WOW, WOW, WOW.
Big thanks to my besties at Macmillan Audio for the ARC!

I loved the story in a story premise of this book -- quite interesting!
I may have quietly screamed when I saw a new book from Alex Pavesi as I loved The Eighth Detective when I read it!

The positives first: I found most of the characters easy to hate; which, to me, means they are usually well written. The story in a story was very fun, as the reader doesn't know what is really happening over the birthday weekend, and what might be fiction from the mind of one of the characters,which adds to the overall sense of tension. There were decent twists in the story too, I was surprised more than once by the character's actions. (And other times was NOT surprised by some reveals.) The entire story had this sense of unease and suspense, the character's relationships, the tense build to the end, and with the sense that it isn't easy to know what is really happening.

The not-so-positive (for me) aspects: the date hopping was a bit confusing on audio, admittedly I read audiobooks at a quicker pace (I just cannot do 1x speed) so maybe this is a 'me' thing (although I know other reviewers have mentioned this as well). Also, the chapter titles would have (probably) had a bigger impact in print. Some of the murder descriptions get pretty specific, lol, if that's your thing you might love this. The "reveal" of what story is a story and who wrote what was kind of lackluster.

Overall this is like a 3.5-3.75 ish for me. There were some parts that I struggled with and parts that made this shine. The audiobook is well produced, I was invested in the story the whole time and the narrator's voice is pleasant to listen to. My only thing with the audio, is it was hard for me personally to keep the timeline straight and remember the chapter titles.

This book is hard to review and rate. The author intentionally tried to leave the reader baffled, and the possibilities were all well thought out and clever, well written, and compelling. So I have to remove my hurt feelings from the equation and say I haven't read a book with such a unique setup since The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, and I feel like this had a similar sense of what-the-heck-is-going-on, leaving me gobsmacked in the end. Good on him for stepping entirely out of the tropes and formulaic junk that propel modern fiction. Well done.

The characters were annoying, some a lot more than others, and while I don't like reading book after book about groups of privileged white people freaking out, I did enjoy them all killing one another in their stories. That was more satisfying than I thought it would be.

Then there was the lingering, subjective, spoiled reader in me who threw a little hissy fit about how it ended that I'm still bitter about.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I wanted to love this book, I was hoping to love this book. But it just fell so short. I couldn't connect to any of the characters and I just found myself not wanting to finish it,

I was worried that this book would be difficult to follow on audio since there are multiple POVs and it jumps around on time, but I actually found it fairly easy to follow. The narrator did a great job; I often have to speed up audiobooks quite a bit, but that wasn’t the case here.

The comparison to Salt Burn was apt — a crew of unlikeable and posh main characters, the hovering cloud of grief and a mysterious death, complicated and untrustworthy group dynamics, and a wealthy manor home. This book lacked some of the gruesome horror of Salt Burn, focusing more on interpersonal relationships and the central mystery of Gus’ death. This wasn’t necessarily the type of story that kept me on the edge of my seat, but it did pull me in immediately and keep me reading.

Ink Ribbon Red had a really cool premise, and I was excited to dive in but unfortunately, it just didn’t work for me. The characters felt kind of flat, and I never really connected with any of them. I kept waiting for something to pull me in, but I was honestly just bored. I didn’t care much about what happened next, and that made it a struggle to get through. Disappointing, especially since it sounded so promising!

It’s Anatol’s golden birthday, so he’s invited all his friends to his country house to celebrate. It’s his 30th birthday, which was on May 30, so it was a special day. Plus, it was just five weeks after the death of his father Gus, so despite what was going on in their lives, Anatol’s friends wanted to be there for him. He doesn’t want cake or presents for his birthday. He wants to play a game. He wants to play Motive Method Death again.

His friends balk. They’re not a big fan of the game that Anatol created, but it’s his birthday so they reluctantly agree. Maya, the artist; Dean, the engineer; Phoebe, the sister of Dean’s wife Yulie; and Janika, who just came back from Australia. Marcin had to work late—his finance job often meant he had to work late—so he would be there the next day. But they can start the game.

In the game, everyone chooses two names from a bowl. The first name, written in red, is the killer. The second name, written in green, is the victim. Once you have the names, you write a story in which the killer murders the victim. But you can’t tell anyone what names you have chosen. The only way you can trade in a name for another is if both of the names you have match. Anatol asks that they all type up their stories with a couple of typewriters he has out for the job, and that they use the red ink ribbon instead of the black.

As the friends talk and drink and work on their stories, they all have secrets that could come out over the weekend and cause someone else pain. And someone knows about those secrets and is writing notes to the friends that sound a little threatening. I know, in block letters. I have pictures. But who is behind the notes? And what do they want? Is it a threat of danger or a prelude to blackmail?

Ink Ribbon Red is a fascinating thriller. It jumps around in time, and weaves together the stories that the friends write about each other’s deaths with real time, where there are vague threats and so many secrets. It does take a good chunk of the book to understand what is really happening and what is from the stories in the game, and the secrets leak out little by little from both the reality and the fiction. I felt like I really had to be on my toes to stay with this story, but it was fascinating.

I listened to Ink Ribbon Red on audio, narrated beautifully by Dino Fetscher. He did an exceptional job of helping me keep all the characters straight and (maybe more importantly) keeping all the stories straight. This novel is a wild ride, with layers of lies, and putting it all together as a whole takes some work. But it was so worth it. This is a gift that keeps on giving, and while some of the stories are a bit gory and may infect my dreams, I’m still so happy I took the time to play the game.

Egalleys for Ink Ribbon Red were provided by Henry Holt & Company, and a copy of the audio book was provided by Macmillan Audio, both through NetGalley, with many thanks, but the opinions are mine.

If I could describe this book in one word, it would be unique. I am not sure I have ever read one like this. The concept is very clever. Kind of like a locked room where everyone is trapped and as the secrets come out, the tension keeps going up.

At times I got a little lost with the chronology of events, but I enjoyed the creative and entertaining stories from each of the characters. Now that I have finished it, I feel as though I might want to go back and reread it to try to piece it together a little more. The only way I know how to explain it is like you watch a movie once and like it, but when you watch it a second time you pick up all the pieces you missed and then you really “get it.”

I think this book is less for general readers and more for the mystery reader who reads heavily in the mystery category as there are a lot of nuisances that may be lost on a more casual reader. There was a lot of thought and creativity that went into this book, and I think fans of Agatha Christie and other authors in the genre.

A big thank you to Macmillan Audio for the ALC of this audio book. While it was a little outside my normal wheelhouse I appreciated both the story itself as well as the narrator Alex Pavesi and the Macmillan audio production team for doing a great job bringing the story to life.

A massive Thank You to @henryholtbooks & @macmillan.audio for the #gifted 𝑰𝑵𝑲 𝑹𝑰𝑩𝑩𝑶𝑵 𝑹𝑬𝑫 𝒃𝒚 𝑨𝒍𝒆𝒙 𝑷𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒔𝒊, coming July 22nd!

I won the physical ARC from the @goodreads giveaway, and the audio is thanks to @netgalley.

Oh My. In the very best way! The second slide is my reaction to reading in so many places. It starts off with a bang and continues on throughout, playing with what's real, until I was whirling in my doubt.

This is a dark friendship, gothic mystery, bringing together a collection of friends to a country estate for the end of May holiday, which also happens to be the host, Anatol's 30th birthday. They are all asked to play a game for his gift, and I hesitate to say a thing more. There will be multiple losers.

This is a brilliant, bonkers mystery that makes you question everything. I absolutely loved it. I also think this will not be a book for everyone. I was utterly flummoxed as the tales inside tales were told, and while I was immersed in it all, I can see how if you need to know what is going on at all times it will be difficult! This is also a group of pretty unlikable characters, and yet I was riveted. Well done. A literary mystery in the realms of Jean Hallett or Anthony Horowitz, yet darker!

I loved adding the audio to this physical copy, as I am not sure I could have listened alone. Dino Fetscher did a stellar job with the reading, and I slowed it down to catch every word. Still, the combination was ideal and highly recommended.

"Anatol invites five of his oldest friends to his family home in the Wiltshire countryside to celebrate his thirtieth birthday. At his request, they play a game of his invention called Motive Method Death. The rules are simple: Everyone chooses two players at random, then writes a short story in which one kills the other."

I hated this book. I hated the characters, I hated how it tried to be clever, and I hated the ending. This book is either for you or it's not- there is no in between opinions, I think!

The characters were unsympathetic in the most unforgiving ways possible- I didn't care what happened to any of them because they were all so thoroughly unlikeable. I think there has to be a balance between making your characters unpleasant and so outrageously awful that the reader has no stake in their survival. I just didn't care what happened to them. And the story-within-a-story-within-a-story isn't well executed. Anthony Horowitz does much better with his Susan Ryeland novels, if you're looking for a great example of this done right.

Anyway- I rarely dislike a book as much as I disliked this one.

I received a free audiobook copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

Decent story overall, and had a good premises for the storyline. I got a bit confused sometimes, but the story had promise and I liked the uniqueness of it. The murder mystery set up for his 30th birthday had the potential to be a hit. When Dean, Anatol, Phoebe, Janika & Maya got together, I was anxious to see how this “birthday celebration” would unfold. I did enjoy the narration, the narrator did a good job and building suspense and bringing life to these characters. Overall it was a wild ride! I think fans of suspense thrillers may enjoy this one. Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this advanced listening copy. All opinions are my own.

One weekend with friends in England, but make it a game within a game and a story within a story. Interesting premise and plot just not quite as intrigued by the characters as I would have hoped. Narration had me losing the plot a few times and struggling to stay engaged.

I was really excited to read this but something about it just wasn’t for me. First I don’t think audio is the way to go, the narration style made it hard to tell what was the actual storyline versus what were the characters stories. I didn’t really connect to the character or care for what they were going through. They all seemed a bit unlikeable. I think the premise is really good and I’d like to give this another try in book format to see if that helps.

Thanks to Macmillan audio and Netgalley for this ALC that I chose to read and review

Ink Ribbon Red by Alex Pavesi is a dark, inventive, and thoroughly unpredictable tale that twists conventional storytelling into something uniquely captivating. With an eerie tone and a plot that defies easy classification, this novel pulls readers into a narrative where nothing is quite as it seems—and that’s exactly what makes it so compelling.

Pavesi crafts a story that is as strange as it is engaging, keeping readers on edge with shifting realities, unreliable elements, and an unsettling atmosphere that lingers throughout. The unpredictability of the plot is one of its greatest strengths; just when you think you’ve figured it out, the story veers in another direction, forcing you to question everything.

While undeniably unconventional, Ink Ribbon Red succeeds in holding your attention from start to finish. It’s a cerebral, offbeat thriller that rewards readers who enjoy stories that challenge expectations and embrace the strange. Pavesi once again proves his talent for pushing the boundaries of narrative form.

Based on its description, I really thought I was going to enjoy this book, but unfortunately it wasn't for me. I struggled to connect with any of the characters, and I just wasn't invested in the plot. Maybe I am just not smart enough for this book, but the stories within the story made it confusing. I think the audio made it more confusing because it was harder to tell what the real story was. With its comparison to "Knives Out," this book sounded really fun and interesting. I hope to try again in the future with a physical copy.

Thank you to NetGalley, and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Macmillan Audio, Henry Holt, and Netgalley for the ARC

I want the time back I spent reading this book. The characters are pretentious, annoying, and frustrating, and not in a "Knives Out" way, but instead in more of "I hope they all die by the end" way. This isn't even a badly written book, but I have to question why I even read the book because the characters are just awful.

1 🌟 Ink Ribbon Red |3 🌟 Audiobook
I usually love mystery/thrillers, and while I’m still new to horror, I’ve been slowly growing to enjoy it. Ink Ribbon Red blends both genres, which initially intrigued me, but unfortunately, the execution didn’t quite land.
The story begins with a group of friends who come together to create a game: writing a murder story. That concept had potential, especially as the line between fiction and reality begins to blur. However, it just didn’t come together in a way that worked for me.
Thank you to @NetGalley for the ARC. Perhaps if I had read a physical copy while listening to the audiobook simultaneously, the experience might have been better.

Im not going to lie, I'm a little surprised with just how much I absolutely LOVED this! The originality this author possess is such a breath of fresh air!

I have mixed feelings, but it was really good. It had a few confusing parts like gender switches and plot twists that needed clarification. But it feels like it was written this way on purpose. It still had me completely hooked and I read it in one day. Janika is experiencing severe psychological trauma. This was psychologically confusing and messed with my brain. It’s very much up to interpretation in my opinion. But this read was worth my time! Creator Tag TAYBEARYBOOKCORNER for Instagram, TikTok, Lemon8, and Facebook

Many thanks to NetGalley, Henry Holt & Company, and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the sophomore book by Alex Pavesi, author of The Eighth Detective, which I loved. The audiobook was narrated by Dino Fetscher, who did a fabulous job with all the different voices. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4 stars!

Anatol recently lost his father and has invited five of his oldest friends to his family home in the countryside to celebrate his 30th birthday. He asks them to play a game he invented called Motive Method Death. Everyone chooses two players at random, then writes a short story in which one kills the other. But the game brings out the worst in the players.

Just as in The Eighth Detective, buckle up for this one! Fact and fiction swirl in and out of reality as we read the stories - or are they real? None of the characters are likable, non are trustworthy, and everyone has a motive to kill. It's an extremely smart locked room mystery that you have to give up solving and just go along for the ride, because it's meant to be confusing. I thought the audiobook was very well done, but my mind tended to run more while listening and I ended up reading quite a bit of it. Love Pavesi's mind and can't wait to see what he comes up with next!

2.75 stars. Ink Ribbon Red has a fascinating premise: a group of old friends gathered in an isolated country house, writing fictional murders that reveal very real tensions. It’s clever, layered, and sets the stage for a tense, slow-burning mystery. Unfortunately, it just didn’t quite land for me.

The idea of “Motive Method Death” is original and full of potential, but the pacing dragged more than I expected. The buildup was long, and I found myself losing interest as the characters’ stories blurred together. There are some great moments of suspense, and the way past secrets are revealed through fiction is smart—but the payoff didn’t feel strong enough to justify the slow crawl to get there.

That said, I can see how this book might really resonate with readers who enjoy intricate psychological games and slow-burn thrillers. It just didn’t hit me like I hoped it would.