I was looking forward to reading this, the reviews seemed to suggest that this would be the sort of crime novel I would enjoy. However, within a short period of time I came upon offensive language (can I just say I'm no prude) which I refuse to read. Along with this I wasn't impressed with the writing style. This is certainly no where in the sphere of Shirley Jackson or Agatha Christie territory, as one review suggests.

ARC by NetGalley and the publisher.
Welcome to Beechwood Castle come and stay for the night or maybe forever. Six people find strange invitations to stay at this famous murder house for 24hrs. Each individual has their own motives for attending, be it the offered prize money at the end of the night or answers to the horrific murders that took place there in 1996. Will secrets be revealed about what happened all those years ago finally come to light or will more tragedy ensue. When everyone is a traitor it’s hard to tell what’s truth and where the lies end.

Our story begins as we are introduced one by one to our main characters Staci (the internet detective), Bonnie (the psychic), Penelope (the writer), Rad (the ex-cop), Cornelius (an architect), and Lolly (the final girl and soul survivor from the 1996 murders). The book is told thru multiple POVs, as each chapter swaps from character to character. While this did highlight their own thoughts throughout this locked room whodunit it didn’t feel deep enough to make me truly care for the characters’ well beings. I was intrigued with the first 50%, spending time building up to the foreboding nights stay at the Beechwood. When all our characters finally sat in the eerie gothic house dinning room I was excited to see what would happen next, however after that everything just felt somewhat flat despite all the true action following. Each twist felt cliche and anticlimactic, part of me wonders if this is due to the books shorter length. I think for me if there had been just a tad more time spent on descriptions of the home and diving more into the 1996 crime this would have been a 4 star read. While this book did not shock me or keep me on my toes as much as I would like I do think it was well written and will find readers newer to the thriller genre reading this quickly in one sitting and enjoying it.

The Traitors comes out February 1st, 2024.

Thank you again NetGalley and One More Chapter Publishing for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.

The Traitors by C A Lynch. Due to be published 01.02.24.
This is another take on the 'group gathered in an isolated location with a killer on the loose' genre.
A pretty good story based on some teenagers 30 years previously killed by an axe murderer. Invitations arrive in the post- 6 strangers with something to hide all trying to last the night and win a pot of money. I enjoyed it and didn't solve the whodunnit so the reveal at the end was worth it. A well written thriller. 5⭐️.

Fast paced and so atmospheric. It had everything you could want in a locked room mystery! I would have liked maybe a bit more background on certain things but overall, a really good read.

4 stars

This was fantastic. This had everything you want in a locked room mystery. Twists and turns, an great reveal, fun characters.
This was a single sitting read for me.
My first by Lynch and certainly not my last.

Many years ago a group of teenagers went into Beechwood Castle. The night ended with the brutal slaying of all but one girl.
Now years later invitations are sent out. Six people have received a cream envelope. Inside is an invitation to spend 24 hours locked in the castle. The survivors will have a share of one million dollars. However, one person invited is an imposter.
Why have this seemingly random group been brought together? Who will make it through the night?
A perfect locked door mystery. A good story but none of the characters are particularly likeable.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to see an ARC

If you stay the night in an abandoned castle that was the site of terrible, gruesome murders, you'll win a million dollars. Easy enough. And six people pledge to do just that. While the paranormal may be in the mind, the actions and intentions of others are not. No one is predictable in this. Clever, with a healthy dose of dark comedy. I would love to see this adapted into a movie.

The description pulled me in right away - 6 strangers tied to a violent crime 20 years ago are locked in a house. Their goal? To survive the night.

I had no idea what was going to happen through The Traitors and I loved it. I was very curious to see what would happen to the 6 visitors and why they decided to come to the mansion. There were multiple viewpoints, which did led to some confusion on my part. I kept getting the characters, especially the female characters, mixed up.

I found the second half of the novel to be a bit rushed and even though I was surprised by the ending, I would of liked more time to be spent on the conclusion.

Thank you to Netgallery and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love a good locked door mystery what can I say. I’m a result of every single Agatha Christie book. This one doesn’t disappoint. While most of the characters are awful, as the book goes on you find yourself rooting for some of them. While the book ends too early in my opinion (I read it in one sitting!) there was a really pleasant epilogue vibe collection of chapters which you usually don’t get. Really well rounded and well done.

Wow what a book. I couldn’t put this down as it was such a great mind twisting thriller and I was desperate to know who the killer was and why all of these characters had been brought together to the scene of a terrible crime so many years ago. Loved it.

I love books about a bunch of people trapped in a house/castle/island and having to guess who the killer is. This book is one of them. It was really entertaining and, although I saw coming who the killer was, I enjoyed the ride a lot.

I really enjoyed this book! My first time reading anything by this author, but it won't be my last. This creepy, locked-room thriller was fast paced with a slew of untrustworthy, complex characters that kept me engaged and guessing until the very end. I couldn't tear myself away from this story. Not once did I have a moment of boredom or lose focus. The suspense had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. The reveal was a shocker and totally unexpected, but the ending fell a little flat and wrapped up too neatly in my opinion. I would have loved for the story to end on a cliffhanger or something that retriggered any of the emotions that I experienced prior to that point. I still had loads of fun reading this and will be looking for more of this author's books to read in the future.

Thank you to the author, HarperCollins UK, and NetGalley for granting me digital access in exchange for my honest review!

This thriller wasn't for me. Lizzie-Borden-esque axe murderer, a whole host of utterly unsympathetic characters, and a predictably unpredictable ending that tosses out the idea of a closed door mystery by...opening the door to the creepy castle.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

There is nothing not to love about this story set in Beechwood Castle, the site of one of the most horrific murders in modern history.
Six people are invited to spend one night at the castle and if they stay the full night will receive their share of 1 million dollars - they each have their connection to the castle and to each other although they don't realise it yet.
Who will make it through the night..
Brilliant 'locked room' mystery - so much to the story I flew though it at the rate of knots!

A locked-room mystery that is a lot of fun. I have a weak spot for these “And then there were none” type of plots, so I was invested in the story, despite not liking most of the characters. This author never fails to keep me entertained, even if the action takes a bit to get started. A group of mostly horrible people, liars and narcissists are summoned to an abandoned mansion that was once the scene of a multiple crime right from a slasher film. The original “final girl” is invited, along with the cop who made a mistake investigating the murders and other people tangentially related and whose connection seems a little forced. Once the mystery is explained, the guest list makes sense, though. Other than the final girl, the cop and a psychic, I actively hated the rest of the cast. The solution was also implausible, even if it worked. This is why I’m giving this read five stars, because despite it not being perfect, it was perfect for me. I really enjoyed it and had a good time with it.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter.

I enjoyed this book. I’m not sure if this was based on the TV show with the same name and premise. I don’t think it matters, but something I wondered.

I wouldn’t say it was the most intellectually stimulating or deeply written book I’ve ever read, but I don’t base my ratings on that (unless it’s just a really bad book…which this wasn’t at all).

I know a lot of people base ratings on how deep the plot went, how complex characters were, etc. etc. I wouldn’t say this book was deep or complex…but it kept me entertained and turning the pages.

I never had a moment that I dreaded picking it up or ever was tempted to not finish it. I was invested from the moment I started reading.

It kind of gave me a YA style of writing as I was reading it even though I don’t think it’s YA.

There are quite a few characters to keep up with, but I didn’t find it especially hard to keep them apart. The author did a pretty good job at making their voices unique to them so they didn’t all run together for the most part.

I felt like it was all straight to the point. There wasn’t a lot of fluff in between and it was a very quick read. I enjoyed it, but if you’re looking for a very deep plot with complex characters, this isn’t it. If you’re looking for a fun and quick read, this book covers that I think.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the ARC of this book.
Sorry this book did absolutely not meet my expectations. All the characters were bland and lacked any effort to entice the reader. The storyline was also weak. I have liked other books by this author but this one certainly isn’t one I will be adding to me list.

Thank you to One More Chapter and C A Lynch for approving my NetGalley request to read this book in return for an honest review.

This was my first C A Lynch book, but it definitely won't be my last. What an introduction this was!

The synopsis of this book had me by the throat, and the cover, wow, that manor house is so creepy and sets the tone well. What is not to love about a locked room mystery set in a castle with a murderous past?

We follow six people to Beechwood Castle that have all been sent mysterious invitations to spend 24 hours in the house and win a portion of 1 million dollars. But of course, not everything is as it seems, one of them is a traitor! Years earlier the manor house was the site of a horrific and gruesome murder, terrifying the locals, and had been shut down ever since. But was the murderer ever caught?

I raced through this story as it was so addictive and I clearly couldn't put it down. Even with it being told by each character for a new chapter it was still easy enough to follow and remember who is who and there were so many amazing twists that I just couldn't pin down who the traitor was, nor the killer! I genuinely felt like I was one of the characters, the storytelling was *that* good. I love a good story that keeps me guessing the whole way through and surprises me right up until the very last page and The Traitors was definitely one of those stories. The gore, the language, the terror I could feel emanating through the pages was impressive, and right up my alley.

I feel like this book was such fun and would recommend anyone who likes thrillers and locked room mysteries to read this as soon as you can, but with the lights on, haha! I really hope this is going to be a popular book, and I'll be reading more by C A Lynch as soon as I can!

5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I have to admit that the main reason I requested this book was its title - I reasoned that if it was even half as entertaining as the BBC reality TV show, ‘The Traitors’ by C. A. Lynch would be worth a read!

The story begins with six individuals receiving invitations to spend a night at Beechwood Castle, a crumbling, imposing, dark Manor House that has sat vacant for almost three decades following a horrific mass murder event. We soon learn that each of them has something to hide, and as they sit down to dinner, they are all denounced as traitors by their mysterious anonymous host and one of them is decried as an impostor.

I loved the distinctive voices, stories and motivations of the six guests. The author captured the tension perfectly and let the dark, dilapidated setting and ominous surroundings take centre stage. This was a very fast paced tale and I didn’t see the twists coming!

My rating for this one is a solid four stars, and I’d recommend it to any thriller lovers looking for an atmospheric locked room mystery. The only reason it wasn’t a five star read for me is the fact that it was over so quickly and not all the characters had enough time to make a lasting impression.

I received a free review copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest feedback. Thanks NetGalley and Harper Collins One More Chapter!