pickA group of writers are invited to the reading of the will of legendary horror author Mortimer Queen. Queen passed away recently & the group find themselves assembling at his eerie manor house. Each of the guests were linked to Queen in some way & are a beneficiary in his will, but first they have to play a game. Each room in the house contains a riddle, & the group must solve the riddle, before progressing onto the next room. (continued)
pickMarie Leautey decides to take on the challenge of becoming only the second woman to run around the world. This involves crossing at least 4 continents & there are many more rules - more than you would think even when running in a competitive challenge for a world record. After months of preparation, Lootie (name based on many people's pronunciation of her surname) sets off by running through Europe just as Covid strikes.
pickThe second outing for barrister, Lee Mitchell, sees her defending someone from her legal Chambers - Junior Clerk, Dean. Dean's boss, Tom Mannion, was found dead in a dark alley after a night out drinking, & Dean was the last person to be seen with him. Even though the evidence, what there is of it, is mostly circumstantial, the police & judiciary seem oddly keen to prosecute the case. (continued)
This had an intriguing macabre & creepy feel to it with a cast made up of a veritable motley crew of characters hiding terrible secrets. As the 'game' progresses each one starts to wonder just how far they can trust their fellow players. 2d
My thanks to #NetGalley & publishers, Sourcebooks UK/Poisoned Pen Press, for the opportunity to read an ARC.
Full Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7557445764
Read 7th-10th July 2025
#ReadAway2025 @Andrew65 @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES 2d