Classic small-town whodunit set against the atmospheric backdrop of Oxford. The characters feel believable, with personal motives and flaws that add to the intrigue, though a few could have been developed more deeply. Overall, this is an engaging read for fans of British crime fiction and traditional mysteries. It’s a well-constructed and enjoyable story that holds your attention to the end.

NetGalley, thank you for the opportunity to read this book.

3+

It started really well and gripped me almost immediately. However, along the way I realised it wasn't going to be quite the 4-star I had hoped for because the (double) big reveal was based on a trope that makes me roll my eyes. I didn't like the ending much, either.

The story itself, though, was engaging.
A mysterious game has the entire population of Oxford hoping to win a big award. In the midst of the tumult, a couple of players are framed for murder. Or are they actually guilty?

This is an intriguing story. It starts with a treasure hunt that gets increasingly complicated. The characters are complex and difficult to see their true role in the plot Good ending

The Oxford Mystery is a little different. It starts with a social media contest that leads around Oxford, with clues promising an eventual cash prize. But it develops into something much more sinister as a man goes missing, several strange events occur in the lives of a couple of contestants and the reader is drawn into a web of intrigue.

The plot has several twists, and it is difficult to figure out which of the main characters are telling the truth. There are many hints and revelations before the conclusion. The novel is well written and engaging with motivations unclear until the very end.

I thought this worked well as a tense and suspenseful atmosphere that I was looking for in this type of book. The mystery of this worked well overall and was hooked from the genre, the characters had that feel that I was looking for and was glad they were so well done. It was everything that I was wanting from this type of book and figuring out what was happening with the Oxford Mystery. Colin Wade has a strong writing style and thought the overall feel worked in the story.

This book was pretty good, I would definitely recommend

~This was given by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review………..

Waouh, didn't see that plot coming !
I really like the idea of the game and couldn't see why the main characters were connected.
The tension was maintained throughout all the story even in the end.


I will looking forward Colin Wade other books !

Thanks to NetGalley for this book.

First of all, thanks to netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me.

I am kind of mitigated with this story. I really find the characters antipathic and difficult to root for. The plot was nice but a bit too light for my taste to compensate my issue with the character's development.

I like the idea of being able to follow the tour IRL and play your own hunt with the book. And the writing is good. I read the devil's code in the past and was hooked from beginning to end and I kind of hoped for the same with this one.

But it just didn't work for me at the end. But I'll share the recommendation with my thriller and mystery lover friend (another book reviewer) who might like this better and recommend it to her audience.