David Bell immerses readers in a locked house mystery in his latest book, The Finalists . It’s spring and time for the six finalists at Hyde College in Bluefield, Kentucky to compete for a prized scholarship that also has extra benefits. The students, a college liaison, and a representative from the Hyde family are locked in Hyde House for eight hours. This will be the 152nd year of this tradition. The students are evaluated on an essay written during the morning and individual personal interviews in the afternoon. If the students leave before time is up, they’ll be disqualified. When one of the students dies, the others wonder if they will be killed one by one. Was it murder, an accident, a health issue, or something else entirely?

There are eight major characters in this novel. Vice President Troy Gaines is the college liaison and misses teaching. He’s married, has three children, and is worried about being able to afford paying for their college. At times, he came across as a diplomat and at other times as an authority figure. Occasionally, it felt like he reacted to the situations unrealistically. Nicholas Hyde is the heir to the Hyde family fortune. He’s irresponsible and likes to party and flirt. The students are Milo Reed, Natalia Gomez, Captain James Stephenson, Sydney Mosley, Duffy Mansfield, and Emily Paine. Readers get some insight into their personalities. All of them are desperate for the scholarship money and readers gradually get their backstories.

The characters were easily identifiable, and I had no trouble remembering who was who. The author does a good job of setting the atmosphere and tone of the novel. I could easily visualize the rooms in Hyde House, an aging Victorian house that has been in the Hyde family since the 1800’s. The tone is ominous even without a death due to protestors and strict bylaws requiring no personal items, including cell phones and smart watches.

The story seems to ebb and flow, but it gradually builds momentum. It was interesting to see how everyone in the story reacted as events, including death, occurred during the book. Would you feel safe? How would you react? The dialogue felt realistic despite the lack of critical thinking around solutions. While this was not a fast page-turner for me, the pacing worked well. Will you find the plot twist at the end a surprise or a disappointment?

The author layers multiple themes as the story focuses on the challenges students face in order to get an education as well as the lengths colleges will go to in order to receive donations from wealthy donors. Other themes include safety, death, secrets, blaming others, grief, protests, underrepresented groups of students in college, tradition, and respect.

Overall, this engaging novel was never dull and had periods of intense suspense. If you enjoy locked room (building) mysteries, then I recommend that you check out this one. The key is to connect to one or more of the eight main characters. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.

Berkley Publishing Group and David Bell provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is currently set for July 5, 2022.

A scholarship competition turns DEADLY in David Bell's latest academic suspense novel—THE FINALISTS.

How far will these students go to achieve their DREAMS?

Six students agree to a lock-in in an old Victorian building, remote and secluded, for eight hours in the hope of winning a full ride to Hyde, a small New England fictional college. The prestigious Hyde Fellowship will provide free tuition, books, room, board, and other perks to one lucky candidate. It all looks pretty straightforward, an essay contest followed by individual interviews.

The eight-hour schedule includes a high tea, essay writing, a shot of whiskey, lunch, and a personal interview.

The Finalists:

Milo—The front-runner.
Natalia—The brain.
James—The rule follower.
Sydney—The athlete.
Duffy—The cowboy.
Emily—The social justice warrior.

The candidates have nothing in common except WIN.

Nicholas Hyde delinquent heir to the Hyde family fortune) the rich, decadent, spoiled playboy and Vice-President Troy Gaines will assist. Each candidate must impress the two. They will oversee the competition.

The candidates must give up their electronics and be locked in the house by the campus police. If they leave, they are disqualified.

Let the games begin.

There is also a political protest going on outside involving the college founder's activities in the Civil War and things get out of hand. However, the events unfolding inside are much more dangerous.

Although these students have different backgrounds, and different reasons as to why they are there, the one thing they have in common, is their need for money.

However, once inside, they start dropping DEAD.

Which among them is the KILLER, and will any of them SURVIVE?

David Bell is a gifted and talented writer, and I have enjoyed his books over the years; however, this was one, unfortunately, not a favorite. The premise is a little difficult to believe and get your head around.

Secondly, no likable characters make it difficult to get into and enjoy the story. Each made questionable decisions. You are not invested in any of them. You just want it to be OVER. There was no communication, and each was out for themselves. A lot of dialogue of bickering and complaining and reads more like a YA genre.

Many red herrings make things interesting, but when reading, the premise is unrealistic and requires an extreme suspension of disbelief. The first part is the setup and moves slower; however, the last half speeds at a fast pace when they start dropping dead.

In the end, the fictional account demonstrates just how far these characters will go for money, greed, success, and a WIN! I would classify this as more of a locked-in murder mystery than a thriller.

For fans of Agathe Christie's And Then There Were None. I look forward to picking up his next book.

Thank you to #Berkley and #NetGalley for an ARC to read, review, and enjoy.

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@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: July 5, 2022
My Rating: 3 Stars ✨✨✨

3.5 stars

The Finalists by David Bell is a psychological thriller.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Berkley Publishing and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Hyde College is small, but every April, six students compete for the prestigious Hyde Fellowship, which will provide free tuition, books, room and board, as well as other perks to one lucky candidate.

This year Nicholas Hyde will be in charge, and Vice-President Troy Gaines will assist.  As always,  the six candidates will be locked away for the day with Nicholas and Troy, where they will have a written test, and then an interview.....and follow all the bylaws that the original Hyde set down many years ago, including the law that states if you leave for ANY reason, you are disqualified.  Mind you, with the doors locked, and a protest going on outside, leaving is not easy.

This year, the candidates are:  history major James Stephenson (retired army ranger, who prefers to be called Captain);  ag major Duffy Mansfield (a farmer);  marketing major Sydney Mosley (volleyball star); art major Milo Reed (top of the class in school); biology major Natalia Gomez (really bright); and English major Emily Paine (who seems to have anger issues).   Although these students have different backgrounds, and different reasons as to why they are there, the one thing they have in common, is their need for the money.

But as the group finally sits down to write their essay, one of them drops dead....and fear starts to invade the group.  Fear, anger, and blame.  But is this only the first one to die?

 
My Opinions:   
First, I absolutely loved the premise of this story.  And the plot continued to move along at a good clip.

Unfortunately, I didn't like the characters...any of them.  They were all either filled with hatred (Emily comes to mind), or obsession (Duffy), or just greed and self-pity.  The adults in the crowd weren't a whole lot better.

As well, from a safety point of view, there is no way that this process would have been allowed to happen.  A college allowing students to be locked in a house for an entire day with no way to call for help?  Yes, I understand it's fiction, but this put the believability quotient to the test.  There is far-fetched, and then there is.....NO.

Overall, it was still a good book, and I did enjoy it.  The writing was excellent, and again, the plot was good.....it just needed a little more .....something.

David Bell has been one of my go to thriller authors for years now so I’m always excited when he has a new book out. He consistently writes books that are compelling, twisty and entertaining. Unfortunately I struggled with this one, it just didn’t feel like the type of solid book I’m used to from the author.

I think my biggest issue here was I didn’t believe in any aspect. I didn’t buy that a group of people locked inside a house would just stay when someone drops freaking dead and it just went on from there. I usually like a locked room style mystery but the reason for them being locked up just didn’t make sense or work for me. It’s hard to describe my frustration without giving you much away, so I’ll stop here and just say I’m still a fan of the author and I’ll be looking forward to his next book but this was a miss for me.

I received a gifted galley of THE FINALISTS by David Bell for an honest review. Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group, PRHAudio, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review!

Publication Date: 7/5/2022
THE FINALISTS is set at a small private un university. Every year a group of top students with financial need are gathered to participate as finalists in the application for financial assistance from the family that founded the school. They must give up their phones and any contact with the outside world and go into Hyde House for a test, an interview, and a lot of long standing traditions. This year is different from the start with protestors outside after the founding family was outed for past crimes. Things aren’t much better inside when things go horribly awry there as well, but with the exits locked until the end of the predetermined program, those on the inside must work out how to handle all that is happening.

Would you lock yourself in with a group of strangers for the day if it meant taking some financial burden off of your shoulders? What about when the man in charge of it all shows up clearly drunk? I am not sure that I would, even with a good amount of cash on the line. Still, this is a cast of characters that is really desperate, each in their own way so their reasons did make sense

I found this an entertaining read, though there were definitely times where I had to suspend some disbelief and others when I got frustrated with the lack of communication between characters. It was understandable given the pressures of the situation to at least some extent, I did have to yell at the characters a few times as they made what I would consider to be some questionable choices!

This was overall a fun read and one that did a great job of throwing in red herrings to keep me guessing before the twist ending!

I found this a quick, easy read and one that I think many will enjoy! I listened to this one on audio and really enjoyed that format as well!

THE FINALISTS is out today!

3.5 stars

The Finalist is a closed room mystery that starts out slowly but the second half of the book flies by with twists and turns that I did not see coming.

The cast of characters are unique as the students all six of them differ and bring their own story to the plate.

Then one of them dies.

Is it poison?

Which one of them could have done this.

I suspected them all.

The Finalists is well worth the read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for an intriguing read.

I really loved locked room mysteries and trying to figure out who did it and suspecting everyone. This book did achieve that. I didn’t know who to believe. But i ended up feeling really underwhelmed with the reveal. I also expected it to be more high stakes or fast paced. But it was a slow burn. And while i enjoyed the slow chapters and there was enough intrigue to keep turning the pages, i just wanted more.

I feel like i still have questions. Like overall, why? What was the point. Why were these people chosen?

I think it’s a good read for any who like locked room mysteries tho.

I was initially drawn to this book because of the description. Locked room thrillers are some of my favorites. Unfortunately, The Finalists was not what I had hoped. The story is very slow paced and I was not able to connect or care about the characters. I have heard good things about this author and will try his other books.

Thank you Netgalley and Berkley Publishing group for my arc.

Unfortunately, I had to bail at 60%, and looking over other reviews, it seems I made it farther than most. This is labeled as a thriller, and it isn’t. It’s a slow crawl to poor decisions. The Hyde Scholarship rules were utterly ridiculous, and I find it incredibly farfetched that anyone would agree to them.

Furthermore, we have a group of adults who, after multiple tragedies, continue to make the poorest of decisions. The level of “no” is too much, and I can’t put up with it anymore. I’m sure this book has an audience; unfortunately, I am not that audience.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this Netgalley ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow!!! I devoured this book in one sitting. Just read it....you will love it.

I have to start off by saying I found the first half of this one extremely slow, and the last half very fast paced. I loved that the story touched on the important matters of racism and classism. Another plus was the chapters were very short, so I wanted to keep going.

I was instantly intrigued by all of the "finalists". All the back stories were very intricate and made each one unique. The characters all had very questionable morals, and I had the hardest time trusting any of them. This makes a great murder mystery to me.

There were many twists and turns once the story got going (about halfway through). Up until the very end, I didn't see many of the twists coming.

David Bell’s novel The Finalists calls to mind the “Breakfast Club” movie, but instead of sacrificing an afternoon to detention, these students might have to sacrifice their lives. Bell sets up a prototypic small New England college, which is facing financial straits like so many institutions are today. The narrator is a sycophantic mid-level administrator who is organizing a traditional scholarship competition while hoping to parlay it into an opportunity to lobby for a donation to the school. Every year, five students are selected to try for the Hyde Scholarship, which awards the winner a great deal of money and a guaranteed job after graduation. To qualify, the students must agree to be locked into the Hyde House on campus with an administrator and an appointed heir from the Hyde family. It all seems very straightforward, an essay contest followed by individual interviews. This year, however, the event turns out to be a catastrophe sparked by the student high pressure, diminishing resources, and sheer desperation. David Bell’s novel, while not ground-breaking, is an exciting and nicely paced mystery. The anxieties about staggering tuition costs and student debt are amplified within the “closed room” scenario. Those looking to bond with a likeable protagonist, however, will not find one here. The Finalists would be recommended for those who like inheritance gauntlets or for fans of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None.

Thanks to the author, Berkeley Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

A fellowship competition quickly turns deadly? A locked door mystery with no phones or way of escape? Yeah that sounds like my cup of tea.

Except... it kind of wasn't. I think my fundamental issue with this book is that any of the stakes it created were just superfluous. It establishes motives for all of the characters but never follows through. And halfway through I kept thinking to myself "What if this is like One of Us is Lying?"... except worsely executed.

I just felt frustrated at the end with no answers and no consequences. Maybe it's just me.

*Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

David Bell writes some of the creepiest cool science fiction and horror. This one was captivating and had me racing through the pages!

I appreciated the plot of the story and was excited to read and support an author that is on my must read list. The story started out strong, with a slew of characters, all vying for a prestigious scholarship, under non traditional circumstances. However, the characters all seemed a bit surface level to me, which made relating to them difficult. I couldn't overlook many of their feelings of superiority. Unlikeable characters can make or break a story and there were too many whinny voices that made the overall plot worthwhile.

David Bell, the author of “The Finalists” has written a drop-dead chilling thriller that is so captivating and intense, that it is difficult to stop reading. There are several genres for this intriguing novel, thriller, mystery, suspense, and fiction. The timeline for this story is set in the present and goes to the past when it pertains to the characters or events. The story takes place in a small college in a small town. I love the way David Bell vividly describes each and every character, the props, and the rooms in this novel in such intricate detail.

The premise and theme throughout this story are that a generous scholarship can be won by one of six chosen contestants. The contestants were selected by ability and financial need. There is a rule of books, and the testing takes place in the locked Hyde House, an older building on campus. The Hyde Scholarship will be awarded to the student with the best test scores. Needless to say, the students are complex, complicated, and obsessed to win this prize and will stop at nothing to achieve it.

The award is courtesy of Nicholas Hyde, the last in the Hyde family. As the students arrive to take their tests, there are people protesting Nicholas Hyde for certain actions, Once in the locked house, there are strange occurrences. Each of the participants has a unique history and can be a suspect in any foul play. One of the rules is that the students have to stay for a certain number of hours. There are twists and turns, and as tension builds up, one student’s lifeless body is found. What else can go wrong?

I would highly recommend this intense and thought-proving novel to other readers. I can visualize this novel as a screenplay, or even as a sophisticated game board similar to Clue. If you think the college application and experience are stressful this book is unexpectedly enlightening.

The Finalists is my first novel from author, David Bell. And from what I’ve read from other reviewers, The Finalists is not Bell’s best work. In a way, I’m glad to read that Bell has better published works and that The Finalists fell short of some readers expectations. It certainly fell short for me.

I liked the description of the book and that’s what drew me in to start reading it…expecting it to be a page turner. Alas, the story is slow as molasses. The first death doesn’t take place until the reader is 36% invested in the story. The second death doesn’t occur until the 50% point. By which time the reader is too far along to quit.

The story is pretty far fetched and there is a glaring flaw. But if read for wanton entertainment purposes, it’s an okay novel. There is a scant plot twist at the end. But that twist isn’t much and I found it somewhat disappointing.

In all honesty, I found the characters in the novel quite boring. Granted, they are all highly intelligent academics. But at least they could have some color or flavor instead of the generic vanilla. I just couldn’t relate to any of the players in the novel.

I’m going to keep and open mind about the author’s other works. So, I’ll probably try reading some of Bell’s novels in the future.

Overall, I didn’t find The Finalists appealing or enjoyable. But since I managed to finish the book, I’m rating it 2 stars instead of 1.

I received a digital ARC from Berkley Publishing through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

My review is scheduled to post to my blog and social media outlets on June 28, 2022. It is currently being posted here and to Goodreads.

This is my second book by David Bell after reading last year’s Kill All Your Darlings. I had high hopes for this one, the premise was fun - a handful of college students are locked in a house for a day all vying for a full tuition scholarship from the family that funds their college. Things go awry right away when one of the contestants ends up dead early in the day. The rules state if they leave the house they are out of the running for the money and if the university representative leaves, the fellowship is over forever. So they soldier on with the dead body in their midst until another one of them falls sick. They then spend the rest of the book battling between trying to stay alive and trying to win the money. Unrealistic of course but all the ingredients for a great thriller.

That's all it ended up being for me, great ingredients. The contestants were mostly annoying and whiny with no real critical discussion of solutions. Lots of finger pointing and time spent trying to open doors and windows. The ending was just obvious and the least creative option. It made some sense but that made it less twisty and fun. Unfortunately, much of the rating of a thriller for me is weighted by the ending so this one ends up as a middle of the road read for me.

Thanks to Netgalley for advanced access to this one. All opinions above are my own.

The Finalists by David Bell

The prestigious Hyde Fellowship will be awarded to one of six college students. The only thing they have in common is their inability to pay for their college education. Even the administrator in charge of the testing phase of the selection process doesn't know how these six people were chosen for the competition. The administrator, the six students, and a member of the Hyde family, Nicholas Hyde, will be sequestered in Hyde House for written and oral testing and then the lucky fellowship recipient will be announced. This is how it happens every year.

As the participants gather in front of the Hyde House there is a gathering of brick throwing "peaceful" protesters, nothing to see here unless you get bonked in the head with a projectile, but the administrator still thinks brick throwing protestors have the right to throw bricks (as one almost hits him in the head). The protestors don't like much about the Hyde family and they aren't going to be quiet about it so the administrator, Nicholas Hyde, and the six students enter the house and get down to the business of using the next eight hours to decide who gets the fellowship. Except one of the students drops dead. Not to worry, everyone else decides to just continue with the testing. They even continue to eat and drink despite the fact that the dead student might have been poisoned. How dumb is that?

Okay, David Bell often writes books with smart guys doing dumb things. But the smart guys are usually at least a little likeable, a least a tiny bit well meaning, and have something that makes me want to see what happens and how they get out of the messes they make. The characters in this story have no personality and are basically walking/talking complaints and/or social causes. Everyone has secrets, of course, all the students are more than ready to blab unsavory things about each other, some even seem to hate one or more of their competitors and most other people who aren't like them or don't think like them. It was impossible for me to care about any of them. Each one of them seems on their single minded mission to be their label: the front-runner, the brain, the rule follower, the athlete, the cowboy, and the social justice warrior. Along with the administrator, not a ounce of common sense in the lot. Nicholas gets a pass because he's the rich, decadent, spoiled playboy and he seems hung over and over partied and no one expects anything more of him than to hand over the money.

So the testing goes on with the body shoved to the side, people are still eating and drinking and arguing up a storm and things get worse and it's just so boring. Who cares, I didn't, even though it's obvious more bodies are going to fall and they are going to still be stuck in this house. So much arguing, so much blaming, but still, everyone is there to take money from a family they despise. So add hypocrisy to the mix. I give this story a 2.5 rounded up to 3 stars.

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for this ARC.

The Hyde Fellowship is awarded annually in a time honored tradition.

Six students selected by academic need and an inability to pay, must compete to win a free education complete with room and board, books, and guaranteed employment upon graduation. They will enter the Hyde house, relinquish all electronic devices including phones, and agree to remain locked inside until the victor is selected, The eight hour schedule includes a high tea, essay writing, a shot of whiskey, lunch and a personal interview.

But, are any of them truly deserving?

Protesters of how the Hyde family made their fortune, and participated in the Palmyra Massacre are getting violent outside-and yet, it is actually more dangerous inside the Hyde House, as someone is determined to skew the results-whatever it takes.

David Bell has written a literal, “locked room” mystery.

But despite the fact that I am a huge David Bell fan-I WAS NOT a fan of this book.

What I have always enjoyed about his past work, is that he usually writes about good men, who love their families but have found themselves in a bit of a jam because of poor judgement-all have been men that you root for!

In this book we have six interchangeable students, who were not well developed at all. They weren’t likable and there was nobody to root for.

I couldn’t care less who won the Fellowship.

Or even who wouldn’t make it out alive. 😳

Despite the fact that characters were being eliminated one by one, there wasn’t a feeling of foreboding, as they simply moved a body aside and carried on with the day’s plan.

Most of the book was dialogue driven-and that dialogue was mostly bickering as they turned against one another.

The whole thing was a bit hard to swallow.

I will still look forward to whatever David Bell pens next-but this one unfortunately was a miss for me.

2.5 ⭐️

Thank You to Berkley books for the gifted copy provided through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
AVAILABLE July 5, 2022.