Delightful! Very much my cup of tea — filled to the brim with wit and humor, this high stakes whodunnit showcases Hall’s ever impressive ability to write across genres. This is the almost perfect blend of mystery and romance — I say “almost” as I admittedly would have liked a smidge more romance, particularly since I adore a good marriage in peril story.

As a whole, Murder Most Actual is an entertaining romantic mystery that pays homage to — and playfully pokes fun at — murder mystery conventions in a fashion that is sure to delight both readers who can spot the easter eggs and those that are new to the genre. As with anything Alexis Hall writes, I recommend it wholeheartedly.

Headlines:
Marriage on the rocks
Murders around every corner
Banter for days

Cosy mysteries aren't really my thing but Alexis Hall's books are totally my thing, so I thought I'd give this read a try. I liked it, but I didn't love it.

Murder Most Actual was purposely farcical and far fetched but the characters, particularly Liza and Hanna had you buying into the story. The dialogue and banter between these two was honestly hilarious and had me laughing out loud numerous times. I enjoyed the background depiction of a marriage stalled and their attempts to find their way back to common ground. The murders pretty much thwarted this plan though.

"Did you not hear the scream?"
"Yes, I heard the scream." Hanna was giving her a what-the-fuck look.
"That's why I'm staying in bed."

The cast of characters were an eclectic mix to put it mildly with only Hanna and Liza likeable. As bodies began to fall, working out the perpetrator was on the one hand, simple and on the other hand, more complex than I thought. Expect to be stretched to ridiculous ends and just go with the flow.

I loved the chapter headings, cluedo-style. While this cosy mystery didn't always float my boat, Alexis Hall brought his signature humour to the table and made me like it more than I would have without his wit and intelligence behind the pen.

Thank you to Kobo/netgalley for th early review copy.

This is a fun and full of twists mystery. Honestly it leaves you wanting more. Liza and Hanna are a married couple who is struggling at the moment. They decide on a weekend away unfortunately, it turns deadly. Overall a great cozy!
#MurderMostActual #NetGalley

HELLO THERE MY FAV HAS WRITTEN A COZY LIL MYSTERY AND I AM ENAMORED. Murder Most Actual by Alexis Hall is, in a word, delightful.

From the Clue references and big castle murder mystery atmosphere (the chapter titles were my favorite), to the crazy characters and very real and honest relationship struggle between married heroines Liza and Hanna, this book has something for everyone, and I am, once again, learning so many interesting and hilarious insults because Alexis has a brain like no other.

The insults have nothing to do with the actual storyline, they’re just hilarious and I love them, but I also love these characters because they’re truly a mess and incredibly relatable (including true crime fan and podcaster, Liza, and her far more scared of their situation(s) realist wife, Hanna). And on top of all of that, this story was funny, it was engaging, and it was completely unexpected, and I very much love that Alexis Hall keeps pushing genre boundaries and delivering such unique and different stories because it’s, honestly, never boring and absolutely wonderful.

I’m not usually one for cozy mysteries, but this one brought a huge smile to my face, made me cry a few times (typical for me with one of Alexis Hall’s books), and actually kept me guessing along the way.

And did I mention the Clue references? Oh, I did? Well too bad I’m going to keep bringing it up because I loved them. (Have you figured out yet that Clue is one of my favorite board games because it is.)

If you like cozy mysteries, dry humor, Chris Evans wearing sweaters trying to figure out who murdered someone, and characters with real, relatable problems who are really trying to figure their shit out, then I think you’ll enjoy Murder Most Actual. I certainly did.


I received a copy of this book on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

"Murder Most Actual" was, simply put, hilarious. I loved it, start to finish and I'm so glad I got to read and review this book for Netgalley and for an author I absolutely adore.
I think I might have highlighted at least two dozen lines: I couldn't stop grinning from the sheer absurdity of what was happening on page. As usual, Alexis Hall's brand of humour is top-notch: I can't think of another author I've read whose writing style is as witty and hilarious, but also, at the same time, fantastically good and poetic.

This novel has the feel of a old-time mystery classic, with all the clichés of a detective story and the weird and quirky (and shady) characters with secret pasts (and motives), that are all clearly stereotypes but are so well-fleshed and amusing they already feel like the characters you'd find in golden age movie or a Christie novel, or a game of Cluedo. Not only "Murder Most Actual" is an immensely enjoyable murder mystery (or mysteries, given the absurdly hilarious amount of murdering going on), you'll also find the always hilarious (and one of the things I love reading about most) amateur sleuth trope.

Liza was such a lovely protagonist. I must admit I wasn't too convinced of her at the beginning, especially since she was very quick to jump into danger without thinking of any type of consequences or her (and her wife's) safety (I know, amateur sleuth 101). However, she grew on me and by mid-book I was her biggest fan. Hanna, too, was amazing: I think I liked her even more than Liza, because she felt more real and flawed and seeing her try with Liza, making compromises to save their marriage, made me love her even more. Plus, she was an utter badass and her humour (and the fact that she was, more often than not, the only voice of reason) left me cackling. Together they were fantastic and I loved reading about a relationship that felt so real and fully-fleshed, with all the flaws and fights and heartache and love and care of a real marriage.

The setting (an old, classy hotel in Scotland during a snow-in) was wonderful and vivid; the whole cast of side characters was hilarious and absurd and over-the-top, as you'd expect in any Alexis Hall novel.
The only complaint (but maybe it's more of a me problem) was the fact that the murder mystery, while very good and extremely enjoyable, was a bit convoluted at times and I felt that the big reveal was a bit anti-climactic. But that maybe was the whole point of this novel: not every murder mystery can be glamorous and simple and straight-forward. Most of the times murder is, actually, very, very messy.

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

This was enjoyable overall! I really loved all of the references to Clue here with the chapter titles (like person, in this room, with this object), locations, and little things like the colonel was in a mustard-colored room. This was quite fun and cheesy (in a good way!).

The pacing was alright overall. There were moments of danger and excitement, but there were also moments digging into the main characters' relationship which did sometimes drag. It felt like this story was trying to be both a murder mystery and a romance, and it just didn't quite blend together well for me.

The setting was fabulous! The characters are snowed in at this hotel in the Scottish Highlands, so I loved this closed circle/locked room type element. Admittedly, the story does get a bit silly at times with conspiracies, but it's pretty amusing overall. It definitely has some funny moments but also some serious ones as well. I liked the mystery itself, and I didn't really guess who did it.

Liza was enjoyable overall. I liked how she has a true crime podcast and that she wants to solve these murders. She's smart but obviously not a professional detective, so I liked seeing where she guesses things correctly and where she doesn't. There are some nice moments where Liza and her wife Hanna work on their relationship. They've been married a while and have drifted apart, and I liked seeing if these events bring them closer together or not. I also liked seeing Hanna realize some things about Liza and try to support her.

I very much enjoyed Ruby, a mysterious woman at the hotel. I found her to be quite funny and brazen. The rest of the characters are a mix of personalities - there's a private investigator, wealthy people, a clergyman, a professor, and more. It's fun to see how people are connected (if they are) and if they're based on someone from Clue!

This was an enjoyable book overall! I would recommend it, especially if you're a fan of closed circle/locked room murder mysteries.

My video review can be seen on my booktube channel (around minutes 4:08-7:05 of this video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3osZmeqtsw

An enjoyable cozy mystery set in a Scottish hotel that’s been cut off from the outside world by a freak snowstorm. A host of guests are seemingly being murdered one by one. It’s up to amateur sleuth and her long-suffering wife to solve the mystery before they too are the next victims. Almost like a game of Cluedo the pair consider the evidence and stumble across various crimes and potential suspects, while working on their own marital issues. An easy, light-hearted read, with humour and a touch of romance.

3.5 stars
The book was pretty goofy and quirky; in a good, fun murder-y sort of way. And I enjoyed it! The marketing is correct in stating that this book is in the vein of Knives Out and Clue. There were certain tropes common in these types of stories, which can get a bit tedious but Hall really made it work! All the side characters were fun and each had their own motives.

The mystery itself was also very interesting and gripping. Usually, I come up with theories myself whilst reading but in this case, I loved following along with Liza and Hanna as they uncover the murders. Their thought processes were my thought processes and they helped me connect to the characters and mystery a lot more. Although the writing was witty and funny, I found the mystery to be a bit over-the-top and coincidental. However, I think it was intentional considering the novel overall.

In terms of the romance, I am personally not a fan of established relationship romances because there is a lack of backstory but it was nice seeing Liza and Hanna work out their problems together. Hall highlighted the good and bad parts of a relationship and it was so realistic and genuine - you can't help but root for the characters' happiness.

Overall, I enjoyed this cozy mystery! I will continue to read Hall's works because he is fantastic at writing genuine characters and I love his witty/dry writing style.

Thanks to Netgalley and Kobo Originals for the ARC of this in exchange for my honest review. I’ve really enjoyed the other Alexis Hall books I’ve read in the past, so when I saw this I wanted to read it immediately- even though I’m not always a mystery lover.

I loved the podcaster crime solver, as she was inexperienced enough to be fun to follow and yet had some insight from studying how other murderers were caught. I had some ideas of who did it, but I really just enjoyed following along for the ride. I also really liked the marriage in jeopardy/working on relationship situation, especially as they talked and came to understand each other better. Definitely recommend for Agatha Christie fans who would like an updated, diverse cast of characters, queer romance fans who’d like to dip their toes into a mystery, and anyone who likes true crime podcasts and wonders how they would do if murders started popping up around them.

I loved the concept of this book. A clue-type murder mystery who done it. Sign me up! Add I’m there a lesbian married couple, I was extremely intrigued. Although the mystery and the intrigue were a little over the top I liked it. I liked trying to figure out who did it and the players. It felt fun.

I loved that this couple was going through issues and working it out within the other things happening around them, I had a hard time keeping track of who was speaking between Liz and Hanna. Something it wouldn’t be until the whole conversation was over for me to realize who I thought was speaking wasn’t.

The marriages issues p, the quirky characters and the who done it made this a pretty interesting read. All in all!

Alexis Hall is a goddamn delight! He is without question an auto-buy author for me and this gloriously gay cozy is no exception!

This was such a fun cozy mystery! It followed a long time couple who are experiencing a little bump in their married bliss while on a relaxing winter getaway in a remote little hotel where you know, people start dying off of murdery causes! Luckily Liza happens to be a true crime/murder podcaster so she immediately wants to sink her teeth into the case or cases as they quickly multiply. Hanna, her corporate wife is less inclined to run toward the sound of gunshots though. These two had a great chemistry even though the author wrote them as going through a relationship rough patch for a while there. The rest of the cast was full of surprises and entertaining personalities.

I loved how everything played out and how the author found a way to bring the two main characters together int he midst of such trying circumstances. The mystery itself was awesome to read and I honestly could not have guessed how it was going to end no matter how much I tried. Alexis Hall has a great ability to write interesting stories with complex and accessible characters who represent a wide of diversity in all aspects.

I highly recommend this to anyone looking for an witty, charming, and well written book that gives you a lovely escape from reality.

THANK YOU @valentine_pr_ AND @kobobooks FOR THE ARC!

QOTD: Have you binged Only Murders in the Building?

Are you a fan of the board game Clue? Have you read The Murder on the Orient Express, but thought it was too dark? Do you wish they would make more episodes of Mrs. Marple? Then this book is for you!

What a fun spin on Agatha Christie. I loved this light and fun adventure. Both Hanna and Liza were very real complex characters. I absolutely related to Liza’s internal monologue, which wandered back and forth between the murders and her relationship troubles with Hanna.

There are few novels that I have read that address neither the beginning nor the end of a relationship, but two people navigating the changing tides of their love story as they mature. Hanna and Liza are ten years into their marriage and are trying to find a way to their couplehood again.

By chance, they are trapped in a hotel in the Scottish Highlands, when an accidental death occurs. Or was it?

When Ruby, the honest-to-goodness, femme-fatale, pulls her into a broom closet and whispers that someone is after her, Liza partially out of professional curiosity as a true-crime podcaster, partially out of blind lust, begins the investigation.

As more people mysteriously perish, it becomes clear that Liza might be onto something, but will she solve it in time and save her marriage, or will she be the murderer’s next victim? -Sky

What a fun book!! I really enjoyed the diversity among the characters and Alexis Hall is just such a wonderful writer I will honestly read anything she writes. I have really been enjoying books that feature true crime or podcasts in them so I was pleased that this one checked off that box as well. This was a fast paced quick read that I didn't want to put down. I can't wait to see what Alexis Hall writes next!

Murder Most Actual was exactly the type of cozy, murder mystery I enjoy. Liza and Hanna are a married couple going through a rough patch. A weekend away at hotel in the Scottish Highlands turns out to be far more dangerous than they expected. A snow storm traps them there and one by one, the guests begin to die off. Liza has a murder podcast and, while Hanna, is reluctant, they begin to investigate and hopefully don’t get killed off themselves.

I really liked both Hanna and Liza as characters although the book was more focused on Liza. They are having serious marital issues but both are doing their best to work through them and truly love each other. The murders in this book were dramatic and definitely kept me at the edge of my seat and afraid for Liza and Hanna. I’ll admit that I’m not usually the best at figuring out “whodunit” so I do enjoy murder mysteries at times and especially like ones with love stories. There was humor still in the mix with the danger in this book!

Rainbows and Sunshine
10 November, 2021

This was a lot of fun! A cozy mystery with established sapphic couple and a whole cast weird hotel guests!

This is a quirky mystery investigated by Liza and Hanna. Liza's true crime podcast was very interesting. Some of the dialogues and the way some characters speak took me out of the story. The mystery was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed it. You just have to roll with the various murder and don't it too seriously.

I loved Hanna and Liza. Their marriage is on the rocks and I liked the way they developed it. I love how they communicate with each other instead of causing misunderstandings. I do wish we got a bit more of their relationship but overall I had a lot of fun.

*ARC provided by the author via Valentine's PR in exchange for an honest and unbiased review

This has to be one of the most charming books I’ve ever read. Sure, it’s a romantic-comedy mixed in with an homage to some of pop culture’s most beloved comedic murder-mysteries (the most notable, by far, being the classic and inimitable “Clue”), but this was so much fun to read and had so much wit and a domestic sense of warmth within it that it disarmed me completely.

And it was just so danged cheeky! I know you might accuse me of leaning into the British of it all, but that’s simply the best word I can come up with to describe the feeling I got every time there was a glancing or oblique “Clue” reference (the walls of the Colonel’s room in the hotel were painted mustard yellow!). It made me want to reach through my e-reader and pinch Alexis Hall’s cheeks (gently, of course) and call her a cheeky little monkey for having been so clever. And the cleverness didn’t stop there! The call-outs on gun violence, classism, how service workers tend to go unnoticed and unrecognized for all they do inside places like hotels and resorts? It was all just so dang bright and sharp and nicely woven together into one great narrative arc.

And let’s not forget something close to my heart and the main thread of this book: repairing a marriage on its way to breaking up after quite some time of being together. Granted, I had the privilege of being in a herterosexual marriage when I was married and didn’t have to wait for the right to be granted to me by law, but I was married for 18 years and it was fraught with issues. We went to marriage counseling three times, because marriage is messy and it is work. It’s both as simple as waking up every day and deciding to stay and as messy as waking up and knowing that you will always love your spouse but is love enough of a reason to stick around and when is enough really enough? And those moments in the book, usually most reflected upon during the brief hours of downtime our main characters get in this novel, are some of the most heartfelt, touching, warm, and realistic moments in the entire book and are worth treasuring just as much as all the cheekiness.

I highly recommend this book. Come for the “Clue” references, stay for the heart of it.

New book from Alexis Hall? Sign me up and stay all night to read it!
Murder most actual is the perfect story for any reader who wants to get lost in a beautiful Scottish setting, a ten years old marriage on the rocks, a gateway holidays with some smart laughs and murder after murder to unveil an unexpected culprit for me.
If you haven’t read the author before, try it out and you won’t regret it .

Very grateful to the publisher for my review copy.

When our leads Hanna and Liza decide to go out on a vacation, in hope of fixing their strained marriage with some quite time and affection they come across something devious. In a hotel which looks ages old, with characters who make modern life feel like a distant dream and dead bodies that are piling up with every gunshot that can be heard. Things take a dire turn when the first death happens, that our podcaster Liza is pretty sure is a murder.

With the heady mix of fear, anticipation and outright murderous intent, this book will transport you into a modern day Agatha Christie book. I really liked the premise setting, the landscape descriptions and the scene descriptions. I would have liked it even more if the murders were even more described with a hint of mystery that was apt to the theme.

I loved the chapter titles, they were fun and quirky and made me curious with every new one. The end of each chapter had a mystery twist that kept me reading until the end, the humor is sparse but when its there it definitely stands out and waves away everything else. The language in this book though, wow! I learnt so many new words and the way the characters cursed each other was one of the best highlights of the book for me.

On the whole this book is a really fun, light read.. because it is themed as a murder mystery I wish it could have been better but it definitely isn't bad. I am already excited to check out other books by this author.

Murder Most Actual is one of my favorite reads of 2021. As a fan of the movie Knives Out, I found Murder Most Actual to be highly entertaining! There is a beautiful highland hotel, picture perfect scenery, and a cast of quirky characters trying to solve the mysterious murders that occur over the Good Friday holiday weekend. Liza, the true-crime podcaster, and her on-the-rocks marriage to Hanna, are the anchor of the story. While this couple works to figure out if they can save their marriage, they also work to figure out which of the hotel guests is behind the murders that are occurring. Feeling more than a little afraid, Hanna eventually resolves to help her wife try to solve the crimes. What ensues is a mad-cap romp of a story. There is snarky humor, some pointed observations about classism, and a mystery that had me turning pages at warp speed. There is also a deep understanding and recognition between the couple of what it means to love someone, and how being with someone for a long time doesn't guarantee happiness. Relationships are work, and both Liza and Hanna come to acknowledge that neither of them has been doing that work. I loved how their story was told, and that they were able to sort things out despite everything that was going on around them.
Growing up, I inhaled Nancy Drew, adored Jessica Fletcher in Murder She Wrote, and loved playing Clue. This story brought all of those wonderful feelings back! I literally shouted A-ha when the villain was exposed and found myself nodding in agreement as Liza did her best to recount the events of the weekend to the detective. Alexis Hall wrote a story that took me out of my own head for an entire day-I hadn't realized how much I needed a fun mystery like this one-and now I want to read every other book in AH's backlist. I'm thrilled to have discovered that I love this particular style of storytelling and am looking forward to reading more along these lines.