The 12 Days of Murder by Andreina Cordani
Twelve years ago, eight friends ran an exclusive group at university: The Masquerade Murder Society.
The mysteries they solved may have been grisly, but they were always fictional - until their final Christmas Masquerade, when one of the group disappeared, never to be seen again.
Twelve years later, the remaining members of the group receive an invitation to a reunion masquerade, to be held in a beautiful and remote hunting lodge in Scotland. When they arrive they are each assigned a new identity themed around the Twelve Days of Christmas - they become Lady Partridge or Mr Gold; Lord Leapworth or Doctor Swan. The game begins, and it feels just like old times.
Until the next morning, when Lady Partridge is found hanging from a pear tree.
It quickly becomes clear that in this game, the murder will be all too real, and the story is bringing long-hidden secrets to the surface. If they hope to win the game and survive the festive season then they will need to face the truth about their history together, who they have become - and what really happened on that fateful night twelve years before.
Review
Well wasn't this a delicious festive treat for the senses! ‘The 12 Days of Murder’ is a deftly plotted tale with tension radiating off its pages. It has such a golden age crime feel to it, even though it dealt with very modern themes. This is just what I needed to wake up my reading mojo. I have read quite a few of these ‘take old friends and place them a decade later in an isolated house’ recently but I was on the search for a really good one and this is the one!
The Masqueraders are reuniting for one more murder mystery over the Christmas period deep in the Scottish countryside! Charley is reluctant to go as she still have internal scars from their time at university and the last time one of these murder mystery weekends took place. There were eight of them and whilst the murders they solved were based on fiction, Karl their leader went missing during the final party. Now they are being summoned to play once again! Charley is a struggling actress and was always on the sidelines, whilst the rest of them have had great success in their careers but then they have the use of the old boys network, don't they? Charley has agreed to come along as Ali as promised her more work opportunities if she does. They are each given identities related to ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’ Carol - Lady Partridge, Dr Swann, Mr Gold but when Lady Partridge is found the next morning hanged from a pear tree in the garden it becomes clear they are playing a very real murder mystery!
From the off, there is the sense that something horrible is going to happen! Despite this knowledge, the author still manages to shock and awe as this book was brilliantly plotted and structured. The alternative and twisted take on the Christmas carol ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’ was spectacular and incredibly well thought out. It was definitely captivating. I flew through this book in one day and was sad when it came to its conclusion. I would have loved to be able to read more about these characters and revel in their sins! Sometimes there is just a story that you get caught up in and this was that for me. This was fiendishly clever with its reveals, and misdirections and I'm sure on a reread I would find even more that I missed.
The swapping time periods between the present and the party 12 years ago allowed the author to build up the tension until it was palpable and I as a reader definitely felt it! The location was a traditional setting for this type of mystery - a big house miles from anywhere and the weather added another layer to its isolation! Yes, this book pulls themes from classic literature like Tartt’s ‘The Secret History’ and the locked room classic that is Christie's ‘And Then There Were None’ but the author manages to create something clever, fresh and edgy in this tale. The standards are there of course - greed, betrayal etc but it also touches on the haves and haves not of society, the growth of influencer culture and the old boy networks of politics and finance! I really did suspect every single character throughout this book and no one was safe from my accusations. There was not one character that I truly liked and I trusted none of them!
This was a truly surprising book as I loved it way more than I thought I was going to! It was mesmerizing in its narrative, humbling in its plotting and writing and it will linger in my thoughts for quite a while! It's a perfect read for this season!
Let me know if you pick it up!
