Synopsis

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

This book is incredibly claustrophobic. I kid you not, I was on edge the entire time I spent reading it. Luckily this wasn’t too long as I flew through it because I was hooked!

In this homage to Agatha Christie, the traditional locked room mystery has its ante upped. Our victims are trapped in a hotel. On the moon. There is literally no escape. Perhaps this is why the book affected me so much; I have no desire to go to space, so being stranded on the moon with strangers is a terrifying thought.

Forry writes well and creates a visual picture of the suffocating setting – kudos to her imagination. A luxurious hotel is one thing, but the space element is less familiar. I had no trouble at all believing where I was and was continuously casting furtive glances at my bedroom door whilst I read.

Our characters remain strangers throughout, as we don’t really get to know them that well. Whilst some might expect more development, this adds to the isolation felt by readers and guests alike as we suspect them all and feel less empathy towards them. Protagonist Penelope is quite irritating and her phobias seem unnecessary as they don’t seem to affect her, despite being in space.

The conclusion and epilogue are a little disappointing, failing to round the book off as well as one would hope, but it’s still an excellent murder mystery with a difference.

Thanks to Zaffre Books for my proof copy. Opinions my own.