This book felt like a game of clue! It was fantastic, such a fun read! Liza and Hannah have a great relationship. They may be going through a rough patch but they are willing to do the work and make sure the focus on each other.

I had so much fun with this book! The balance of the murder mystery story with the struggle between the main characters and their marriage kept things interesting when one might get a little slow. As always, Alexis Hall writes absolutely INCREDIBLE dialogue between characters. Every character, whether they're more serious characters or not, still end up in funny situations and have hilarious dialogue.

I also adore the homage to Clue that came with this book. Characters like the Colonel who was wearing "mustard yellow" or the professor in purple, etc. That, the chapter titles, and the story as a whole just felt like a story for fans of Clue or Knives Out. The whole thing was a really great time, and without spoiling, I love how it ended.

I don't usually read cozy mysteries but this one looked like more of a quirky detective story. The dialogue was snappy and fun, and the depiction of the couple's relationship problems throughout added a nice touch of realism. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

NetGalley ARC Educator 550974

A murder mystery and marriage woes, oh my. Ms. Hall crafts a wonderfully relatable story. I could not put the book down. I was drawn in by the first page. I could see this becoming a made for tv movie with a cult following. Well done!

"Murder Most Actual" has a lot going for it. A stellar premise -- essentially "Clue" meets "Only Murders in the Building" -- built around an amateur detective duo of married lesbians. Hall packs this whodunit with a smorgasbord of classic tropes, characters, and red herrings, and beyond the ever-present threat of "A killer might knock us off next," the heroines Liza and Hanna are also struggling to save their foundering marriage, which adds emotional stakes beyond the physical.

And while I mostly enjoyed this house party murder mystery, and snickered aloud several times at Hall's snarky turns-of-phrase and dialogue, it didn't *quite* live up to its full promise. The supporting cast of suspects/victims never become more than walking tropes, and the story feels like it meanders at times throughout the middle; there were a few chapters where my attention wandered and it took effort to pull it back on track.

"Actual" does deliver a pretty thrilling conclusion. It's best absorbed in just one or two sittings, to preserve the momentum and fully absorb all of the details. Overall, it's a pretty decent rainy day mystery.

This book was a cute, fun mystery. It didn't fully come together for me, which is why I'm giving it 3 stars but I enjoyed it for the most part.

Thank you NetGalley and Alexis Hall for the ARC of this book.

This was such a cosy mystery for me and I loved it. It was my first Alexis Hall book and I'm happy to say it won't be my last.

I loved the plot, the short chapters as well as the chapter names, the mystery and the ending.

This was a book that made me feel like curling up by a fire and reading from start to finish!

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Rakuten Kobo and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Fun read, great mystery, interesting characters.

So this was fun to read, and the writing is great (as always). Perhaps a tad less exciting than I thought it'd be. The relationship between Liza and Hanna is already pre-established and the murder bits are literally all over the place (this is a good thing). A tad repetitive when it comes to the main couple, as they are going through a difficult time in their marriage and we get many conversations about it. Also the murder mystery doesn't get resolved until the very last leg of the book, which I liked a little less because I was waiting for a proper Aha moment. There's a denouement indeed, but no real climax, I guess? It's still full of Alexis Hall goodness (banter, great cast of characters and that British je-ne-sais-quoi), so my advice would be to still give this a go if you enjoy her novels.

This was such a fun mystery! It’s a throwback that references the classic mysteries of the past. We’ve got the retired military gentleman, the unusual detective from another country who has his special methods, and more! Very Christie-ish!
Liza and Hanna are on a trip that they hope will save their marriage. Liza is a true crime podcaster, so she’s got some crime solving knowledge. Her wife Hanna would rather have them stay in the room, but people are dying and Liza has to get involved.
This was a funny escapist read that I enjoyed, 4 stars.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I received ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review and here it is.

I love Alexis Hall's writing style and when I heard she was going to publish a book with a crime theme, a true crime podcaster trying to solve a mystery with her wife, I knew I had to read it.

We have here mystery, humour, a married couple working on their relationship and a palette of interesting, distinctive characters. I had a nice time while reading, wondering who the murderer might be. However, this is not my favourite Alexis Hall novel. There were times when my interest fled, or the plot focused too much on the repetitive issues of the characters trying to fix their marriage.

I recommend to fans of Alexis Hall and detective novels, if you belong to one or the other group, you will definitely not be disappointed.

It's like Alexis Hall has created a golden age detective / true crime sandbox and had a really good - and highly entertaining - play around. It's clever and witty, but also self-aware enough to question and / or poke fun at the ridiculousness of certain tropes and stereotypes. I loved Liza and Hanna, and the parallel stories of their relationship (we meet them when it's not at their best), and the mystery of who is behind the increasing body count.

For anyone who ever read a detective novel and imagined what they might do if faced with the opportunity to solve a murder, anyone who enjoys a well-plotted crime novel, and anyone who always felt that some aspects of detective fiction are a little nuts but enjoys it nonetheless.

_Murder Most Actual_ by Alexis Hall is a fun mystery that both evokes Agatha Christie and pokes gentle fun at her novels. Hall also makes several Clue references that are really fun to spot.

Liza and Hanna are on a trip in Scotland to hopefully repair their marriage…only, Liza doesn’t want to be on the trip that Hanna planned. However, their marriage soon becomes the least of their worries when other guests at the hotel start dying off one by one. Of course, no one can leave because they’re all snowed in, and the phone lines are down.

As with a lot of Hall’s writing, there is a lot of banter (almost exclusively banter), so if you’re not a fan of that, you might have a little trouble with this book. Unlike most of Hall’s writing, the romance takes a back seat here and is also closed door.

I highly recommend this book if you’re looking for a witty mystery.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the Arc (note: I requested and received the ARC after the book was published.)

Thank you NetGalley and Kobo Originals for the chance to read this one!

It was a super fun “whodunnit” with many references to Clue and similarities to Agatha Christie novels as well. The nods were very on point and entertaining.

I don’t want to give a lot away since not knowing what’s going on is essential to the plot. The story takes place in the Scottish Highlands where a couple, Hanna, and Liza are trying to rekindle their marriage, and let’s just say murders ensue.

I definitely recommend reading this story!

A true crime podcaster finds herself in the middle of an actual murder mystery after her wife books them a trip to a remote Scottish hotel to work on their strained marriage. I loved how the book played with a lot of the classic murder mystery tropes and how the chapter titles referenced Clue. I thought the classic elements of a mystery paired well with the modern true crime podcast type investigation. It was a fun read.

I didn't end up loving this one so I stopped 4-5 chapters in. I heard a lot about this being a cozy mystery which usually has some humor in it, but couldn't really see it this far in, and at that point there wasn't much mystery either. The characters thus far weren't super lovable, most were kind of mean to each other, so not something I wanted to spend more time on.

3.5

Thanks to NetGalley and Rakuten Kobo for a free e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Murder Most Actual follows Liza and Hanna, a married couple who have been having trouble and go to a romantic Scottish castle in the hopes of rekindling their love. However, once there, things go wrong when a murder is committed and they find themselves trapped with a bunch of other guests – one of which is the murderer. Liza, who has a true-crime podcast, decides to find out what truly happened, but things only get more complicated.

This is definitely not a traditional crime book. It leans heavily into the cozy thriller genre, with a typical whodunnit mystery, a colourful cast of characters, and an over-the-top quality to it. I thoroughly enjoyed the journey of Liza and the other guests trying to solve the murders, but I do feel like the ending and explanation fell quite flat. The subplot of Liza and Hanna trying to fix their marriage kept me entertained as well.

I wish we had gotten to see some other points of view, instead of just Liza’s. I think it would have made for a more interesting read. One problem that I had with this book was that there were a lot of characters, and besides Liza and Hanna, we didn’t truly get any insight into them. This often left me quite confused as to who was who and what their role in the story was.

The writing was witty and entertaining, and I liked how immersive it was. The Scottish Highlands setting made for a refreshing new take on the crime genre, and the characters were great fun to read about – I enjoyed their interactions as they tried figuring out the truth. I also liked seeing how the tragedies that occurred led to Liza and Hanna having some serious conversations, and it was great to see how much their relationship changed over the course of the book.

Overall, this was a fun read and allowed me to escape reality for a while. I think this would be a great read for fans of Knives Out, and I will certainly be picking up more books by this author.

#NetGalley #MurderMostActual

I love Alexis Hall's writing. Their books are wonderful and funny. This book is no exception. It's an absolutely bonkers murder mystery, but with so much heart.

Hanna and Liza are a long married couple who try to get away from their day to day to reconnect at a remote inn in Scotland. There, they are met with a wild cast of characters, one of whom is murdered in the middle of a snowstorm. As a true crime podcaster, Liza believes she can help with the investigation until the roads are clear enough for help to arrive.

Hoo-boy is she wrong. Bodies continue to pile up, and Liza and Hanna are drawn further into this mystery, bickering all the way. They manage to have some honest conversations and readers are allowed to truly explore a marriage in trouble with an honest look at how difficult it can be to find your way through a rough patch.

The body count and wild plot are a nice counter balance to a sweet, thoughtful marriage in trouble story.

Liza is annoyed with her wife Hanna for highhandedly booking a trip for them is the remote Scottish Highlands. As usual, Hanna just barges ahead and doesn't listen to her. It seems that everything Hanna does annoys Liza and she knows this scenic break isn't going to solve their marriage problems. As the snow comes down along with the telephone lines, cutting them off from the outside world, things start to get weird when a body is discovered. Liza's profession as a true crime podcaster means she starts to get involved taking pictures and asking questions despite Hanna's objections.
I really love Alexis Hall's writing but this book is quite different to the ones I have read before. Its a very British murder mystery in the style of Cluedo (or Clue) we have all the relevant characters, the Colonel who is putting mustard on his breakfast in the room with mustard walls; The Professor who chooses a plum from the fruit bowl; the vicar with a green type name; a femme fatale wearing red; a Ms White and a detective with a ridiculous accent. I'm sure there are other links if you're good at spotting these things. Its definitely presented as more of a puzzle than an action murder mystery.

4 Stars (I received an e-arc from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review)

This book was adorable, quite a bit cheesy and heartfelt. Hannah and Lisa have been together for a quite and also married, going on a surprise weekend getaway in a Scottish castle. However they have been struggling in their relationship and constantly fighting, and almost get lost/caught in a storm. At the hotel we encounter a situation that gives me over dramatic Clue (the board game) vibes and each chapter title is in the format of guessing the clue scenario. As well as several rooms and names that Clue inspired. And of course everyone gets snowed in and then a murder occurs. Lisa also runs a true crime podcast so she kind of dives in to figuring out the mystery. In-between the sleuthing we also have Hannah and Lisa slowly going from fighting to talking about their issues in the relationship. I really enjoyed the over the top campy feel and has some good discussions on relationships and how they need work.