🕵️‍♀️🔮🏰🧩🐈‍⬛

Imagine being invited to a creepy island by a family you’ve never heard of, only to find yourself stuck in their spooky old castle, solving cryptic riddles, dodging family drama, and having visions of a murder that hasn’t even happened yet. Oh, and you’re the only one who might be able to stop it. This one’s packed with puzzles you get to solve right alongside the main character, giving major locked-room mystery vibes and just the right amount of eerie atmosphere. Honestly, it feels like playing Clue come to life. The narrator was great and theatrical, and while I enjoyed the audiobook, this is a book you'd want in physical form because you keep having to jump back and forth to solve individual puzzles. And not gonna lie, I didn't solve a single one, but I liked having the option!

This was such a unique story- fabulous setting, great characters (a ghost bff!), and suspense right off the bat!

My only critique is it was tricky to listen to the audio- and would be much better as a physical book. The different puzzles and choose your own adventure type choices are so great- and a fun twist!

*A Most Puzzling Murder* by Bianca Marais is a quirky, cozy mystery with charming characters and plenty of humor woven throughout. While the concept is fun and the setting engaging, the pacing sometimes drags, and the mystery itself feels predictable at times. Readers looking for a light, entertaining read may enjoy it, but those hoping for a tightly plotted, suspenseful whodunit might be left wanting more. A solid 3-star read—pleasant, but not particularly memorable.

This book had such an intriguing setup and I really wanted to love it. Unfortunately, it really didn’t work as an audiobook. I downloaded the PDF of the puzzles, but it didn’t include the answers. So unless you solve them yourself, you can’t progress. The author even told me that listening to just the audio means missing major parts of the story. Honestly, it baffles me why it was made into audio at all if the format can’t deliver the full experience.

As a big mystery lover, I had high hopes. Unfortunately the whole thing was a bust for me and I lost interested after spending way more time trying to figure it out than I should have.

That was disappointing. One star for the concept and one star for the puzzles, but that's it. It's very YA, which I wouldn't have minded so much if I had been expecting it to be YA. I appreciate that romance wasn't the focus of the story, but it's still about a young super special snowflake who must discover who she is and use that knowledge to bring down a tyrannical throne. I understand why the magic was there, but the ghost could have been easily replaced by recollections of how she reacted to things in life. Nobody was interesting or memorable, and just one of those might have made up for how incredibly predictable the plot was.

I do think the author should write another book, one with puzzles like this one (which were more fun than necessary, but I read for fun so that's fine). I just think she should work on her plot and character building skills before then. Give us an actual mystery with interesting (or, perhaps, likeable) characters.

This is such an interesting concept for a mystery - incorporating puzzles for the reader to solve, plus elements of a choose your own adventure! The mystery itself is full of twists and turns, and it was really fun to work the puzzles as I read. The setting was great, a small, spooky island community with hints of magic. And there are a lot of characters to keep track of, any one of them could be the culprit.

I did have a paperback copy of the book to read along with the audiobook - that worked well for me. I think if you enjoy audiobooks and aren't interested in doing the interactive pieces of the story, the audiobook will still be entertaining. I usually prefer an audiobook experience, but in this case, the physical copy was more enjoyable for me.

Interesting idea for a book. The child in me was so excited to have a “Choose Your own adventure” type of adult novel, but word of warning … if audiobooking like I did, this becomes a little more difficult to do, you do have options to choose or you can choose to do nothing and wait for the story to move along.
The puzzles and mysteries (that I was able to participate with) were fun to work through and creates a more immersive reading experience.
The story does have various character POVs which at times becomes a bit confusing (keep in mind I had the audio version, so maybe reading the print would make this aspect of the book easier to follow along with)

I was screaming in excitement for this book. This is literally everything I want - puzzles, mystery, and interactive items in a book.

This is certainly a one-of-a-kind reading experience marrying traditional murder mystery with puzzles and allowing you to make choices throughout to get different experiences and information. This is the perfect book for puzzlers trying to get into reading and readers who love puzzling.

I loved the variety of puzzles. Each was a different format whether word related, logic puzzles, math driven, or even images which kept each puzzle exciting to come to. Every puzzle was something I was already aware of so I believe they are very attainable for any reader. You can also email for clues if you need help solving them or look at the answers at the end of the book if you want to skip the puzzles completely.

In true murder mystery fashion, everything is cleanly wrapped up at the end and all useful clues for how you should have solved it are provided at the end.

Outside of my initial shock of this literally being my dream book format, I did have a couple of things I just wanted to note.

While I did really enjoy the puzzles, they were on the easier to reasonable scale for those who puzzle often. If you are a huge puzzler, these may be a bit too simple for you.

I also was disappointed that the puzzles didn’t really change anything in the book. There are some scenarios where you may get different information at different times or you could email your answer for bonus content, but ultimately you receive all info at some point anyways, so the puzzles didn’t really have an impact on the book.

All the characters seemed very formulaic and everything read as it had a purpose, so you don’t feel emotionally connected to anyone despite the story being told as they are just props to further along the mystery to solve. They never get their own backstory or personality just for themselves to round them out as a character, it was solely for the purposes of the book.

Similar to both the puzzles and characters, the writing was also very mundane, but accessible. It is easy to follow, but the writing in itself is not why you are reading the book.

Finally, despite it literally being the ending when I should be most intrigued and interested in the resolution, I felt like the last 20% really dragged on. I feel like I hit a point where the story just got too absurd and needed to resolve itself.

Overall, all of those comments were just really nit-picky as I did really enjoy my experience with this book. I loved accomplishing and solving these puzzles, I loved seeing where the story went, and I loved solving the overarching mystery. It was very fun and creative, and I would be happy to pick up any other book similar to this. While the characters and emotional stakes lean toward archetype, the twists, brainteasers, and unique format are engaging enough to carry the experience. I think this is a great experience for inexperienced puzzlers and a new format for those who enjoy murder mysteries.

I would recommend the physical book or reading the audio and physical book together to be able to participate in the puzzles that are placed throughout the story. If you decide not to participate, I don’t think it takes away from the story. This was a fun idea for a book with a couple choose your own adventure chapters added in. I liked Destiny and was rooting for her throughout the book.

I received a gifted audiobook copy of A MOST PUZZLING MURDER by Bianca Marais from Harlequin Audio and Netgalley!

Rating: 3.5 / 5

A MOST PUZZLING MURDER primarily follows Destiny, a young woman with a lot of weight on her shoulders. Her life has been plagued with loss, that of her family and her best friend. When she receives a strange invitation to interview for a job she didn't apply for, she spots a hidden message encoded. The message promises her answers to her family's past and she can't resist.

The Scruffmore family's patriarch lives on a remote and isolated island. They possess magic and a lot of complicated family drama. As Destiny seeks to find answers to who summoned her here and why, she also may find answers to her own supernatural abilities with prophetic dreams that have long haunted her past. Add in the murder the title implies and there are many mysteries to solve!

This is a book I received as an audio ARC back when it was releasing in June, but I quickly decided that I wanted to wait to pick up a physical copy because this book has a lot of fun extra elements that have the reader flipping around in the book which is a bit more complicated with audio. There are puzzles and some choose your own adventure type elements. I will say that the audio was really well done with a chime alert when you get to a point in the book where you can pause to solve a puzzle yourself or where you can go for the puzzle solution. Unfortunately ALCs in the Netgalley ARC don't have chapter labels so that made it a bit hard to find the right places to go.

Once I got enmeshed in the story and had a physical copy as well, I had a lot of fun with the story and the format. Getting the puzzle elements throughout and getting to think through some of the options the text gives was a fun bonus! The setting definitely gave a good magical, atmospheric backdrop to the story and the bits of humor throughout were great too.

This was a really fun and unique read and I'm glad that I finally was able to pick it up in concert with the audiobook!

This a really fun book! It is highly interactive! I picked up an advanced reader’s copy of it at ALA Annual, but also requested the audiobook from NetGalley. Since I was considering giving the book to a niece or nephew, I downloaded the PDF from the author’s site with the puzzles. There are 16 puzzles that the protagonist needs to solve, and the reader is given an option to try and solve them as well. In the audiobook, a chime sounds when there’s a puzzle to solve. The narrator tells you the puzzle’s number and what to do if you do or don’t want to solve the puzzle right then. There were also “Choose your own conundrum” chapters where you can pick option A or B after being told about a particular scenario. I would pick one (A or B), but read/listen to both, so I didn’t really play fair. You learn different clues depending on which option you pick. There were also 3 bonus scenes, kind of like “deleted scenes.” The audiobook played one of the scenes in a different location than you’ll find it in the book. Two of the scenes required sending an email with a puzzle’s solution to get the bonus information. If you were having trouble with a particular puzzle, you could also get clues by sending a request to the email address with the “Clue #” in the subject line. At the end of the book in both versions, you can find the answers to the puzzles.

So, besides being highly interactive, the story itself was engaging. Destiny is a prodigy genius who’s our protagonist. She’s suffered a lot of loss and trauma and hasn’t left her apartment in the past year. Her best friend, Bex, is with her, but early on, you learn Bex is a ghost. Destiny gets a letter inviting her to an island to be interviewed to become the Scruffmore family historian. This is a job she never applied for. The letter has a hidden message, which is the first puzzle. Of course, she goes. Getting to the island is a challenge. The chapters let you know the time and day for the next scene, which is important as events overlap. We meet the rest of the family and characters as they arrive on the island. The family is gathering for a meeting at which a murder happens, on a dark and stormy night! 😉 It’s at this point, the story takes on a classic “people are all trapped in an old English manor” murder mystery. Although, the family and location are anything but classic or normal!

I found that the audiobook gave me some extra information at times. Like when the family tree is shown in the book, you get names and connections, but in the audiobook, you learn more about the family, such as two of Mordecai’s children, Angel and Minx, are identical twin girls.
I really enjoyed listening and reading at the same time. Since both were advanced reader copies, they were a bit different from each other. For example, at one point, the character referred to his “Dad” in one version and his “Father” in the other. Basically, the same thing, but interesting to note the subtle differences.

I’m not sure of the age of the intended audience. There is some darkness in the story that could cause younger kids to possibly be afraid. I’d put it similar to Harry Potter, book 4. I suspect that if your child/niece/nephew/etc, reads chapter books, they will probably be able to handle the story without fear. I could see it being a fun book to read to your children and work out the puzzles together. That all said, I’m in my 50s and enjoyed it. ☺

Also, the narrator did a good job. She enabled you, as the listener, to tell people apart.

I struggled with the audiobook version of this. While I really liked the premise I felt like it didn't translate well to an audio version. It was hard to follow along and do the puzzles egg the audio. I plan to go back and physically read this book. The narrator did a great job. I DNFd this at 19%.

This was a fun unique experience. I’ve never read anything like it. I wish I had a physical copy to pair with it, but I did enjoy. It was a nice change of pace.

I did not finish this audiobook. I love the concept of the book, but I’m not sure that it translates to an audiobook. I do have a physical copy of “A Most Puzzling Murder” so I will be physically reading the print copy instead.

(4.5 Stars) A Most Puzzling Murder by Bianca Marais (June 10, 2025) Thank you, @biancamarais_author @readmirabooks and @htpbooks_audio for the gifted print and audio copies of this highly inventive and unique novel!

Destiny Whip was a child prodigy, had her PhD before the age most people finish college, and is an internationally known genius who can solve any puzzle…but she can’t seem to overcome a crippling depression brought on by a tragic loss and barely leaves her home. Then a letter arrives inviting her to interview for the position of Scruffmore family historian. Embedded in the letter is a secret message intriguing enough to get her on a ferry to a remote island to meet with a magical royal family she never knew existed for a job she didn’t apply for. Once there, she encounters a messy, dramatic, infighting family, an unexplainable death, long-hidden secrets, and a battle for control of the family. And a raccoon intent on communicating with her. The Scruffmore family is a mess - and it’s absolutely delightful.

This is not a book you can read passively - readers are active participants! From solving puzzles to making choose-your-own-adventure decisions about the direction of the story, this book requires our active involvement - and that’s what makes it so fun! There are a ton of characters and POVs (including a raccoon), but they all have an important purpose. Marais helps us keep track of the relationships between the characters by providing a constantly updated family tree visual (I believe it is updated at least six times throughout the book). This book has magic, murder, whimsy, and fun - I am really happy I read it!

🎧 Audiobook Thoughts 🎧 Narrated by Dylan Moore, the audio adds a fun, layered dimension to the experience. However, because the book includes visual and interactive elements (such as puzzles and branching decisions), I recommend pairing the audio with the print copy for a more immersive experience. There’s even a downloadable PDF to support the experience. Together, print + audio = reading magic. (15h 19m)

⭐ Book: 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫

🎧 Audio: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

🌟🌟🌟🌟 🌟 Overall
🎙️🎙️🎙️🎙️

This book invites you on a roller coaster ride of a journey to help Destiny Whip discover who she really is. Through multiple twists and turns, choose your own scenarios, and puzzles that test your brain, you become entangled in this story to the point that you cannot put it down.

The vibes are Dan Brown meets Harry Potter. I say this because the author does a fantastic job of making the reader feel like the protagonist's intellectual equal (and Destiny is a brilliant enigmatologist) solving the multiple mysteries as they come along. I feel that for younger readers, it gives them something to aspire to beyond the normal expectations of the world. Almost like what Indiana Jones did for archaeologists/professors in the 80's.

For those concerned by the idea of puzzles and choose your own scenario's, think of it as letting the details of the story sink in. We used to do an exercise in school where we would have to explain what happened in the pages we read the night before. Same thing, but much more fun. And the choose your own scenario's are high concept. Think what came first, the chicken or the egg? Or If a tree falls in the forest, does anyone hear it?

While the audiobook does come with a printable workbook for the puzzles, I feel as though a physical copy is needed to keep up. Think of it as a trophy for solving all the puzzles. Or as your emotional support copy for when the story is over 😉

Thank you #netgalley for this ALC

100% would recommend

Well, it was an experience. I felt like it was a lot to take in. There was murder, magic, family, schemes, mystery, ghosts just to mention as few things. This book has a little bit of the too much gene. When I thought we were done introducing characters there was another added and don't get me started on all of their ridiculous names. I went into this book thinking that it was an interactive mystery book like playing a Nancy drew game. I am not saying it wasn't that, but there was just too much more going on. I feel like this book would have benefited from just sticking with one persons pov.

The interactive elements do not mix well with the audio listening so I would suggest picking up a physical copy to go with your audio version so you can enjoy the interactive elements better.

It was an ambitious idea and I liked it but I just wish there was less stuff going on.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for this audio book ARC copy! I did not mind the book, just feel it would be better read physically since there are choose your path options.

Based on the description, I was not expecting this book to be a low fantasy novel. I was pleasantly surprised by it originally, but ultimately, the complex magic system, mixed family histories, and puzzles left me confused more often than not.

It was trying to do too much, unfortunately. I think this would have been better if it was drawn out more and maybe split into two different novels? The magic distribution system was far too complex for me to attempt to understand for a standalone novel.

That said, I did enjoy the mystery aspect of this novel. It kept me constantly engaged and trying to guess what would happen next, and most of the time, I was pretty off base. Which, not to toot my own horn, is actually pretty impressive considering I often feel like I’ve read every trope imaginable and see the twists coming from a mile away.

I definitely recommend this book in a physical format. I had originally requested the audiobook ARC and had to request the ereader version as well after I realized just how in-depth and complex the puzzles were. There is an audiobook companion guide available on the author’s website; however, it doesn’t offer the answers, and a lot of the time while I was reading, that is what I wanted more than solving the puzzle myself.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗚𝗲𝘁:
✨ Genius level FMC
✨ Mysterious Ancient Island
✨ Dark Family Dynamics
✨ Complex magic system


Thank you to Net Galley, Harlequin, and The Hive for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

While I was thoroughly enjoying this audiobook, the format doesn’t work as it stands. I would very much enjoy this as a physical book. Not sure if the ebook format works, depending. I was able to download the puzzle booklet (31 pages!) and I was planning on printing it out if I liked this book, as I love a great mystery and really dig solving puzzles. When we got to the first puzzle, as I was listening I was doing a task that I couldn’t stop, so couldn’t solve the puzzle at that time. I still hadn’t printed out the booklet, so viewed it electronically. When searching for the answer to the puzzle, the audiobook instructions were to flip to the answers, well the answers are not in the puzzle booklet, and they’re not listed in the table of contents in the audio book chapters. There was no way to find that answer. So I just skipped it, without knowing the answer. Then, the interactive part of this story kicked in. Meaning deciding between two options, and forwarding the audio book to a specific chapter. While this is fun in a book format, it’s difficult in an audiobook format. Not just difficult but impractical for me. I listen to audiobooks when I’m doing other tasks such as driving, gardening, doing dishes, etc. So trying to maneuver chapters in an audiobook format is just not feasible for me.
I do like the story (what I’ve heard) and the narrator. I think I would enjoy this in a paper book format.