When Jamie Roma and Derek Lee find their blossoming love affair interrupted by dual invitations to a house party from a mysterious unnamed host, they think, Sounds like fun. The next thing they know they are caught up in a game of cat and mouse that quickly starts racking up a lot of dead mice. Yikes, they think. Not so fun. Trapped inside a spooky old house in the middle of nowhere, with the … with the body count rising among their fellow guests, they begin to wonder if they’ll escape with their lives. As a cataclysmic storm swoops in to batter the survivors, the horror mounts.
Oddly enough, even in the midst of murder and mayhem, Jamie and Derek’s love continues to thrive.
While the guest list thins, so does the list of suspects. Soon it’s only them and the killer.
And then the battle really begins.
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I’ve read a few from this author now and I’m always impressed at how Mr. Inman can tackle such a wide variety of romantic tropes. A Party to Murder had an intriguing blurb but as I prefer suspense to thrillers, I put off reading it until now. This book definitely had a good spook factor, and despite having the killer pegged early on (though I did suspect the author caught me with a red herring a few times), once things were in motion, I was glued to my Kindle to see how it would unfold.
A Party to Murder follows best friends to an invitation only party thrown by an unidentified host. Jamie and Derek were likable and I quite liked the sweet, sexy romance between these two. That said, I’d characterize this book as more of a suspense/thriller with a side of romance because the mystery behind the murders overshadows Jamie and Derek’s developing relationship at almost every turn.
The key to a good thriller is setting the stage and this author delivered that from all sides with A Party to Murder. Between the storm raging outside, the large, abandoned house in the country, and the varied cast of characters each with some degree of questionable background, I was firmly on the edge of my seat trying to connect the dots. The descriptions the author used brought each aspect of the creepy scenes to life so much so that the tension was often palpable. If you’re looking for something that will make you jump a few times and keep your attention from start to finish with a dash of sexy from a young, sweet couple, A Party to Murder certainly fits the bill.
*Reviewed for Alpha Book Club*
A party to murder is good mystery suspense. Jamie and Derek are going to a mystery party. Each was given an invitation in their separate apartments and the invitation is vague, just a party with free booze and heartstopping door prizes. When they arrive there are 5 other people, that includes the housekeep and her husband. The bridge has gone out, it’s storming like crazy with no sign of letting up and there appears to be no way to leave. Then the bodies start mounting beginning with two strangers in the basement. Noone there knows each other and that is a mystery in itself. Why are these 7 people brought together and who is murdering them one by one?
I liked this story. it’s like two stories in one. the mystery and the romance. Jamie and Derek have been friends since school. But recently began being sex buddies too. They are here in the boonies away from friends and relatives to see what their relationship really is. There is a lot of sex. That is one thing I had an issue with. They seemed to be able to tune out some gruesome stuff and just start having sex like bunnies. The other thing predictability. I figured out the murderer early on but not his connections to anyone or his motives.
If you like a murder mystery, suspense, romance and just an intriguing story you will like this.