"Confess the crimes, survive the tropes."
You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego is a fantastic locked room mystery that has been called "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie on steroids. The elusive and mysterious author J.R Alastor has invited a group of six talented fellow authors, all masters of deception and mystery, to a writing retreat on an island off the coast of Maine. Event coordinator Mila del Angél is a former writer herself and jumped at the chance to help plan this retreat. But relaxation and intelligent banter are not the only things on the agenda this weekend. Eager to meet their host, the writers settle in and realize that there are some secret connections between themselves. While Alastor has been delayed, Mila starts the weekend off with one of many games that are designed to point to different crimes the writers were involved in. But when the bodies start to turn up Mila's plan for revenge are halted, because the wrong person died. She now realizes that she is a part of the game as well. Everyone has secrets to hide and will do anything to keep them from seeing the light.
I seriously can not believe that this is a debut novel! It is fast paced but incredibly complex and well thought out. With many common thriller tropes that make up the games including dinner party, cursed artifacts and more this is a fun and twisty read. I was 100% sure I knew what was going on but I can honestly say that the big reveal had me shook. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more of Pliegos work.
Thank you to NetGalley, Ande Pliego, and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for this ARC. Expected release date is February 11th 2025.

Fun locked room mystery, where a group of thriller writers with secrets are taken to an island and picked off one by one. It has the twist and turns you would except from this type of book. Basically a Agatha Chrisite pastiche, but that is compliment not a shot.

Such good read!! I was addicted from the start. This book has a little of everything, a private island, a writing retreat, with a murder mystery in the making. This book is expected to be published February 11th 2025.

The plot is clever with twists and turns that kept it interesting. Definitely recommend!!

Thank you to NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I love locked room mysteries so I was excited to start this book. However, it was a bit difficult to read. There are lots of characters to keep track of, and I didn’t find myself really caring about any of them. This one became somewhat of a chore for me to finish. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

A locked room mystery similar to Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None". Authors are invited to an exclusive retreat on an island. They lose connection with the outside world and the weather is bad when one of them turns up dead. Every writer on the island has secrets and will do anything to hide them. The host is an author that no one has met as their identity is a closely guarded secret. As the week continues and there are more dead bodies how will they survive?
This story will keep you wondering who is the mysterious author and why are people dying. Are the games just to get them to confess their sins? The reader will be constantly guessing who will be next and who will be alive at the end. Do all the authors know each other? This is an exciting thriller and I would recommend reading it.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #AndePiliego, and #PenguinRandomHouse for a copy of this book.
#YouAreFatallyInvited

Thank you to @prhaudio for the gifted copy! Thank you to PRH for the eARC!

Looking for a mystery with thrilling aspects and plenty of suspense? This is it. I love a novel that is aware of itself. Structured like a writer’s guide to tropes, a group of writers shows up at a retreat expecting to spend time with an elusive best-selling author who has never revealed their identity. What they get instead is a series of deadly games - but even the accomplice isn’t quite sure what is going on and things turn even more sinister. This was SO good. I loved all of the tropes, each of the characters, the story! Just when you think you know what has happened - you don’t. Twisty and dark, this novel had me gripped. I was blown away to discover that it was a debut. Stunning. A must read for fans of the genre.

You Are Fatally Invited is a current version of an old-school murder mystery with cheeky dialogue and all the tropes your murdery heart could ever desire.

Notoriously discreet author, the anonymous J. R. Alastor, invites a group of fellow authors to a VIP writing retreat on an island off the coast of Maine. With the help of party planner Mila del Angél, an aspiring writer herself, the duo has a wicked weekend organized for their guests.

Upon arrival, the other authors are salivating at the opportunity to meet Alastor in real life and discover the identity of the secretive writer. Unfortunately, their patience will be tested as Alastor has been delayed. Their patience won't be the only thing put through the wringer.

When an unplanned murder is discovered, the weekend really starts to get spicy, even for co-host Mila who had not known that was going to happen. Without Alastor physically present, (or are they?) Mila is on the outside looking in, left holding the bag. Wah wah wah!

The weekend devolves into a whodunnit on steroids where no one is safe and anyone can be the infamous Alastor hiding in plain sight, the killer, or both. And not everyone's going to make it out alive—sad face.

Pliego expertly infiltrates the story with common mystery thriller tropes, many with a fresh twist including dinner party, survive the night, everyone's a suspect, remote island, locked room, revenge plot, game night, and books about books, among others.

The dialogue is fast-paced and can feel murky at times, making it difficult to track the speakers. Foregoing that minor grievance, the tropes, characters, setting, and mystery will leave you devilishly giddy.

Billed as <i>Glass Onion</i> meets <i>Clue</i>—but I'd like to expand it even further: <i>Glass Onion</i> meets <i>Clue</i> and invites <i>Saw</i>(lite) and <i>Murder on the Orient Express</i>. It's a party, y'all.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Bantam, & Ande Pliego for the ARC in exchange for my authentic review.

This is a debut novel. The description caught my eye and I had to get the book when I saw it was about an author hosting a murder mystery retreat on a private island. Sounded intriguing.

Description:
An exclusive locked-room murder mystery party hosted by a legendary thriller writer on his private island for his fellow thriller writer friends turns lethal when a guest is found murdered in this twisty debut novel.

When the legendary and mysterious author J. R. Alastor hires Mila del Angel to host a murder mystery retreat on his private island off the coast of Maine, she jumps at the chance. The guest list? Six thriller writers, all masters of deceit, misdirection, and mayhem.

Alastor is planning a week of games, trope-fuelled riddles, and maybe a jump-scare or two--and Mila is plotting some fun of her own. But when a guest turns up dead--for real--and Alastor goes rogue, Mila suddenly finds herself in a deadly endeavor to stay alive. With a storm cutting off the island, and the body count rising, Mila must outwit a killer who knows literally every trick in the book...

My Thoughts:
This book is scary. The author wasn't there to greet his guests - what's up with that? Yes, he's supposedly a recluse and nobody knows anything about him, but if he's gone to the trouble to host this party, where is he? And Mila, the hired host, has her own agenda. The guest each have secrets to hide, and some are coming out over time. There's a lot of tension here and I didn't want to put the book down before I found out what was going on. This is a great debut and I look forward to more by Ande Pliego.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Bantam through Netgalley for an advance copy.

What an excellent take on the classic “And Then There was None” with a bunch of different nods to the different horror/thriller tropes. This book was incredibly well written with the different points of views making the suspense that much more.

When a bunch of well known authors get invited to a writers retreat they jump on the opportunity. But what they don’t know all are invited for different reasons, all have something in their past that they should atone for.

This book was very fast paced and grabbed me from page one. It had a great spooky feel to it and had a great atmosphere. Thank you to Netgalley and to the publishers for allowing me to read this advanced copy in exchange for my opinion.

Renowned anonymous author J. R. Alastor hosts a writing retreat at his private manor off the coast of Maine & invites six authors who are all known for the thrillers they write. He hires former aspiring writer Mila del Angél as the event coordinator, and she signs on eagerly when she discovers what Alastor has up his sleeve. Alastor and Mila masterminded a week of games, trope-fueled riddles, and maybe a jump scare or two—the perfect cover for Mila to plot a murder of her own. But when a guest turns up dead—and it’s not the murder she planned—Mila finds herself trapped in a different narrative altogether. With no internet or phone access, no way off of the island, and the body count rising, Mila must outwit a killer who knows literally every trick in the book.

This book was a lot of fun. It reminded me a lot of Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None", also known as "Ten Little Indians". I love a good locked-in mystery and this definitely delivered. It kept me guessing until almost the very end. Interspersed throughout were pages from each of the author's books as they were killed, using a scene from their books, and the killer had crossed out the victim's name in the murder scenes and replaced it with the author's name, so you were reading about how they died. I really enjoyed that little touch. If you love a good mystery, then you should definitely check this out!

This was a fun, mysterious book. I liked the fact that there were thrillers author's invited to a secluded manor off the coast of Maine. The story is addictive and hard to put down. If you are a fan of Agatha Christie, I'm sure you will like this book.

Many thanks, for my gifted copy. This review will shared to my instagram account closer to publication date.

A fantastic whodunit that had me thinking about Clue and The Knives Out series. The characters were horrible and delightful! The pacing was fast but not in a way that felt rushed. It was perfect for this kind of hopping around characters' narratives.

This was equal parts fun and silly as it was serious and suspenseful! I'd recommend this for any mystery fans who want a book on the lighter side but that still has some emotional gut punches. And actually I'm changing my rating to 5 stars, what a satisfying ending I don't think I've ever loved a mystery novel this much.

📚 PRE- PUBLICATION ARC BOOK REVIEW 📚

You Are Fatally Invited
By Ande Pliego
Publication Date: February 11, 2025
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group - Ballentine | Bantam

📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House - Ballentine | Bantam for this #gifted e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

📚MY REVIEW:

You Are Fatally Invited from Ande Pliego is a brilliant whodunnit mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end! This book definitely started out kinda slow, but the mystery and suspense picked up as the book went on and I really ended up enjoying it!

The story was told from multiple POVs in alternating chapters, which is something I always love in a book. In this one, I struggled a little bit to keep the characters straight and constantly had to go back to the start of chapters to remember whose perspective I was reading.

It actually took a while for me to feel like I cared about most of these characters. For the first part of the book, it was just a bunch of arrogant authors who all thought their talents and self-declared greatness brought them to anonymous author J. R. Alastor's writer's retreat on a remote island. The reader quickly learns that the authors were invited because they all have huge secrets in their pasts, which Alastor seems to want to bring to light and demonstrate vindication. Even as characters were dying one by one, it took the burgeoning romantic connection between Mila and Ash for me to start to like any of the characters in this one.

The more I read, the more I enjoyed the deepening whodunnit mystery. I was really impressed with the last third of the book and felt like the pacing picked up quite a bit. I was impressed with the head-spinning twists in this mystery's conclusion, and I sure didn't see the revelation of the mastermind coming. Fans of whodunnit mysteries, Clue, and Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None will really enjoy this read!

#YouAreFatallyInvited #AndePliego #RandomHousePublishingGroup #Ballentine #Bantam #NetGalley #NetGalleyReviews #ARCs #thrillerreads #thrilleraddict #thrillerlover #whodunnitmystery #booklover #bookreviews #bookrecs #bookrecommendations

A locked room murder mystery with some utterly dark, unguessable twists, You Are Fatally Invited turned the Agatha Christie-esque motif on its head. With an enigmatic host and an isolated setting, it had an underlying mystery core that blended beautifully with a twisted thriller vibe. From the somewhat more grim deaths to themes that made me sit and think, Pliego took Christie’s building blocks and elevated them to outdo even the Grand Dame herself. The best piece of the puzzle, however, was easily the metafiction premise. After all, the cast was packed full of writers along with snippets from their stories. Along with the handful of my most adored tropes, it was an undeniable home run no ifs, ands, or buts.

The plot was—in no uncertain terms—a demonstration in how to construct a winning novel. With short chapters, ever-ratcheting foreboding, and a storyline plotted to perfection, it kept me on the edge of my seat and frantically turning the pages. You see, Pliego took the generic Golden Age framework and added her own subtle flair. From the explosive, adrenaline-fueled climax to the two-part dénouement, there wasn’t a chance of me putting the pieces together in time to outpace the timely reveals. And let me tell you, I tried my best at the whole armchair sleuthing thing. Sadly—or should I say happily—for me, despite plenty of well-disguised hints, the red herrings ultimately did me in.

The characters themselves were simply sublime. Running the gamut from utterly suspicious to root-for-able in the extreme, I reveled in the one I loved to hate just as much as I delighted in the ultimate heroine. Realistic, easily envisioned, and complete with true-to-life flaws, despite the fact that the book required a definite need to suspend all disbelief, this cast came alive more with each page. So much so, in fact, that I’ll be shocked to my core of this book doesn’t become the next blockbuster movie. Thought-provoking, clever, and deliciously crafty, this debut novel is sure to be one of the most binge-worthy, buzzed about mystery/thrillers of the year.

The only teeny, tiny fly in the ointment was how complex and intricate the plot became as it rolled along. Despite the small cast of characters, their various hidden personas meant that notes were required to keep track of them all. On top of the many veiled secrets that were obscured from not only the other characters but us as well, the well-layered plot was beyond cryptic at times. Just the same, I ate up every word and flew through the nearly 400 pages in under twenty-four hours. After all, I just had to know the whos, hows, whats, and whys.

All said and done, Pliego has certainly made a name for herself with this masterful whodunnit in no time at all. With well-developed plot lines, a mixed media format, and distinct identities told through multiple POVs, even the complexity couldn’t turn me off in the end. And thanks to complex group dynamics and long-buried secrets, this compulsively readable novel spun <b>tales within tales. So if you are a fan of Knives Out, Agatha Christie, or Clue, this is one novel you don’t want to miss. I’m not exaggerating. You need to make this your next read no matter what. If you need to pre-order it, so be it. It’s a definite must read. Rating of 4.5 stars.

Thank you to Ande Pliego, Random House - Bantam, and NetGalley for my complimentary digital and physical copies. All opinions are my own.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I'm a sucker for an And Then There Were None homage.

Private island ✔️
Strangers with past secrets ✔️
Murder ✔️

The story starts with a group of well-known, reputable murder mystery writers arriving at a writer's retreat, hosted by J.R. Alastor, a reclusive mystery writer himself, who happens to be late to his own party.

It's all fun, mystery games, until one of the guests winds up dead in the same manner as his latest bestselling book. While they initially believe it to be just a joke, a little murder humor from their absent host, they start to take things more seriously when another writer is dispatched similarly.

This was a fast-paced, multi-POV story that I would highly recommend if you enjoy a locked room murder like I do.

What an amazing debut! Told in multi-POV, we see a collection of authors invited to a writing retreat by a renowned and mysterious J.R. Alastor. But when they arrive on the island, at the large, fancy house, the reader immediately learns not is all as it seems. Authors begin disappearing, and soon, the reader discovers what's REALLY going on... all while wondering who's behind it all. An excellent thriller with gorgeous writing. Be sure to check it out!

Mystery lovers, rejoice! 2025's twisty take on And Then There Were None has arrived.

Event host Mila del Angél has been hired by the reclusive author J. R. Alastor to host a themed writer's retreat at his remote island manor. Six thriller authors have all been invited to meet the heretofore anonymous Alastor, and Mila has helped the host to craft devious games that hinge on common mystery novel tropes.

But Mila has her own aims for this retreat. One of the guests ruined her life, so she plans on using this week to enact an elaborate murder plot as revenge.

...Except that a different dead body shows up before Mila can set her plan into place. It seems that the secretive Alastor had not revealed all of his plots to Mila, and now she must convince the other guests she is as much a victim of this deadly game as they are if she hopes to survive.

You Are Fatally Invited is a delectable treat for mystery readers. Each of the days of the writer's retreat is meant to be themed on a popular mystery trope (haunted artifact, final girls, etc.), so the plot gets to lean into these conventions knowingly and celebrate what readers love about the genre. Pliego has taken so many beloved elements of thrillers novels -- remote locations, hidden identities, unreliable narrators, inescapable situations -- and combined them into a stunning confection that will keep readers up late as they race to try to reach the solution of the puzzle.

An absolute joy of a thrill ride, I highly recommend this book to all fellow mystery lovers.

40/100 or 2.0 stars

I thought there would be more to this based on the synopsis/description, but I could not get into the story or care about the characters. I read the first two chapters and was not interested in any people or what the story was trying to set up. The writing was fine, but was not working for me. I was hoping to like this, but I did have to DNF this one, unfortunately. I might try another book from Pliego in the future to see if perhaps it was just this story that was not working for me.

A locked room mystery with multiple points of view and a game of Clue vibe - ummm yes please. This book was enthralling and kept me interested by leaving little breadcrumbs scattered through out. The different points of view helped us as the reader learn certain characters backstories and threw in a few twists that made me have to stop and rethink where I thought the book was going.

Few things are as deliciously captivating as a locked-room mystery done right, and “You Are Fatally Invited” delivers a spellbinding puzzle that will delight fans of Agatha Christie and modern psychological thrillers alike. Set in the eerie isolation of a prestigious writers’ retreat, this novel is a breathtakingly intricate whodunit that keeps the reader guessing from its electrifying opening to its jaw-dropping finale.



The plot unfolds with masterful precision: a small, carefully chosen group of writers arrives at an exclusive retreat, each with secrets to protect and ambitions that run dangerously deep. Soon enough, the retreat transforms into a claustrophobic crime scene where no one is safe. The author orchestrates the suspense with dazzling skill, weaving a labyrinth of misdirections, shocking betrayals, and deviously planted clues that challenge even the most seasoned mystery lovers.



What sets it apart is its audacious complexity. Every detail is meticulously crafted, every character richly drawn, and every twist delivered with a stunning level of ingenuity. Just when you think you’ve cracked the case, the novel takes another breathtaking turn, shattering assumptions and sending you spiraling into new theories. The final reveal is nothing short of spectacular, a gasp-worthy revelation that retroactively tightens every thread with meticulous brilliance.



For readers who revel in the art of a perfectly executed mystery, this one is an absolute triumph. It’s wickedly clever, endlessly absorbing, and utterly unputdownable. A must-read for anyone who loves the thrill of an impeccably constructed puzzle on the page.