My thanks to Net Galley and Henry Holt for this arc

I won't reiterate the plot because the summary says it all but I'll get right to the point...this book fell majorly flat. The premise was great but the execution was not good .

First, Anatol? Maybe its a regional name but everytime I read that name it sounded like a medication we give patients at work. Secondly, where was the line between the stories and reality? What was real, what was not? Very confused. Third, none of the characters were likeable. Last, for fans of Agatha? No. Agatha is more linear and follows a murder, detective comes in, investigates, gathers in a room to announce murderer. Nope. Pass on this one.

So convoluted I lost all the fun I usually find in this genre. The payoff was likely worth it but I couldn’t find the effort to get there.

Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt and Company for early access to “Ink Ribbon Red” by Alex Pavesi. I was intrigued from the start, knowing that I was in for a ride of morally questionable/unreliable narrators, but I got even more than that. Not sure if you could call this an epistolary, but the reading of each character’s own version of a murder mystery gave that same air of only getting the information from one closed off source. Am I still confused by the end of it? Yes. Do I think that makes it even more original and exciting? Yes. It gives Christie vibes with a modern twist- a great pick for an eerie/cozy read.

I LOVED LOVED LOVED this book.
The author wasted no time delivering the suspense. Immediately in the beginning something happens that caused me to create theories during the entirety of this book. I felt like I was a part of it. If you love Agatha Christie you're going to devour this!!

DNF: This started out strong, but then it becomes clear that this is the Big Chill if they played a strange murder game. What's from the stories created and what's actually happening is a mess; with a few stylistic changes things would be easier (although I'm sure the author is trying hard to make this suspenseful).

eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.

intense and intricate murder mystery (maybe?) story filled with murders. did they happen? maybe? who knows. i was very intrigued by this, but i do have to admit the characters were.... mediocre. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

I liked the premise of this book but it didn’t work for me in execution. It centers on a group of 6 friends who gather for a 30th birthday party. It’s Anatol’s birthday and he wants to play a game where they all write a murder story between 2 characters (within their group) picked at random. What follows is a confusing story where it’s impossible to differentiate what is real or not.

The characters weren’t developed very well and while we got a good understanding of what they were like, we didn’t get a good understanding of WHY they were like that. The book jumped between timelines and blurred the lines of real and pretend, which left me confused overall. There were also random chapter titles which often felt jarring. Cause they didn’t clearly tie into what was happening. The end did tie up loose ends in a way that made the confusing things from earlier more clear, so I appreciated that.

Overall, I just don’t think this was for me. I wish the characters had been deeper and the storyline more clear. Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a SUPER INTERESTING concept for a thriller. Our main character, Anatol, invites his friends to his old family home to play a game he’s invented - Motive Method Death- where every person there must draw names and write a detail story about one person murdering another.

What is so intriguing is that we are presented these stories throughout the narrative in a way that keeps you guessing what is happening in the real plot, and what is a story within the story. While not all readers will like this and some may find confusing, I thought it was a very interesting writing device.

This is great if you love stories within stories, are okay being a little freaked out, and enjoy books where you trust no one! Thanks to the publisher, NetGalley, and the author for the eARC.

I think this one just wasn’t for me. I thought the concept was interesting with all the stories. However, I didn’t find any of the character likable. I felt like there were so many details that made this a slower read. The reveals/secrets in the stories weren’t surprising because it was information the reader already knew. The murder stories were the best part, I wish the rest of it was at the same level. When the lead compares this to Knives Out, you’re expecting more of a fast-paced puzzle that gets figured out as you move through the story, and thats not what this is at all.

Pavesi's "Ink Ribbon Red" left me deliciously disoriented from the first page to the last. The shifting perspectives had me constantly recalibrating my understanding—like walking through a house of mirrors where each reflection reveals a different truth about the same scene.

Six friends gather at a secluded Wiltshire manor to celebrate a birthday, but when host Anatol suggests they play "Motive Method Death"—a game where each writes fictional murder scenarios involving the others—I immediately sensed the suffocating tension beneath their polite smiles. This isolated setting transforms from cozy to claustrophobic as the weekend progresses, trapping these characters with their darkest secrets.

What dazzled me most was how Pavesi weaves actual stories within the main narrative. As each character crafts their fictional murder, the line between imagination and reality blurs until I found myself scribbling notes, desperately trying to separate fabrication from truth. Every cliffhanger pushed me forward, promising answers that remained maddeningly just out of reach.

These characters are gloriously flawed—carrying grudges, harboring affairs, and nursing resentments that seep into their fictional murders. Their complex relationships unravel through both their stories and their reactions to others' tales, making each revelation feel like both confession and accusation.

The genius of "Ink Ribbon Red" lies in how it forces readers to become detectives twice over—piecing together both the actual plot and the fictional murders within it. This psychological meta-mystery offers that rarest of reading experiences: a puzzle that remains compelling even after you've solved it.

Special thanks to Henry Holt and Co. and NetGalley for providing the advance review copy, though all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

We have your classic country house and a gathering of people. It’s a May 1999 bank holiday weekend in Wiltshire, near Tisbury. Those in attendance are 30-somethings who have been asked to come for the weekend to celebrate the 30th birthday of Anatol.

The party attendees:

Janika, a brusque professor of philosophy at Birmingham University
Marcin, a wealthy investment banker
Dean, an engineer, attending without his wife, Yulie, who is reportedly under the weather and has begged off
Phoebe, a French teacher who is also Yulie’s sister
Maya, an artist

Only a few weeks earlier, Anatol’s father, Gus, died in an accident. Some of the friends speculate—maybe jokingly, maybe not—that Anatol killed Gus.

Anatol suggests the group play a game he’s invented called Motive, Murder, Death, in which each player must write and submit a description of a murder that involves two of the other players. The players then judge each of the submissions. The submissions cause an uproar, as they uncover secrets from the past, and characterize targets in unfavorable ways, and the group members becomes hostile.

Each of the submissions is presented within the book, but the author purposely has made it unclear what is real and what is simply a story. It’s extra easy for the reader to be confused because the timeline jumps around as well. It also doesn’t help that the characters aren’t very clearly drawn, and what we are told about them makes them seem unpleasant. It’s hard to understand why they are supposed to be friends—or even acquaintances—who would agree to spend time with Anatol or each other.

I enjoy the metafiction of Anthony Horowitz’s Susan Ryeland/Atticus Pünd books, because you get two mysteries in one book and, while they inform each other, it’s always clear which is which. What I don’t enjoy much is these metafictions where the author seems to be far more interested in showing how clever they are than in entertaining readers who enjoy mysteries. Unfortunately, I put this book in the latter category, along with my recent read of Louise Hegarty’s Fair Play. After reading two books like this in a short period, I am now warned off metafictional books, unless they are by authors whose work I know and enjoy.

My enjoyment level would make this a one star, but I’ll give it two stars for the complexity.

Told with stories-within-the-story, the plot centers on a group of friends who gather for a weekend at one of their country homes to celebrate a milestone birthday and play a "murder game" each randomly draws one name as a victim and one as a murderer, an most write a short story describing a murder, to be read out judged at the end of the weekend. Soon the reader is unsure if a chapter is a real plot point, or simply one of the murder stories crafted by the participants. A late arriving friend begins to unravel the doings and soon figures out what is afoot. A very interesting premise, well written, but a bit confusing for the reader.

"A wickedly plotted new thriller, in which a group of friends play a deadly game that unwraps a motive for murder, from Alex Pavesi, the author of The Eighth Detective.

Anatol invites five of his oldest friends to his family home in the Wiltshire countryside to celebrate his thirtieth birthday. At his request, they play a game of his invention called Motive Method Death. The rules are simple: Everyone chooses two players at random, then writes a short story in which one kills the other.

Points are awarded for making the murders feel real. Of course, it's only natural for each friend to use what they know. Secrets. Grudges. Affairs. But once they've put it in a story, each secret is out. It's not long before the game reawakens old resentments and brings private matters into the light of day. With each fictional crime, someone new gets a very real motive.

Can all six friends survive the weekend, or will truth turn out to be deadlier than fiction?"

Oh yes, bring on Motive Method Death! A decidedly literary thriller.

Ink Ribbon Red is a brilliantly layered mystery that pulls readers into the shadowy world of vintage typewriters, forgotten stories, and the secrets they conceal. Alex Pavesi proves his mastery of the genre with an intricate, literary puzzle that both challenges and delights. The narrative's structure is clever without being gimmicky, and the characters are rich with nuance and hidden motives.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Clever but quirky and unsatisfying
The premise of Ink Ribbon Red in the book description was clever, and I looked forward to a fun read. I was sorely disappointed.
A group of six friends get together for a weekend at Anatol’s house to celebrate his 30th birthday and to console him on his father’s recent death. Host Anatol sets up a game in which the guests each draw the names of two other guests from a hat and then write a short piece in which one of those guests murders the other. Given the personalities of some of the guests, I can imagine this would be easy to write.
I was somewhat turned off immediately by the first chapter, which seemed muddled to me. That chapter actually takes place towards the end of the weekend get-together, and the rest of the book similarly jumps back and forth between dates and times. I did not warm up to Anatol and Janika in this chapter, and the other characters were also unappealing; I don’t think I would want to spend a weekend with any of them.
Jumping back and forth between dates made the book more work to follow, and I REALLY did not like this, but it was compounded by the fact, revealed later in the book but also noted by other reviewers, that some of the chapters were actually the writeups done by the guests.
This is further complicated by a trick Anatol has played in setting up the game. It is clever but makes the book even harder to “solve”.
If you are in the mood for a VERY challenging book, you might enjoy Ink Ribbon Read, so I will not go into more detail lest I spoil your fun, but I would not be inclined to read another like it.
I received an Advance Review copy of this book from NetGalley and Henry Holt and Company.

I liked this, mainly because it was not your typical murder novel. It was inventive, creative, sometimes funny and just plain different. The collection of unfriendly friends were interesting, and I really didn't spend too much time trying to figure out what was real and what wasn't. I just sat back and enjoyed the ride.

Clearly, this book won't work for everybody. It worked for me.

Will I read more from the author? Yes.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley, and my review is being left freely.

Thank you NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for this eARC

I was so engrossed by this book! I could not put it down. I was making notes trying to solve the mystery of the story.

Friends assemble for the holiday weekend at Anatol’s house. His father has recently passed away and it’s his birthday weekend. He is the host to this yearly get together among friends. These friends play a pretty grim game where they draw names for a victim and a murderer then write a short story about it. This year Anatol wants them to write the murder like it happened this weekend. Reading this book keeps you on your toes for the real murder/murders and the false ones.

I enjoyed this book and have not read anything like it before. I totally recommend it. It was so addicting and kept you thinking!

Sadly, this book just wasn’t for me. I didn’t realize it was based off of Agatha Christie, but it makes sense why I didn’t care for this as I’m not a fan or her books either. I’m sure there’s a specific crowd for this, I’m just not it.

It's very cleverly done and interesting. For those with the brainpower, I'm sure it's fun to try to figure out the "true" story, the "fictional" stories, and the mystery as a whole. But I'm afraid my poor burned-out middle-aged brain struggled, although I made one or two correct guesses. As for the characters, they -- deliberately -- are not that appealing (Maya's an outright ghoul, IMO), and so it has the old "no one to root for" problem. Sometimes that's okay, but when the plot is this complicated and confusing, I kind of want to take refuge in enjoying the characters (a la Sayers's "The Five Red Herrings"), and I couldn't really do that here. All that to say, I don't think I was the ideal reader for this one, but it is well=constructed and will probably be fun for a different kind of reader!