From the author of 46% Better Than Dave, which was shortlisted for the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction 2020, comes Murder All Inclusive.
When somebody starts murdering authors during a writers’ retreat, can miserable, second-rate novelist Freddie Winters catch the killer before it’s too late?
Curmudgeonly, mediocre crime novelist Freddie Winters unexpectedly finds himself invited to a mysterious writer’s retreat in a fancy hotel in Spain. While he makes the most of the free food and drink – and begrudgingly gives talks and teaches classes – the hotel is thrown into chaos as someone starts murdering the other authors and industry figures. Finding himself the prime suspect, Freddie decides to use his crime-writing skills to investigate for real, so he can clear his name and find out what’s really going on.
Before long the other writers are trying to get in on the action, keen to be the one who solves the case. Everybody wonders why the killer is leaving scrawled-in copies of an old murder mystery at the scene of each killing. Most concerned are the author of that book – legendary crime writer Edward Cross – and his duplicitous agent, who also happen to be at the event, and clearly have a dark secret they’re desperate to protect.
Alastair Puddick has written three novels: The Unexpected Vacation of George Thring, Killing Dylan and 46% Better Than Dave, which was shortlisted for the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize 2020.
Alastair has spent the past 20 years writing for a variety of magazines, websites and corporate clients. His work has spanned many different paths, from jetting off to exciting cities around the world to writing about dating advice, data centres, technology and the exciting world of flooring. He also once wrote an agony advice column posing as Elvis Presley’s ghost.
My thoughts: I’ve been to a few crime writer festivals (Hi Capital Crime!) but thankfully no one was murdered at them. Or at any book events I’ve been to. But this one, set at a sunny Spanish resort, hides a killer with a real grudge against some of the guests.
It’s also very, very funny. Despite the presence of so many crime writers, they’re all a bit clueless as to who it might be and why. You’d think after creating so many terrible murders and brilliant detectives, they might be a bit more savvy, but maybe it’s all the sun and free booze boiling their brains!
Luckily grumpy, greedy, somewhat struggling author Freddie Winters has a bit more of an idea and is hot on the case. Although the local police would rather he wasn’t. Besides, he’s a suspect – don’t leave the hotel is the warning.
As the body count rises and the event teeters on the edge of collapsing into chaos, Freddie has been putting the pieces together while stuffing his face – it is all you can eat after all.
Highly enjoyable, fun, entertaining stuff and hopefully it won’t encourage anyone to carry out a real life copycat situation at the next crime writers event!
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
ramblingmads 
Thanks for the blog tour support x
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