This is my first experience with Dan Sharp. He's a hard character to like sometimes, doesn't let people get too close, even his partner (and soon to be husband) and friends. He very morally rigid and self reliant.
I thought the mystery was excellent (I didn't peg the bad guy til nearly the reveal, although I got a bad feeling about him early on and just couldn't put my finger on why).
The Canada backdrop made a nice change.
I look forward to the next book, and will certainly check out the the previous four.
Don't let the writing style in the prologue put you off. The rest of the book is nothing like this.

 

NB. This is a mystery with a gay lead. He is in a relationship but said relationship is very much on the backburner and not a massive part of the story. Just thought I should differentiate between this and a mystery/romance where the romance plays a far greater (and often explicit) part. The couple don't even share a kiss in this story. The physical side of their relationship is not focused on at all. 

Jeffrey Round was a pleasant discovery of the last year for me. I am always happy to find a new mystery author whose writing completely meets my expectations. It is why I didn't hesitate to ask for an ARC, even if this novel wasn't offered in a LGBT genre. (Though it is not completely "free" from the LGBT theme.)

Endgame is a modern version of one of the most popular novel by Agatha Christie. I think, that if you ever heard about this woman, you HAVE to know this novel, and you'll recognize it immediately. If not, you won't be at a disadvantage, trying desperately to remember WHO an WHY did it in Agatha Christie novel und compare the events in the both versions.



I really enjoyed the atmosphere and the quick pace of the story. And because I didn't remember myself who was the murderer in the original novel, I racked my brain up to the very end, wondering who could invest such an extensive effort in carrying this evil plan through.

I don't know if it is just me, or if it was the author's intention, but I actually didn't hate or dislike
the persons who have been invited to Shark Island to celebrate a reunion of the popular punk-rock group of the eighties Ladykillers, that had broke up in the late nineties.

Very soon it becomes clear that the random guests, inclusive the 3 remaining members of the group and the hired service personnel have something in common...namely they are directly or indirectly related to the tragic death of a young woman from an overdose at one of the band's party back in the past. I understand that she could have been survived if all those people acted differently, but I see it rather as a chain of unfortunate circumstances, mistakes and events
that led up to the accident. It is why it is difficult to me to understand all this huge hatred and murderous rage that motivated the murderer to execute this perverse plan. The eighties and the drugs. As Max, a leader of the group said:

"We were all stoned on heroin at the time. It was just the thing to do back then. You know what they say- if you rmember the eighties, you weren't really there."

So, yes, I don't see the girl as a innocent victim. She HAD to know better.

A solid entertaining mystery novel a là Agatha Christie, an interesting remake of one of her most popular works.

**Copy provided by the Publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

The 100 - 3 stars

True Born - 3 stars

Winging It - 4 stars

Murder Madness Such Sweet Sadness - 3 stars

Tage mit Leuchtkäfern - 5 stars

Endgame - 3 1/2 stars

 

Favorite book(s) of the month: Winging It, Tage mit Leuchtkäfern

 

Books started this month but haven't finished yet: Stopping the Noise in Your Head, Shopaholic, Das Jahr das zwei Sekunden brauchte, Crazy Dead

 

6 books this month. Not that bad. This month was really weird reading wise. I didn't feel like I didn't get anything done. Currently I feel a reading slump coming on, which is terrible when you have lots of ARC's on your tablet. UGH. But I will power through it.

First things first: I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley.

The book comes out june 18th and it's worth checking out.

 

Let me start by saying that I choose this book because the cover looked really amazing and I decided that it was time for some murder mystery. Apparently the book is a retelling of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, which I haven't read. Yet.

 

I have to say that it took me a bit to get into the story, mainly because there were just so many characters. But as soon as I got familiar with them, the story really picked up and I just flew threw it.

 

The characters weren't my thing. I really didn't like anyone. But giving their backstory and how this is kind of a story about revenge, I don't think that you actually have to like them.

 

Overall I really liked the writing and the mystery. Until the very end it kept me guessing and failing in figuring out on my own who planned all of this so perfectly.

 

 

I'm finally at the point in the story where I'm getting really into it.