This novel has all of the trappings of a delightful reading experience. Until now, my favorite book with a murder mystery party in the plot was The Edge by Dick Francis. This is such a fun combination of glamour, Gothic tropes, and closed circle of suspects hijinks. I'm planning to feature it in an upcoming episode of our podcast The Library of Lost Time.

If you read the blurb above, you know why I picked up All Dressed Up. It’s set around a 1920s theme murder mystery weekend at a wonderfully atmospheric hotel. So there’s the fake murder to solve, that of songstress Ida Crooner, but then one of the staff doesn’t show up for work. Becca is worried something may have happened to the young woman, but no one else seems concerned.

It should have been fabulous. Each of the guests is given a character to play along with a dossier of information and instructions. We have clues for the weekend and clues to the real crime. It’s complicated but in a way that could have been fun.

Instead, we spend way too much time reading about Becca and Blake’s marriage trouble. And the other guests’ marriages for that matter. I’m here for the mystery, not the side drama. And quite honestly, I was a little mad at the author for making me annoyed at the woman whose husband cheated on her. I wanted to root for Becca, but she made it so hard.

Overall, this was a good premise, but I wish I had skipped it.

I love a good locked-room thriller, but All Dressed Up just didn't do it for me. The premise was good - four couples arrive at the hotel for a 20s-themed murder mystery weekend. The two main characters, Blake and Rebecca, are currently trying to recover from Blake's recent affair. With that in mind, for much of the story we are constantly reading Rebecca's thoughts and often it's her being mad.

As a whole, the story was fine. It moved pretty slowly until the last 30-40% when I felt like it got a little more twisty. And even then, it was fairly predictable. I felt that with the plot and premise, it could have been a lot more mysterious and thrilling, but All Dressed Up fell flat for me.

Thank you Random House/Ballantine and NetGalley for the eARC!

ALL DRESSED UP
By Jilly Gagnon

All Dressed Up by Jilly Gagnon was a fun read for me - the story takes place on a gorgeous estate, that is set up for an elaborate murder mystery theme, that Blake had arranged for a weekend of spending time with his wife Becca as a way to make up for their marital troubles.

The characters in the story have their own part to play within the game and thank you Jilly Gagnon for a nice list provided for the readers to keep track of the characters. I enjoyed the writing, the red herrings, and the overall style of the story. It did feel a bit of a cozy mystery and that I enjoyed a lot as a fan of cozies. I thought it was a well-executed mystery that was fun to read for me.

It’s Netgalley November folks!

This means I’m power housing through some of the best thrillers published or yet to be published and All Dressed Up, is my new favorite book!

My favorite color is pink. I love all things bright and inviting so when I came across this snazzy little cover I knew this was a book I had to have, just based on the cover alone . The content was equally as mesmerizing!!!

I picked up All Dressed Up, late last night when the insomnia plagued my brain and I found comfort within the pages and easily became transfixed in the plot. I managed to read this entire book before falling fast asleep, left with a feeling of contentment.

All Dressed Up held every element of a great suspenseful thriller that did not feel rushed or slow at any point .

This was my first book by Jilly Gagnon but it will not be my last. I am excited to see what Gagnon will release next

I was lucky to receive an advance copy of All Dressed Up by Jilly Gagnon from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and feedback. I was so excited to read this as the description and cover sound fabulous to me. It was a good read but not quite what I was expecting. It was more of a who dunnit story vs. psychological thriller. I will be interested to read more by this author in the future.

I thought the premise of this one had a lot of potential. I loved the idea of a locked room (or house I guess) mystery taking place inside of a murder mystery theme weekend. For me this book was somewhere between a cozy and a thriller not really hitting the full appeal of either. I think the factor that really dragged this one down for me is that I absolutely hated the main character and she annoyed me every step of the way. I hated the way she raged against forgiving her husband for his betrayals and the way she also wanted to force herself back into their old relationship. I didn’t think she was a great sleuth and she wasn’t a great protagonist. Becca’s husband Blake plans a surprise for her, a week away at a 20;s themed hotel. The 20’s themed weekend turns out to have more twists than Becca could expect. When everyone is playing a part how do you know who to trust?

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4701101154

Becca's husband has been caught in an affair, and to try and make amends, he takes Becca to a 1920s murder mystery weekend at an extravagant manor hotel. The host of the weekend is found "murdered," and the game is put in motion. When Becca finds herself in the middle of not just a murder mystery but the disappearance of one of the maids, she has to figure out what is real and what is just the game in a big hurry. This was a very enjoyable ride in the who-done-it world of mystery with a fun 1920s flair. Thank you, NetGalley, for the eARC 4 stars.

This was a quick read, slightly confusing at times with the actual character names vs. The names in the murder mystery game. This did make it hard to follow for me at times.
Overall this book was ok, not predictable but missing the edge of your seat, can't put it down feeling.

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! I will be posting my review on social media, to include Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram!

A weekend getaway at a gorgeous old mansion with a 1920 murder mystery theme. What is part of the game and what is real. As the story unfolds, each couple has a secret to hide and a part to play in the game. An fun story especially for mystery readers.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in return for my honest review.

* I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All thoughts are my own.

2.5 stars

The idea of a murder mystery getaway was a great idea but wasn’t well executed. I found myself to be very bored and honestly just disliked most of the characters. I was really hoping for a lot more, especially with Bethany going missing. I really wanted Becca to pull in Blake to help her solve the mystery but overall the entire book was just not it for me. There was nothing that impressed me and the ending of the Bethany situation felt very rushed and not well hinted at during the story.

I wouldn’t recommend.

All Dressed Up focuses on a couple struggling to come back together after a bout of infidelity. Becca is stuck in her willingness to trust her husband, Blake after he cheated on her. To try and make amends with Becca, Blake plans a weekend getaway. Unbeknownst to Becca, the getaway is a murder mystery weekend.

The murder mystery weekend goes on with a sudden murder. Since Becca hasn't realized that it is a murder mystery weekend her reaction is priceless and quite embarrassing for her.

The weekend continues with the guests working to solve the murder. Connections and friendships are made while those Becca thinks she knows so well end up being not who she expected them to be. Especially when the weekend ends up not only with a staged murder but a real, unexpected murder.

Becca becomes ensnared in the hunt to discuss who murdered the maid. Her involvement draws her deeper into the rabbit hole and deeper into danger. Of course Becca cannot help herself and is pulled into solving the real murder. During all that is taking place though, Becca is also working on fixing her marriage and trying to understand when another one of the guests come on to her.

To be honest I was very hopeful for All Dressed Up. The story idea was fascinating to me but I felt like the story fell flat. Instead of a murder mystery thriller All Dressed Up instead seemed to focus on resolving the struggles of a marriage impacted by infidelity. There seemed to be a lacking depth in the characters and the resolution of the story seemed foolish to me. The plot ends in a somewhat resolved case and murder solved along with Blake and Becca working towards fixing their marriage. The fix to their marriage? In Becca's mindset seems to be "open to all possibilities'... aka let's be swingers." For me that just made the story fall even more flat for me. A fix of a problem is just added by almost endorsing cheating as long as the partners are agreeable and both involved.

Needless to say I struggled with this book. It wasn't my cup of tea but it may be for someone else. Until next time, happy reading!

Jilly Gagon's ALL DRESSED UP will strike a chord with those of us who read piles of mysteries and have always dreamed of attending a mystery weekend in and old, isolated mansion. Our protagonist, Becca, is such a person. Her husband Brent treats her to such a weekend away. The only problem at the outset is that Brent has just ended an affair with one of his colleagues--and affair that Becca learned about by reading texts on his phone. Brent has a lot to make up for, and as he and Becca drive to the mansion, the air crackles with tension between them. Once at the venue, Becca learns that her husband's business partner and wife are also in attendance. (Was that really necessary, Brent?) The guest meet and greet, and the "murder" occurs. Game on, everyone. But Brent is acting weird. Is he chatting up that young woman over there? And Becca is paranoid, not to mention still smarting from his betrayal. And some of the guests seem a little shifty. Becca doesn't trust anyone--except the young, pretty housekeeper who mysteriously goes missing on the first night. Becca is certain she has been taken and begins looking for clues among the myriad planted clues. This is a fun romp of a book. It's a clever good mystery, but it also shines a light on the imperfections of people, marriages, and expectations. I'd classify it as a light and highly entertaining read, but one that leaves the reader with important truths. Many thanks to #NetGalley for an early read of #AllDressedUp.

All Dressed Up caught my eye because I loved the premise, a real murder that occurs during a murder mystery weekend at a fancy mansion. It’s a fun opportunity for a small group to dress and act like 1920s characters, flappers, dandies, gangsters, and molls. Unfortunately, the protagonist, Rebecca, is still reeling by her husband cheating on her and is having trouble getting into the swing of things. Aside from Rebecca and her husband, Blake, there are three other couples. Two, Phil and Heather, are friends of Rebecca and Blake. The other four are strangers and never truly come to life. The action starts as soon as everyone arrives – a shriek in the hallway and a dead woman in the library. Hints of Agatha Christie and the game of Clue.

I had two major problems with this novel. First, there are eight guests at the party and a variety of event employees (maids, bartenders, etc.). Everyone has a real name, like Blake and Becca, and a character name, i.e. Reid A. Daily and Debbie Taunte, respectively. So right off the bat, the reader is challenged to keep track of who is who – sixteen main character names plus the actors. It’s too much. Aside from Becca and Blake, I never got a good feel for any of the other characters. Secondly, the reader is stuck in Becca’s head for the entirety of the novel, and believe me, that is not a good place to be. As mentioned, Becca is still spiraling from Blake’s cheating and it consumes her (and the reader’s) thoughts and actions every minute of the day. Again, too much!! It made the storyline incredibly repetitive.

The mystery aspect of this novel is that one of the actors (Bethany) disappears on the first night, and Becca goes into investigative mode to try and figure out what happened. Unfortunately, the problems I mentioned took away completely from the mystery aspect of the plot. A good premise but a failure to deliver.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for providing me with an eGalley.

Attempting to heal marital discord due to his recent betrayal, Becca's husband books a mystery weekend at a luxury resort for his crime loving wife. Although not ready to move on and forget, Becca decides to enter into the spirit of the game and enjoy their stay. When one of the employees scheduled to participate in the game fails to show up on the second day, alarm bells go off for Becca. The explanations don't hang together and she suspects a real crime has occurred. I found Becca to be whiny and self pitying character and I failed to become invested in her although as the story progresses she shows intuition and mettle. I was very interested in the premise of a mystery weekend and how it played out but felt the development was weak. Too much plot time was spent in Becca's inner emotional turmoil and memories. I did enjoy the modern spin on a golden age style of a country house mystery. Depite falliing a little short of my high expectations it was an entertaining read.

This wasn’t what I was hoping for after reading the description of this book. It was much more depressing domestic drama centered around a recent infidelity than the whodunit I was hoping for. At one point the main character is told how cold she’s been by her cheating husband, and she seems to blame herself, at least partly for his infidelity- just no! Later on she thinks maybe she just has the wrong idea about marriage in general and considers maybe polyamory might be a better idea. Yikes! The actual murder bits were interesting, but the murder mystery weekend bits ended up just a bit muddled. The ending was interesting (not talking about the marriage discussion, but the actual murder that happens in the story). The writing in this book isn’t bad, the story is just not what I would have hoped.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing me access to this eARC for my honest opinion!

For fans of Clue-style mysteries comes a new locked room murder mystery by Jilly Gagnon!

This was a fun, bingeable read about a weekend getaway turned 1920’s murder mystery. Becca and Blake are struggling in their marriage and Blake decides an expensive weekend retreat is just what they need to reconnect… Becca isn’t so sure. But surprise! Things quickly turn out to be a battle between what is real and what isn’t.

I found this to be an entertaining read, my first by this author. I had a lot of moments I wasn’t totally engaged in the story and felt it didn’t need to be so long. The ending wrapped up too quickly so I think more time could have been spent there. The twist was great though!

Thank you @netgalley and Bantam for the ARC!

I have mixed thoughts about this one. I thought the premise was very good: a married couple attend a murder mystery weekend in which the participants become characters from the 20s. The crux of the plot is the husband cheated on the wife and the weekend is a way for them to reconnect, but a real murder happens. Or is it part of the "mystery murder weekend" setup? That's for the reader to find out.

This was along the lines of a locked-room mystery plot, which I loved. Although I think any of them could have left at any time??

ALL DRESSED UP features a cast of characters from the murder mystery "played by" the characters from the book (those we are to believe were real). The cast of characters and their various names were too large. I couldn't place who was playing who at times. It was a lot to remember.

SPOILER ALERT:

So my main issue was the married couple - our leads. At times the wife would become angry at herself for being angry that her husband cheated. And it was a several months affair, so it wasn't a one-night stand kind of thing. It was obvious she would never trust him again.

So, okay, let's go with they are working to make the marriage …. work. The ending seemed to allude to an open marriage or swinging as a solution to make the marriage last? HUH?

I think the look at unconventional ways to make a marriage work were interesting, but her big issue was she no longer trusted him to even have a conversation with another woman, but she'd be open to swinging??

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an e-copy of ALL DRESSED UP to review.

I rate ALL DRESSED UP three out of five stars.

The isolated manor with a murder theme has drawn me in so often. It was cute the way the game was portrayed with the clues at the beginning of each chapter but overall there just seemed to be too much going on in the book. The writing style is one of a cozy mystery series, so if that is your cup of tea this maybe the book for you.