What an exhilarating, adrenaline-fueled roller coaster of a book! I jumped at the chance for this ARC after seeing that it combined some of my favorite tropes—an And Then There Were None-style isolation thriller, and a murder mystery featuring murder mystery authors. And from the end of the first chapter on, the story barrels full steam ahead, barely giving you a chance to catch your breath.

What sets this book apart from other isolation thrillers is all the layers to it. There are JR Alastor’s puzzles and mind games. There’s Mila’s revenge plan. There are the slow revelations regarding the secrets of Alastor’s guests. There’s the tension of shifting allegiances and mutual suspicion. Just when you think you know what the murderer is up to, the book throws a curveball. There is some truly excellent misdirection here. I also loved the snippets from Alastor’s writing guide and from the guests’ novels.

The pacing is so fast that—and this is something I almost never say—I almost wished it slowed down just a bit. In an alternate universe, I could see a different version of this book that spent more time building up the suspense of Alastor’s creepy games and establishing the guests’ backstories before people started dropping dead. I also felt like the book was a bit light on clues as to JR Alastor’s identity, as well as how he was able to hide his identity for so long.

But all in all, I really enjoyed my time with You Are Fatally Invited!