And Then They Were Doomed is a fun little pastiche of Agatha Christie tales.
Zoe has a recently deceased mother who was ostracized by her entire family after giving birth without a husband in sight. Zoe is also a little person and a writer of author biographies. Since she is currently working on a book about Agatha Christie, she is not surprised to be invited to speak at a webinar series about her. She is surprised when she arrives there to a remote lodge stranded by a storm in the remote Michigan woods. No one is who they claim to be. The two people running the conference are named after Christie characters. There is a statue featuring children on the dining room table that slowly loses children as people disappear. What is really happening here and how can Zoe escape with the bridge flooded and the telephones not working?
And Then They Were Doomed is a fun ride through Christie lore. Both book plots and the author’s real-life are called out in the plot. Zoe is a great character. I’m hoping to see more of her in subsequent tales. However, the unbelievable ending just ruined the book for me. Plus while frequently calling out Christie’s “overwriting” as a bad thing, this book is guilty of it too. Even with those flaws, the book is worth the read. 4 stars!
Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.