So, I love murder mysteries. If you have been following this blog for at least the last 3 months I’m pretty sure I post a murder mystery review at least once, maybe even twice, a month. Today, I thought it would be cool to list my top 5 murder mysteries. As of, 09.12.19, when I am writing this post.

Plot: Ten people get invited to a Devon manor by a host who never arrives. Each character has been involved in a murder and this is their reason for being invited. One by one they begin to die. Before the weekend is out, there will be none. And all have the motive to do it.

Reasons why I loved it: The characters were so rich and flawed so when they were all slowly being killed off one by one you had a plethora of characters who it could possibly be. The nursery rhyme played at the beginning telling the characters how they will die was quite scary, while most of Christie’s work is cosy murder mysteries this book had the added edge of thriller to it which I really liked. The ending was really satisfying and I really like the reasoning behind everything. The book was incredibly smart and it makes you want to applaud Christie herself.

Plot: Aiden Bishop must find out who killed Evelyn Hardcastle, a murder than no-one was able to solve. He has 8 days to find out who did it but here’s the catch. Each day he wakes up in a different body of someone who was at the party where she died and each day is repeated on loop. He must find out who did it or else his brain will be wiped and he must start again.

Reasons why I loved it: Aiden Bishop was the character I was waiting for all of last year, I wanted to see him succeed so badly through this book. I felt that the entire premise of switching bodies and repeating the days was executed really well, I never got confused by the large cast of characters or their different opinions or reasons. I felt that Turton managed to leave something of interest in each chapter so it would keep you reading. The final quarter of the book just drops you in it and I couldn’t believe what I was reading, I devoured the pgaes.

Plot: With its pale, aquamarine waters and golden sands, the shoreline at Temple Regis was a sight to behold. But when an unidentifiable body is found there one morning, the most beautiful beach in Devon is turned into a crime scene. For Miss Dimont – ferocious defender of free speech, champion of the truth and ace newspaperwoman for The Riviera Express – this is a case of paramount interest, and the perfect introduction for her young new recruit Valentine Waterford. Even if their meddling is to the immense irritation of local copper Inspector Topham… Soon Miss Dimont and Valentine are deep in investigation – why can nobody identify the body, and why does Topham suspect murder? And when a second death occurs, can the two possibly be connected?

Reasons why I loved it: The stand out feature of this book is the world-building. I felt that Fielden beautifully captured the town and Devon as a whole in this book. I felt that the town of Temple Regis was a character in itself. The structuring of this novel was really well done and I really enjoyed the characters.

Plot: Sadie hasn’t had an easy life. Growing up on her own, she’s been raising her sister Mattie in an isolated small town, trying her best to provide a normal life and keep their heads above water. But when Mattie is found dead, Sadie’s entire world crumbles. After a somewhat botched police investigation, Sadie is determined to bring her sister’s killer to justice and hits the road following a few meagre clues to find him. When West McCray—a radio personality working on a segment about small, forgotten towns in America—overhears Sadie’s story at a local gas station, he becomes obsessed with finding the missing girl. He starts his own podcast as he tracks Sadie’s journey, trying to figure out what happened, hoping to find her before it’s too late.

Reasons Why I Loved It: I loved the constant switch between the two POV’s. It made the pacing of the book a lot better, especially since the format was different depending on who’s POV you’re reading. I had never really read a character like Sadie so I found it refreshing yet heart-breaking to read everything through the eyes of this character. It was such an emotional story, I tend to avoid books set in a contemporary setting as I feel that in this day in age we see too much suffering but I really enjoyed this novel in all its dark and sad aspects.

Plot: In this play an inspector interrupts a party to investigate a girl’s suicide, and implicates each of the party-makers in her death.

Reasons Why I Loved It: I read this play in high school and I loved it so much. I loved how masterfully we see the events unfold and how each character unravels and slowly begins to reveal their secrets. I felt that each page we were peeling away another level of the mystery. But, I loved the ending so much! It was soooo good!

So, that’s it! I hope to read a couple more murder mysteries in 2020. Most notably, The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie, Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith, Closed Casket by Sophie Hannah, A Quarter Past Dead by T.P. Fielden and many more!