The characters are varied and not all likeable. Lily, the main character, spends a long time agonising over life, the universe and where she is headed which can be a little tedious, the only thing she is sure about is that she doesn’t want to win the house, just to find out who killed her mother, if indeed anyone did. We spend a lot of time with lily memories which in some cases are wonderful and heart-warming, in others are a little boring. The other characters varied from the sarcastic and unlikeable to the truly loveable, but all are not who they seem to be at first glance (which is quite predictable) and there are a few twists I didn’t see coming. Although this wasn't quite as atmospheric as I expected, and became a little repetitive in places with regards to Lily's grief over the death of her mother many years previously, the mystery itself intrigued me. The characters either have one single defining personality trait (b***h, strong and silent, self-pitying trauma victim, or warm and friendly) or no personality at all (lesbians in love. That's it. They're lesbians and they're in love.) You know who's going to make it to the end because they're the only people with anything resembling a personality. Also Tom is a counsellor and you will be reminded of this at every opportunity. Alexandra Benedict serves up a traditional country house Christmas mystery set in the Yorkshire Dales as the snow falls heavily, threatening to cut off Endgame House. 33 year old Lily Armitage lost her mother, Mariana, as a child in an apparent suicide in the famous maze at Endgame House, an event that scarred her, which she has never got over, as she keeps the world at bay, not allowing herself to get close to anyone so that she would never be hurt again. She is a gifted dressmaker, rustling up copies of whatever her clients desire, living in a tiny place in London. Her adoptive mother, a professor of poetry at Cambridge, Aunt Liliana, has died, leaving behind instructions that Lily must go to Endgame House, a place she has avoided after her mother died there. Despite being a crime mystery fan it was very hard for me to read a book where characters are blank and deprived of emotions (at some point it was deemed sort of a quality for the main character, as if to explain why she doesn't display any feelings, but sorry, it doesn't work like that) so it seems like their relatives dying is like every other Tuesday for them. The plot was also very repetitive and I guessed who is the killer around 30% of the book.

This read like the adult version of The Inheritance Games, which is a YA thriller series with a similar premise, mixed with the beloved game of Cluedo, given the setting and dual mystery that is presented. I was immediately invested in guessing the answers to the riddles, anagrams, and clues that featured throughout this, as well as discovering who, amongst this large cast, could be trusted. Answers to both were definitely had fought for. As another review said, how could this be at once predictable and flat, yet vastly over-complicated. It is, and despite some enjoyment, there is more disappointment. Alteras mis alertas y desde los altares relatas letras sin lastre mientras cortas la costra de una herida que adherí en esmerados desamores. La primera parte es muy lenta con historias intrascendentales. Según van saliendo las pistas, que los protagonistas los resuelven en un min (esto me ha decepcionado un poco) la trama se va complicando. Algunas cosas cosas son predecibles pero el final me ha gustado. This all combined to completely enchant me and ensured that Alexandra Benedict is an author I will read anything, and most probably everything, from in the future.

Lily Armitage never intended to return to Endgame House – the grand family home where her mother died twenty-one Christmases ago. Until she receives a letter from her aunt, asking her to return to take part in an annual tradition: the Christmas Game. The challenge? Solve twelve clues, to find twelve keys. The prize? The deeds to the manor house. Forget about solving all these crimes; the signal triumph here is (spoiler) the heroine’s survival. It's generally completely ridiculous, which could have made it fun if it wasn't for the idiotic language (womb-like tomb will haunt me til my dying day), poor character development, and glaringly obvious resolution. Have I mentioned that Tom is a counsellor? Se non fosse stato per tutte le morti che hanno segnato la storia, avrei voluto partecipare anche io a quel gioco di natale. Anagrama: Cambio en el orden de las letras de una palabra o frase que da lugar a otra palabra o frase distinta.

This is a clever mystery that feels current with themes of love is love (LGTBQ relationships), while distinctly evoking a Victorian flair, as Lily designs corsets. It was also fun to read close to the holidays!Her poems and short stories have featured in journals and anthologies including Best British Short Stories, Magma, Scaremongrel, and Great British Horror. Her first audio drama, The Victorian Age, was releasedas part ofthe Torchwood range at Big Finish in February, while Outbreak,a three-part Torchwood drama co-written with Guy Adamsand Emma Reeves, will bereleased November 2016. I liked the character of Lily but I didn’t really connect with any of the other family members and I certainly didn’t trust any of them either. Everyone seemed to have their own agenda. I partly guessed who was involved as the suspect list narrowed but there were also some great twists thrown in which turned everything on its head. On the whole, I found this to be an enjoyable read that is well-paced and holds the attention. Stylistically it is a little awkward at times and comes across as a bit clunky on occasion, though this is a result - at least in part - of incorporating the reader's challenge into the narrative. BUONE FESTE e mi raccomando, non rimandate un ti voglio bene o un ti amo, perché non si sa mai con chi ci si ritrova a cena, magari è un assassino.