**First I just want to say thank you to NetGalley for my very first ARC ❤️**
My true rating is 4.25 ⭐ For being a debut novel, overall I was a fan. There were many characters to keep track of and multiple POVs. The longer you read the book, the easier it was to remember who was who. On the flip side, the story flowed very well together. Everything eventually made sense in the end. I absolutely love the cover and how the title intergraded throughout the book. The best part of the book is that I felt like I was detective solving it on my own, I even went as far as taking my own notes. My favorite character was Sal because he gives the EXACT vibes of Oliver Putnam in Only Murders in This Building! Overall this book was a quick and fun read! I will definitely recommend to my fellow bookworms

This was a fast paced well-written mystery with a wonderful cast of characters and a slew of red herrings. I stayed up very late to finish this book because I had to see whodunnit! I look forward to reading the next book in this very promising new series!!!

What a lively, charming mystery—full of atmosphere, eccentric suspects, and that classic whodunnit spark that keeps you happily guessing the whole way through.

Let Nothing Astonish You feels like a delightful blend of modern cosy mystery touches and the comforting familiarity of Christie‑style intrigue. When newly retired homicide detective Carl Sarabia moves to the picturesque town of Glamis to enjoy a quieter life, the universe clearly has other plans. A séance‑themed birthday party gone fatally wrong? A victim with enough complicated relationships to fill a family tree of motives? It’s exactly the kind of case Carl promised he’d avoid—and exactly the kind of case that refuses to let him go.

The setting is wonderfully atmospheric: a gothic mansion turned museum, an April Fools’ Day party complete with theatrics, and a cast of townspeople who each feel like they’re hiding something. Merlin Glenmore’s murder is deliciously tangled, and the suspects are eccentric in a very cosy-mystery way that makes the unfolding puzzle fun rather than grim.

Carl is a fantastic anchor—thoughtful, steady, and reluctantly pulled back into detective mode—while Greta and the family add warmth and humour, especially in their hilarious attempts to involve Carl without actually “involving” him. Their dynamic brings a lovely emotional layer to the story between all the twists and red herrings.

The pacing struck a perfect balance for me: quick enough to stay engaging, but still giving space for rich character moments and the charm of small-town life. And the mystery itself? Clever, surprising, and tied together in a satisfying way that makes every thread feel intentional.

If you enjoy mysteries with personality—something reminiscent of Knives Out or classic Poirot but with its own modern warmth—this is a wonderfully fun addition to the genre.

With thanks to Lauren Opper, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC

"A diabolical whodunnit for fans of Knives Out, Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache series and Agatha Christie's Poirot mysteries.

Lieutenant Carl Sarabia, a newly retired homicide detective, moves with his wife Greta from Houston, Texas to Glamis, Connecticut to be closer to their daughter Sarah and her family. The idyllic river town is upended when Merlin Glenmore is found murdered on April Fools' Day, midway through his seance-themed birthday party at the place he despised the most, The Glenmore-Pace Castle, a gothic mansion built by his great-great grandfather, and now a museum run by his sister Jade. Merlin is notorious in Glamis for his abrupt second marriage to a much younger woman only a month after his first wife's tragic death.

There is no shortage of suspects present at the party who wanted Merlin dead. Only two of the guests do not have alibis - and one of them is Carl's son-in-law. Carl swore to Greta he wouldn't involve himself in any more homicide cases, but will he be able to stay out of this one? Meanwhile, Greta conspires with her daughter and in-laws to involve Carl in solving the murder without his knowledge."

I think that Carl can go back on his word just this once...

This is the first book I have read of Lauren's. It is her second book.

If you love books that have an Agatha Christie feel to them - then I think you would really enjoy it.

I thought her writing was really good and I loved the environment where the story takes place.

My only issue was trying to figure out the cast of characters but I don't usually like mysteries with a lot of characters to know.

3.5/5

Yeah, I definitely see the Knives Out comparisons. Especially at the end, how everything came together and was revealed and explained.

I did like the Clue-style environment and the theming of the situation. The was a really fun and vibey setting for this story and mystery.

This was funny and rather fast-paced, but I did want more from the characters and their dynamics.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

Some reviews mentioned that there were too many characters in this book, but I took notes and read it at a relaxed pace and I didn’t find it to be a problem at all. I went in expecting an Agatha Christie–style murder mystery set in a castle, and it absolutely delivered. I really enjoyed the reading experience, and I love the cover too!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!!! This book did NOT disappoint. It had an interesting storyline and structure, the characters were intense, and I am so excited for the world to read it! It was absolutely insane, and I was constantly trying to find time to read because I could not put it down!!

This mystery gave me a historic/English vibe, with the conversations, the town setting, and the way everything felt formal. However, it is definitely set in the present day with cell phones!

Who killed Merlin? I had no idea and didn't even come close to guessing who the killer might be. Many hands were involved in uncovering the clues. I chuckled at how Greta and others decided to uncover information and feed it to Carl, without him actually working on the case. He is retired after all. But that was more at Greta's insistence than his desire.

I felt for Carl. He moved to this small Connecticut town from Texas, and nothing was spicy enough for him. No jalapenos, habaneros, or other traditional items found in Mexican food. The things you do to be close to family.

I don't know if this will become a series, but I would love to see future mysteries, and perhaps Greta will let Carl investigate. You can't stop a detective from detecting!

(3.5 stars)

For someone that was raised on watching clue and playing the board game, I can appreciate the way this flowed. The mansion setting added to the mystery of everything.

I will say that at times I felt overwhelmed by the amount of characters. It also felt like there were too many for there to be a deep enough arc for any of them. I wish we could’ve gotten a little more for each of them because by the end they all fell flat.

Great for anyone that loves a cozy mystery! There’s a reason Knives Out and Clue are so popular and I think this does a great job at mimicking the classics while giving its own twist.

4.5/5
Quick Thoughts:
A fast to medium paced mystery that has you guessing who’s the killer. At his book is similar to a locked room mystery but in a significantly smaller space.
What I Loved:
* the pacing was well done. At no point did I the story moving too slowly or too fast.
* the inclusion of LGBTQ+ members that were accepted and welcomed.
* decently developed characters for such a large cast.
What Didn’t Work for Me:
* there are some characters that user old English or phrases and it confused me at first what time period we were in. Took me a bit to realize that these people just speak that way.
I’d recommend this book to anyone who truly enjoyed the knives out movie series. It felt very similar with the atmosphere of a mansion and a murder that seems impossible. I was unable to put this book down and devoured it in 2 days. I was constantly trying to guess who the killer was or how the murder took place.

While it’s not my favorite writing style, I kept getting pulled back in to this quirky little murder mystery.

What I liked
- Every chapter ends with a little zinger
- That there are enough clues to figure it out yourself

Read if you
- Enjoy a mystery with a big cast of kooky characters
- Have ever hosted a murder mystery party

Thank you to NetGalley for the preview copy of this book. I didn't love the writing with this one, but I did like the plot and the mystery. It's pretty easy to figure out the "who" did it about halfway through, but the "how" is a little tougher. It reminded me of old Agatha Christie books where everyone is a suspect. A fun, fast read.

I ended up really enjoying this book. My only complaint is that it felt way too character heavy for me so I had a hard time getting invested in the story at first.

The book had a lot of moving parts. It had smart dialogue that was fun and entertaining. I had a difficult time keeping the characters in order. But the way the author wrote descriptions of the characters and events that unfolded was really fun.

I enjoyed the sense of place and the wide cast of characters in this one. It could be a perfect series opener as we have many established relationships primed for conflict. Many characters took on amateur sleuthing duties so there is no end to the number of future scrapes they could get themselves into and out of.

Let Nothing Astonish You by Lauren Opper is a wildly entertaining, cleverly constructed mystery that feels like a modern love letter to classic whodunnits. With its richly drawn setting, sprawling cast of characters, and a puzzle that keeps you guessing, this is the kind of book that fully pulls you in and refuses to let go.

One of the standout elements for me was the strong sense of place. The atmosphere is vivid and immersive, giving the story that perfect closed-circle, manor-house mystery feel. It creates the ideal stage for a complex web of relationships, secrets, and motives to unfold—and it absolutely delivers on that promise.

The large cast of characters adds so much fun and intrigue to the story. While it may take a moment to settle into who’s who, each character brings something unique to the table, and the interconnected relationships are clearly being set up for even more drama down the line. It feels like the perfect series opener, with so many dynamics already in place and ready to be explored further.

I also loved how many characters stepped into amateur sleuth roles. It adds a lively, almost chaotic energy to the mystery, with multiple perspectives and theories constantly in play. There’s a sense that this group could easily find themselves tangled up in many more mysteries in the future—and I, for one, would happily follow along.

The pacing kept me engaged throughout, and I especially enjoyed how each chapter seemed to end with a little hook that made it hard to stop reading. There are plenty of clues woven into the story, giving readers the chance to piece things together alongside the characters, which always makes for a more satisfying experience.

Overall, this is a fun, clever, and engaging mystery with a great foundation for a series. If you enjoy ensemble casts, cozy mysteries with a classic twist, and stories that let you play detective, this is absolutely one to pick up. I’m already excited to see where this series goes next!

✨ Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC—these are my honest thoughts.

This mystery plunges you straight into the world of New England, where old money lingers like the scent of cedar. When the heir to the Glenmore fortune is found dead on the grounds of his family’s crumbling castle, revealing a tangle of grudges, secrets, and generational rot.

The investigation unfolds with a slow‑burn tension that feels true to the quiet character. Each suspect is drawn with just enough ambiguity to keep you guessing, and the final reveal lands with the satisfying click of a long‑held puzzle piece.

If you enjoy mysteries, where the setting is as much a character as the people this one delivers.

Let Nothing Astonish You by Lauren Opper was a quick fun read. It was sort of a locked room mystery and I kept changing my mind as to who killed the new millionaire Merlin and his former wife. It is very clever in the clues are are laid out and you can't help guessing "who done it. The characters are a fun group . It definitely is a must read for fans of lea and knives out

This book is a fun mystery, although it features a plot used previously in mystery books like Knives Out and Agatha Christie: a cast of characters are attending a party at a venue ( in this case an old castle) when a murder occurs. One of the characters has a background in murder investigations and is thus tasked to find the murderer.. Although this is a familiar plot line, I still found the mystery intriguing and wasn't able to identify the culprit until the end of the book, even though plenty of clues were dropped.

The castle is so thoroughly described that it almost becomes an additional character looming over the small town in which it is situated, It is appropriately spooky and provides lots of hallways and rooms, making the investigation suitably complicated.

There are quite a few characters in this story. It took me a while to figure who each one was and how each related to other characters. This made it difficult for readers to ultimately figure out who the murderer was, but was pretty frustrating to me.. I kept having to go back in the story to remind myself of a character's background and relationships. I think some of these characters could have been eliminated, thus tightening the story.

If you enjoy ensemble murder stories ( like those by Christie), you will likely enjoy this book. Just be sure to bring a scorecard to help you .