It was the blurb that grabbed my attention – after all, to be frank that cover is somewhat underwhelming. But a murder mystery set on the Moon – I was immediately taken by the premise and delighted to get a copy of the arc.
BLURB: Ten were chosen. How many will survive?
Ten lucky people have won a place at the most exclusive launch event of the century: the grand opening of the Hotel Artemis, the first hotel on the moon. It’s an invitation to die for. As their transport departs for its return to Earth and the doors seal shut behind them, the guests take the next leap for mankind. However, they soon discover that all is not as it seems. The champagne may be flowing, but there is no one to pour it. Room service is available, but there is no one to deliver it. Besides the ten of them, they are completely alone.
When one of the guests is found murdered, fear spreads through the group. But that death is only the beginning. Being three days’ journey from home and with no way to contact the outside, can any of the guests survive their stay?
REVIEW: I love a cracking murder mystery set in space. After all, it’s the ultimate locked room murder mystery, as no one is able to sprint outside and simply jump into a car/bus/train/plane and flee the scene where all the bloodletting is taking place. So no time has to be spent inventing elaborate reasons why prospective victims can’t leave.
I thoroughly enjoyed this one. While there are several minor shifts of viewpoint – which in my view weren’t necessary and rather diluted the force of the main protagonist – most of the narrative is in third-person viewpoint of Penelope, a police detective taking a leave of absence. Though she spends a lot of time battling her phobias, as she decided to enter the competition to challenge her fears. And then is confronted with the fact that she actually wins a place to fly to the Moon. Her character is interesting and at the beginning of the book, I felt there was a lot of potential for a superb protagonist – but unfortunately Forry decided to have ten people in the initial party. And given that she wanted each one to have a significant role, in my opinion that’s too many to be able to provide the nuanced characterisation that would have made this murder mystery really shine.
What Forry manages to magnificently achieve is a really disturbing and increasingly creepy setting. The Hotel Artemis is the first luxury hotel set on the Moon and I enjoyed the descriptions of the layout, the décor and the building sense of panic as the body count grows and no one knows whodunit. I also enjoyed the plot. Though yes, if you really drill down, there are unrealistic elements, like the reason why all the staff abandoned their posts after having been so intensively trained for their first guests, for example. But I was happy to suspend my disbelief, as I felt other aspects were done well.
I loved the ‘Fly Me to the Moon’ tune playing on a constant loop until their adventure is nearly at an end. I also liked the real shock at the murders. We’re never allowed to forget that the victims’ lives had been cut short and their deaths are a tragedy – as well as a frightening reminder that a killer is roaming around the luxury hotel. The panic and outbreaks of squabbling are well depicted. While the pacing around the denouement is a bit swift after the long build-up, overall I think it’s well handled and I particularly enjoyed the Epilogue, which is a lovely, humorous touch.
I enjoyed this entertaining murder mystery – I just wish Forry had cut down her guest list going to the Moon, because with more depth in the characterisation, this murder mystery could have been outstanding. While I obtained an arc of The Launch Party from the publishers via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
8/10
Brainfluff 