Suddenly a Murder is kind of like Agatha Christie meets Gossip Girl, and I mean that in the best way possible. Izzy is a "charity case" student at an exclusive prep school in Maine where her mother teaches. Her best friend Kassidy has surprised Izzy with a weeklong trip to Ashwood Manor on Sparrow Island, where their favorite Jazz Age movie was filmed. Kassidy has also invited some of their closest friends; her boyfriend Blaine, their friends Fergus, Ellison, and Chloe, and Izzy's crush Marlowe. They're going to spend the week having a 1920's themed vacation, complete with period accurate clothing, no technology, and plenty of Prohibition-era cocktails. It seems like the perfect end to their high school career, a true dream vacation. And then someone is murdered. And it turns out that everyone had a good reason for wanting them dead.

Lauren Muñoz jumps back and forth in the timeline, detailing the aftermath of the murder and its investigation, and jumping back to various points of senior year where we learn more about everyone's relationships, pressures, and potential motives. In the primary timeline, our point of view character is Izzy, but each flashback lets us take a look inside the head of one of the other friends / suspects. Muñoz also does a wonderful job laying out the clues for an observant reader. Once I finished I wanted to immediately re-read it to pick up the clues I missed the first time around.

Overall a great story, and a quick and fun read. This was Lauren Muñoz's debut novel; I look forward to reading more of her work!

Normally when I read a locked room murder novel like this, I can pick out who the culprit is fairly early on, but this kept me guessing til the last minute. I loved the characters and how everyone, including the protagonist, were the type of people you could love and hate all at the same time. Very well done.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Teen for providing me with an eARC of Suddenly a Murder in exchange for my honest review!

The fact that this has been pitched as a cross between One of Us Is Lying and Knives Out drew me in immediately as a fan of both of those pieces of media. Now, the whodunnit itself doesn't beat out other stories I've consumed from this subgenre, and I wish I could have gotten more attached to some of the characters early on, but it's compelling all the same. It was easy to read and I like its choice to go for a 1920s-themed backdrop, although I do think it could have been designed with more atmosphere. It cuts back and forth between the present and the past smoothly and helps to add more layers to the characters, but I found that a few of the flashbacks were extraneous. Once it hits the third act, that's when the book rises to another level in regard to its twists (there's one in particular that caused me to physically lean backward and take a minute to process the new info) and the territory it's willing to explore with a few of its characters in order to get me more invested in them.

Overall, I'm officially rating Suddenly a Murder 3.25 out of 5 stars, which I'm rounding down to 3 stars here on Goodreads. It didn't land with me as one of the most riveting and memorable mystery novels I've read, but it did offer up an entertaining time that I'm glad I was able to experience. I'll keep an eye out for more of debut author Lauren Muñoz's work in the future.

3.4
My main issue here is that I've no indicators of how seriously I should be taking this. The ending was the most hysterically overdramatic thing I've read this year, but, like, was she for real? My not knowing the answer to that question lost this book a full star.

A fun and fresh Knives Out-esque murder mystery! The premise for this was definitely unique, and perfectly fit the Agatha Christie bill. Plus, I didn't see the twist coming, which is always a huge bonus for me as someone who reads quite a few thrillers!

This was a fun whodunit and the 1920's theme was a nice touch. I didn't particularly like Izzy's character and her love interest, Marlowe, was a bit pretentious, but overall it was a fun and engaging read.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun whodunit and the 1920's theme was a nice touch. I didn't particularly like Izzy's character and her love interest, Marlowe, was a bit pretentious, but overall it was a fun and engaging read.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Whew this was fun! Suddenly a Murder follows a group of teens throwing a 1920s-themed party where one of them ends up murdered. YA thrillers and mysteries are often a hit or miss for me and this ended up being a hit. It was so fun and fast paced, and lacked any of the cringe that can sometimes come from YA. I loved the manor setting as well, it gave the story an old school murder mystery vibe. The best part was it definitely kept me guessing, I thought I had it figured out and then it threw me for a loop!

ARC provided by NetGalley.

A super fun story! 7 friends are on a small island celebrating a birthday in a 1920's themed party when there is a murder! Suddenly everyone is at risk and everyone is a suspect..

Izzy is being feted by her very rich best friend. As a scholarship student at her school, she is more than thankful for Kassidy's friendship -she relies on it. She is super excited for this birthday/graduation gift and looks forward to a week of fun and frolicking. Almost immediately a murder transpires. Police descend upon the scene and being a series of interrogations Can Izzy get to the bottom of this mystery before the murderer kills again?

This is a locked room murder mystery based on an island with great descriptions of fashion food and drink related to the roaring 20's. If you love locked room, the roaring 20's or just another vacation gone wrong tale, Suddenly A Murder is for you!
#Penguin #SuddenlyA Murder #LaurenMunoz

Solving a locked room murder with the clues coming along the way. A good read, although it would have helped to have chapter headers to know whose point of view the chapter is from so that you know who is speaking. The story keeps you guessing until the end and has a few surprises.

In this locked room mystery, the deadly combination of glitz, lies, and broken hearts sets the scene. Wealthy teens, along with Isobel, embark on a sail to a remote island for a 1920's murder mystery weekend in a historic mansion, but no one expects that not all of them will survive.

Kassidy organized the event and invited a group of friends and foes, including her unfaithful boyfriend, Blaine, who has cheated on her with at least two of the other guests; his insufferable best friend, Fergus; the hot rowing star, Ellison; the quiet reader, Marlowe, who is on the edge of their social group; Chloe, who got an invitation-only because her family is doing business with Kassidy's dad; and Izzy, Kassidy's best friend, who can only attend their wealthy prep school because her mom teaches there.

When Blaine is found dead, nearly everyone has a motive to resent him. As an epic storm hits and traps everyone on the island, two detectives arrive to solve the case.

The murder mystery has plenty of twists and turns, as many of the guests arrived with unclear motives. The reader experiences the story through Isobel's perspective, as she watches the privileged teens around her try to avoid looking guilty. Isobel also listens in on others' interviews from a secret passage, providing insight into everyone's motives and what they are and are not willing to reveal.

The explosive ending coincides with the storm reaching its climax, making this an atmospheric, moody mystery to remember.

Please, i am absolutely obsessed with this book! The vibes, the mystery, the chemistry between the characters had me hooked from the beginning! I loved the backdrop of the 20s party and I had ZERO clue as to who the murderer was! I was completely taken off guard and that never happens. I definitely thought I had picked the person, but it went in the total opposite direction. Clue meets Gossip Girl, this is a must read for any thriller/murder mystery fan!

I adored the story, the world building was amazing. I love meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it. The writing was also really nice. I couldn't put the book down and I can't wait for others to read and enjoy this story as well.

RATING: 4/5 STARS

I have been voraciously reading YA mysteries and thrillers lately, and how can I not, when they are as soapy, bloodthirsty, and surprising as SUDDENLY A MURDER? A group of 7 graduating high school seniors celebrate with a 1920s-themed getaway on a secluded island in a swanky mansion. Catty tension comes to a peak when the not-so-beloved golden boy of the group is found dead. I thought I had the mystery pegged until the last pages when I was thrown for a loop. This book did feel geared to a younger audience in its character interactions and motives, but that did not impede my enjoyment. Brava to Lauren Muñoz for this champagne-fizzy escape of a book.

A bit of a different murder mystery, but a fun one nonetheless. I did like that it leaned into the 1920s theme while still being modern.

I do think the flashback scenes helped make the reader sympathetic towards the characters, but I didn’t always find them necessary.

I also don’t know why Pilar de Leon was always referred to most of the time her her full name.

As far as why Izzy brought the knife, I knew it wasn’t to murder Blaine. I just couldn’t put the pieces together.

Was not expecting the ending, which is nice for someone who usually sees the twists coming. However, I do wish there had been more clues pointing towards the actually murder and various motivations.

Wow! Such a great mystery/thriller that 100% kept me guessing until the end. It’s safe to say that I did not see any of the twists coming! I loved the plot of the book and the world that Muñoz created. The imperfect characters, the ambiguous cliffhangers… everything I love in a mystery was in this book! I cannot wait to read other books by this author.

When I first started this book I was a bit hesitant, but after the first chapter I was completely and totally hooked. I finished this book in almost one sitting. I love a good 'who dun it'. There are so many twists and turns, I thought for sure I knew who the bad guy was, but I was definitely surprised when I got to the end. I love when a book makes you think you know what's happening and then surprise throws you for a loop.

I really enjoyed the cast of characters, even if the main character did frustrate me just a bit. But we have to have a plot - (and honestly, its a really good plot).

Thank you penguin for providing me access to this book and thank you Lauren for creating such a wonderful story. I cannot wait to see what else she has in store for us!

Glitz, lies and broken hearts make a deadly combo in this locked room mystery.

When a group of wealthy teens, plus Isobel, sail to a remote island for a 1920's murder mystery in a historic mansion, no one expects them to not all survive.

Kassidy, the wealthy birthday girl, masterminded the weekend, inviting a group of friends and foes. The group includes her boyfriend, Blaine, who's cheated on Kassidy with at least two other guests; his best friend, the insufferable Fergus; Ellison, the hot rowing star; Marlowe, a quiet reader who's on the edge of their social group as a non-partier; Chloe, who only got an invite because Kassidy's dad is working on a business deal with her family; and Izzy, Kassidy's best friend who can only afford to attend their wealthy prep school because her mom's a teacher there.

When Blaine turns up dead, nearly everyone has a reason to resent him. Two detectives arrive to solve the case just as an epic storm comes in, trapping them all on the island.

This murder mystery has great twists and turns, as many of the guests arrived with less-than-clear motives. As one detective says, "It would make it so much easier if the innocent ones stopped lying their asses off."

For most of the novel, the reader sees from Isobel's point of view, as the privileged teens around her try to avoid looking guilty. Isobel also spies on others' interviews from a secret passage, giving the reader a great view of everyone's motives and what they are and are not willing to share.

Everything comes to an explosive ending as the storm reaches its crescendo, making this an atmospheric, moody mystery to remember.

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

This has to be the one mystery that actually kept me guessing, I couldn't put this down and for the life of me, I could never figure out who the killer was. this book was so fun and a joy to read, I loved Isadora, Kassidy, and Marlowe my top three faves. definitely put this book on your fall tbr, it radiates knives-out meets gossip girl with a 1920's party and i can guarantee you'll have a great time guessing who the killer is, will you figure it out? definitely not. But will it seem insanely obvious after finding out? big time.

thank you peguin teen for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to Penguin Teen for letting me read this early in exchange for an honest review!


A locked room murder mystery that will have you guessing until the very last page. I stayed up until the early hours of the morning devouring this mysterious tale. Follow along with an interesting cast of best friends as they point fingers to find out what happened to one of their own. The answer will leave you speechless like i was.