Ink Ribbon Red was a whirlwind of a book! A group of five friends gather at a country home to celebrate the 30th birthday of their friend, Anatol. Anatol recently inherited the country home from his father, who had just passed. While there, Anatol suggests they all play a game he made up several years ago - a game where each friend writes a murder mystery involving the various members of the friend group. This begins the wild ride that is Ink Ribbon Red.

Ink Ribbon Red was refreshing in that it kept me guessing. The author did a great job of making it difficult to figure out what was real and what was a story from Anatol's game. The chapters went back and forth in time and would have someone die only to have them alive again in future chapters.

I appreciated the author's writing style. The author's analogies such as "consequenses are like raindrops" and "grief is a shapeshifter" were thought-provoking. I also enjoyed how the fictional stories were woven into what was actually occurring within the book. Ink Ribbon Red was like reading stories within stories, never knowing who the reliable narrator was. The one downside for me was the mildly rushed feeling at the ending.

If you're in the mood to read a mindless, fluff book, this is not the book for you. BUT, if you're looking to read a unique take on a dark, locked-room-mystery book, give Ink Ribbon Red a go!

Thank you to NetGalley, Henry Holt & Company, and Alex Pavesi for providing an ARC of this book.

As I read "Ink Ribbon Red," I was captivated by the characters' backstories and their quirky dynamics. Anatol, the mysterious host, kept me guessing about his true intentions. The game of writing murder mysteries revealed deeper tensions among the friends, creating a web of intrigue that was hard to put down.

The setting of Anatol's home added an eerie quality, enhancing the suspense as the friends tried to unravel the truth behind the real murder. Paveski skillfully balanced humor and tension, making the absurd scenarios both entertaining and thought-provoking.

My four-star rating reflects the gripping plot and well-drawn characters, as well as the book's unique blend of fiction and reality. I would recommend it to mystery lovers who enjoy a bizarre twist on the genre.

Thank you to NetGalley and Michael Joseph Publishing for this ARC copy of Ink Ribbon Red!

I love a locked-room mystery and an unreliable narrator, so I found structure of this novel to be super fun. A group of friends converge on a lavish home for a bank holiday / pal’s birthday. Shortly after his father’s death, Anatol invites his closest friends to his home and requests they play a story-writing game for his 30th birthday. Each person chooses a slip of paper from two glasses - one with a murderer’s name, one with a victim’s name. The group will then come together to read all the stories and score their favorites at the end of the weekend. What better way to spend a couple of rainy days?

Of course, twists and turns abound, and the novel interweaves these fictional tales with the real stories of what happens between and among these old friends. Blackmail, affairs, and alcohol further the deception, and Ink Ribbon Red turns out to be quite the entertaining read.

The structure is the real star here, as characters were a bit flat for me. I didn’t connect with any of them, and because the stories were all murderous, the experience of reading the book became less about the people and more about guessing which stories were “real” and which were part of the game. Fans of Agatha Christie will appreciate her influence, as one character emerges as the mystery-solving sleuth who ties everything up for the reader.

This was pretty fun. It’s worth a read.

Pitched on the cover copy as Knives Out Meets Saltburn, I had high expectations for Ink Ribbon Red. Unfortunately, those expectations fell flat.

Told through written stories about the characters' deaths, Ink Ribbon Red has promise conceptually but ended up just being confusing. Pavesi gets to the point rather quickly but the tone was off-putting---I could not understand why any of these people chose to be friends or continue spending time together given their rather icy demeanors and seemingly deep lack of things in common---and I found myself struggling to care.

Combine that lack with a structurally confusing 'wait who killed who?' plot that meanders for so long it doesn't actually quite make sense, Ink Ribbon Red was a half-baked whodunnit set at a beautiful country home. It could have been more engaging had there been much characterization prior to the execution of the conceit (let's all right murder short stories about each other) OR entirely bigger swings early on (Strange Darling pulls off a similar story structure due to its risk taking), but the commitment to the manor house and slow burn just meant this fizzled out for me and the smoke lingered in the air just long enough for me to finish. Two stars.

Made it about 50% of the way through the book and found it rather difficult to keep in mind not only the story-within-a-story, but the general timeline mashup of it all. It was readable and engaging, and the closed-house murder mystery is a classic and appreciated setup, but I didn't feel like the story had progressed from its initial suspicions of one person committing murder and spent a long time describing how long it took people to arrive at the house. Perhaps this logistical setup was specific and will be referenced later, but I found it hard to engage with the mystery because I couldn't keep track of what level of truth or timeline things were happening in. (This also made it hard to get to know the characters!) Some of the writing felt like a screenplay, which is maybe the more ideal way to take this story in.

Definitely would be a good book to sit down and read all at once, and I might come back to it in the future.

This book was almost intentionally confusing, but it kept me hooked and interested to know what was real and what was a story. That being said, the characters were all incredibly unlikeable so I can't say it was one of my favorites.

3.6
It's a cool concept, but I could have done with more clarification throughout. Put a different way: I don't like finding out what's real and what isn't in the last 15% of the book. To me, it makes more sense to start dropping clues no later than 60% in. It is possible I would have enjoyed it more were i reading fewer books concurrently, but...that just isn't me.

I found jumping around in time disorienting and ultimately unsatisfying. I received this as an advance copy and the opinions expressed are entirely my own.

My first by this author but I will read more. A masterpiece in misdirection throughout a clever and original plot. Be warned this book takes focus though. You have to really pay attention to the details so you don’t get confused.

Just terrific! Sped through it in 12 hours. Complex but easily comprehensible structure. Witty and well written.
Twist upon twist. One of the best I’ve read in a long time. Five stars plus!

From the very start this book left me very confused. By the midpoint I felt like I finally had a grasp of the story. Once I caught up I really enjoyed the concept and enjoyed nearly all the characters which I can’t always say. The ending definitely redeemed my review and overall I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would during the first half of reading it!

“A group of friends gather in a country house for a birthday party. At their host's request, they each write a short mystery. They draw names from a in each story, one of the group is the killer, and another the victim.Of course, when given such a task, it's only natural to use what you know. Secrets. Grudges. Illicit love.”

Ink Ribbon Red is a mystery which follows 6 friends who are celebrating Anatols 30th birthday. This story challenges what’s real and what’s not with the friend’s life events intertwined with the stories they wrote. Honestly I was a bit confused of what was what but the book was very unique and explained everything at the end.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Gripping and absolutely a wild ride this book was so much fun to read. Pavesi was great at story telling and this book has made me a fan of their work and I want to read more. I found the story to be paced well and the characters to be well rounded and engaging.

This crazy book begins with an old guy dying in the bathtub after he's electrocuted in the bathtub and ends with another death and a suicide! In between deaths we see a circle of friends who love to play the game Motive, Method, Death where they each pick a piece of paper out of a hat and have to guess what happens. But this "game" turns deadly as we witness lovers, jealousy,...and of course blackmail! Had my head spinning the entire way through!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC

(4.5 rounded down) I absolutely loved the structure and mystery of Alex Pavesi’s “Eight Detectives,” so I was thrilled to read his newest. By and large, it didn’t disappoint. This book follows “Eight Detectives” lead in the sense that the reader is unaware when we’re reading a story within the narrative or reading the current timeline. The plot revolves around a group of friends staying at a traditional English country house, who are tasked by their host with writing a mystery involving members of their own party. These stories, of course, bring up long-hidden secrets and crimes within the group. This is a book that requires your attention - it flips perspectives a lot and you have to notice the dates at the beginning of chapters/stories to keep the timeline straight, and it’s easy to get lost. I don’t find this a negative, as I found the writing to be engaging, but I could see this being a frustration with the book. I found the characters to be lacking in development and intrigue, and that was probably my biggest complaint. The whole friend group is kind of meh. But I thought the dialogue between them all was a strong point. The blurb says this is “Knives Out meets Saltburn,” and I think that’s going to send a lot of people to this book with a misleading idea of what this is. This isn’t rich people behaving badly or a central detective solving one single mystery. It feels to me more like a playful send-up of golden age mysteries. I really enjoyed it, but this is also very much my shit.

Something I've noticed about book blurbs that I think needs to be better evaluated is the comparisons made. The blurb of this book said this is Knives Out meets Saltburn...and I do not see that...like...at all. I loved both movies, Knives Out and Saltburn, and this is nothing like either of those. The vibes and ambience least of all, which is what I was hoping for. I love a good story about messed up rich people.

This does follow a group of friends who are celebrating together at a fancy house and then things get dicey. But I found myself not really interested. The concept is interesting and fun and I really thought it would be good, because of that and the other movie comparisons, but that was not the case.

I couldn't get attached to any of these characters and the structure of the writing was a bit weird and choppy. The story felt like it jumped around and I found that difficult to follow and also unsettling. A book and its structure should flow.

Overall, I was confused. And I had such high hopes. I could see this being a rather successful movie, reminding me almost of Bodies Bodies Bodies (in the sense that a group is playing a game that goes awry).

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

Okay, my bookish friends, I’ve finally finished this wild, intricate ride filled with puzzles and a Christie-style locked-room mystery! Initially, I wasn’t sure how to rate this book due to its abrupt, slightly shocking, and thought-provoking ending, coupled with its eccentric and mostly unlikable cast of characters. However, the intelligent execution, which challenges readers to question what’s real and what’s fiction, is masterful. The story-within-a-story structure, reminiscent of Russian dolls, adds a fresh, innovative twist to the mystery genre. Kudos to the author for such a brilliantly crafted narrative!

While the book is pitched as Knives Out meets Saltburn, the comparison feels somewhat misleading. This isn’t a typical murder mystery; instead, it delves into fictionalized mysteries created by the characters themselves. The story, particularly Maya—a gossipy, eccentric, and unapologetically blunt character who thrives on revealing others’ secrets—feels more aligned with classic Christie mysteries. The plot’s complexity, with its fragmented timelines and puzzle-like storytelling, makes it challenging to piece together the chronological events, but this adds to its intrigue.

Let’s take a quick look at the storyline: Anatol, who has recently buried his father and inherited the family estate in the Wilshire countryside, gathers five of his closest friends to celebrate his 30th birthday with an unconventional twist—a murder mystery game.

The group includes Dean, an engineer leaving behind his wife who’s down with a cold; Marcin, a wealthy, self-absorbed finance guy; Phoebe, the most “boring” member with her stable life as a teacher; Janika, a researcher and professor delayed by a work conference in Australia; and Maya, the most intriguing and unpredictable member of the group.

From the start, Anatol exudes an unsettling vibe. Unmoved by his father’s sudden, presumed accidental death (which some friends suspect was murder), he seems aloof and forgetful, even leaving his friends stranded at the train station. His plan to celebrate involves a game called Motive, Murder, Death, where each participant writes a murder scenario involving two others, imagining the motive, the victim, and the killer. What begins as a playful activity quickly devolves into chaos, with secrets revealed, tensions escalating, and blackmail notes surfacing. Trust dissolves, and suddenly, everyone has a motive to be a real killer.

If you’re wondering about my verdict: I loved the surprising opening and the way the fictional stories intertwined with reality. However, I struggled to connect with any of the characters, and the ending felt somewhat rushed. I had hoped for a more creative resolution.

Despite that, I’m rounding up my 3.5 stars to 4 for its unique, intelligent execution and its fresh take on the locked-room mystery concept.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Henry Holt & Company for providing me with this digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest feedback!

WOWWWWWW!

The tagline that this book is Knives Out meets Saltburn is 100 percent correct!

When Anatol invites five of his friends to his 30th birthday, the friends happily descend on his small mansion home. Anatol demand that they play a game that he created - Motive, Method, Death in which you pull two names of those attending the party and write stories depicting the deaths of the two characters in a story. The friends quickly spiral into enemies as secrets are uncovered and old grudges remembered.

This is a thriller that reminds me of a funhouse - you don't know where you are turning, if you are moving in the right direction or even if you can believe the narrators. FABULOUS!
#henryholt #inkribbonred #alexpavesi