"Set in a rambling country estate, this suspenseful, twisty closed-room murder mystery reveals teenage girls are not to be underestimated"
After relishing This Book Kills, we had very high hopes for Ravena Guron’s next YA murder mystery thriller — happily, Catch Your Death more than lived up to our expectations. With a killer closed-room concept (in this case, a dining room in a country mansion) and layers of top-notch plot twists, it’s suspenseful, witty and nigh impossible to put down. A true treat for YA mystery fans.
When a snowstorm strikes, three teen girls — Devi, Lizzie and Jayne — find themselves stranded in Bramble Estate, home to a wealthy philanthropist and her politician husband. That evening, as the girls are holed up in a wing of the estate, the philanthropist is poisoned during a family dinner, and it seems all in attendance have good motive for murdering her.
As the girls make shocking discoveries — a set of gold knives in the floorboards, a gun, dodgy documents — a labyrinth of secrets and lies mirror the mansion’s labyrinth of secret passageways.
The multi-voiced, multi-timeline narrative works a treat, as does the sprinkling of police interview transcripts. Then, as the girls fear they’re about to be picked off one by one, a brilliantly executed interlude segment skips to one year before the murder, laying bare entirely unexpected revelations, setting the stage for an explosive finale that reels with revenge, and a message that teenage girls are not to be underestimated.
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The plot had so many twists. Every time I thought I finally knew who the murderer was, something would suddenly change, and I would have to build up my theory all over again.
After reading Ravena Guron’s This Book Kills six times, I had high expectations for Catch your Death. It did not disappoint. From the first chapter I was completely gripped, and my family didn’t see me for the rest of the weekend.
The narrative voice switched between three girls, Devi, Lizzie and Jayne. This meant there were three separate stories going at once, and what was going through each character’s head. I loved how Ravena Guron snatched away the bit that had you on the edge of your seat, making you want to keep reading to find out what happened next, by bringing in another character’s narrative.
The plot had so many twists.... Read Full Review
I couldn't stop reading this book. It was so captivating and exciting to read.
Three girls (Devi, Lizzie and Jayne) who are complete strangers get trapped in a private estate in the middle of a snowstorm and where a murder plot is brewing. Emily Vanforte was poisoned in the midst of a family dinner and the killer is still roaming around the house. The killer could be only one of these four dinner guests: Emily's husband Charles, her daughter Lottie, Lottie's friend Douglas or her nephew Tate. Leaving the girls locked in the estate with a murder to solve and a killer lurking around, maybe ready to make their next move.
This book was so interesting and kept me hooked into the story the whole time.... Read Full Review
A modern classic of a murder mystery, and an absolute page-turner that is packed with twists, turns and suspense.
Catch Your Death is a thrilling modern murder mystery in the style of incredible classics, like those by Agatha Christie. Though initially slightly confusing, I found the switching perspectives used in each chapter to be fascinating, and provide even more depth and variation to each of the character’s, and their personalities. Furthermore, the author’s way of formatting the novel as witness interviews is something I haven’t seen much before, but adds a lot to help ground the story. All of the characters are also quite unique, whilst still feeling deeply familiar and relatable. All in all the story is full of some quite tense moments with excellent build up that creates a really immersive atmosphere.... Read Full Review
