My Five Word TL:DR Review: Fast Paced, Plenty of Twists

You All Die Tonight was my first book by Simon Kernick.  I enjoyed it and would definitely look out for what he comes up with next.  This is a locked room murder mystery where the stakes are high. Told over two timelines it involves a murder case from the not so distant past and a number of people who could be the potential killer but seem to have escaped justice to this point.

As the story begins we are quickly introduced to a number of characters.  They’ve all woken up in a mysterious house and within fairly short order it becomes apparent that they’re being kept there with a very real purpose in mind.  Each of them could potentially be the killer of a terrible case that remains unsolved.  They all have motive and it seems that predominantly their albies for the night in question are dodgy at best.

The Black Lake House murders took place four years ago.  Barratt, the owner of the house, his wife and son were viciously murdered, his partner and wife (who were also at the house on the night in question) were also attacked, one dead and the other left seriously injured. A man was convicted of the murders but was later released after appeal.

So, I’m not going to go into all the names and details because I don’t want to unwittingly give away any clues, so I’ll leave the plot summary there. You’re on your own when it comes to solving this.

What I liked about this.

Firstly, I can’t deny that I’m enjoying murder mysteries at the moment and this was a quick paced and compelling read.  The really crucial element to the story is that all the potential murderers/victims have been poisoned.  They’re being monitored.  And, whoever is responsible is waiting for a confession before the others are given the antidote.  As you can imagine the tensions are high, some characters believing they can bludgeon a confession out of some of the others.  Pretty soon things turn lethal and the problem is – if anybody dies, well, they could have been the murderer and so a confession will never be forthcoming.  It’s a tricky situation and the captives gradually descend into crazy behaviour as the clock ticks down, like caged animals restlessly looking through the bars trying to figure a way out.

The writing is good, I mentioned already the quick pace, made essential by the fact that the characters are on a serious countdown.  We easily get to know them and they’re all quite distinctive. I really enjoyed the flashbacks to the Black Lake House murders and the way we gradually uncover what took place that night and the way in which all these characters are connected.  There is one brief interlude where one of the character goes on something of a side mission but I won’t elaborate on that.

Did I guess the murderer – no.  I tried to follow the clues but as a rule you can pretty much guarantee that I’ll be wrong at any attempts to second guess the outcome.

The characters – well, the more I got to know them the less I liked them.  All of them.  You might think this would lower the attraction to read on but the mystery still kept me glued to the page.

I’m not totally sure about the ending although given the extra time I’ve spent thinking about it whilst writing this review I think the more I appreciate it.

This is a strange mix of Saw – not in the same horror soaked way but the fact that all these characters are brought together in sneaky ways and all have secrets – and then also like a strange homage to Agatha Christie, particularly in the sort of ‘hammed up’ aspect to the characters.

In conclusion a fast read with plenty of twists that will (probably) keep you guessing.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks.  The above is my own opinion.

My rating 3.5 of 5 stars rounded to 4 for the mystery that I couldn’t solve