The Launch Party

By: Lauren Forry

Narrated by: Natalie Pela

Length: 12 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

THE TRIP OF A LIFETIME. YOU'D DIE TO BE THERE.

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?

©2023 Lauren Forry (P)2023 Tantor

Good whodunnit mystery

The book had a very intriguing premise - a trip thru space, a hotel on the moon, murder mystery, cocktails - all in no particular order.

It’s a very tried and true formula of guessing who the killer is, jumping to conclusions, and linking the characters together by their past.

It doesn’t take long for the first murder to happen. The guests (and reader) instantly jump into accusations and all point fingers at one character. Case closed. Except when the person with the fingers pointed at them ends up dead too.

The time between the discovery of the two murders was long. During that time, there was the usual line of questioning by a detective who was a contest winner for this trip. She looped in a couple of other guests, a journalist and criminal justice student, to help her figure out the case.

We discover a lot about each character and possible connections between all of them. It was a good clue based guessing game where the reader thought they could piece it together themselves, but were never quite sure until the reveal.

It held enough of my interest to keep reading and there were times where the excitement picked up enough that I didn't want to stop.

Overall though, I feel like there was much more potential to the story. Maybe I've read too many books with the same plot, watched too many documentaries, or just have an overactive imagination, but this all felt too simple to me.

The ending packages everything up in a too nice, and neat bow. The reveal wasn't anything shocking. It simply was what it was. All the characters involved in the deaths simply told their story. No fights, no running away, no being trapped. They each said why they did it and that was it. It was all a little too convenient.

If you like murder mystery books and want something to pass the time, then I recommend this book. If you're expecting something overly complicated or has a crazed serial killer on the moon on the loose, read something else.