Publication: 13th February 2025 – Bantam
Six thriller authors. One writing retreat.
You’d die to be on the guest list . . .
The Host
Legendary mystery author J. R. Alastor’s books are sold all over the world, but no one knows his real name. After years hiding in the shadows, he has sent out six invitations to an exclusive murder mystery retreat on his private island.
The Assistant
Mila del Angél has been hired to ensure the week runs smoothly. She has yearned for revenge on a ghost from her past for years – and this could be her chance to get it.
The Players
The six bestselling thriller writers accept their invitations without question – it’s an opportunity any author would kill for.
The Game
What should have been a week of trope-filled games takes a sinister turn when one guest is found dead, and the others find themselves in the midst of a nightmare drawn from Alastor’s dark imagination. They may have written thrillers – but now they and Mila must survive one…
If you love locked-room mysteries full of puzzles to solve and twists then I can’t recommend this book enough. I was quickly caught in You Are Fatally Invited and I stayed up late at night to finish reading it. I am not sure what attracted me most, if the reclusive author no one has ever met, the remoteness of the setting, the riddles to solve and the secrets to unravel, or the tribute it pays to one of my favourite books ever, Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. Probably, all these things together, and all I know is that I couldn’t put it down until I reached the end.
Told from different perspectives, the story revolves around J. R. Alastor, a legendary author whose identity no one seems to know. He has invited six authors to his remote manor off the coast of Maine for an exclusive writing retreat, but, when they arrive there, the big author is not there welcoming them as they expected, but there is Mila, an event planner hired for the occasion. There are games and riddles planned for the guests, but what they don’t know is that both Alastor and Mila have their own secret plans for the guests. For Mila is murdering one of the guests, but what is exactly Alastor’s agenda? As the guests start to disappear and are being murdered one by one, Mila discovers that she is trapped in a house with people full of secrets and crimes and that Alastor has every intention to reveal them. Who will survive? And who can she trust?
This is such a brilliant, suspenseful, and smart read. You never know what to expect next (although I managed to figure out a few things in advance), you don’t know who is telling the truth, you don’t know who will make it out alive. I loved it!
A huge thank you to Transworld and NetGalley for providing me with a proof of the novel.
Ande Pliego began writing stories when she discovered she could actually wield her overactive imagination for good. A lover of stories with teeth, she writes books involving mind games, dark humour, general murder and mayhem, characters pushed to the edge of themselves, and most importantly, finding the hope in the dark.
When not reading or writing, she can usually be found dabbling in art, scheming up her next trip, or making constant expeditions to the library. Born in Florida, raised in France, and having left footprints all over the globe, Ande is settled in the Pacific Northwest, USA, with her craftsman husband and little son.
Book After Book 
This sounds amazing! I really hope to read it! Thanks for sharing!
LikeLiked by 1 person