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The Only Way Out is Death
Twelve powerful people are kidnapped and imprisoned in an empty hotel.
Each one of them has three choices:
Live out the rest of their days peacefully in the hotel,
Die by suicide so the rest of their companions can go free,
Or murder one of their companions so they alone can go free.
The Only Way Out is Death follows the story of these twelve people from the perspective of a young lawyer, Kiriaki, told as the events unfold. She has to forge messy alliances, navigate complex relationships and feuds, and, above all, try to stay alive. Meanwhile, the mastermind of this death game is lurking just out of view, watching them closely, making sure they are primed for murder.
Will Kiriaki find the mastermind before it's too late for her?
Will she outmaneouvre the cutthroats before they cut her throat?
There are twelve selfish lives in the hotel.
Will it end in twelve selfish deaths?
Each one of them has three choices:
Live out the rest of their days peacefully in the hotel,
Die by suicide so the rest of their companions can go free,
Or murder one of their companions so they alone can go free.
The Only Way Out is Death follows the story of these twelve people from the perspective of a young lawyer, Kiriaki, told as the events unfold. She has to forge messy alliances, navigate complex relationships and feuds, and, above all, try to stay alive. Meanwhile, the mastermind of this death game is lurking just out of view, watching them closely, making sure they are primed for murder.
Will Kiriaki find the mastermind before it's too late for her?
Will she outmaneouvre the cutthroats before they cut her throat?
There are twelve selfish lives in the hotel.
Will it end in twelve selfish deaths?
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Published April 15, 2022
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May 16, 2024
The Only Way Out Is Death by Varun Gwalani
4/5 stars
When I read the title of this book I immediately wanted to read it. I didn't need to read the blurb. I just instantly wanted to dive into it. And I am glad I did. This book is such a gem and I really enjoyed it a lot.
The book starts with a bunch of people waiting in a room to get an award for being heroes during the corona pandemic. They hear a bang and gas fills the room. One by one they pass out.
Then Kiriaki wakes up in a hotel room. It's a beautiful room. But when she gets up she sees a note where she is asking to wear a hospital gown and go downstairs to the lobby. If she doesn't comply she will get hurt.
She goes downstairs and sees that there is a group of 12 people. A voice echoes through a media system in the room telling them they are in hell. And he is their God, their mastermind. And that they are stuck here for the rest of their lives. You can leave if you kill someone. Or the whole group can leave if someone sacrifices themselves for the greater good.
They need to prove they are selfless. Why? Because they weren't heroes through the pandemic. They profited off the pandemic and walked over the dead bodies of victims in order to gain money and fame.
And that is what kickstarts the story. Who can you trust? We see alliances form and we see people argue and point fingers.
When people start to die they need to figure out who did it, in order to survive themselves.
This was such an exciting and thrilling book. I really enjoyed it a lot! I think Varun wrote a brilliant debut book! 4 huge stars from me for this exciting story.
4/5 stars
When I read the title of this book I immediately wanted to read it. I didn't need to read the blurb. I just instantly wanted to dive into it. And I am glad I did. This book is such a gem and I really enjoyed it a lot.
The book starts with a bunch of people waiting in a room to get an award for being heroes during the corona pandemic. They hear a bang and gas fills the room. One by one they pass out.
Then Kiriaki wakes up in a hotel room. It's a beautiful room. But when she gets up she sees a note where she is asking to wear a hospital gown and go downstairs to the lobby. If she doesn't comply she will get hurt.
She goes downstairs and sees that there is a group of 12 people. A voice echoes through a media system in the room telling them they are in hell. And he is their God, their mastermind. And that they are stuck here for the rest of their lives. You can leave if you kill someone. Or the whole group can leave if someone sacrifices themselves for the greater good.
They need to prove they are selfless. Why? Because they weren't heroes through the pandemic. They profited off the pandemic and walked over the dead bodies of victims in order to gain money and fame.
And that is what kickstarts the story. Who can you trust? We see alliances form and we see people argue and point fingers.
When people start to die they need to figure out who did it, in order to survive themselves.
This was such an exciting and thrilling book. I really enjoyed it a lot! I think Varun wrote a brilliant debut book! 4 huge stars from me for this exciting story.
August 7, 2024
The Only Way Out is Death is a debut book by Varun Gwalani. The story is fast-paced and intriguing. Varun Gwalani creates a fantastic, twisted plot that has the potential to hook the readers from start to end. With an intricate storyline, this book is a perfect fit for murder mystery lovers. I recommend it.
Read the detailed review here - Books Chharming
Read the detailed review here - Books Chharming
March 29, 2022
When 12 influential people of the world assemble in an abandoned (but fairly luxurious) hotel after being kidnapped, they are left with mere 3 choices:
Live out the rest of their days peacefully in the hotel,
Die by suicide so the rest of their companions can go free,
Or murder one of their companions so they alone can go free.
Packed with action layers after layers, The Only Way Out is Death is a nail-biting and unputdownable read. I have read something like this after a long time where I was constantly on the edges in the anticipation of what was to come next!
The twelve humans have their backstories, nasty and grim. They are cruel humans and this is precisely why they are put here while the outside world believes they are dead. There is a mastermind behind their abrupt imprisonment whose voice introduces itself every now and then.
The 12 live in dread as one after another dies under mysterious circumstances. Yes, there is a murderer behind each death that reveals itself in the due course of time. Who are they? What are their intentions? Why are these 12 people chosen to die each day until they close their eyes finally? Will they make it to another side safely?
The narrator is Kiriaki, one of the 12 humans, who owns a law firm in the outside world. This murder mystery gets better as we pass through the initial pages, after we know who all are going to keep us hooked and baffled. The writing is taut and each character sketch is made with utmost finesse.
Layers are peeled, selfish motives are unveiled, crimes are committed in cold blood, gruesome sites are revealed. Pandemic didn't do well to the world but there are a few who milked the situation to make profits. The Only Way Out is Death brings forth a few such evil intentions that landed up all in misery.
The narrative is so well drawn that there is hardly a thing to miss. All the pieces are put together to bring us a not-so-regular murder mystery that has some memorable twists and a fantastic climax! Though I do feel that some parts could have been trimmed to make the text shorter.
Nonetheless, if you are looking for a well-structured thriller, pick up this book. You'll love it.
Live out the rest of their days peacefully in the hotel,
Die by suicide so the rest of their companions can go free,
Or murder one of their companions so they alone can go free.
Packed with action layers after layers, The Only Way Out is Death is a nail-biting and unputdownable read. I have read something like this after a long time where I was constantly on the edges in the anticipation of what was to come next!
The twelve humans have their backstories, nasty and grim. They are cruel humans and this is precisely why they are put here while the outside world believes they are dead. There is a mastermind behind their abrupt imprisonment whose voice introduces itself every now and then.
The 12 live in dread as one after another dies under mysterious circumstances. Yes, there is a murderer behind each death that reveals itself in the due course of time. Who are they? What are their intentions? Why are these 12 people chosen to die each day until they close their eyes finally? Will they make it to another side safely?
The narrator is Kiriaki, one of the 12 humans, who owns a law firm in the outside world. This murder mystery gets better as we pass through the initial pages, after we know who all are going to keep us hooked and baffled. The writing is taut and each character sketch is made with utmost finesse.
Layers are peeled, selfish motives are unveiled, crimes are committed in cold blood, gruesome sites are revealed. Pandemic didn't do well to the world but there are a few who milked the situation to make profits. The Only Way Out is Death brings forth a few such evil intentions that landed up all in misery.
The narrative is so well drawn that there is hardly a thing to miss. All the pieces are put together to bring us a not-so-regular murder mystery that has some memorable twists and a fantastic climax! Though I do feel that some parts could have been trimmed to make the text shorter.
Nonetheless, if you are looking for a well-structured thriller, pick up this book. You'll love it.
October 17, 2023
I read plenty of thrillers and mysteries and have found that I really enjoy locked-room stories. This book is like a mix of Squid Game and the Saw movies - both of which I love. Overall, I liked the plot, it was super gripping and I couldn't put it down (which alone is high praise from me), but I am still left feeling like the story has some issues that are too big to overlook. I think that some major points in the story could have been made clearer for the reader because I obviously don't see inside the writer's head. I don't like it when writers bait and switch me for their own convenience or shock value. It takes you out of the story when you realise that no matter what is said right now, it doesn't mean anything and can change at any point if the writer so decides. I much prefer being able to deduce what is what on my own than have major twists and turns and details that ultimately leave me confused. It's a good story and a great idea, but I think it just needs a bit of polishing.
Thank you to the author for my review copy!
Thank you to the author for my review copy!
May 16, 2024
The story:
When 12 people wake up as prisoners in an abandoned hotel, they have no idea where they are or how they got there. They are to be the participants in a game. A game where if you make the wrong choices, you die…
With an unseen mastermind pulling the strings, the body count soon starts to rise. And as the lives that have led the captives to this point emerge, it’s clear they are by no means innocent parties. But will any of them manage to escape the mastermind’s clutches, or is death really the only way out?
My thoughts:
I read “The Only Way Out is Death” by Varun Gwalani as one of the finalists in the Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Awards (BBNYA) 2023, and it’s obvious why this book made it through the first two rounds of the competition — the story, and the predicament of the 12 characters, grabs you right from the start, earning the author a well-deserved 8th place in the final round!
The story is told from the point of view of an at-first unnamed narrator, and it’s not apparent if she is a hero or a villain — although from the predicament she finds herself in at the beginning of the book, it’s clear that one person at least thinks she’s the latter.
Following an invitation to speak on a panel of “heroes of the pandemic”, our narrator Kiriaki is rendered unconscious, waking to find herself a prisoner, along with her 11 fellow panelists, in what appears to be an upmarket hotel. The group is given three options — live out their lives as captives in the hotel; commit suicide, and secure the release of the remaining 11; or commit murder and gain freedom for only themselves. As the story progresses, we learn more about each of the characters, and the terrible things they have done to profit from the pandemic — from a bigoted policeman to a fake wellness guru.
With a group like this, it’s not long before someone takes the opportunity to start the killing, and we also start to learn that some of the characters know more about each other than they’ve let on — with personal vendettas starting to play out. Alliances also start to form, although with the ever-present threat of the “mastermind”, who speaks to them via a sound system in the hotel, nothing can be taken for granted, even his own rules.
As the number of survivors dwindles, the suspicions of the characters (and mine!) that the mastermind is among them grows — and the author definitely keeps us guessing to the end! The plot proceeds at a breakneck pace, and both the characters and the reader are kept reeling as each successive death occurs. Of course, given the reasons each character is included in the game, it’s hard to feel particularly attached to, or sorry for any of them. But we do see glimmers of hope in some, and the desire to atone for their sins, particularly our narrator Kiriaki, a lawyer who awakens her inner sleuth to help unmask the various murderers.
Overall, I found this to be a thrilling read that I sped through to find out how it would all play out. While not likable, the characters are intriguing, and the final twists kept me guessing until the end!
When 12 people wake up as prisoners in an abandoned hotel, they have no idea where they are or how they got there. They are to be the participants in a game. A game where if you make the wrong choices, you die…
With an unseen mastermind pulling the strings, the body count soon starts to rise. And as the lives that have led the captives to this point emerge, it’s clear they are by no means innocent parties. But will any of them manage to escape the mastermind’s clutches, or is death really the only way out?
My thoughts:
I read “The Only Way Out is Death” by Varun Gwalani as one of the finalists in the Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Awards (BBNYA) 2023, and it’s obvious why this book made it through the first two rounds of the competition — the story, and the predicament of the 12 characters, grabs you right from the start, earning the author a well-deserved 8th place in the final round!
The story is told from the point of view of an at-first unnamed narrator, and it’s not apparent if she is a hero or a villain — although from the predicament she finds herself in at the beginning of the book, it’s clear that one person at least thinks she’s the latter.
Following an invitation to speak on a panel of “heroes of the pandemic”, our narrator Kiriaki is rendered unconscious, waking to find herself a prisoner, along with her 11 fellow panelists, in what appears to be an upmarket hotel. The group is given three options — live out their lives as captives in the hotel; commit suicide, and secure the release of the remaining 11; or commit murder and gain freedom for only themselves. As the story progresses, we learn more about each of the characters, and the terrible things they have done to profit from the pandemic — from a bigoted policeman to a fake wellness guru.
With a group like this, it’s not long before someone takes the opportunity to start the killing, and we also start to learn that some of the characters know more about each other than they’ve let on — with personal vendettas starting to play out. Alliances also start to form, although with the ever-present threat of the “mastermind”, who speaks to them via a sound system in the hotel, nothing can be taken for granted, even his own rules.
As the number of survivors dwindles, the suspicions of the characters (and mine!) that the mastermind is among them grows — and the author definitely keeps us guessing to the end! The plot proceeds at a breakneck pace, and both the characters and the reader are kept reeling as each successive death occurs. Of course, given the reasons each character is included in the game, it’s hard to feel particularly attached to, or sorry for any of them. But we do see glimmers of hope in some, and the desire to atone for their sins, particularly our narrator Kiriaki, a lawyer who awakens her inner sleuth to help unmask the various murderers.
Overall, I found this to be a thrilling read that I sped through to find out how it would all play out. While not likable, the characters are intriguing, and the final twists kept me guessing until the end!
April 28, 2025
Well this was crazy! The book reminded me of Squid Games, but make it Indian and throw in the Covid 19 pandemic. When death is the only way out, you cannot trust everyone inside the room. Almost every chapter there is a twist, and there's someone dying. And no, there were no games involved, just 12 people trying to stay alive in a hotel and trying to find the mastermind behind it all. Easy 5 stars.
March 18, 2022
It tells you a whole lot about a person when they dedicate a murder mystery to their wife 😅
The pandemic has brought people together, however, it has brought out the worst in others as it is explored in Varun Gwalani's" The Only Way Out Is Death"
12 characters, all of whom have committed a terrible act are trapped in a refurbished yet abandoned hotel in the middle of nowhere. We see the story through the point of view of one of the characters, Kiriaki, who has her own law firm. While at first I had to write down all the names of the characters to remember who is who, I got the hang of it after a few chapters. All I can say about the book is the the ending is completely unexpected! And I loved it.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mystery and suspense as it really leaves you wondering who has committed the act of murder.
Pros: The story well portrays harsh realities of life. It is well written and made me feel like I'm actually in the hotel in Kiriaki's position.
Cons: Near the end of the book, we learn something new about Kiriaki that came out of nowhere. Additionally it hardly served the plot except for a few sentences of interaction.
My favourite character in the book has to be Dr Ashwini. Her "crime" is probably what many are facing now and her backstory with her son could be a whole book on its own.
My rating 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The pandemic has brought people together, however, it has brought out the worst in others as it is explored in Varun Gwalani's" The Only Way Out Is Death"
12 characters, all of whom have committed a terrible act are trapped in a refurbished yet abandoned hotel in the middle of nowhere. We see the story through the point of view of one of the characters, Kiriaki, who has her own law firm. While at first I had to write down all the names of the characters to remember who is who, I got the hang of it after a few chapters. All I can say about the book is the the ending is completely unexpected! And I loved it.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mystery and suspense as it really leaves you wondering who has committed the act of murder.
Pros: The story well portrays harsh realities of life. It is well written and made me feel like I'm actually in the hotel in Kiriaki's position.
Cons: Near the end of the book, we learn something new about Kiriaki that came out of nowhere. Additionally it hardly served the plot except for a few sentences of interaction.
My favourite character in the book has to be Dr Ashwini. Her "crime" is probably what many are facing now and her backstory with her son could be a whole book on its own.
My rating 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
May 30, 2024
A pretentious book that thinks it’s smarter than it actually is. Terrible ending and I feel like it’s not teaching the moral lesson that it thinks it is ? Not a fan but can see why people who are only just getting into the murder mystery type book might enjoy it m
August 17, 2022
A free book from Voracious Readers thank you
Exciting read with such believable characters. A great plot with unexpected twists. A page turner.
Exciting read with such believable characters. A great plot with unexpected twists. A page turner.
February 9, 2024
3.5/5 stars
Definitely reminded me off squid games and alive and borderland which I absolutely love. It was very gripping and I couldn’t stop reading! It was very fast paced so once I got into it I absolutely devoured it in only a couple of hours.
Definitely reminded me off squid games and alive and borderland which I absolutely love. It was very gripping and I couldn’t stop reading! It was very fast paced so once I got into it I absolutely devoured it in only a couple of hours.
dnf
July 17, 2023will continue later, when im in the mood for a thriller (?)
(pg 30, ch 5)
(pg 30, ch 5)
August 30, 2022
This was a great read! I’m a huge fan of horror and thrillers so this was absolutely up my alley.
In The Only Way Out is Death, twelve “Heroes of the Pandemic” are kidnapped and trapped in a luxury hotel. They have all made choices and through those choices, have impacted hundreds and thousands of people. As their sins and misdeeds come to light, the Mastermind of it all watches, and waits for them all to break.
I very much enjoyed this whodunnit / Saw-esque novel. Full of twists and turns, I was completely immersed, especially since I’m a huge fan of horror and thrillers. I thought the characters were excellent and very well thought out, and I definitely got caught up in the drama and accusations. Gwalani did a great job creating their backstories and really, delving into the (often) selfish motivations of people. He brings a not-so-nice microscope over the ugly truths of human behavior, particularly when one is put into a situation that is out of their control. A solid read that had me guessing until the end!
Thank you Voracious Readers and Varun Gwalani for my copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own.
In The Only Way Out is Death, twelve “Heroes of the Pandemic” are kidnapped and trapped in a luxury hotel. They have all made choices and through those choices, have impacted hundreds and thousands of people. As their sins and misdeeds come to light, the Mastermind of it all watches, and waits for them all to break.
I very much enjoyed this whodunnit / Saw-esque novel. Full of twists and turns, I was completely immersed, especially since I’m a huge fan of horror and thrillers. I thought the characters were excellent and very well thought out, and I definitely got caught up in the drama and accusations. Gwalani did a great job creating their backstories and really, delving into the (often) selfish motivations of people. He brings a not-so-nice microscope over the ugly truths of human behavior, particularly when one is put into a situation that is out of their control. A solid read that had me guessing until the end!
Thank you Voracious Readers and Varun Gwalani for my copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own.
April 9, 2025
I love locked-room mysteries, and this one hits the spot. An abandoned luxury hotel furnished with the best variety of alcohol, a state-of-the-art gym, a fully equipped library and an Olympic sized swimming pool? I wanted to be trapped in there. Until the story unravelled to show the dark side of the plot which blew my mind.
The book has a very dream-like quality - masked strangers in white ghost-like robes, no distinction between day and night, a disembodied voice giving orders and no sense of passing time. This added to the distinctive allure of the narrative, which is gripping because of its sinister content. At every turn there is a mystery waiting to be unearthed or a twist waiting to happen, which kept me at the edge of my seat.
I loved the dissection of the murders (pun not intended), which gave a Sherlock Holmes vibe, where they observe each victim to find clues and analyse them. I was lucky enough to witness Varun’s “locked room” mystery game wherein he uses a similar technique of giving us clues, giving us a chance to solve the murder.
The book is beautifully written, a complete page-turner, with gasp-inspiring content, filled with morally-grey characters which keeps you gripped till the end.
The book has a very dream-like quality - masked strangers in white ghost-like robes, no distinction between day and night, a disembodied voice giving orders and no sense of passing time. This added to the distinctive allure of the narrative, which is gripping because of its sinister content. At every turn there is a mystery waiting to be unearthed or a twist waiting to happen, which kept me at the edge of my seat.
I loved the dissection of the murders (pun not intended), which gave a Sherlock Holmes vibe, where they observe each victim to find clues and analyse them. I was lucky enough to witness Varun’s “locked room” mystery game wherein he uses a similar technique of giving us clues, giving us a chance to solve the murder.
The book is beautifully written, a complete page-turner, with gasp-inspiring content, filled with morally-grey characters which keeps you gripped till the end.
May 21, 2023
This was an insanely addictive read. It starts with a great premise – a dozen people kidnapped and dumped in an abandoned hotel, forced to abide by a nefarious mastermind’s rules. As they get offed one by one, the reader is kept on tenterhooks, wondering what the heck is going on, who’s going to die next, who the murderers are, why these people have been targeted, and what the mastermind really wants.
It can’t be easy to write a crime whodunit with a large cast, but the author manages to make each character distinct, each with a believable back-story and motivation. There is social commentary woven into current affairs. Getting into the mindsets of so many people who have done terrible things was illuminating. Rather than condemning them out-of-hand, it enabled this reader to think, ‘There but for the grace of God go I.’
If you love reading the works of Agatha Christie, or Sherlock, or any crime/whodunit, you will enjoy this. Some profanity but understandable considering the circumstances.
It can’t be easy to write a crime whodunit with a large cast, but the author manages to make each character distinct, each with a believable back-story and motivation. There is social commentary woven into current affairs. Getting into the mindsets of so many people who have done terrible things was illuminating. Rather than condemning them out-of-hand, it enabled this reader to think, ‘There but for the grace of God go I.’
If you love reading the works of Agatha Christie, or Sherlock, or any crime/whodunit, you will enjoy this. Some profanity but understandable considering the circumstances.
April 11, 2022
The Only Way Out is Death, by Varun Gwalani had me hooked from the first page. The Pandemic has affected all of us in so many ways and it was so intriguing to read how the author has sewn in the harsh reality of what the world is going through currently, into an escape room murder mystery plot, which makes it such an interesting and refreshing read.
The novel keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout. It compels you to think about the characters and their real intentions and you can't help but feel emotionally invested in them as the story progresses.
This definitely is a must read for murder mystery lovers!
The novel keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout. It compels you to think about the characters and their real intentions and you can't help but feel emotionally invested in them as the story progresses.
This definitely is a must read for murder mystery lovers!
April 10, 2022
A real nail-biter! I flew through the book at an an alarming speed. The characters are intriguing and unpredictable, two essential elements for any mystery. The book showcases such keen detail of human nature in hopeless circumstances. It kept me guessing throughout, and I was pleasantly (not in the literal way) surprised by the twists and turns for their ingenuity. What could have been a predictable story was handled so well that you can't help but feel taken aback by all the happenings in the story.
May 14, 2024
The Only Way Out is death follows a well tested plot line where a group people are locked up together and people start dying off one by one.In this case there are 12 influential people and they are given a choice.
1. Stay imprisoned forever
2. Kill somebody and earn your freedom
3. Kill yourself and set everybody free.
I thought the writing was good and fast paced and I enjoyed how we steadily learn more and more about the characters and their murky pasts as we go along. If you enjoy murder mysteries and psychological thrillers you will enjoy this. Thank you BBNYA for my copy!
1. Stay imprisoned forever
2. Kill somebody and earn your freedom
3. Kill yourself and set everybody free.
I thought the writing was good and fast paced and I enjoyed how we steadily learn more and more about the characters and their murky pasts as we go along. If you enjoy murder mysteries and psychological thrillers you will enjoy this. Thank you BBNYA for my copy!
August 15, 2025
Too dialog heavy, it was like the characters were just a way for the author to move the story forward, we don't quite understand the motive behind the setup and why they are trapped in that hotel. It was captivating at some places but the writing felt quite dry to me, it couldn't hold my attention, given it was a short book I finished it but had it been any longer would have definitely DNF'ed it. 3 stars
February 12, 2023
Had the comforts of a good ole game of Clue, with a side of an escape room. And don't forget all those twists! It had me guessing, second-guessing and triple guessing everything I thought I figured out!
February 27, 2025
It was a real fun and thrilling experience. Finding books like these are the reason why I started exploring new Indian authors.
The story kept me on my toes and every now and then new challenges were thrown at the characters. What I loved most was that every character has a depth to it, which is a really difficult task as an author, especially when there are so many of them.
Really commendable. The story felt like it drew inspiration from "And Then There Were None" and the game "Among Us", especially when the discussions happened.
Only thing that didn't click with me that sometimes, only sometimes, there were too cliche responses and too much details while finding the culprit. But that might work for some people. I will highly recommend this to everyone.
The story kept me on my toes and every now and then new challenges were thrown at the characters. What I loved most was that every character has a depth to it, which is a really difficult task as an author, especially when there are so many of them.
Really commendable. The story felt like it drew inspiration from "And Then There Were None" and the game "Among Us", especially when the discussions happened.
Only thing that didn't click with me that sometimes, only sometimes, there were too cliche responses and too much details while finding the culprit. But that might work for some people. I will highly recommend this to everyone.
August 9, 2022
This was...something. Terrific, chilling read. A whodunnit that makes you sit on the edge of your seat.
May 22, 2025
This was such a perfect locked-room mystery—think Clue with a modern, post-pandemic twist. Every time someone died, I paused and made my wild guess... and was almost always wrong (but I had fun trying!). The tension was chef’s kiss, and the pacing kept me flipping pages like I was racing a timer.
Set in a post-pandemic world, it didn’t just rely on the mystery alone. It tapped into those lingering fears we all carry, about isolation, survival, and trust (or the lack of it). Every character had their secrets, and the way the story peeled them back made me feel like I was trapped in that creepy hotel right along with them. A truly bingeable read if you enjoy paranoia, plot twists, and murder with a side of psychological dread.
Set in a post-pandemic world, it didn’t just rely on the mystery alone. It tapped into those lingering fears we all carry, about isolation, survival, and trust (or the lack of it). Every character had their secrets, and the way the story peeled them back made me feel like I was trapped in that creepy hotel right along with them. A truly bingeable read if you enjoy paranoia, plot twists, and murder with a side of psychological dread.
September 18, 2022
Fellow fans of Danganronpa will DEFINITELY have fun with this one. I loved stopping to re-read and piece things together myself. Because of this, I was able to figure out one of the big mysteries way before the reveal, but it didn’t lessen my enjoyment. The gore is balanced out with humor, and the characters are original takes on some known archetypes. I would have wanted a bit more interiority from the protag in the earlier stages.
August 26, 2022
An interesting twist on the who dunnit type mystery that will having you searching for clues alongside the characters. A modern and relevant look at reasons why people in power can be hiding secrets bigger than others and how people will react when faced with an impossible decision.
I received a copy of this book through Voracious Readers in exchange for my honest review.
I received a copy of this book through Voracious Readers in exchange for my honest review.
October 13, 2024
What a masterpiece! I truly enjoyed it. I rarely give books 5 stars but this one truly deserves it. Right from page 1 up until the last page the book never lets you rest. It's one twist after the other. This book is what would happen if Mafia met Squid Game.
May 29, 2024
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Worlds Unlike Our Own
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Twelve influential people are kidnapped while attending a convention and wake to find that they are imprisoned in an empty hotel with strange devices strapped to their legs. Their mysterious captor lays three choices before them: they can live out the rest of their lives in the hotel peacefully, one of them can die by suicide and allow the others to go free, or one of them can murder one of their companions and escape alone. If they choose to simply walk out the front door, the device on their leg will release a deadly virus into the world. Placed in a dilemma with impossible choices, everyone struggles to decide who they can trust, for their captor reveals one more thing – each of them has committed a dreadful sin due to which they have been placed here – and some are more than willing than others to consider one of the choices offered to them.
I was actually hoping to get to read this during the panel rounds last year but didn’t so I immediately signed up for the blog tour. I absolutely adore locked room mysteries and this sounded really promising.
This book certainly lived up to the premise and the whole mystery was riveting. It wasn’t just one mystery though, but several – who the mastermind of the whole thing was, what dark deeds each of them had committed, and of course, once the murders began, trying to figure out who was behind each of them.
The plot was well thought out and the whodunit mystery ingeniously woven. It was never predictable which is a big thing, since this type of plot tends to become easy to guess after a point. The map included was useful to visualize the events too. But most of all, the author did a wonderful job setting the scene and conveying the sense of urgency and desperate feeling all the characters were experiencing right from the beginning, which drew me into the story immediately.
This was a fast paced narrative and very easy to read. It held my attention throughout and I enjoyed watching the characters try to piece together the clues at each stage. The culprit was never obvious and the author did a great job of maintaining the suspense until the right moment.
It was nice to see this mystery unfold through Kiriaki’s perspective, and her background as a lawyer was useful in all the investigations. The other characters were all intriguing though with the number of them, I found it difficult to keep them straight until around halfway through the book when there weren’t so many of them in play anymore. After that, it was easier as more backstory about each was revealed.
This was unpredictable right until the last pages! Those final chapters were just twist after plot twist and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I definitely didn’t manage to guess any of it – I was so caught up in the story that after a point, I wasn’t even pausing to try and figure things out as I usually do with this genre.
Overall, The Only Way Out Is Death was such a thrilling ride and I’m very glad I added it to my TBR. I’m interested to see what this author will write next and I would highly recommend this book to fans of mysteries and thrillers!
Twelve influential people are kidnapped while attending a convention and wake to find that they are imprisoned in an empty hotel with strange devices strapped to their legs. Their mysterious captor lays three choices before them: they can live out the rest of their lives in the hotel peacefully, one of them can die by suicide and allow the others to go free, or one of them can murder one of their companions and escape alone. If they choose to simply walk out the front door, the device on their leg will release a deadly virus into the world. Placed in a dilemma with impossible choices, everyone struggles to decide who they can trust, for their captor reveals one more thing – each of them has committed a dreadful sin due to which they have been placed here – and some are more than willing than others to consider one of the choices offered to them.
I was actually hoping to get to read this during the panel rounds last year but didn’t so I immediately signed up for the blog tour. I absolutely adore locked room mysteries and this sounded really promising.
This book certainly lived up to the premise and the whole mystery was riveting. It wasn’t just one mystery though, but several – who the mastermind of the whole thing was, what dark deeds each of them had committed, and of course, once the murders began, trying to figure out who was behind each of them.
The plot was well thought out and the whodunit mystery ingeniously woven. It was never predictable which is a big thing, since this type of plot tends to become easy to guess after a point. The map included was useful to visualize the events too. But most of all, the author did a wonderful job setting the scene and conveying the sense of urgency and desperate feeling all the characters were experiencing right from the beginning, which drew me into the story immediately.
This was a fast paced narrative and very easy to read. It held my attention throughout and I enjoyed watching the characters try to piece together the clues at each stage. The culprit was never obvious and the author did a great job of maintaining the suspense until the right moment.
It was nice to see this mystery unfold through Kiriaki’s perspective, and her background as a lawyer was useful in all the investigations. The other characters were all intriguing though with the number of them, I found it difficult to keep them straight until around halfway through the book when there weren’t so many of them in play anymore. After that, it was easier as more backstory about each was revealed.
This was unpredictable right until the last pages! Those final chapters were just twist after plot twist and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I definitely didn’t manage to guess any of it – I was so caught up in the story that after a point, I wasn’t even pausing to try and figure things out as I usually do with this genre.
Overall, The Only Way Out Is Death was such a thrilling ride and I’m very glad I added it to my TBR. I’m interested to see what this author will write next and I would highly recommend this book to fans of mysteries and thrillers!
September 7, 2022
I’ve seen lots of movies that follow the same storyline as this book. A group of seemingly disparate people are invited somewhere and all end up locked in an impossible prison by an all powerful faceless someone who tells them the complicated rules for escape.
However, despite its familiarity, this story is enjoyable. There are 12 unlikeable people, lots of twists and turns, and some clever whodunnits behind each murder.
I didn’t find the characters very realistic for the kind of people they were supposed to be, but they were perfectly fine for this kind of story. It’s a very contrived scenario, so there isn’t much depth to the people and I didn’t connect with any of them emotionally.
The story is written in first person, but I think it could have been as easily written in third person limited as the first person narration added no depth of feeling or personality of voice.
The pacing is well done, with the murders paced out appropriately and each dissection of the death very entertaining.
I liked the setting of the hotel. It was easy to picture each scene. The broad range of characters provided some nice conflicts and bickering that transcended their reason for being there and their imprisonment.
A very modern retelling of Agatha Christie’s Then There Were None.
However, despite its familiarity, this story is enjoyable. There are 12 unlikeable people, lots of twists and turns, and some clever whodunnits behind each murder.
I didn’t find the characters very realistic for the kind of people they were supposed to be, but they were perfectly fine for this kind of story. It’s a very contrived scenario, so there isn’t much depth to the people and I didn’t connect with any of them emotionally.
The story is written in first person, but I think it could have been as easily written in third person limited as the first person narration added no depth of feeling or personality of voice.
The pacing is well done, with the murders paced out appropriately and each dissection of the death very entertaining.
I liked the setting of the hotel. It was easy to picture each scene. The broad range of characters provided some nice conflicts and bickering that transcended their reason for being there and their imprisonment.
A very modern retelling of Agatha Christie’s Then There Were None.
June 5, 2024
3.5/5
August 3, 2022
Twelve people, all in positions of power, were at a convention when they were kidnapped. All twelve next woke up in an abandoned hotel, with devices strapped to their legs, and are given clear instructions: they are trapped, and there are only a few ways out. If someone simply walks out the door, the device on their leg will release a deadly virus out into the world, and they will be responsible. If someone kills another, the killer will be free to leave. And if someone commits suicide, everyone left alive can go.
Surrounded by both moral and impossible choices, all twelve must make their choices as to who they trust, and who they don’t. And who they choose to spend their time around could be the difference between life and death.
This book is told from the perspective of Kiriaki, a lawyer, who uses her knowledge and skills at both deducing the truth and convincing others of said truth, to her advantage. It doesn’t take long until the group starts finding people dead, and Kiriaki tends to take the lead in the investigations. Finding out who the murderer was is vital, and both learning the truth, and convincing the others, is no easy task. This isn’t just a murder mystery. There are several mysteries surrounding murders, but also, the mystery of who it was that kidnapped them, who is the mastermind in the whole plot, and who within the hotel can be trusted.
There is a reason behind every single one of the twelve being taken, although details of the sins they seemingly must atone for are hidden until danger and accusation force the truth out. My favourite parts of this book were the ‘trials’ as such, when a body has been found and everyone gathers together to try and work out the motives, the actions, and the killer. Kiriaki is incredibly clever, and it’s fascinating watching her narrow in on the truth.
The confusion and fear of such a strange situation comes across perfectly. No one quite knows what to do, or how to act. Some isolate themselves, some try to come up with ways to escape, whether that be by following the mastermind’s rules, or by becoming a killer, and some simply try to remain calm, and pretend nothing is happening. After all, if no one dies, they are still in a luxury hotel, and have the option to live together in peace. Friendships form and break apart, and everyone is on edge. One might go as far as to accuse a friend if it keeps them safe. Anything goes, and the unpredictability, and multiple plot twists, certainly keeps you reading.
I loved Kiriaki as a character. She has done things in the past that she is not proud about, and she can’t deny that the situation scares her, but she tries to be friendly to everyone. Alliances and enemies form almost immediately, for some of the people know each other outside of the hotel, but Kiriaki stays relatively neutral throughout the entire book. She gets to know everyone a little, and I definitely formed my views on the characters based on what she thought of them. Her inner monologue is almost amusing at times, but it’s perfect for letting the reader know what exactly she thinks of each person, and how she comes to the conclusions she comes to.
If I had any problem with this book, it was that I definitely struggled to keep track of the characters. While some of them were easy to keep track of (I knew who Malik, Anders, Shraddha, and Gideon were the entire time, but they did all have very specific character traits that made them stand out), others blended together, until I wasn’t sure who was who, who had what backstory, and what their role was. But it would be difficult to keep up with such a large cast of characters anyway, even if there wasn’t so much necessary information about each character that had to be revealed and then stored until it was needed.
While I haven’t read many murder mysteries before, I have watched plenty of thrillers, and this book would make an excellent film. After reading this book, I almost feel like I’ve watched it as a film already, for even though I couldn’t keep up with the characters, I could definitely keep up with the story, and it was absolutely amazing. I’ll certainly be keeping an eye out for this author in the future.
Surrounded by both moral and impossible choices, all twelve must make their choices as to who they trust, and who they don’t. And who they choose to spend their time around could be the difference between life and death.
This book is told from the perspective of Kiriaki, a lawyer, who uses her knowledge and skills at both deducing the truth and convincing others of said truth, to her advantage. It doesn’t take long until the group starts finding people dead, and Kiriaki tends to take the lead in the investigations. Finding out who the murderer was is vital, and both learning the truth, and convincing the others, is no easy task. This isn’t just a murder mystery. There are several mysteries surrounding murders, but also, the mystery of who it was that kidnapped them, who is the mastermind in the whole plot, and who within the hotel can be trusted.
There is a reason behind every single one of the twelve being taken, although details of the sins they seemingly must atone for are hidden until danger and accusation force the truth out. My favourite parts of this book were the ‘trials’ as such, when a body has been found and everyone gathers together to try and work out the motives, the actions, and the killer. Kiriaki is incredibly clever, and it’s fascinating watching her narrow in on the truth.
The confusion and fear of such a strange situation comes across perfectly. No one quite knows what to do, or how to act. Some isolate themselves, some try to come up with ways to escape, whether that be by following the mastermind’s rules, or by becoming a killer, and some simply try to remain calm, and pretend nothing is happening. After all, if no one dies, they are still in a luxury hotel, and have the option to live together in peace. Friendships form and break apart, and everyone is on edge. One might go as far as to accuse a friend if it keeps them safe. Anything goes, and the unpredictability, and multiple plot twists, certainly keeps you reading.
I loved Kiriaki as a character. She has done things in the past that she is not proud about, and she can’t deny that the situation scares her, but she tries to be friendly to everyone. Alliances and enemies form almost immediately, for some of the people know each other outside of the hotel, but Kiriaki stays relatively neutral throughout the entire book. She gets to know everyone a little, and I definitely formed my views on the characters based on what she thought of them. Her inner monologue is almost amusing at times, but it’s perfect for letting the reader know what exactly she thinks of each person, and how she comes to the conclusions she comes to.
If I had any problem with this book, it was that I definitely struggled to keep track of the characters. While some of them were easy to keep track of (I knew who Malik, Anders, Shraddha, and Gideon were the entire time, but they did all have very specific character traits that made them stand out), others blended together, until I wasn’t sure who was who, who had what backstory, and what their role was. But it would be difficult to keep up with such a large cast of characters anyway, even if there wasn’t so much necessary information about each character that had to be revealed and then stored until it was needed.
While I haven’t read many murder mysteries before, I have watched plenty of thrillers, and this book would make an excellent film. After reading this book, I almost feel like I’ve watched it as a film already, for even though I couldn’t keep up with the characters, I could definitely keep up with the story, and it was absolutely amazing. I’ll certainly be keeping an eye out for this author in the future.
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