You Are Fatally Invited
A Novel
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2.5 • 2 Ratings
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • An exclusive thriller writer’s retreat hosted on a private island turns lethal when one of the authors is found murdered.
“Twisty and fabulously fun . . . This debut is not to be missed!”—Amy Tintera, New York Times bestselling author of Listen for the Lie
“Deliciously twisted . . . perfect for thriller fans hungry for a fresh spin on a locked-room murder mystery.”—Erin A. Craig, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Thirteenth Child
When renowned anonymous author J. R. Alastor hires former aspiring writer Mila del Angél to host a writing retreat at his private manor off the coast of Maine, she jumps at the chance—particularly since she has an axe to grind with one of the invitees. The guest list? Six thriller authors, all masters of deceit, misdirection, and mayhem.
Confess the crimes, survive the tropes.
Alastor and Mila have masterminded a week of games, trope-fueled riddles, and maybe a jump scare or two—the perfect cover for Mila to plot a murder of her own. But when a guest turns up dead—and it’s not the murder she planned—Mila finds herself trapped in a different narrative altogether.
One by one, you’ll lose your turn.
With a storm isolating the island, and the body count rising, Mila must outwit a killer who knows literally every trick in the book.
Until only one of us remains . . .
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
When thriller writers gather for a secluded retreat, someone at the party plots their own deadly ending in this devious mystery from Ande Pliego. Aspiring writer Mila del Angél has been hired to co-host an exclusive writers’ retreat on a private island. But when an actual murder disrupts the festivities just as a massive storm isolates the island, she finds herself trapped with six crime novelists—each an expert in deception. Leaning into classic whodunit conventions with a sharp, modern edge, Pliego ratchets up the tension with red herrings, unreliable motives, and a delightful literary cat-and-mouse game. The playful self-awareness brings a fresh energy to the tale, making it as much a love letter to the mystery genre as it is a deadly game of survival. Fast-paced, darkly witty, and brimming with surprises, You Are Fatally Invited keeps you guessing while the death toll rises.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Pliego's tongue-in-cheek debut puts a postmodern spin on the classic locked-room mystery. Six thriller authors are invited to a retreat on a private island off the coast of Maine organized by the mysterious J.R. Alastor, a pseudonymous bestseller who has never been seen in public and whose real identity remains unknown. At dinner on the first evening, each guest is invited to play a game that exposes some wrongdoing they've buried in their past. The next morning, the writers discover that their elusive benefactor has cut off all communication between the island and the mainland. Then one of the writers turns up dead, his mutilated corpse displayed above a gravestone with his name on it. Mila del Angél, a once-aspiring author whom Alastor has recruited to host the retreat, is stunned—mostly because she's planning a murder of her own, and she never accounted for a second killer in her midst. Pliego gleefully toys with genre tropes while delivering a slick, satisfying mystery all her own. Seasoned Agatha Christie fans may have quibbles about mechanics and motives once the dust settles, but those issues are too minor to detract from the fun. It's a thoroughly enjoyable ride.
