No Saving Throw

A Ten Again Mystery #1

by Kristin McFarland

A supremely geeky murder mystery perfect for Whovians, gamers, and Muggles alike.

Autumn has everything she could possibly want: Loving friends, a successful business, and a gaggle of nerds in her store every day.

Welcome to Ten Again, a tabletop gaming store that attracts nerds of every kind and fosters a community Autumn’s pretty proud of—a community that also keeps business afloat. And now that Autumn's in the running for a grant, Ten Again’s future is looking bright.

That is, until one of Autumn’s gamers is mysteriously murdered. With everyone in the mall as a suspect and accusations flying, Autumn is going to have to do some sleuthing of her own to save her shop. And to save her gamers from what seems to be an increasingly more dangerous fate

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Audiobook, Geek

266 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2019

About the author

Kristin McFarland has a Master of Arts in Journalism from Indiana University, which launched her on a short-lived but very exciting career as a newspaper reporter. After graduate school, she worked for five different newspapers around the country, writing about politics, crime, arts, environmental issues, crack addicts, prostitutes, and parades. She eventually wised up and decided that making up political fights and crime scenes would be a lot more fun than reporting on real ones. Today, she lives in southern Indiana, where she spends most of her time daydreaming about fictional lives and/or thinking about wool.

Reviews

[Mark Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Autumn is happy running Ten Again, the gaming store she owns in the small Wisconsin college town where she grew up. Things are going well until one of the regular gamers in the store dies in the mall. Things quickly turn on Autumn and the rest of the gamers, with some of them in particular in the police’s spotlight. But Autumn doesn’t think her gamers, who have become her friends, could really be killers. Can she prove it?

While I’m not much of a gamer, this book still sounded like lots of fun, and I was right. There are some references to geeky things, most of which I got, but if you don’t get the reference, it shouldn’t interfere with your enjoyment of the book. That’s because the mystery is strong, with lots of events and clues to keep the pages turning until we reach the logical and suspenseful climax. The characters are wonderful, and I love how much they care for each other. I also appreciated Autumn’s debates about being involved in the investigation. It felt realistic when she would try to get out before something pulled her back in. I do wish Autumn swore a little less, but that’s my only complaint about this fun debut.

Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I saw this book on Netgalley I immediately wanted to read it. The main character owns and runs a gaming store, and there were lots of nerd references in many genres. (I personally really like that it's a female too, and that both males and females are represented as loving to play.)

No Saving Throw has a lot of the familiar cozy mystery elements, but instead of tons of references to food, or quilts we get references to nerd culture.

When a customer is murdered during a gaming event, Autumn wants to find out the culprit and clear her store from suspicion. She has a good group of friends to help.

I liked that Autumn wasn't stupid, and (mostly) involved the police where appropriate - which is one of my pet peeves about many cozies. I also LOVED that there wasn't a love triangle. The mystery was good, and it took me at least awhile to figure out the answer.

[Nicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such an enjoyable audiobook! I’m fairly new to cosy mysteries, always thinking they’re a bit lame in plot, characters and setting but actually this was excellent. Autumn was such a great character, I really liked her and could imagine being friends with her. I loved her dedication to her shop ‘Ten Again’ and how she saw the gamers as her friends and family. She was a bright and friendly businesswoman but also also quite snarky, especially towards certain characters. Her best friend Jordan was also a great character and very useful being a cop.

Like Autumn and her gamer friends, I had so many theories and suspects and kept changing my mind about who the murderer could be. That’s one of the things I loved about this story, they weren’t trying to be private detectives they were just trying find out what had happened to their friend. I loved the geeky references throughout particular enjoying to the nods to Scooby Do and Stark Trek.

I loved the narration by Marnye Young, a new to me narrator who was so good at voicing the different characters, that I was left in awe of her voice talents. How did she manage to remember all those different voices without mixing them up? I’m definitely adding Marnye Young to my list of favourite narrators.

I’m so glad I took a chance on this audiobook and can’t wait for the next one in this new series. I definitely recommend this if you love cosy mysteries.

Thanks so much to Hope Roy at Tantor Media for my digital copy.

[Seema Rao · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious ~ Compelling ~ Charming

tl; dr: Gaming store own gets herself in a game she didn't want to play, one that's about life and death.

This mystery novel is for the game nerd in all of us (well, maybe just me). Autumn is an irreverent game shop owner with quirky friends and some surprising problems. As the problems get worse, she has to get solving. This book winks at many, many nerd franchises, like D & D and Veronica Mars. The storyline is fast-paced, and any nerd/ nerd-adjacent person will connect with the characters from the very start. It is worth noting this is not laugh out loud funny like the Dahlia Moss series, but it is also not absurdist like that. In some ways, the strength of this mystery is that it has wide appeal, beyond nerds. Super enjoyable, fast-paced, short mystery for all the sleuths out there.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Seema Rao Write : Instagram| Blog| Twitter|

[Aristotle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dungeons & Dragons Death
Triple D's!
See what i did there?
Nerds.

Drizzt Do'Urden vs Harry Potter. Who wins? I'm a proud nerd.

Some books all it takes is a page or two to connect with the main character. A chapter or two to connect with the story. This unfortunately is missing that something something.
Maybe i could cast a spell to change that.

Murder at a Dungeons and Dragons get together.
The participants will "Scooby it up" to solve the case.

If you don't get that Scooby Doo reference, don't know who Veronica Mars is, what RPGs or Larpers means forget this book. Judging this solely on the merits of a murder mystery i can't give it more than 2 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Boobies.
Hehehehe.
Nerds.

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a delightful, amusing and unique little tale “No Saving Throw” by Kristin McFarland was! It is a cozy mystery novel with a difference - it is set in the world of gaming.

‘Ten Again’ is a tabletop gaming store that attracts nerds of every kind and nurtures a community that the owner, Autumn is pretty proud of—a community that also keeps her business afloat. And now that Autumn is in contention for a grant, ‘Ten Again’s’ future is looking brighter. However, audacious Autumn has some quirky friends and some surprising problems. As the problems get worse, she has to get solving.

Then one of Autumn’s gamers is mysteriously murdered. With everyone in the mall as a suspect and accusations flying, Autumn is going to have to do some sleuthing of her own to save her shop and her gamers from a fate more dangerous than having no saving throw.

Kristin McFarland’s story is engaging and fast-paced. Although I did not find it laugh-out loud-funny it still had a highly comedic aspect for me in parts. I don’t think you need to be a computer geek to enjoy this novel, but I do think it helps!

If cozy mysteries are one of your favoured genres and you fancy one with a bit of a twist then I highly recommend “No Saving Throw.”

Thanks to NetGalley, Diversion Books and the author, Kristin McFarland for my complimentary copy of No Saving Throw. My honest review is entirely voluntary.

[Cindie Usevich · Rating 2 out of 5]

This mystery was ok. I lost interest about a 1/3 of the way through and skimmed through the end to learn who the bad guy is. It seems like the author didn't have much to say, and conversations between characters carried on for far too long.

[Cynthia Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this new release, Autumn owns a gaming store. This store is located in an indoor mall. During a game night sponsored by the store, one of the young people is found dead. The police arrest some of the store employees and Autumn sets out to prove that they didn't do it. We then taken through several days of sneaking around and searching for proof. I found this book very interesting. I think I am older than most people who LARP for fun. I did, however catch every TV or movie geeky reference to sci-fi or fantasy. There were many. If you aren't into that, then these references will mean nothing to you. I liked the action in the book and how it incorporated so many characters. At times, though, I would have liked to have a bit more description of the setting or of people, as some of my assumptions were later changed. Perhaps a few more details at the beginning would help to understand them. I thought the ending was well crafted, with a bit of a surprise. I would be on the look out for a second book if this is a series.

[CrystalIsReading on StoryGraph · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm unhappy giving a 2 star review to a book, especially one I got as a free ARC, and especially since, reading the author's blog, she seems like a cool geeky person who has had an absolutely horrible last year or so, and I hate to pile on to that. Sorry, Kristin. But if I'm honest, the only reason I finished this book was because I felt honor-bound to finish the ARC I'd received. I was so excited, initially, to see this book offered on Netgalley, because I can never get too much geek representation in a book, and I hadn't seen a geeky murder mystery before. But unfortunately, even the most geeky tone and references cannot save a dull, ridiculous book, and I was so relieved to finally finish read it tonight.
I'll try to start with something good. There's a lot of geeky content. Constant references to D&D, LARPing, Harry Potter, Magic-like card games, gaming figurines, cosplay, roleplay, and everything else geeky you can think of. It's shoe-horned into the story at every possible instance. After all, the protagonist Autumn is an adult gamer who runs a gaming store. She really likes geeky things. If you enjoy those references, you will appreciate that aspect of this book. Another positive is that Autumn is an adult woman running her own business. There's not even romance in the story, just friendships. At least theoretically, we have a strong, independent female lead. There are also efforts at diverse representation: Autumn's employee friends include Asian and LGBTQ+ characters, and Autumn's step-mom and bestie are both African American.
And that's about it for positives. I've seen multiple reviews classifying the book as YA, which is clearly wrong. This is a book starring a woman in her 30s who has her MBA and owns and runs a small business. She even has her own place. She's sounds like upper-end of millenial range. Definitely not a teenager. Some of her employees/ friends/ fellow gamers might fit into the upper end of the YA spectrum, as some are college students and others are recently graduated from college. But even so, the age of supporting characters don't make this a YA book. What makes it FEEL like a YA book is the way Autumn's written. She whines a lot ("It's so unfair that my father made me write him a business plan before he lent me money to start my business. boo hoo!"), is dependent on her best friend and her parents to sort pretty much everything out for her, still holds grudges about events that happened all the way back in high school, and makes some of the most foolish, impulsive, exist-solely-as-plot-driver decisions of any character I've read in a long time. There's a scene about mid-way through the book where Autumn impulsively runs into an unknown and likely dangerous system, which she narrates as being "against her better judgement". At which point I quite literally screamed at the book, "THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE, AUTUMN, BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE ANY BETTER JUDGEMENT." Whenever she could make a poorly-thought-out, reckless, probably dangerous or illegal choice in any given situation, she did, often after laboriously considering all her options, and discarding all but the worst possible choices. I variously wished she'd get arrested and/or murdered multiple times during this book. She deserved it. I know that most cozies involve some morally gray sneaking and snooping, as well as concealing evidence/ leads from law enforcement--but how many involve actually breaking and entering into a rival's business, combing through financial records, cell phones, and personal emails, and then being outraged at the suggestion of having the cops called on them. Oh, and don't forget dragging those younger employee friends into her illegal activities with her. How is she supposed to have kept a business afloat on her own this long? Autumn is irresponsible and needy and immature--that's the primary consistent aspect of her character--and I really grew to detest her.
Also, I was frustrated with the attempt at diversity. While I am heartened to see African-American, Asian-American, and LGBTQ+ characters included in the story, especially in a small mid-western town, their minority identities really felt peripheral to the characters and their function in the story. Bailey's girlfriend, for example, only shows up to help in an illegal venture. I found Autumn's relationship with the two African-American women in her life especially troubling, verging on the "magical negro" trope. We're TOLD that Autumn is close with both the women, but all we SEE is that she constantly leans on them for advice and help, especially for bailing her out of the trouble she's gotten herself into. Autumn's only direct interaction with her step-mother in this story is literally being fed/ comforted/ advised by her. And while we may have been told repeatedly that Jordan is her bestie, the only fucntion Jordan seems to have in Autumn's life is to show up at Autumn's work events to support her, and to bail her out of trouble. There's even a scene where Autumn, after getting a rightly-deserved but totally inadequate scolding from Jordan about the illegal activities she's just been caught in, tries to whine, beg, and joke her way out of it, refusing to accept Jordan's "I will not be involved with this further" decision, and going so far as to joke that "police brutality is a serious issue" to an African American woman police officer. That was really tone-deaf and gross, and it made me angry at the author for writing such an unaware privileged white woman.
I could go on, about the portrayal of women, about evil-woman-rival stereotypes, and how a book with no romance subplot still manages to spend so much time talking about a character's ex, and his relationship with someone else, but honestly, it's exhausting. All of it was exhausting. I knew who the villain(s?) were long before the end of the story. I enjoyed little to nothing of the book, and would not read any more books in what is apparently supposed to be a series, and cannot recommend it to anyone. There are probably an infinite number of better murder mysteries out there, many with thoughtfully depicted diversity. They may be lacking the geeky aspect, but frankly, after this book, I think I'll deal with that loss just fine.

But hey, thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read a copy of the book for free. Here's my honest opinion of it, whether you'd like it or not.

[Lelia Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I surprised myself by wanting to read this book because I’m about as far from being a gamer as I could possibly be but a couple of things drew me to it. First, I’m really overdone with the crafty and culinary cozies and, while I’ll certainly keep reading some of those, I appreciate the thought of something just a little bit different. Secondly, I may not be a gamer but my grandson is and I’ve at least picked up some of the jargon when he tells me about campaigns and so forth. Besides, watching LARPers is fun.

Although I thought this was a tad lightweight and perhaps even slightly juvenile, it’s an enjoyable story and I think the author “got” the gamers nicely in their geeky exuberance and determination to figure out who killed their fellow player without doing any actual sleuthing. Autumn is an appealing character, too, and as a former shop owner, I truly understand her need to protect her store’s future.

I loved all the sidelong nods to certain things claimed by nerds but beloved way beyond their world, things like Star Trek, Dr. Who and Veronica Mars, and the plethora of potential perps made this a lively mystery worth some cogitating on my part. I think I might recommend this to my grandson 😉

[Ashley Reyes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

I’m a huge nerd. Let’s just put that out there first. I’ve LARPed, I do tabletop, I do video games, and I play consoles. That doesn’t include my deep knowledge of all things sci fi and fantasy either. So, when I say I know this culture, I really do. I loved this story. The small business aspect of owning a local game store was great, the mystery was wonderful, and the references were fun without being too obscure. I would be interested in the next one, and to see where the new friendships grow, and if that changes the dynamics.

[Matthew Galloway · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m definitely interesting in reading the next book in the series, though I thought some aspects of this one were a little rough. For instance, one of the police officers was far too antagonistic and accusatory for me to believe they’d be any good at their job. There were, strangely enough, maybe a few too many geeky references and I did figure out the killer fairly early on. (Though there was a twist I missed!). Still, it was fun and the characters were charming. I also lived a reference to how role playing can actually help people out of their comfort zone and into necessary roles for real life.

[Felicia's Bookshelf · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was looking forward to this new series being a Tabletop Board gamer myself. But, when I started reading, I was highly disappointed.
The writing was off, no character development. I didn’t care for any of the characters. The reason why the killer killed someone made no sense.
I wish the author took more time with character development and did more research on nerds in the gaming community.
Thank you goes out to Netgalley and Diversion Books for providing me with an advanced digital read. The opinions expressed on this review are my own.

[ஐ Katya (Book Queen)ஐ · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was good, but not great. I put it down to go to bed 83% of the way in and just couldn't get back into it. Too many college kids were recruited to help her investigate. Too much confrontation with the would-be murderers. I'm a geek through and through and read a lot of mysteries... the author was good at throwing you off the real suspect, but there was too many things happening. Too many people involved. I'd read another Ten Again mystery ...but I wouldn't pay for it. This was NOT worth the $13 I paid for the ebook. Sorry.

[Fraser Sherman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not a cozy mystery fan so if you are, you might rate this higher. Then again, I do like some cozies, and I don't think this one's in their league.
The big thing I liked about it was the gaming-store setting. McFarland gets the gaming stuff right, and that's a plus.
The mystery? Meh. Competent but I honestly didn't buy that protagonist Autumn felt the need to investigate instead of trusting to the cops. Even less convincing, her bestie is a cop and when Autumn decides to crack the case herself, Jordan doesn't even object.
Overall I don't think reading this sparked any joy.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

No Saving Throw is the first book in a new cozy mystery series by Kristin McFarland. Released 19th May 2019 by Diversion books, it's 266 pages and available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats.

The setup is similar to a bunch of other lovely cozy mystery series. The protagonist is the owner of a specialty niche retail shop, dealing with the stress of making rent, applying for grants, keeping the staff and customers in order and generally living the hectic life of a small retail owner. The difference here is that the shop isn't selling scones or knitting yarn, but dice, cards, books and gaming paraphernalia.

The main character is likable, female, intelligent and didn't rush headlong into situations which made me slap my forehead and groan. The book is well paced and I didn't find my interest waning at all. It's about average length but the action moves the plot along. The author has a deft touch with characterizations but possibly falls a little short in the 'show don't tell' writing department. There's quite a lot of description instead of dialogue and character driven plot progress. It doesn't detract much from the enjoyment of the book and I can think of more than a few authors who took at least a couple books to hit their stride.

I love it that this series is about gamers, geekery, and 'my' nerdy folks! I do also love knitting and B&B and library type cozies (bonus points for cats), but it's very refreshing to see a cozy series which isn't from the same cookie cutter. I'm looking forward to the next installments!

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[Coralee Hicks · Rating 3 out of 5]

In book One of the Ten Again Series, McFarland introduces the reader to the world of gaming. Autumn speaks to us in first person, sharing her insights as a gaming shop owner in White Lake, a town in rural Wisconsin.

The book opens with a frenzied scene, involving LARP's, RPG vampires, a draft for Spellcasters, a shop filled with a hundred preteens plus a creepy guy in a suit brandishing a letter opener. Presenting a calming influence is Jordan, Autumn's best friend since elementary school. She is now the first black woman on the White Lake Police Force, an irony she enjoys sharing. The galloping pace and rollicking banter set the tone for the mystery. Further complicating Autumn's life are Meghan and Craig, two thirds of the high school triangle that is still a part of Autumn's painful memory. However, Autumn is not a shy daisy. Rather she is protective of her customers, and is willing to take a stand against perceived injustice. A reader unfamiliar with the world of gaming will still appreciate the turns and twists of this murder mystery.

Full disclosure: I received an e copy from netgalley and Diversion Books in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you for the opportunity.

[☺Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

No Saving Throw by Kristin McFarland was an okay murder mystery featuring an annoying, rather immature main character, Autumn. That made it kind of difficult to enjoy solving the actual "mystery".

[Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a shorter young adult book that teen gamers will love. Autumn runs a game store called Ten Again that caters to nerdy kids and adults that like role playing card games and online team challenges. When one of the gamers is killed she helps police officer Jordon realize it’s not a simple open and shut murder. This is book 1 in the new Ten Again series. I received a copy of this arc in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great first book in a series. The setting, a gaming store in a mall, was new and interesting. The characters are fun and people you can imagine owning the stores and being involved in their careers in the "non-fiction" workers. The murder was creative and the case to catch the murderer was fun.

[J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a fun twist on the usual cozy mystery, this one is set in the gaming world of nerds and geeks. Autumn has returned to her hometown after earning her MBA and has opened a gaming store, specializing in Live Action Role Playing games (LARPs). Returning home, she has also returned to old grudges from high school...and old friends. Things are going great until a young role player is murdered in the mall. Was it his fellow gamers? Or is more involved? If you like Dr. Who, Scooby Doo, and games, give this one a try!

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure what the title has to do with the story but I enjoyed the story. It's different than most cozy mysteries in the settings and the characters and that definitely made it a pleasure to read . #NoSavingThrow #NetGalley

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good cozy! I enjoyed the unusual setting, the cast of characters and the plot.
The book is well written, the character fleshed out and the mystery keep you guessing till the end.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

[Kathie · Rating 3 out of 5]

No Saving Throw by Kristin McFarland is the story of Autumn, owner f a new gaming store and her struggle to fit into her old hometown, solve a murder and corral a group of teen sleuths whose help doesn't always... help.
I really wanted to like this book. I wanted a fun romp of a cozy with gamers as characters, but unfortunately the characters just seemed two-dimensional. As a long-time gamer, both video and D&D, I hope McFarland will try again, but breathe some life into her players.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC copy of this book through NetGalley.
Autumn's tabletop gaming store is doing well, until one of her LARPers is murdered, his friends are suspected and a rival wants to see her thrown out of a grant competition and the mall.
So many nerd culture references. I enjoyed almost everything about this book. The mystery is well plotted, the characters are people I would (mostly) like to get to know better. Highly recommended for anyone interested in gaming and roleplay.

[Kimberly]

This was a really fun hobby cozy. I was attracted to reading it because it featured a different kind of hobby that I normally don’t see a mystery written about. It’s everything you want a cozy mystery to be!

[Anna K. Amendolare · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is book #1? I say that, because, I didn't really get a lot of exposition from the story/ I felt like I was missing ... more depth? Though, that can be said for the entire book. This weak ass Scooby murder mystery was just lame. No depth, no character development, no caring whatsoever. Skip it.

[LillyBooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

The cozy mystery genre almost entirely ignores geek culture and STEM careers/hobbies. So, while this doesn't involve STEM, it does center on geek culture, which was a refreshing change of pace. Don't get me wrong; I love a good bakery and book shop, too (one can love both the humanities and STEM in equal measures), but it was wonderful to finally see a book centered on a different set of hobbies and interests. My husband and I are huge European-style board gamers (although not LARPers), and the additional appeal of this book is that the author is from our city and the game store location in this mystery 100% matches our downtown game store.

When it came to gaming and geek references, this book excelled. I enjoyed all the little descriptions and jokes thrown out, just assuming the reader would get them (you either know what Wesley Crusher sweater is or you don't). I thought the mystery itself was solid, if not stellar. And, as I said above, the location itself will probably induce me to read at least another book in this series.

But my biggest problem with this book was that the protagonist repeatedly did things she was explicitly told not to do by the police, a couple that were borderline illegal, even though one of the police was her best friend.

(Also, why did McFarland change the location of this story? Just to use a fictional town name? Why not just state everything is occurring in the city where it obviously is, right down to the order of the buildings on the square?)

[Jen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was really excited for this book because of the setting (gaming store) and the geek culture but it just didn't pan out.

[Kate Welsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

The gaming store murder mystery concept was fun but unfortunately neither the plot nor the characters really grabbed me here.