I knew as soon as I saw the cover of this one in the author’s newsletter that I wanted to read it, so when it suddenly popped up on NetGalley I jumped on it!
So thanks to the author, as well as Kobo Originals for the review copy!
When up-and-coming true crime podcaster Liza and her corporate financier wife Hanna head to a luxurious hotel in the Scottish Highlands, they’re hoping for a chance to rekindle their marriage – not to find themselves trapped in the middle of an Agatha Christie-esque murder mystery with no way home. But who better to take on the case than someone whose entire profession relies on an obsession with all things mysterious and macabre? Though some of her fellow guests may consider her an interfering new media hack, Liza knows a thing or two about crime and – despite Hanna’s preference for waiting out the chaos behind a locked door – might be the only one capable of discovering the killer. As the bodies rack up and the stakes rise, can they save their marriage — and their lives?
“It’s like she’s come to a costume party as the abstract concept of heteronormative sex.”
“I know.“
This is the story of Liza and Hanna Blaine, who are out at a remote Scottish castle in an attempt to save their marriage. Liza is an up and coming true crime podcaster, and so when people at the castle start getting murdered, she can’t help by try to investigate, to her wife Hanna’s consternation.
I really enjoyed my time with Murder Most Actual. It’s like playing a game of Clue in book form, right down to the secondary characters being more or less nods to characters from the game. The head chef’s name is White, there’s a professor who wears purple, and a femme fatal named Ruby, for example. Each of the chapter titles also reads like the result of a Clue game, and I loved them. Some of them were hilarious.
I liked Liza a lot, and I cheered for her to solve the mystery, even if Hanna wasn’t on board for the whole thing. I did like Hanna as well, though not quite as much, at first. She grew on me pretty quickly, because I could see her side of things as well. By the end, I cheered for them both to both solve the mystery and to come out of it with their marriage stronger than ever.
Alexis Hall does it again by keeping me super invested in a book from start to finish. This is a gem of a read, with a good amount of laughs in between a legit Clue-like mystery that left me guessing whodunnit. If you like mysteries, Clue, and second chance romances, you’d probably have a great time with Murder Most Actual! 4.5/5 stars!~
superstardrifter 
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