Suddenly a Murder by Lauren Muñoz takes readers on a thrilling journey as a group of friends find themselves embroiled in a murder mystery during a 1920s-themed party. The novel effortlessly blends the glamour of the era with a modern-day whodunit, creating an engaging and entertaining read.

One of the strengths of the book is its ease of reading. The story flows smoothly, keeping the reader engaged from start to finish. The 1920s party backdrop adds an extra layer of intrigue and nostalgia, transporting readers to a bygone era. The author's ability to seamlessly transition between the present and the past enhances the storytelling, providing depth and context to the characters and their relationships.

The premise of the book is intriguing, and the author successfully maintains a sense of suspense throughout. The identity of the murderer remains uncertain until the climactic reveal, keeping readers guessing and eager to uncover the truth. The story has all the elements of a captivating murder mystery, and one can easily envision it being adapted into an exciting movie.

While the book delivers on its promise of an entertaining read, there are a few areas that could have been further developed. Getting to know some of the other characters in more depth would have added complexity and richness to the story. Additionally, more atmospheric writing could have heightened the immersive experience of the 1920s setting.

Towards the end, some twists feel a bit out of place due to a lack of sufficient build-up, which may leave readers wanting more. It can also be challenging to form a deep connection with some of the characters, although their roles in the story are engaging.

The ending, while powerful, might feel slightly anticlimactic for some readers. It would have been interesting to see the protagonist, Izzy, take a more active role in unraveling the mystery, adding an extra layer of action and suspense.

Overall, Suddenly a Murder is an enjoyable read that combines a unique premise, a captivating setting, and a suspenseful plot. While it may not surpass other books in the whodunit subgenre, it holds its own with its entertaining narrative and engaging characters. As the author's debut novel, it shows promise, and readers will undoubtedly be eager to see what Lauren Muñoz brings to the table in the future.
4.6 rounded up to 5/5.

A modern day Golden Age mystery complete with a modern Hercule Poirot.

After their high school graduation (from an ultra-expensive, private school), ultra wealthy Kassidy rents an isolated island as a last hurrah for several of her friends. Because both she and her bbf Izzy are fans of 1920s films, she makes it 1920s themed, including clothing, dressing for dinner - and no cell phones. There's a lot of hidden conflicts / tensions, leading to Kassidy's boyfriend Blaine being found dead before dinner on the second day. It seems everyone has secrets and motives - it's implied two parents are having an affair and even hints of a past romantic involvement between the two detectives. But since the killing happened on an island, it must be one of the friends.

Initially, I was dismayed when I started reading this book. When I picked it up, I thought they were graduating from college - not high school - meaning it was more of a YA book. It had a prologue, flashbacks, switched from 1st person to 3rd person, and had changing tenses with some being present and some being past; it was if Ms. Munoz took all my pet peeves about books and included them in this book. But she made them work beautifully.

First, even though the characters are 18 year-olds, it is not YA - a few spicy words, lots of underage drinking, references to off screen sex and drug use. The flashbacks, changing POV, and tenses all worked together: "present day" was first person POV (Izzy's) in the present tense, while the flashbacks were 3rd person, and past tense. The flashbacks worked to enhance the characters; while it's one thing to be told Izzy loves her disabled sister Caye, or a character has a bad temper, or someone got a STD, it's another thing to see Izzy caring for her sister and the extent of Caye's disabilities, or the character thinking about breaking things because of their anger issues, or someone antagonizing what their parents would say if they knew about their STD.

I thought it was clever how the author handled a few tricky details. Because the week was 1920s themed, everyone had surrendered their cell phone which was then taken to the mainland. And since it would be unreasonable for the detectives allowing an 18-year-old to sit in during their interviews, I liked the hidden passages which allowed Izzy to eavesdrop on what was going on. I also really liked the character of Pilar de Leon, the consulting detective who, like Poirot, only has one case she failed. Although, unlike Poirot who's always including French in his comments, Pilar includes Spanish.

Highly recommended - once I got into the book, I didn't want to put it down.

I received a copy of this from Net Galley that I voluntarily chose to review.

first and foremost, thank you netgalley and penguin teen for allowing me to read this ARC!

This is a mystery about a teen group celebrating their graduation on a 1920s themed getaway on an island. As the plot unfolds each character becomes a suspect within the case and all their lives are at risk!

Although it felt tailored to a younger YA audience, I felt grasped towards the book and all the twists were intriguing! I cannot wait for it to be released so I can buy a physical copy!!

Errrmmmaahhhgaaaawwwdddd.. This is defn YA Knives Out with a touch of Agatha Christie. I thought I knew where this book was going but boy was I wrong. Like total plot twist by the author. They did an amazing job of the fake out leading just to turn around and rop a bomb on you. I'd love a good who dun it murder mystery, Knives Out, or Agatha Christie YA... Then run and get this book.

I loved this book so much. Rich kids, realistic people and stories, and an ending that I personally loved. Throughout this whole book I thought I knew how it was going to end but I can promise you those last chapters had me surprised and also crying in my bed. I will be recommending this book to everyone I know.

"Suddenly a Murder" was an interesting take on a classic whodunit, where the mystery of "who" plays second to that of the "why". As the story unfolds through a mixture of present day action, flashbacks, and interrogations, the reader is largely trying to figure out the motive and the reliability of our narrator. While there were some twists toward the end that felt out of place without enough buildup, the climactic reveal behind the titular "murder" was a nice surprise. Overall, a fun read that you can really picture playing out on screen.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Somebody has been murdered at a very exclusive 1920s themed party, and one of the guests did it. But which one?

This book had a fairly good twist, but other than that it wasn't my favourite murder mystery. The characters were all distinctly unlikeable and I wasn't engaged by the plot. A shame, I'm sure others will love it!

Thank you to the publisher for providing a review copy.

Did not see the end coming! While I struggled to follow some of the storylines due to chapter time jumps, this was overall well-written and kept my attention.

3.5 stars.

Suddenly a Murder is very nostalgic for Agatha Christie murder mysteries. A bunch of recently graduated rich high school students are spending the week at a remote island, living their life like it’s the 1920’s. Fancy dresses, tennis games, and dinner parties. But of course there’s a murder. And as time moves on, you realize that multiple people had a motive.

We get all present-day information through Izzy’s point-of-view, but the past cycles through all the (alive) party members’ view. I found this back and forth to be a little slow and it dragged on. I liked getting to know Izzy and Marlowe and I was rooting for them. I enjoyed the bit of romance included, and the friendship between Izzy and Kassidy was sweet (and maybe codependent but don’t care, I loved it between them).

The killer was pretty predictable, but there were definitely some twists I wasn’t expecting. Overall, Suddenly a Murder was an enjoyable debut!

Thank you to Penguin Random House for the review copy!

Thanks to Netgalley for the arc for this one. It was more of a 3.5 read for me but I rounded up because it is well written and some of what I didn't like were idiosyncrasies of my own. I do feel it is a strong debut novel. Izzy Morales and her BFF Kassidy are huge fans of 1920 era movies and Kassidy invites her and five of their 'friends' to a remote island off the coast of Maine where one of their favorite murder mystery movies was shot. And we are using the word friend loosely here, more like frenemies.

Izzy attends a very exclusive high school as her mother teaches there and Kassidy and the others are very wealthy. Blaine, Kassidy's less than faithful boyfriend, has multiple people who wish him ill. Marlowe is the young man Izzy has her eye on. We also have the gay best friend, the jock (his sport is rowing) and the brainy girl. All of them come to this party where Kassidy insists on a 1920s theme, no cell phones/computers, all their clothes returned to the main land and everyone will dress in 20s clothing and they're reliving a famous party right down to the cocktail/food menus.

Unsurprisingly one of them is killed. Everyone has a reason to kill the victim. It's a real nod to the locked room Agatha Christie novels, right down to eccentric detectives (doing barely legal investigations) with a touch of Gothic novel tossed (complete with isolating storm).

I liked Izzy and Marlowe very much. The others are rich entitled and annoying but still interesting characters. I read a lot of mysteries so the ending is exactly what I expected it to be. It's not told linearly per se. The perimorteum chapters are all Izzy's pov. The flashbacks are from all the characters slowly revealing their motives for killing. I'm not a huge fan of non linear story telling (that would be the thing I didn't include in my rating as that is a me thing and not a fault of the story). I did enjoy this a lot. Hope to see more from this author.

This book sounded amazing, but just wasn't for me. I was expecting more of a Gatsby-vibe to the story, and it read more like a highschool drama than a Gatsy-party gone murder mystery. Which was just really disappointing to me. The rich, flippant attitude of so many of the characters bothered me too. I know it's just a front to hide their many secrets, but it felt very cliche and kept me from really enjoying any of the characters.

A very fun, fast story! Similar in vibes to Five Survive but also entirely different. The seven teenagers are all so very teenaged and stupid but in the believable way that makes a reader want to throttle them but also tell them to sit down and have a cookie. Muñoz does an admirable job of creating seven distinct characters (more if you include the side characters) all with compelling friendships and situations. Our primary person, Isadora, is strikingly relatable and the more you learn about her the more you want her to be innocent (or maybe want her to be guilty, choosing violence is sometimes the way).

There are some pacing hiccups - the book starts slow but all the table setting pays off in the back half. Some of the characters really are annoying but again, they're teenagers and if I were also a teenager (the target demo for this) I think I wouldn't have noticed the annoyingness. If this is Muñoz's debut, I'm stoked to see where she goes. It takes a lot for a YA thriller to surprise me with an earned twist and this one definitely did.

This was a great read that didn't read like a YA. Gather 7 newly graduated high school friends (mostly) that are ultra rich (mostly) and take them out to a remote island when a 1920s silent murder mystery film had been made. It's 1920s themed and everyone is having a woeful time until slowly things begin to crack.... And then... There's a murder. Suddenly, everyone is a suspect, right down to the victim's loving girlfriend.

This is a wonderful locked room murder reminiscent of And Then There Were None.. The author does a fabulous job with her descriptions of the island, the fashion, food and cocktails. She's created interesting characters and a well developed plot that will leave you guessing.

This book was one of my most anticipated books of the year and it definitely met my expectations. Nothing beats the drama of putting a small group of people on a small island, killing one of them and then trying to figure out who the killer is before either the cops do or someone else is killed. Excellent cast of characters and I was on the edge of my seat throughout the book. Highly recommended for those who enjoy reading Agatha Christie novels or cozie mysteries.

Thank you NetGalley, Lauren Munoz, and GP putnam’s books for young readers due to be published September 5th 2023.
Seven friends throw a 1920s-themed party, where it's all pretend--until one of them is murdered. To celebrate the end of high school izzie and kassidy and five of their friends go to ashwood manor for a 1920s party. It’s all fun and games until Kassidys boyfriend ends up dead. Which one of the guests do you think it is? The girlfriend? The person who brought the knife? You’ll have to read to figure it out and I promise you won’t be disappointed.

This was a really fast paced YA mystery that I couldn’t put down once I started it.

Lauren Muñoz presents an intriguing murder mystery with a suspenseful plot, a diverse cast of characters, and a web of secrets, This novel keeps readers guessing until the final pages. The pacing of the novel is generally well-maintained, with Muñoz keeping readers engaged by gradually revealing new information and introducing twists and turns. The author creates a sense of urgency, urging readers to piece together the puzzle alongside the protagonist. The characters are diverse and multi-dimensional, each with their own motivations and secrets.
Muñoz's writing style is straightforward and accessible, making the book easy to follow. However, some readers may find the dialogue and descriptive passages somewhat lacking in depth and nuance, which could have enhanced the overall reading experience.

Wow! I didn’t want to ever put this one down. Gossip Girl Vibes + Locked Room Murder Mystery + Loads of Drama + Twenties Era Theme Parties! This captivating mystery was unique - filled with the decadence of the 20s and the dramatic intrigue of a classic mystery novel. The perspective of the main character and the dual timeline add to the twists of uncovering the murderer.

Thank you Lauren Muñoz for this story. Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group for this ARC.

Lauren Muñoz delivers a killer debut novel. A locked room mystery where seven friends throw a 1920’s themed graduation party where all is fun and games until one of them is murdered.

This book will keep you guessing until the very end. I had an inkling of who the killer was quite early on, but there were some surprises along the way and I never could have guessed the ending or the secrets that some of the characters were hiding.

I especially loved the flashback chapters where we got to explore the characters more in depth and get clues as to why they might have committed this murder.

A truly fabulous debut! Highly recommend to fans of the Truly Devious Series and fans of Jessica Goodman and Holly Jackson.

Thank you to netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was a bit of a slow start for me but once it got started it was great! I think our cast of characters were likeable enough but in the way characters in Succession or The White Lotus or Knives Out are - they’re uber rich (save for our main!) and I don’t think I was really rooting for any of them, but I was also invested in their stories. While I figured out who committed the murder, I didn’t particularly love the end for that character? That and the dad reveal marked off a star for me personally, but overall this book was great! I had a fun time with this murder mystery.

I also adored the flashbacks. It gave us great insight into the characters and provided them their own POV (and motives). It was so much better than just hearing about them in their interviews or through Izzy’s eyes - this made the characters feel more fleshed out and helped me empathize with them each a bit more. I’d honestly love for more murder mysteries to work that way because it’s such a quick but effective way to make me more invested in an ensemble of characters.

I love locked door murder mysteries, and this one was done very well! All of the kids are sequestered on an island in a mansion, dressed for the 1920's as that is the theme for the week, when one of them is murdered. Two detectives come in to question them, and that's how we get each character's story - their movements and their possible motives.

The mystery itself was well written, with tons of motives and possible murderers. There was some clever misdirection and just when I'd decide who I thought had killed the kid, the author would switch things up, give another clue, and I'd pivot to another character as the culprit! I can't say I was entirely surprised by who ended up being the murderer by the end, but the motive took me completely by surprise.

I enjoyed this book very much and highly recommend it.

5/5 stars.

*** I would like to thank Netgalley, Penguin Young Readers Group, and Lauren Munoz for the opportunity to read and review this book.