Strange Houses (2021)
A creepy murder mystery that could have gone longer.
This is the same author as Strange Buildings, which I thoroughly enjoyed earlier this year. It follows a similar pattern: somebody looking at floor plans of unusual houses, and realising they have a sinister purpose. In this case, all three houses are designed for murdering people, with secret passages that allow secret movement throughout the house to reach doomed guests.
I enjoyed it like the first book, and I read it in a single sitting. The mystery fits together, the writing is easy to follow, and the illustrations add a novel element to a murder mystery.
I prefer Strange Buildings, because I found this a little short. We’re just starting to understand what’s going on, and then we get an infodump from a member of the family who owned the murder houses, which answers most of our questions. I’d have liked our detective to discover a few more clues on their own before being given the answers.
Overall a quick and fun read, and I’m still excited to read the author’s other books.