Hi everyone, welcome back to Novel Hour, our weekly lunchtime

show where we gather here every Thursday at 12 noon Eastern time.

Now today is super exciting because we're going to be sharing

some locked room mysteries.

So if you're looking for some exciting puzzles to solve in

literature, we have you covered.

I will be sharing locked room mysteries set in a specific

location, like a house, a castle.

Laura is going to be sharing those set on trains and Francesca will be sharing

young adult locked room mysteries.

So lots of variety for you to look forward to.

And if you're looking for even more recommendations, we will be sharing

an extra book over on Substack Live.

So it's going to be the after show.

So after we end the live here.

Jump on over to Substack for more recommendations.

Okay, so I'm going to get started with the recommendations.

So as per usual, we kick off Laura and Francesca and we're

going to get into the books.

So getting into Locked Room Mysteries, the first thing I want to say is Locked

Room Mysteries are really fun to read.

They keep you on the edge of the seat.

You're trying to solve a puzzle as you're going along.

Unexpected twists, fun characters.

There's just always something to look forward to.

But I feel like we can't have a locked room mystery conversation without talking

about the classic of all classics.

And of course, I'm talking about Agatha Christie.

I think when it comes to mysteries, all roads will forever lead back to Christie.

And I have to talk about her iconic.

And then they were none.

Classic locked room mystery situation.

So in this novel, in case you're not familiar, 10 strangers

are led to a secluded Island.

Each of them have a hidden past and baggage they're carrying.

And one by one, they start disappearing.

That is the genius I feel at the core of the novel is just the setting and

getting them, away from their homes and then people start disappearing.

So here's the thing.

The folks that are invited to this island, they're invited on the false pretenses.

And then there's a mysterious voice.

I don't want to spoil it too much telling you, because there's some elements that

are part of the mystery solving as well.

But just to know each of them each person is being accused of a past crime.

So we see the tension starting to skyrocket because their

darkest secrets are coming out.

Okay.

And no one wants their secrets out in the light.

So anyways, that's the setting.

And why I think Christy does really well is the atmosphere.

She just really covers you thick in suspense and also paranoia, because again,

every character has something to hide.

So by the end, you're wondering, because you're left with pieces of clues here,

pieces of clues there, and you're trying to figure, okay, one, who brought us here?

But also who is killing everyone off.

So the finale is shocking again, iconic, classic.

If you are a mystery reader and lover, you have to read this one.

Just seeing how each character confronts their past, confronts their guilt.

The psychological unraveling is unreal.

And I think if you haven't read this book yet, but once you've read

it, I think you'll realize lots of the modern locked room mysteries

are influenced by Agatha Christie.

Because again, she's still alive.

Queen, icon, legend.

Speaking of which, the next Locker Room Mystery I want to share with

you, I feel is a direct take from And Then There Were None, and it's They

All Fall Down by Rachel Housel Hall.

Now this is a modern take, and I feel a modern take from And Then There Were None.

So we have a tight knit circle of friends, but the book centers on

one character, her name is Cassie.

She's in a very vulnerable state.

space right now and her world is really turned upside down when

someone close to her betrays her.

But that betrayal triggers like a domino effect and we see

lots of secrets being exposed.

We also have her best friend involved in the story as well and her partner.

So they're all carrying hidden secrets as well.

Now, what I think this novel does really brilliantly is the fact that how one

line, just one single thing can unravel other secrets, other lies, but also the

deep bonds people have with each other.

So it's not just a puzzle about the crime because you find more

often than not with these books.

It's not just about the crime.

Self, it's the psychology of the people.

And there's lots of betrayal in this one.

And then the consequences that ripple through all the other relationships.

So in they all fall down, we're going to follow Cassie, see her

navigating the fallout, questioning everything she thought she knew about

her friends and those close to her.

She's questioning herself.

And I feel like she's a relatable character.

And it's going to make you question even the relationships in your life

But anyway, it's a very well done novel I feel and a modern take on and then

there were none Okay My next selection is going to be i'm going to say a tad

controversial just because I remember when this book was released And I read

it shortly after releasing release date and folks were split On whether they

liked this book or they hated this book.

I'm just gonna say now I am team I love this book, but before

I get into what it's about.

I just want to say a disclaimer This is for the literary mystery lovers.

We have a mystery.

We have a plot, but there's lots of interiority as well I know some

people found the puzzle confusing but for me it was just It was great.

I loved it.

Zero notes.

I enjoyed it.

So anyway, it's a mind bending locked room mystery and puzzle.

The seven and a half deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle.

Again, if you're cool with that, I think it's a must read.

So we have our main character or protagonist.

His name is Aiden Bishop.

Now he finds himself trapped in some sort of a time loop and he's reliving

the same day over and over again.

The difference is every morning he wakes up.

He's waking up in a different body in a different persona Because he's at a

castle there was this party and then there was this murder So he's trying to

solve the matter of evil in hard castle So with the backdrop of a lavish estate,

which is a bit eerie and a bit odd We have a murder occurring and someone who

every time he goes to bed, he wakes up.

He's in a different person's body So he's trying to solve the puzzle And solve

the murder mystery of who killed Evelyn Hardcastle But every time he inhabits

a different body and a different space, things start to shift because with each

person So, for example, he's in body A and he's suspecting body B, but when

he gets in body B, he realizes what that person, seeing things from that

person's point of view, so it completely unravels everything he initially thought.

So that's the thing.

Every minute you're seeing new clues, your perspectives are shifting and

it just will force you to reevaluate everything you thought you knew.

I think it's full of twists and it's just very detailed to the point where,

yes, you're going to be paying attention.

Your mind is going to be racing and you're going to try.

to piece it together.

Now, the thing is, if he figures out, who, who done it, then he doesn't

have to be doing this cycle all again.

But anyway, as always, like I said, it's not just about cracking the

case and cracking the mystery.

It's a journey of self discovery because with every new identity,

again, new layers, new secrets, he's even finding out things about himself.

So it's a very wild ride.

I think it will challenge.

More than anything, your assumptions, which again is very popular in mysteries,

specifically locked room mysteries.

So there you have it.

Three locked room mysteries that bring, I feel something unique we have.

And then there were none, which is just, classic 10 zero notes.

a modern take on and then they went on in my opinion in they all fall down

because that one tackles the modern consequences of betrayal and breaking

of trust and then the seven and a half deaths of evil in hardcastle which is

mind bending time loop there's a puzzle inhabiting different bodies and it really

makes you think outside of the box.

So let me know your thoughts in the comments.

If you have any locksmith mystery recommendations,

I'd love to hear from you.

But of course I want to hear from my friends.

I want to hear what they think about my selections.

And then there were none is always the classic.

I have rewrite that book so many times.

I love it.

So hard same.

I love that book, Down.

Again, Agatha Christie, queen, icon, legend.

She can do no wrong.

And again, when you read it, you'll realize all mysteries, I feel, kind of

take influence from it in in a weird way.

I will point out, though, that she can do wrong because there's a lot of

horrible things about how that book came to be and what was original.

I just gotta point that out.

Also, there is a TV adaptation, which I do recommend as well.

Okay.

I haven't watched it.

A little mini series or something.

Yes.

It's worth a watch.

Listen, I find a lot of them authors from back in the day hella problematic.

But The work is good.

Okay,

problematic, hella problematic.

We got to the place we needed to get, but who?

Rough.

Rough.

Rough.

Okay.

So Laura is going to be sharing the trains, which I'm really excited about.

So let's get into those recommendations.

So I have three recommendations, and they're all based on Murder

on the Orient Express, because again, Agatha Christie and Locker

Room Mysteries are the part of it.

They also take on, there were, and then there were none, based on some of the

feedback and some of my experience, but I haven't read the original, so actually I'm

gonna go on the Agatha Christie journey.

Thanks to Victoria, she has given me a syllabus of books to read.

So the first one is With a Vengeance by Riley Sager.

This doesn't come out until the summer.

But I have to tell you, if you're familiar with Riley Sager, he writes a lot of

thrillers, psychological thrillers a little bit of everything, so there's Final

Girls, there's the there's one about the summer camp at the lake, and then there's

an only one in the house, there's like a house one like a, the lovely houses,

and we're trying to figure out, but this one is more of a suspense, it's more like

mystery suspense, not as thriller as it.

As the other books that he has.

So, With a Vengeance, basically, Anna is set in 1954.

The main character, Anna her family has gone to ruin.

And so she decides to invite all the people to a train traveling from

Philadelphia to Chicago and to try to extract the reasons why they're ruined and

get the stuff so they can get arrested.

Once they arrive.

Well, the problem is there's a killer on the loose and people are starting to die.

And so she has to outwit the killer and try to figure out

how to get away with this.

She gets her plan of revenge as well as her staying alive.

So it's a pretty suspenseful book.

It is not a thriller.

There are some twists and turns as you'd expect for Riley Sager, but

it is not a psychological thriller.

I think this is more of a mystery.

It's more in the vein of the Agatha Christie's of the world.

So, this is set on a train in Chicago to Philadelphia, no, Philadelphia to Chicago.

So, you get this whole train, American train experience.

But, now let's go to the Mediterranean.

So, the next book is the main characters by Jacqueline Goldis.

This came out last year.

So in this one there's this famous thriller author that she based her

thrillers based on real people.

And so her new subject, Rory, it got invited.

She's going to get paid handsomely, so she can actually be the

main character of this book.

And so she the author didn't tell her when she was going to write the book, what's

going to happen, all different things.

She just tells, she just invites Rory to go to, to go on a train.

For the Mediterranean coast, like take a trip.

She's down her luck.

Take a trip to Mediterranean and like, I think it Italy and let me haul in the

train when she comes in her brother, her best friend and her ex fiance are

in the train and everyone has a secret.

And so the story unravels from there.

So you're just trying to lock in this train, right?

That you're just trying to figure out and all these characters

that have some loose connection and you're trying to figure out.

Who is doing what, and what's the reality as the author is someone puppeteering the

scheme of the story of like the thriller.

So more reveal, there's spoilers, there's twists and turns, but this is a good

one if you like to think about travel to Italy and just be in a, just think

about yourself in the Orient Express.

So that's Main Characters by Jacqueline Goldis.

And then we have Everyone on the Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson.

Benjamin Stevenson has a couple of mysteries, a set

very, like, mysteries set.

I think one is about the family, and then this one's about trains.

So this one's a a thriller author, like, I think a crime, like a

thriller, like a mystery author.

And there's a bunch of authors in this train.

And Someone dies and all the authors who have like some experiences

with crime are suspects and we're trying to figure out who killed

who and what's it, what happened?

This is more mystery, humor, like it gives you who done it it's not a cozy

mystery, but it's like a mystery to do it.

So if you're looking for a pod cleanser, if you're looking for something, just

a good escape, this book is great.

This book is great on audio.

So that's another opportunity to do, and you should be able

to borrow them from the library.

So those are my recommendations.

I love it.

I read all three,

so I endorse all three recommendations.

I'm just going to say for the Benjamin Stevenson, it's everyone

in my family has killed someone or something like that, but it's so good.

That was the first one.

And then the train one is great.

It definitely gives Agatha Christie vibe.

So you're right.

It's not really cozy, cozy, but yeah, it kind of does that.

What do you think, Fran?

Yeah, I actually really want to read the Jacqueline Goldis, because

it sounds really It sounds messy.

Yes.

It's like, okay, I'm gonna be the star of this book, and then all these people are

showing up to the train, and I have no idea why they're showing up to the train.

My ex fiancee, my best friend, and my brother.

Like, what is this right here?

Oh my gosh.

So, we have some comments.

Yes.

Erin.

Okay.

Clearly friends of the live.

Now you've earned the title friend of the life.

Okay.

Yes.

Friend of the life.

So Erin friend of the life says, Ooh, my favorite trope since I read pose

the murder in the root morgue as a kid.

Listen, that's another one.

I feel I can't legend, but this is how I'm like, yes, Erin

is a friend Erin said, okay.

I quite liked Evelyn Hardcastle.

So let me just get that cover up there for folks.

If you're just joining us, you might have missed it, but I shared the

seven and a half deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle as a recommendation.

And I'm telling you, people are coming for that book.

Okay, Erin, they were coming for the book.

They either really liked it, like me, or they didn't care for it.

They're like, oh, it was awful, but I'm glad you, I'm glad you appreciated it.

I have since read everything Stuart Turton has written.

Last year he had another mystery, because before that he had like a historical

mystery, The Devil and the Dark Water.

The last year one is more about AI.

I will say, Evening Hardcastle is my number two favorite by that author.

Number one is The Devil and the Dark Water.

I read that.

In under 72 hours.

Cause I couldn't stop reading.

So the devil in the dark water is number one, but evening

hardcastle is like, right.

It's like one point it's 1.

5. It's not really a two.

Cause I love that one too.

Last year it was good.

It was good.

But the AI thing, I get it's not for everybody, but that's

my take on that author.

Erin also shared another recommendation.

Is Snowblind by Ragnar Jonasson is another good locked room,

Snowblind by Ragnar Jonasson.

Do we know this one?

Anyone?

I have no idea.

I'm having it.

Okay, so I will be searching for this one while Francesca shares her

recommendations because now we're going to get some young adult books.

Yeah, so I'm actually sharing young adult locked room mysteries because I

wanted something a little bit more fun.

I kind of consider these great beach reads or summer reads, but they're also

really great transition reads for now.

So if you want something that's going to lift up your mood, I know it's murder,

but Murder can be uplifting, right?

At least for me it is.

So I'm going to start with Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson.

So the setup with this one is there's a decades old cold case.

It's set at a prestigious elite, like, boarding school for gifted children,

and there's a killer that comes back.

So, if you love true crime, especially like how we Discover true crime now

where there's all this social media craze and everybody goes investigating

at the same time So if you're into that, I think this is a great book to read.

It's actually a whole series and you kind of do have to read the other books.

But so basically this is set at an elite boarding school for gifted children.

This boarding school was founded by this tycoon and very wealthy man.

And so what he wanted to create was like that.

Learning had to be like a game basically, but not too long after the boarding

school open, his wife and daughter were kidnapped and the only clue that

was left behind was a note that was signed truly devious and there was

a riddle on it and it's a cold case.

It's never been solved and now Stevie, our heroine in this book is a teenager

and she is obsessed with true crime You So she's determined when she enrolls at

the boarding school that she's going to be the one that solves this decades old

investigation or whatever, cold case.

So she starts, she gets there, she starts investigating and there's

another murder that, that happens, which is Again, truly devious.

So the murderer is back.

And of course, she has to deal with that while trying to solve the murder.

Now, the book does not give you a resolution.

So you're not going to get the end of the story with book one.

So you do have to continue with the series.

But if you are, like I said, into true crime, like that

modern take of it, how we're all obsessed with true crime podcasts.

And if you're on the side of tick tock, that's like obsessed

with solving true crime.

And like everybody's piecing the clues together, making videos, like

that kind of slew thing, then I think you're really going to enjoy this one.

It's got still also like the classic detective novel vibes as well, so I

think you're really going to enjoy it.

There might be a little bit of a slow burn woven in as well with the mystery,

so, but you do need to go into book two because there is a cliffhanger.

Now with the second book that I'm going to be talking about is But I

consider kind of a classic of the young adult locker room mysteries is one

of us is lying by Karen and McManus.

So the setup with this one is there's five students that walk into the attention

and only for making out a life basically.

So it's a basically one of the most popular, I would say, young adult

thrillers, and it's kind of like breakfast club meets pretty little liars.

But with murder.

So we have five very different kind of students in this detention.

There's the brain, the beauty, the jock, the criminal, and the outcast.

And they're stuck together in detention.

And then Simon, the outcast, who happens to also be Kind of like sharing

secrets of other students and stuff like he's not liked, let's say, and he

ends up dead and all the way as they're investigating all the other ones, they

kind of had a reason to kill him as well.

So they go.

in this investigation, more secrets come out and all of that.

So it's got lots of high school drama and the characters kind of

have to clear their name as well.

So it's going to definitely keep you guessing.

So it's a super fun one to read if you're really want to go through, like,

finding the clues and that kind of stuff.

stuff.

And then the third book that I have for you guys, it's actually

one that just came out last year.

And it's a maritime mystery, which I always find really fun and enjoyable.

And it's seasick by Kristen Kast and Pintip Dunn.

So the setup here is that this is set at a luxury yacht.

Middle of the ocean killer is on board and there's two former friends

that have to reunite work together in order to make it out alive.

So the two ex best friends, Naya and Yana are invited on this

exclusive yacht trip to Bermuda.

And that is because they were just kind of inducted in this society for like,

they just qualified basically for this, like society graduating of graduates

and that's going to afford them lots of opportunities in their future.

So they're very excited about it.

Their peers kind of, well, let's just say there's some microaggressions and

stuff like that towards them, but they're still very excited for the opportunity

that this is going to give them.

And They go on this celebratory yacht trip to the Bermudas.

And of course, as things would happen, there's a student that turns up dead

while they're in the middle of the ocean.

So now they're trapped in the middle of the ocean.

And again, they were ex best friends, so they weren't really on good terms.

And they have to work together in order to survive because,

you can't really trust anyone.

It's very like, high stakes, lots of like claustrophobic vibes and setting.

I mean, isolated to the max because they are stuck in the middle of the ocean.

There's nowhere to run.

I think it's a great book to read if you like a good girl's guide to murder.

So definitely a good one to add to your list if that's.

And again, I just really enjoy maritime mysteries and kind of

like how Ruth Ware, the woman in cabin 10 and that kind of stuff.

So those are my recommendations, a little bit of everything, but I always

find young adult thrillers to be Fun.

I don't know.

I mean, murder can be fun.

Of course, murder can be fun.

Yes.

And light hearted.

Murder can be fun and light hearted.

Yes.

So, I have to say C Sec is like, I'm excited for it.

I need, like, more voting, like, for some reason.

I'm like, let's just It's literally like

It's like the low tech in a longterm mystery.

I'm like, yes, I'm here for it.

And I mean, if you've read Kristen Kast, she usually writes with her mom, PC Kast

and like the they do like paranormal.

So like the big series that they had was the house of night series.

It's very, I mean, it's very young that one, but.

If you like that kind of vibe of like high school messiness.

Yes.

Oh, you'll enjoy it.

That is awesome.

I read Truly Devious and the whole series.

I co sign.

It's fun.

It's lots of fun.

I love young adult books.

They're really interesting.

So Erin, who had recommended Snow Blind before followed up to say

it's Icelandic and During Fran sharing her books, I found it.

So yes, it's a dark Iceland series.

The first one is Snowblind, but then we have Nightblind, Blackout,

Rapture, Whiteout, Winterkill.

So that's what now?

Six books.

Yes.

So if you're looking for something to cozy up with.

Okay, this looks like a series that you can go down the rabbit hole,

especially when you start with book one.

So, I think that's perfect for the winter because it's like snow.

It's snow Iceland, so it's probably dark.

It's not, moody and everything, unlike our weather right now.

Yeah, we have sunshine, but we have some bills because it's been raining

and it's been a little chilly.

Yeah.

And I understand it's relative.

I understand, but it is all for us.

So, yeah.

Okay.

So again, if you're just joining us, welcome.

We just shared some amazing locked room mysteries,

different categories, different.

Feels different vibes.

We even had Aaron sharing a recommendation as well.

If you have a locked room mystery recommendation that you'd like to share,

feel free to leave it in the comments.

If you're watching the replay crew, we'd love to hear from you as well.

And we're heading over to Substack for an after show.

After we finish the live here, but before we go housekeeping So

we have let me switch this out.

There we go We have spring reading that we will be sharing next week.

Okay Yes, we're just talking about winter and it being chilly and everything Spring

is on the horizon and we want to share some recommendations and some things

to kind of get you prepared and ready.

I shared with the girls a spring reading guide cover.

Okay.

So you have that to look forward to as well.

So, stay tuned.

What else is going on?

Yeah, just stay tuned to the next show.

Again, we gather every Thursday at 12 noon Eastern time.

So just mark your calendars every Thursday, 12 noon, Eastern time.

Trust me, if we're out of town, we will pre record something for you.

We are always here.

Even the week of Christmas, we had something live.

New Year's, we had something live.

There's always something going on.

Am I forgetting anything?

No, I don't think so.

So join us on Substack.

Again, there's a link in the video's description to join us over on Substack.

We'll see you there because we'll be sharing extra locked room recommendations.

All right, everyone.

Bye.

Bye.

Thanks for joining me on this episode of The Watcherinex Podcast.

If you enjoy our bookish conversations and want more recommendations, don't forget

to subscribe so you never miss an episode.

Also, head on over to The Watcherinex blog for a list of

books mentioned in today's show.

Happy reading!