Suddenly a Murder is Lauren Muñoz's debut novel. While not a stellar debut, Muñoz has potential and I'll be keeping an eye on any upcoming works. This book was a fast-paced, easy read with an interesting premise. I didn't connect with most, if any, of the characters, and I felt that it was too obviously intentionally misleading the reader.

Suddenly a Murder is told in part through the eyes of our main character, Izzy, and in part through third person flashbacks. I don't always love multiple timelines in stories, but here it worked well and seemed almost necessary. If the flashbacks were not present, I think I would have DNF-ed this pretty early on. The group was largely unlikable and most seemed like genuinely not great people. I often found myself wondering how Izzy was friends with any of the people at Ashwood Manor, but the flashbacks gave enough context for me to have a bit more understanding.

The flashbacks also helped build tension. I enjoyed learning about everyone and seeing how each one had a good enough motive to commit the murder. Kassidy was particularly interesting because she loved so fully and completely, so for her to be wrapped up in not only the situation but also just the people left me with a lot of questions I wanted answered. Izzy herself was written well and had her own host of questions to which I wanted answers.

I didn't find Suddenly a Murder to be particularly unique. There were a lot of overdone tropes present, and I do mean overdone. Almost everything was a red herring, and it wasn't subtle. Readers early on will likely thinks, "Oh, X can't be true because Y." I don't read mysteries with any intent to guess the ending, but even I caught on to the many tropes and clichés present here. For this being a YA mystery thriller, I can imagine many of its readers won't be as aware of these tropes and therefore may not catch on to certain things. If I had read this when I was younger, and before I started reading mysteries and thrillers, I likely would've rated this one higher.

I received an advanced copy of this book from PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group via NetGalley.

To celebrate the end of high school, Izzy Morales and her close friend Kassidy, along with five others, embark on a 1920s-themed getaway at the lavish Ashwood Manor. Amidst vintage dresses and opulent diamonds, their festivities take a dark turn when Kassidy's boyfriend is discovered dead.

Declared a murder by investigators, the atmosphere at the manor becomes tense as every guest becomes a potential suspect. Among them, the profoundly enamored girlfriend, the desolate acquaintance, the melancholic old friend, the distressed newcomer, and the enigmatic presence, all fall under suspicion. And then, there's Izzy—the one who brought the knife!

In the midst of the looming suspicion, a grueling interrogation ensues as they remain confined within the estate. As innocence becomes the most valuable currency, the journey to unmask the murderer unfolds against the backdrop of this luxurious yet treacherous setting.

I'm quite fond of intriguing mystery novels, especially those that unfold in the midst of an ancient mansion nestled on a remote island. Izzy's character struck me as quite amusing; her demeanor resonated with a journalist's curiosity. The beauty of this situation is that every individual seems to possess a compelling reason, and the camaraderie within the group might not be as solid as it appears to the investigating authorities.

Short and Sweet Review
To celebrate the end of high school, Izzy’s best friend Kassidy has invited her and five others to go to Ashwood Manor. There the friends will live like its the 1920’s doing activities and dressing appropriately for that time period. It’s all fun and games until Kassidy’s boyfriend Blaine is found murdered. Now the six teens aren’t allowed off the island and investigators declare that everyone is a suspect, they just have to figure out who had the motive.
Izzy and Kassidy are best friends but they’re on different sides of the spectrum when it comes to wealth. Kassidy isn’t afraid to throw her money around, which is why she rented the Ashwood Manor for her and her friends for a week. Suddenly a Murder has the same format as most mystery books, I will say that I did like that the characters were reliving the 1920s, it did remind me of clue. The book goes between past and present, in the present we only have Izzy’s POV and in the past we get to see the other characters POVs. Everything is going well at the manor until Blaine gets murdered, which is when the investigators come and start doing their investigations. The past POVs were nice because we see why some of the characters could have motive to want Blaine dead. It was also fun seeing Izzy listening in on the interrogations. I did figure out who the culprit was. I didn’t like the side plot involving Izzy and her dead, I feel like it didn’t add much and was out of place. I do think the book was kind of predictable, I will say the plot twist at the end was exciting, but other than that the ending was basic.
Suddenly a Murder takes place on an island with a luxurious manor and our characters are having fun on their 1920s getaway. The mystery wasn’t too hard to figure out, some things didn’t flow seamlessly, other than that it was a good read and I would recommend it.

Thanks, NetGalley and Penguin Group, for this ARC in exchange for my honest review! One thing that this book really had going for it was the glitz and the glamour, and of course, the mystery of it all! If there's one thing I love in this world, it's a Gatsby-esque party. I love a whodunit, so this was right up my alley. I did think that there were sometimes that the book drug on a little, and some parts that seemed farfetched, but I was willing to overlook them as I read through the book.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Ok…. I loved Suddenly a Murder. Set in a glamorous island estate, a group of teens embark on a 1920s themed party to celebrate their high school graduation. And suddenly, a murder.

I don’t want to give too much away because this book was amazing, but if you loved Knives Out as much as I did, or if you just love a weird murder mystery with an odd detective breathing down all the characters necks, you’ll be as into this book as I was. 10/10. I’ve never heard of Lauren Muñoz, but I’ll be reading anything she writes from now on.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group for this e-arc copy in exchange for an honest review.

For this book I didn't read the description to the fullest due to it being a Mystery Thriller and wanted it to be a surprise to see if I could catch all the clues before the ending. Which confused me at times I must admit, I wasn't sure if the narrator was supposed to be this Izzy character or someone else with the way things started.

This book was said to be Knives Out meets One of Us is Lying but I really don't see it. Nothing really like a puzzle mystery like Knives Out and obviously one of them was lying if one of the people killed this character. I came into this book thinking we had high schoolers having a 1920s murder mystery party when things went south to murder town but this can be described more as rich teens have a weeklong 1920s party at a famous island unsupervised until one of them ends up dead. It resembles the book The Thousandth Floor in that way and the way the events all played out to the end.

I caught the clues for the plot twist pretty easily due to the fact i had questions that could only be answered with the plot twist answers. There are still something that I have questions about, but they aren't ones to have groundbreaking answers.

This book was a quick read that I personally could categorize as being a light murder mystery because the thriller aspect wasn't strong enough to make my pulse increase. For fans for young adult murder mysteries and Clue.

Would recommend.

Okay I am a sucker for a closed circle murder mystery. Add the setting of 1920s themed party and honestly I was here for all the vibes! The setting, the characters, just everything about this book was a blast and a half for me. I got all the things I wanted out of the mystery. Which I will admit I'm a bit of a mystery snob when it comes to these things. So the fact that I really enjoyed this book really says something in my opinion. I'm definitely going to look out for more by this author in the future!

It is the end of their high school career, and Izzy Morales with her best friend Kassidy Logan celebrate by having a 1920’s themed graduation party. Kassidy has invited 5 of their classmates, including Kassidy’s boyfriend Blaine. On Sparrow Island is the fabulous and famous Ashwood Manor which is completed with vintage costumes and expensive diamonds. While the two girls are wanting glamorous and fun, tensions do rise until finally someone snaps, and Blaine is found dead.

Investigators are brought to the island, but no one can leave as a storm has also moved in. Izzy is compelled to find the real killer and protect herself. After all, she was the one who brought the knife.

I felt the characters were familiar. Some reminded me of Karen M. McManus’s One of Us is Lying meets Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. I love Knives Out but I didn’t really feel the similarities to that. This was more of the professional and psychological side. Why was Blaine murdered? There are flashbacks from each of the suspects. This is why I lowered the score one point, because it felt like it took a while to get to the main event/point of the story. It does pick up the pace right at the murder, so about 25% into the novel.

I really became invested in Izzy. Her reasons, her actions, but it was her love for sister Caye and her anxieties that I related to. I hope there is another that follows Izzy in college, but if not, that’s okay. There is enough to tie up most of the reader’s questions.

Overall, I rate this novel 4 out of 5 stars.

Look, the book isn't terrible and has very visible plot potential but it felt so dry and boring. I get why people would (and do) enjoy it, unfortunately it's just not my jam.

Besides the second quarter, a personal connection to the story was missing. The engagement wasn't there for me. The switches in POV styles between the past (third person) and present (first person) chapters were odd. It made the flow of the story a little more disjointed and feel as if written by a different writer. The many mentions of rich kid purchases became overdone rather quickly. Like we get it, they come from generations of wealthy families and have heirlooms while Izzy is poor. Enough.

I'm gonna be honest and say that I didn't even care for the main character, Izzy. She's supposed to be smart and going to Brown but a lot of her actions and logic skills made no sense. Her subplots, especially in the last quarter, just seemed thrown in even with the 'build up' to the reveals. I lost count how many times she said some variation of "If___ finds out what I did…" 😑

The way in which Izzy gathers information and clues fell short the further I read. I'll explain the best way I can without spoiling...It can be described as if you were with a group of friends about to do an escape room. Instead of actually searching for clues to solve how to get out, the employees that run the whole game just hands everybody a printed list of where exactly every clue and exit is located. It takes away the intrigue from the mystery.

The second quarter is hands down the best part of the whole book. I couldn't take a single character serious in the whole book but at least in this section, the writing and dialogue is snappy, engaging and intriguing. Things getting messy (the good kind) and fun. It had my attention and didn't lose focus not even once. I thought it was a sign that the rest of the story will continue to be smooth sailing after how dull the first quarter but wrong! We were back to everyone and everything being boring. Y'all, I was hoodwinked. Bamboozled.

Each Quarter:
1st: boring
2nd: intriguing
3rd: boring
4th: unfulfilling


Thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for providing a copy for an honest review.

A glamorous 1920s party goes wrong when one partygoer is found murdered—and each of his six friends is a suspect. Juicy secrets, not-so-white lies, and high school drama abound in a glamorous manor setting.

I ate this one up unbelievably quickly. It’s fast-paced, and filled to the brim with soapy drama. As someone who doesn’t usually read YA, I was worried I wouldn’t care for the age range and high school stories. But a skillfully-plotted murder puzzle, colored with just the right amount of twists and turns, made this an easy and thrilling read.

There are a few elements of the story I found unbelievable. The rich-kid lifestyle, an eccentric and all-knowing homicide detective, certain plot elements that were all-too-convenient. But ultimately none of this dampened my enjoyment of the mystery.

I don’t normally say this, but this has serious Agatha Christie vibes. Not just with the 1920s theme, but the mystery is delightfully complex. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable, well-written novel that will keep you hooked.

Thank you to NetGalley & Penguin Young Readers Group for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved both the premise and execution of this--a locked room mystery set in a manor house with lots of glamor and teenage intrigue. Really a wonderful debut. I can't wait to read more from this author.

Thank you NetGalley for this locked room mystery ARC. Overall this book was ok....not my favorite mystery but also not my least favorite. The plot definitely kept me interested and I liked trying to piece things together along the way. Some things I was able to see coming while other surprised me. I wish I felt more of a connection to some of the characters. The way the chapters switched between past and present was a little tricky sometimes to get into. If the past time line chapters said who the chapter focused on at the top maybe it would have helped a little bit. I liked how the detective seemed to work with Izzy at times to piece together a timeline of the murder. The ending seemed a little odd and far-fetched. The motive just seemed a little bit over the top to me. Overall it was a decent murder mystery if you're looking for a locked room mystery that's a fast and easy read.

I think my students will like this one, it has a strong start, then slows down as we are introduced to the characters and the 1920's themed vacation. This is a story told before with a group of friends with motives and one ends up dead. Lots of secrets and some twists and a somewhat unnecessary storyline. It became more interesting as it went on. The group of mostly rich students and very attractive is overdone

I couldn't put this book down! A very fast-paced whodunit centered on seven friends who go to an exclusive 1920's-themed high school graduation party on a remote island. The mansion on the island is historically preserved since it was a filming location for 1920's murder mystery movies.

The friends arrive on the island and have to wear only clothing worn during that time period and, no cell phones. As the friends mingle, secrets are reveled and tensions rise. Soon, one of the seven is found dead. As mentioned in other reviews, this really is a mix of "Knives Out" and "One of Us is Lying." There are some holes in the plot line, definite clichés, and predictability but also some surprising twists. A classic murder mystery.

Note - As a YA novel, use caution when recommending because alcohol and drug use (along with other toxic behaviors) are sprinkled throughout and normalized.

Thank you to Lauren Muñoz, NetGalley, and Penguin Young Readers Group for an advanced eBook in exchange for my honest review.

In a historic mansion located on a private island, Izzy and her friends are about to have the 1920's themed graduation party of their lives. Until one of them ends up murdered.

I started having more fun with this book towards the end, but the initial set up didn't really feel right to me. We spent most chapters in Izzy's first person POV, and I wasn't sure if I was reading a mystery and trying to figure out who did it, or if we were already told who did it and just along for the ride of the investigation anyway. For me, this introduction set me up as confused about what I was supposed to be suspecting, or IF I was supposed to be suspecting anything, rather than just being able to look at clues and form suspicions on my own.
However, like I said, once I gave up on participating in the mystery and agreed to just let the story be told to me, it ended up being fun, and the dynamics of the friendship group were interesting.

Thank you Pengiun Teen for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this one!

Goodreads describes it as a “locked-room mystery” and “One of Us is Lying meets Knives Out”, which is hard for me to say that’s an accurate description, since I haven’t read One of Us is Lying, but there’s definitely some Knives Out vibes.

Reading it for me gave off the vibe of an over-the-top Agatha Christie mystery meeting an episode of Gossip Girl, and if that sounds appealing to you, then you would enjoy this one.

There’s diversity in characters within the friend group and the protagonist is Latina. The setting is also fun as seven friends gather together for a 1920s themed graduation get-away at an elaborate estate, Ashwood Manor.

The friends turn in their cellphones to fully commit to the theme of the party and dress up in vintage attire and drink 1920s themed cocktails. Someone ends up dead and there ensues an investigation and flashbacks of all the characters backstories with each other.

I recommend this book if you can get into some teen drama (wasn’t too much for me) and if you like those old timey detective mysteries, where all gets revealed at the end in an elaborate way.

Wow, there's a ton of twists in turns in this one. Red herrings are scattered everywhere. The description of the historic mansion and added jazz age nuances enhance the already enticing plot. As one last hurrah after graduation high school, a group of friends head to a secluded island for a week of period costumes and suspended reality. No parents, no cell phones, no communication with the outside world. Until one of them is murdered. The characters shine in this story, particularly the dynamic between the detectives who arrive to investigate. Can they get their own series please? Overall, Suddenly A Murder kept me guessing until the ending, which wrecked me. A definite read if you like mysteries where people are trapped on an island and dressed to the nines in vintage garb.

3.5/5

I love a good closed door mystery and while Suddenly a Murder was an excellent snack for my appetite, I’m not sure I’d call it a whole meal.

Setting the food metaphors aside, I thought Suddenly a Murder had an excellent premise. 7 friends get together to celebrate their high school graduation, playing the part of high rollers in the roaring 20s. (It’s clear the author has an appreciation for the period given their focus on the attire and artifacts). The characters are all varied levels of developed (especially some of the core characters) but that’s not a deal breaker with these types of books.

Rather, it was the mystery itself. Perhaps it’s because I had an arc but giving away the gender of the murderer within the first paragraph really reduced the mystery and made the plot too easy to guess once the interrogations started. That being said the interrogations themselves and the MC were certainly highlights to this story. I think my biggest issue is that nothing really stood out for me that would separate this book from other closed mysteries in the genre. It’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it or speed through it but more that it was a bit forgettable for me.

I will also say without spoiling how that there were also times that subplots seemed to be set up for perhaps future novels or to add extra twists but distracted from the main point of this one since they weren’t set up enough prior to the reveal.

Overall an enjoyable read even if not a new favorite in the genre. Thank you to Netgalley and Lauren Munoz for the advanced read of Suddenly a Murder in exchange for an honest review.

A lot of reviewers like to throw around the word “atmospheric” — I’m as guilty as anyone — but Lauren Muñoz’s Suddenly a Murder is as deserving of the description as any book. Taking place at an isolated manor during a 1920’s-themed party for a group of friends, Suddenly a Murder is a fast-paced and engaging love letter to the golden age mystery novels that I’ve loved for years. Between the descriptions of the estate, the clothing, and the meals, I felt so immersed in the setting that I may as well have been another one of the characters.

A lot of setting-heavy stories can accidentally neglect their plots in favor of building up the scenery, but Suddenly a Murder does not fall victim to that trend. In fact, I found the mystery to be quite thrilling, even having guessed a few of the twists. They were the type of twists that felt satisfying, even though I expected them, because the payoff was clear and they made perfect sense. Another twist knocked my socks off in the best way.

Suddenly a Murder was one of my most anticipated releases of the year, and it did not disappoint. Quick and engaging, this book is definitely one of my favorite young adult mysteries. If you’re a fan of Truly Devious, One of Us is Lying, or A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, don’t hesitate to pick up Suddenly a Murder on September 5th.

This is a really clever story. By setting it on a secluded island and dressing it up in a 1920's themed costume affair the novel reaches a whole different genre/style. This unique flair helps keep the story feeling fresh throughout, even when the sometimes cliched arguments and teen drama take place.