Suddenly a Murder

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One of Us Is Lying meets Knives Out in this glamorous locked-room mystery. Now in paperback!

“A can’t miss for mystery fans.” —Kathleen Glasgow, New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces and The Agathas

Someone brought a knife to the party.

To celebrate the end of high school, Izzy Morales joins her ride-or-die Kassidy and five friends on a 1920s–themed getaway at the glamorous Ashwood Manor. There, Izzy and her friends party in vintage dresses and expensive diamonds—until Kassidy’s boyfriend turns up dead.

Murdered, investigators declare when they arrive at the scene, and now every party guest is a suspect. There’s the girlfriend, in love. The other girl, in despair. The old friend, forlorn. The new friend, distressed. The brooding enigma. And then, there’s Izzy—the girl who brought the knife.

To find the killer, everyone must undergo a grueling interrogation, all while locked in an estate where, suddenly, the greatest luxury is innocence.PRAISE FOR SUDDENLY A MURDER

An Amazon Best Book of the Month

“A delicious, twisty, and clever locked-room mystery with loads of glamour and danger that will keep readers rapt until the very end. A can’t miss for mystery fans.” —Kathleen Glasgow, New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces and The Agathas

“Alongside the central mystery, the author successfully explores a host of serious issues, including substance abuse, risky sexual behavior, and the armor of socioeconomic privilege…. An un-put-down-able, bittersweet whodunit.” —Kirkus Reviews

“In classic Clue fashion, debut author Muñoz delivers a nail-biting mystery. . . . Muñoz’s attention to class dynamics and interpersonal loyalty anchors the happenings in cerebral themes. By skillfully molding tension via well-placed clues and gripping dialogue, the creator believably cultivates shocking reveals and bittersweet resolutions.” —Publishers Weekly

“Agatha Christie meets Karen M. McManus in this suspenseful mystery. . . . Muñoz captures the spirit of the classic mystery, deftly weaving the threads without missing a plot point. A strong debut from a promising new voice.” —BooklistLauren Muñoz is a writer, lawyer, and former teacher living in Southern California. She received her J.D. from Northwestern University in Chicago, where she frequently skipped class to commune with her sun lamp. When she’s not reading, she can be found knitting, crocheting, and collecting recipes for things she’ll never bake. Suddenly a Murder is her debut novel.Prologue

The knife burns cold in my trembling hand.

I lock Blaine’s door with a soft click so no one can follow me into his bedroom. The others are busy getting dressed for cocktail hour, but it would be unforgivable to take any risks now that I’ve come this far.

The antique shower plumbing whistles and bangs as loudly as the rusty boiler in Marian Academy’s basement. Even so, I hold my breath as I creep toward the bathroom. I hide behind the cracked door and peer through the gap. Blaine is standing in the canary-yellow tub, with a sheer shower curtain drawn around him, his head and chest barely visible through the swirling steam. The vintage wool bathing suit he’d worn to the beach is in a heap on the mosaic tile.

Each bathroom in Ashwood Manor has been meticulously preserved, and Blaine’s is decorated with golden art deco mirrors.

I look at the gold blade of my knife.

They match.

If I were the kind of person who believed in signs, I might think the universe approved of the crime I was about to commit.

But I’m not that kind of person. That person would have spilled their secret to Kassidy weeks ago, hoping the universe would repay their good deed. I’m more of a don’t-fuck-with-my-future-if-you-don’t-want-to-meet-my-knife kind of girl. At least I want to be. My shaking hands tell a different story.

Blaine’s eyes are closed, his head tipped up to the water as it cascades down with the delicate patter typical of old houses, a quiet contrast to the thumping plumbing in the walls. It’s a soothing sound, like spring rain, and I briefly flash back to the day before prom, when Blaine danced in my apartment building’s courtyard during a storm while my family and I laughed from the sidewalk.

He looked vulnerable and young then, just as he does now, standing naked and defenseless in the shower. I’ve been waiting for this moment. Obsessing over the details in my head for days. But as Blaine runs his hands through his ginger hair, slowly pushing a stream of water off his forehead and down his freckled back, a burning guilt spreads through my arms, almost making me drop the knife.

Blaine doesn’t deserve this—not really. But neither do I. And I can’t sit back and let him destroy my life.

I grip the knife tighter and step through the doorway.US

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