So uninviting, having repetitive prose and tedious meta-mystery structure. From a special murder-mystery party turns into a game of sleuthing and a courtroom event; I followed David Verreman the party host who is keen to uncover the unsolved murder crime that has happened in 1974 after his family nanny was brutally found murdered in their house basement. All signs pointed to his father who went missing right after the tragedy leaving the family in total despair with no closure up to present. 13 guests invited (including me?) to give testimonies with evidences and secrets that suddenly unfold and soon a play of a courtroom started.

The idea was unique for a mystery thriller with those playful narrator or instructor (or was it me?) to converse and lure the reader (or author?) in getting invested and play along with the game. I was enthralled at first but along the way it gets confusing and overexplained with repetitive clues and scenes that the whole murder tragedy grasped me in a static unappealing suspense. The crime itself did not seem that complicated but way the plot digs its backstory with bunch of red herrings trying to point on a suspect making it so unnecessarily convoluted and draggy.

Bit psycho related with tale of jealousy, wealth and revenge. Nothing suprising or twisty much though I can sense that the plot trying its hard to make it as a puzzling case. I was forced to change my role at times and the game instructions too felt demanding that I did not like the tone at all. Wish the characters can charmed me at least, yet their development were so lacked with nothing interesting, even the killer—despite his foreseen motive— barely intrigued me. I have read meta-mystery plot before but this one, frankly, just ain’t for me. Too wearisome, just glad that I did not quit and manage to read it until the end. 1.5/5*

(review copy courtesy of Times Reads)