3.25 Stars. This was okay. I enjoyed parts of it, but as a whole the book didn’t really come together for me. I must admit, I’m pretty disappointed since I was really excited to read and hopefully love this. One of my all-time favorite sapphic investigator type characters is Kate Kane, from Hall’s Kate Kane series. When I heard they were writing another sapphic investigator type character, it gave me really high hopes, but unfortunately I didn’t connect to the main character of this book Liza, anywhere close to how I did Kate. The other main issue is I think I prefer when Hall writes more sarcastic humor, whereas this book was more quirky humor which I’m not as big of fan.

This is a mystery, and as I mentioned a very quirky one. It has that Clue style yet at times it seemed almost like it wanted to be more historical-fiction like (it’s not, it’s in modern times) but because it wasn’t historic it seemed a little clunky with odd dialogue that didn’t always fit the times. I have to be honest that I really struggle with the first half and kept putting the book down. I almost felt like I was falling into a reading slump. Luckily, the second half was much better and I read that in one sitting which was preferable for my reading style.

I mentioned not connecting with the main Liza, and I think it was mostly due to Hall writing in third person but only one POV. While you don’t have to write mysteries in first person, it is the most written perspectives in the mystery genre for a reason. Plus, the best part of writing in third is having multiple POV’s so why would you ever do just one? I didn’t connect with Liza as much as I wanted because my psychic distance was too far away not being in first, and I didn’t connect with her wife because we are never in her POV. I know I’m ranting here but I just don’t get it especially because Hall writes first person really well in their Kate Kane books.

While I just did a bunch of complaining, I did enjoy most of the mystery aspects. The whole mystery story is very over-the-top, and you have to suspend disbelief in parts, but most of it was interesting and well written. I was able to guess a few things right, but there was some that I had no idea about so that is always refreshing for me in mysteries. I think I can give this the cozy mystery tag, but if not it just barely misses it.

I also liked that the main character is in an already established married relationship. As others have mentioned, so many books have people meeting for the first time so this was a nice change. I also liked that they had some martial issues and were trying to work it out. However, I do think Hall dropped the ball on this a bit. I think it was more like ‘everything is now fine since there is a killer on the loose’, instead of them actually fixing things. But overall I think Hall was going in the right direction on the relationship.

TLDR: This is a very zany, cozy-like, mystery. I’m a huge mystery fan but the quirky feel of this book didn’t really work for me. It seemed odd to mix that feeling with a bunch of dead people, and I found myself missing Hall’s more sarcastic humor. I did think having an established sapphic married couple was a nice change of pace, but unfortunately the choice of third person, but only one POV, dampened my ability to connect to the characters. While the mystery was over-the-top, it was interesting to read and try to solve along with the main character. While this book only ended up in the okay category for me, I was so happy that Hall wrote more sapphic characters and I hope they will continue to do so. I think people who like very quirky mysteries might enjoy this more than I did.

Lesbian Cluedo!
Liza and Hanna have been married for 10 years now and are currently struggling a bit…or maybe even a lot.
That’s why Hanna decides to take her wife on a weeks vacation in a secluded hotel.
But murder happens and it doesn’t turn out the romantic getaway she hoped for.

This was exactly like Cluedo, but as a book. A handful of strangers snowed in in a secluded hotel, all of them very strange figures and everyone is a murder suspect.

It wasn’t written as a serious thriller, more like a comedian murder mystery.
I love Alexis Halls humour and it was written in a fun way. But all in all the story wasn’t too exciting with no real process or clues towards finding out who the murderer is.
Liza is a True Crime Podcaster and tries to figure out what is happening, without really asking a lot of questions or also not asking important questions which really bugged me.
Then the mysterious Mr. B..They’re supposed to be this super mega crime Lord, but sone things weren’t really adding up or were so messy I just didn’t believe it.

For me personally the characters stayed rather superficial throughout the whole book. They each had their roles to play and no further questions were asked about them, nothing more was found out about them.
In the end my suspicions about the crimes were right, they weren’t really shocking if you payed attention while reading, so not even the ending was a real surprise for me.
The most interesting thing in this book for me was how Liza and Hanna slowly were figuring out their marriage problems throughout the case and started to realise what went wrong between them.

All in all this was a fun, quick read and YES, I love that there are more and more sapphic books out there, but this was rather meh to me.

When this book was pitched to me as Cluedo meets true crime but make it Sapphic, how could I resist. Well, I didn't and I very much loved every single second. It's also a marriage in trouble situation. The humour was 10/10 and this is basically perfect for people who aren’t into serious murder mysteries on account of, y’know, all the murders. People who enjoy a good whodunnit but would rather not to have to feel awful about people getting murdered really rather frequently. I.e., people like me. So I adored this.

Auto-buy author for me! I see Alexis Hall, I read it. No questions asked! Even if, how could I turn down a cozy mystery meets Clue with a marriage in trouble trope. Also, I’m always down to read queer books so I was stoked to see this on NetGalley!
Murder Most Actual was pretty good! At the end I kinda wanted to back track and read parts over again to see what I missed and how it all fit together. I was certainly guessing the whole book who the killer was and didn’t figure it out until it was all laid out. Stuff frequently goes over my head lol. I’m always surprised with mysteries I feel like. So many fun and odd characters kept it interesting and kept me guessing.
The story is about Liza and Hanna, they have been married for 10 years and go on a trip to a hotel in the Scottish Highlands to try and save their marriage. Then murders start to happen and their little getaway turns into IRL Clue. Liza is a murder podcaster so that really added to the scenario because she was immediately invested in what was going on while Hanna wanted to stay out of it.
There is romance in this book but it’s definitely a side plot to the mystery. A good blend of both.
Thanks to NetGalley & Valentine PR for the advanced copy! This book was released today and is exclusive to Kobo!

Well, that was fun… in an “almost everybody dies” kinda way. 😉

Other than Liza and Hannah being a married couple, there wasn’t a whole lot of romance in Murder Most Actual. There was, however, a lot of marriage angst. Their relationship had hit kind of a cross roads and neither one of them were exactly sure how to get things back on track. So… readers had the drama of Liza and Hanna being on the outs for most of their trip that was interrupted by murder and bickering between the other quests. Basically no one trusted anyone and the only people that Liza was sure weren’t actually committing the murders were her and Hanna.

Even though murder isn’t exactly a comical topic, there were more than a few light moments. It became a guessing game of not only who was doing the killing, but why and who was going to be next. My opinion, much like Liza and Hanna’s, changed about who the culprit was. Things were wrapped up quite neatly by the end and even Hanna and Liza got to the point that they were actually communicating by the time the snow melted and everyone was reasonably safe.

Murder Most Actual was pretty much what I’ve come to expect from a cozy mystery, which is light entertainment and over the top characters that keep things interesting.

I absolutely loved this Clue-like cozy Murder mystery! Hanna & Liza Blaine are snowbound at a castle in the Scottish Highlands with no phone or internet where hotel guests are dropping like flies.

“I thought we were just going to take walks by the loch and maybe go horse riding.”

Hanna had booked the Scottish vacation for her and Liza hoping to find the spark of romance that seemed to be missing from their marriage. Instead they are watching their backs as the list of victims and suspects pile up.

“I don’t want any of them to be a serial killer.” She huddled down, resting her cheek against the top of Hanna’s head. “Is that pathetically sentimental of me?”
“I think as sentimentality goes, ‘I’d rather people weren’t serial killers’ is a low bar.”

Murder Most Actual combines dry humor, mystery and murder with just a bit of romance for complete entertainment.
-5 Stars!-

4 STARS!

This was a fun and witty "cozy" mystery about Liza and Hanna, a couple who decide to take some time away to work on their crumbling marriage. But, instead of being able to focus on their relationship, they find themselves right slap in the middle of a wild murder mystery.

I am a true crime junkie. My husband and I actually just finished Only Murders in the Building, which was fantastic, by the way, and highly worth the watch. We pretty much watch all the crime shows we can get our eyes on, and I also love a good true crime podcast.

This story had the feel of Clue or even Adam Sandler's Murder Mystery. Liza and Hanna are staying at a hotel in Scotland when a snow storm hits, and all the guests get locked in the building...along with a dead guy. One dead guy...for starters.

Liza is actually a very successful crime pod caster...something that's a bit of a sore subject at the moment since there were recent romantic rumors about her and her co-star...

This was such an entertaining read that I loved curling up with, with witty writing and an interesting cast of side characters (aka - suspects). It kept me guessing right up until the very end, and even then I was wrong!

I would recommend it to pretty much any fans of thriller/mystery/suspense reads, or even newbies to this genre who are just looking to dip their toe in to see if it's for them.

I did find some of the British expressions kind of hard to follow. I even had to look a few up because I had no idea what they were talking about.

Other than that, I really enjoyed this story and would definitely read Alexis Hall again!

I’d enjoyed the other mystery I’d read by Alexis Hall, so I was eager to jump into this one. And while this is undeniably a very different book, it’s just as unbelievably fun.

After a decade of marriage, Liza and Hanna have found themselves drifting apart, and a luxurious long weekend in a remote Scottish hotel is meant to help repair their relationship. Liza’s a moderately popular podcaster while her wife Hanna is a corporate financier (basically, she helps rich people make more money). Hanna’s job is demanding, but it’s meant that Liza’s been able to dabble in various creative pursuits, finally settling on a true crime podcast with a friend where they discuss various cases over wine. Which means that, after the first death occurs, she can’t help investigating it. But as more guests begin dying, they’re trying to save their lives instead of their marriage.

“Murder,” said Belloc with more than a hint of sanctimony, “is not a subject for talk with the girls. It is not something for a casual chat over wine and nibbles. Murder is a serious subject for serious people. It is, as the saying has it and most rightly, a subject most foul.”


What I hadn’t expected (and was absolutely delighted by) is that this book was loosely inspired by Clue. The first clue was the chapter titles (like “Sir Richard, in the Dining Room, with Drinks”). The next came when the other guests at the hotel were described with very specific sartorial choices. The Colonel Mustard characteris a colonel who wears an unfortunate yellow tie the first night at dinner, Mrs. Peacock is wearing a peacock shawl, etc. My personal favorite is Miss Scarlet, in this book named Ruby, a dangerous femme fatale who takes a particular interest in Liza. Belloc, the private detective who speaks with a French accent and constantly refers to himself in the third person (even in his personal diaries), was a close second.

“Don’t be a killjoy, Vivien,” said her husband. “There’s nothing wrong with a bit of murder every now and then.”


Liza’s curious, and while that serves her well when investigating cold cases for her podcast, it’s perhaps not a good thing when trapped in a hotel with at least one murderer. On more than one occasion, Liza actually runs towards gun shots, something that Hanna is (understandably) peeved about. If Liza’s our Intrepid Girl Reporter, Hanna’s the voice of reality in the midst of all the ridiculousness. And sure, it would arguably have been safer for them to just lock themselves in their room for the remainder of the weekend, but, well, that would’ve been a pretty boring story. Hanna’s kind and considerate, but she’s also the type of person to book an expensive vacation without consulting her wife. She’s a strong personality, and lately Liza’s felt like their relationship is just her tagging along, not an equal partnership. Plus between Hanna’s long hours, well, actually making money and all the trips and hours Liza pours into the podcast, if feels like they have no time to connect any longer.

“You don’t have to come. You clearly think this is a bad idea.”
“We’re married. Your bad ideas are my bad ideas.”


There’s two plot lines throughout the book: the murder mystery and the fractures in Liza and Hanna’s marriage. As opposed to the caricatures of the other guests, Liza and Hanna come off as very real people, who still love each other but have grown so far apart that they’re not sure how to stay together. They’re flawed characters (see Liza’s tendency to run towards gun shots), and watching them take the first steps towards repairing their relationship was sweet. While initially they tend towards jumping down each other’s throats, they slowly relearn how to communicate with each other. In the midst of all the murdery craziness, their problems are really quite, well, normal.

As for the mystery, it’s all a bit tongue-in-cheek. At times it’s absolute over-the-top ridiculousness, but the clever humor made a good balance to the more macabre murders. For the most part, the mystery bits are satisfactorily twisty and full of red herrings. Some of the clues towards the end felt a bit glaring, so I had a reasonable idea of what had happened, though it wasn’t until Liza’s grand wrap-up that I saw the whole picture. And yes, there is the famous Poirot-style “gather everyone together and explain who the murder is” bit at the end, which I absolutely adored.

Overall, a really fun and quick read. Recommended if you think Clue could use more lesbian couples!

I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

A common refrain when examining classic entertainment is, “This would never happen in the modern age because we have smartphones and the internet!”

WELL, Alexis Hall proves that phones and the internet won’t always help you if you happen to be dropped into the plot of a Golden Age mystery. As protagonists Liza and Hanna prove, sleuthing and wits are paramount to survival when trapped with a killer on the loose.

The core of every good mystery is a well-rounded cast of victims—er, characters. Hall delivers here: in addition to our main duo, there’s a vicar, a retired colonel, a professor, a dowager, a femme fatale, and several others. There isn’t a lot of character development with the secondaries, but that’s kind of the point: these characters need to stick to their assigned roles as a part of the bigger picture.

Liza and Hanna, however, do experience growth over the course of the mystery. They were supposed to have a relaxing getaway, and being thrust into the middle of a MURDER is the opposite of relaxing. So, on top of trying to work through their personal issues, they also have to avoid being murdered whilst snowed in, with no way to escape.

The narrative unfolds from Liza’s perspective, which makes sense because she’s the true crime podcaster. I loved Liza’s determination to solve the case, as well as her refusal to be dismissed by others for being an amateur. There’s a bit early in the book about Liza feeling a bit adrift with her degree in art history—compared to Hanna’s maths degree—until finding her niche with the podcast. That resonated with me personally as an English major married to a computer science major, so it was great to see Liza take on the challenge of solving the mystery.

The murder mystery is at the forefront of the plot, but the simmering tension of Liza and Hanna’s failing marriage is a constant presence in the background. This added an additional layer of depth to the narrative, and I found myself just as concerned about whether their marriage would survive the weekend as I was with both of them avoiding being murdered.

I would absolutely recommend Murder Most Actual. This book is a delightful mashup of Agatha Christie and board Cluedo/Clue. Some of the references are subtle, and some are more overt, but they both had me laughing out loud as I nodded in recognition.

Please note, this is a Kobo Original title, and there are multiple ways to access Kobo books via desktops, smartphones, and tablets.


I received a digital ARC of this book from Kobo Original/NetGalley.

Murder Most Actual by Alex Hall is a book that I read. This is my first time reading the author, and it will most likely my last. This was so painfully boring I wanted to chuck it out the window. I'm honestly surprised I didn't DNF it.

This is what I would consider my catnip for books. It’s a cozy mystery with Alexis Hall’s trademark banter. What do you do when you are an upcoming true crime podcast are headed to a hotel with your corporate finance your wife to rekindle your marriage and you fall into a murder mystery? This is what happens to Podcaster Liza and her financier wife Hanna.

This is such a delightful book. Seeing Liza try to solve the mystery and who was the killer while dealing with rekindling her marriage is so much fun. There are elements of Agatha Christie clue and other fun mystery movies involved in this book.As you read you find out that Liza and Hanna are a couple that you route for to fix their marriage as well as find out who is the killer. I highly enjoyed all of the side characters and seeing how the mystery was solved. This is a comfort book for me and that there is a romance as well as a cozy mystery. I hope that Alexis Hall write more books such as this one.

This was such a fun read! Liza and Hanna are experiencing some marriage trouble and decide to get away to a Scottish hotel to rekindle their romance. Instead of working out the kinks they find themselves in the middle of a murder mystery. It’s a perfect cozy, snowy, winter read. If you’re into light true crime, semi-thrillers, with a side of romcom, Murder Most Actual is for you!

I liked this book based on the cover and even more based on the author. The chapter titles? Adorable. The blend of "Clue" and "Murder By Death"? Laugh out loud funny. The relationship between our two heroines? Rocky but we really get to see how they are working on repairing it and why their relationship of ten years will last at least that much longer.
Hanna and Liza are floundering. Neither feels like their relationship is sustaining them any longer. Hannah has peremptorily gotten them a weekend in Scotland. It's a castle, but a castle in the middle of a snowstorm. And a castle with murders. Six of them to be exact.
With characters like Emmeline Wright, Ruby, a man dressed in green, etc., this is a contemporary take on a locked room mystery with the characters of Clue. Only better. The deft flourishes of language add little tidbits of delight and it takes a writer of great skill to show us two characters finding their love in the middle of a murder-filled vacation.

Four and a half stars
This book comes out November 9th, 2021
ARC kindly provided by Kobo Original and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Alexis Hall has written a mystery with homage to game of Clue and to authors like Agatha Christie. The book is clever and filled with British dry humor. I kept highlighting line after line that made my shoulders shake with laughter. The references to Clue abound. Characters include Colonel Coleman who has mustard colored walls, a femme fatale Ruby in a red dress (Miss Scarlet), Miss White, a Professor, the lady with a peacock scarf. The rooms include a library, dining and billiards rooms. Even the title chapters read like someone giving the solution to a Clue mystery.

The story itself follows Liza, a true crimes podcaster and her wife Hanna who works in finance. After years together the spark is gone from their marriage and Hanna books a long weekend at an exclusive hotel/castle in Scotland. They didn't plan on getting snowed in or that murder would be on the agenda. My favorite moments in the book are Liza and Hanna talking about their relationship while running from one silly situation to another. Their marriage is broken but they both want it to be fixable.

The murders are very Agatha Christie like, e.g. not graphic and with clues. And the resolution is going to be so complicated that some readers will cry foul. Being a mystery reader I was able to pick up on some clues but not all of them. The fun of this book is the focus on Liza and Hanna's relationship and the silliness of them being in a real life murder mystery while trying to strengthen their marriage. The couple is my focus but this is for mystery fans. Thank you to NetGalley and Kobo books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Murder Most Actual by Alexis Hall is an exhilarating mystery novel .
The names of the chapters are brilliant, it’s like you enter the game of Cluedo .

The journey of Liz & Hannah has its difficulties, ten years married things are becoming a troublesome, they need a break.

Off to The Scottish Highlands staying in a castle where murder and mystery is happening
There is a host of magnificent characters all who play a magnificent part.
Liz and Hannah are mending their relationship and trying to solve this cosy mystery.
A very interesting book with great dialogue and zany characters .

3.5*

Murder Most Actual was a fun read, in that cozy murder mystery kind of way. It was reminiscent of the board game and movie Clue, wondering whodunit, where, and with what! But it was also heartfelt, in that Hanna and Liz's marriage was on the rocks, and Hanna booked this trip with the best of intentions, until everything went awry.

As I was reading Murder Most Actual, I felt like I was right there in the midst of things. This book would make for a great screen adaptation. Alexis Hall did a really terrific job of bringing each scene to life, through the characters, his words, and descriptions. He kept me guessing on the "who" right until the very end, and I still got it wrong! And that's why Liz is the true crime podcaster and I just watch paranormal shows.

I've been getting more into cozy mysteries lately, and this queer relationship-in-trouble mystery was just what I needed.

I am a huge true crime fan, so I enjoyed the true crime aspect, and that Liza was a true-crime podcaster made this mystery more fun for me.

I loved the interactions and banter between the characters, it's what I've come to expect from Alexis Hall's books. The murder mystery part of this book was engaging and I had fun trying to piece everything together. I'm not usually a fan of relationship-in-trouble tropes, but I thought that it was nice to see how simply time can change things and a new perspective is sometimes necessary.

Thank you to Kobo and Valentine PR for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I was surprised at how lighthearted this book was. Considering that it's about a lesbian couple trying to save their marriage while stuck in a Scottish hotel where someone is picking off the guests, lighthearted isn't what I thought when I started reading.

Liza loves her wife, but the popularity of her podcast puts strain on their relationship. It was nice to read about the problems of an older relationship where the couple have been together for years and still love each other. Still, a communication misstep happens that leaves the couple on shaky ground. You want this couple to work past these differences.

There are many stereotypes of murder mysteries in the cast of characters: the vamp, the funny foreign detective. The constant snark from the couple made this an entertaining read as they find themselves in a Clue-like setting.

I don't know if this will be part of a series, but Alexis Hall is an immediate buy. I do question the name of Liza's podcast. Murder Most Actual is such a weird name. Maybe it makes sense in England.

Review based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.

A huge thank you to Kobo and Valentine PR for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

4⭐️ 2🌶

This was such a light, thrilling and entertaining read and I was surprised by how much I liked it!

It’s safe to say that I would read anything Alexis Hall writes so I decided to give this a try despite not being huge into the mystery and thriller genre but I appreciated how this was more of a cozy mystery with a side of romance.

As usual in Alexis Hall’s books, I enjoyed reading about the characters and their interactions with all the witty banter and sarcastic retorts. The murder mystery aspect was interesting enough that I was guessing alongside the characters as to who the killer might be given the clues and suspicions.

The romance in this book was more of a side plot but I enjoyed seeing our main leads work through their personal problems in themselves and their marriage next to solving the constant crimes happening around them.

As a fan of everything true crime, I was thrilled to see a true crime podcaster in the spotlight in this book and how them underestimating her work and knowledge led to the very answers they needed!

Overall, this is perfect for fans of light yet intriguing mystery, fun characters and a swoony queer romance! I’m excited for more from Alexis Hall as always!

This is very much a "does what it says on the tin" kind of book. It combines so many things into one charming package: a locked room mystery with plentiful allusions to the game of Clue(do). A marriage in trouble romance with two women. A true crime podcaster turned actual murder investigator. Charm and wit and humor all over the place (this book does have my typical small gripe with Alexis Hall's books. I feel like everyone is a little bit too quippy, and it tends to flatten characters a little for me). I don't read a ton of cozy mysteries because they can be so anodyne, and I want more of this! A little more point of view, a little more cutting humor. But still very satisfying and I appreciated the romantic arc a lot.