penny - one of the first guests to be invited to the opening of a hotel on the moon. She and her fellow guests were supposedly selected at random, but is that really the case? And when one of them dies in a gruesome fashion, how will they stop a murderer when they literally cannot leave the building?

Agatha Christie on the moon - a refreshing take on the “locked room” mystery genre, I really enjoyed this.

Pick up this novel and you will find it hard to put it down again, and when you have read it, you will find it easy to believe that you have actually been there experiencing the story yourself.

Set in the near future, there is a top end luxury hotel opening on the moon. Before its grand opening, some lucky competition winners won a once in a lifetime opportunity to be the very first guests. All is not as it seems and immediately things seem to go wrong until one of the guests is tragically found murdered. There are no staff, no other people involved. The murderer has to be one of the group. But who? There are lots of mysteries, secrets and untruths that all have to be unravelled to reveal who the murderer is.
I absolutely loved the idea of this book. Its a classic locked room mystery in the style of Agatha Christie. The space element really added to the fun and danger of the story.
I enjoyed all the secrets that had to be unpicked along the way.

Wow! What a brilliant mystery book set in space. The way the story unfolded left me questioning what was going to happen and the outcome was awesome. I loved the descriptions of space and earth from the moon, wishing I was there (albeit without the drama!)

Do you like an entertainingly implausibe mystery as your beach read? Have you ever wanted your closed room shenanigans to take place somewhere more exotic than a quaint English village? Somewhere, say, like a luxury hotel on the moon?

Anyway, this book is a SFF version of a beach read — has a good momentum, suspense and ridiculous plot propulsion. Relax and enjoy.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of the book.

The Launch Party is a phenomenal thriller from start to finish. Filled to the brim with twists and a captivating plot, this one is sure to keep readers hooked. The characters are well-developed. The story is incredibly fast-paced. This is one not to be missed! Highly recommended! Be sure to check out The Launch Party asap.

Terrifically Entertaining…
Ten people, one competition, one very special launch party - for the very first guests to travel and stay at the grandiose Hotel Artemis, a luxurious hotel with a rather distinctive setting, the Moon. Three days to get there and three days back, two weeks at the all expenses paid hotel where every wish will be catered. Things do not exactly go the way the winners had expected and, after docking at the hotel, it’s not too long before things begin to go drastically awry. Who, exactly, will survive this stay? An eclectic and deftly crafted cast of characters populate this wholly engaging locked room mystery with perhaps the ultimate destination and location for such a technique. Terrifically entertaining.

I absolutely loved everything about this book! It had me hooked from the very first pages and, whilst I didn't want it to end, I absolutely had to unravel the clever plot.

I can't wait to read Lauren Forry's next book.

Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for the ARC, in return for an honest review.

The killer premise of this book is based on setting an Agatha Christie-style murder mystery in the Hotel Artemis, a five star establishment built to cater to wealthy tourists visiting the moon. A total of 10 lucky people win the opportunity to become the first set of visitors to stay in this luxury hotel.

Unfortunately, things don't go quite as planned. For start, the hotel turns out not to have the promised staff on-site to provide room service, massages and other goodies to the visitors. There is plenty of food and the facilities appear to be functioning properly, but there is no explanation for this sudden change of plans!

Since it takes a minimum of three days for any emergency assistance to be sent from Earth , and there appears to be no immediate need to send out an emergency signal, the guests settle in for a 2 week vacation, reassured after one of their number - a reality TV star, Bobby Rannells - suggests that this is some kind of experimental TV show.

Their complacency dissipates quickly after Bobby is found gruesomely murdered. Since one of the guests, Penelope Strand, is in fact a police detective, she steps up to take charge of the situation.

But then there is a second murder... And things deteriorate in short order, after which a general atmosphere of mutual suspicion prevails, and people end up at each other's throats as they wait fearfully for rescuers to arrive from the blue planet.

With very few resources and nowhere to go, this really is the ultimate locked room mystery. And the setting of the story, the moon's surface, is very atmospheric, as well as enabling the bleak but beautiful environment to become a key part of the story.

Overall, this is engaging storytelling with a terrific hook. The characters are a diverse bunch with some interesting back stories thrown in for good measure - the billionaire, the reality TV star, the tabloid journalist, the criminology student, the academic, the police officer etc.

The part which I liked the least was in fact the denouement, which lacked clarity in terms of the logistics, seemed far-fetched in terms of motive, and was not entirely well-explained. After the story had been unfolding nicely, the ending seemed unnecessarily rushed.

Nevertheless, with a little suspension of disbelief, there's quite a bit of fun to be had here, and I liked the originality of the premise. I would therefore give this one 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 for the storytelling possibilities offered by the location of Hotel Artemis.

Go and read this book! I thought it was so good, and so different. The setting on the moon was fab and just totally different to anything Ive ever read before, combining this with a murder mystery made this book so fun that I couldn’t put it down!
It really gave me chills and the thrill came through in every chapter. Loved it!

I love a locked room mystery and Lauren Forry has managed to create the ultimate scenario - a luxury hotel on the moon. Ten lucky contestents have won the opportunity to be the very first guests at the Artemis, a hotel designed to cater for everything a guest could want except the ability to leave under their own steam. But when they arrive, although their dinner is set out and waiting, their rooms allocated and prepared to their own individual preference down to the flowers and scent, there are no staff anywhere. To one guest, multiple reality show veteran Bobby Rannells, the answer is clear - they are being filmed. So why not settle back, enjoy the food, the literal out of the world views and the supply of vintage wines? And that advice seems wise, until one guest is found murdered and they have to ask themselves not just who did it but was it one of them - and if so, who's next? When they discover that their call for help has been sabotaged paranoia runs high, and it's soon clear that every single one of them has something to hide, and a reason to fear that they might be a target.

Taut, tense and twisty The Launch Party is a huge amount of fun. Recommended.

I'm not a big fan of murder mystery stories but I love sci-fi, especially when it's centred around technology so I figured this book would be able to enthral me if I was ever going to be enthralled by any of them.
I loved the setting of the moon and all the little sci-fi touches and it is definitely the most fun I have ever had reading a murder mystery.
I did waver a bit in the middle of the story as, for me at least, it felt like there were a lot of characters and I didn't feel like they were different enough to actually keep track of who was who so it made it a little difficult to try to figure out who dun it and therefore meant that I didn't really care much about who it was either but that may be more on me than the story.

This is such a hooking read, a who-dun-it sci-fi mystery set in the first hotel on the moon. This is a really unique take on a locked room mystery which, although repetitive at times, is very twisty with a faced pace and multiple POV's that keep you guessing until the end. I thought this was a really well done mystery and I would recommend to any sci-fi and/or mystery fans.

I read an eARC of this book so thank you to Net Galley, the author and the publisher for allowing this.

This book was so much fun to read, it’s Agatha Christie in space! This is a locked room mystery set at a luxury hotel on the moon.

It’s not breaking the mould in terms of mysteries but it just works so well on the moon setting. The space theme was just brilliant and so well integrated into the mystery. The feeling of being trapped is so prevalent. Some of the clever and creepy things this book does are less to do with murder and more to do with the way they’ve been left in the hotel. I didn’t feel this was explained satisfactorily at the end, however it was wonderful tense and unnerving during the story!

We have ten personalities trapped in this hotel and of course they have their own secrets. This was well explored with them coming out through the characters’ natural investigations rather than being dropped in for shock value. I thoroughly enjoyed viewing these characters, never knowing who can be trusted, watching their alliances grow and fall apart. There’s a lot of conflicting agendas and it works wonderfully for making the characters create their own drama and tension on top of the terrifying situation they find themselves in.

Highly recommend for mystery fans.

'The Launch Party' by Lauren A. Forry.
I first saw this book recommended a while ago by a fellow mystery fan and then it was added to my Waterstones wishlist.
A murder mystery set in the first hotel on the Moon, sounds perfect to me. You don't have to wait long before disaster strikes and then it seems it's one thing after another. I really didn't guess who the murderer was, I think at some point in the book I had guessed everyone even the protagonist of the book 'Penelope'. I love how the author makes you feel like you're aboard the Hotel Artemis with them, you really get a feel for how eerie and deathly silent it is. Overall the book was really enjoyable, I particularly loved the fact it was set in space, it just felt like there was even more hidden dangers lurking about. I would recommend this book to fans of murder mysteries and thrillers.
Thanks so much to NetGallery UK, the author Lauren A. Forry and the publishers for letting me read a copy in advance in return for an honest review.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I loved this book. Murder mystery with a space twist!

3.5 stars rounded up
Hotel Artemis - first hotel on the moon - is opening soon and 10 lucky people have won an all expenses paid, exclusive trip to the grand opening. But their expectations are shattered when, upon arrival, they find themselves completely alone... no staff to serve them the opulent food they were promised. No staff to wait on them hand and foot. No staff to assist with the fabulous schedule of fun they were expecting. No Staff At All...
And then, one of their number is murdered... did you see that coming ? And so begins the ultimate locked room - well, locked planet - mystery... As we get to know the players better. secrets start to come to light. Strangers might not be strangers at all...
This was a bit juicy, if at times a tad eye-rolly. There were the 10 main characters, the guests, but their definition was a bit on the light side and so I had to write me a list of the salient points to keep them all square in my head which did rather distract me from the narrative on occasion. Therefore it wasn't as fluid a read as it should have been. It was also a wee bit far fetched and belief did have to be suspended a couple of times along the way.
But, that said, it was delicious fun trying to work it all out ahead of the game and, despite my reservations, I was up for that and it did irk me a tad when I found out something that, well, was a bait and switch and I was a bit miffed... but, on the flip side, well done to the author for throwing in something wholly unexpected. Hence the rounding up!
All in all, it's a decent enough read if you don' take it too seriously. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Murder mystery set in an exclusive hotel on the Moon? Yes please! With endless twists, this sci fi mystery had me gripped from start to finish. One for any whodunnit lovers to pick up!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Locked room mystery? Agatha Christie adjacent? ON THE MOON!? I mean, you’ve got me, hook line and sinker you’ve got me!
-
This one kept me guessing till the final reveal and had me flabbergasted! The moon setting was inventive and adventurous, do I think the book read the same as if it was set anywhere else? Yes, did that matter? No, because it wasn’t set anywhere else, it was set on the MOON!
-
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the ARC

I really enjoyed this book with its great concept and magnificently awful characters. Didn’t have any idea who the murderer was so it totally kept me guessing. There could have been a couple of loose ends tied up tighter, but that’s just me being picky. A great read.

Ten people have won a trip to stay at a new hotel, but not just any hotel - this one is on the moon. When the lucky guests arrive they find it bizarre that there are no staff and they are completely alone. Things take a drastic turn for the worst when one of the group is found dead and no one can explain why.

The Launch Party is the ultimate locked room mystery.

I loved that the characters were strangers because it created tension and meant that no one knew who to trust. It really does take your classic murder mystery to the extreme because the characters are so isolated that they have to figure out the truth themselves. The variety in the characters was fascinating as everyone had different opinions and ideas.

I found the setting incredibly eerie, it felt like anything could happen and I couldn't predict where the story was going. I adore sci-fi movies that are set in space so this was the perfect match for me.

If you enjoy mysteries with a twist then this is definitely for you!

Thank you NetGalley and Zaffre for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

A great read. I had many theories of 'whodunit' but got it wrong. I suspected pretty much everybody at some stage as their backgrounds were revealed,, but alas did not see the twist. Well put together novel.

A very unique premise and one that is compelling and gripping. It's certainly a different setting and to say it's claustrophobic is an understatement given the location of the plot. Looking forward to reading more from the author.