Book Review: All Dressed Up by Jilly Gagnon

About the Book

The weekend getaway at the gorgeous manor hotel should have been perfect. But Becca is freshly smarting from her husband Blake’s betrayal and knows this is just an expensive attempt at an apology. She may not be ready to forgive him, but the drinks are strong, the estate is stunning, and the weekend has an elaborate 1920s murder mystery theme. She decides to get into the spirit of things and enjoy their stay. What could go wrong?

Before long, the game is afoot: famed speakeasy songstress Ida Crooner is found “murdered,” and it’s up to the guests to sniff out which of them might be the culprit. Playing the role of Miss Debbie Taunte, an ingenue with a dark past, Becca dives into the world of pun-heavy clues, hammy acting, and secret passages, hoping to at least take her mind off her marital troubles.

Then, the morning after they arrive, the actress playing Ida’s maid fails to reappear for her role. The game’s organizer—that’s Miss Ann Thrope to you—assumes the young woman’s flakiness is to blame, but when snooping for clues as “Debbie,” Becca finds evidence she may not have left of her own free will.

Told over a nail-biting forty-eight hours and interspersed with in-game clues, set pieces, and character histories from the campy flapper-filled mystery nested inside a modern one, All Dressed Up is a loving tribute to classic whodunits and a riveting exploration of the secrets we keep in order to sustain the act.

My Review

This was a really fun concept, and it played out really well for about the first half or so of the book. But as secrets started to be revealed and resolutions reached, it all quickly felt very far-fetched in a way that didn’t make a lot of sense – or seem in line with the tone and tenor of the first half of the book.

Unlike some other reviewers, I actually liked the interplay of the protagonist’s personal drama overlaying the murder mystery, and didn’t find that distracting at all. It was a lot of what I liked best about the story, in fact. I found many of the characters to be a bit melodramatic and a little overdrawn – but it worked for the most part, given the setup of the story.

All in all it was a pleasant read, I just wish the ending had come together as strongly as the beginning did.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy.