The Traitors by Carissa Ann Lynch
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
**3.5-stars**
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Over 25-years ago, Beechwood Castle was the site of a grisly axe murder. Three teens lost their lives on that gruesome night, while one teen survived. A final girl.
In the aftermath of the killing, the local community was left reeling. In an effort to catch the person responsible, a local cop ended up killing a boy he suspected was the murderer, but as it turns out, he was most likely innocent.
The castle has had a rocky history every since, the grounds falling into ruin. Now six people have received invitations for an overnight stay at the infamous castle. The selling point, the chance to win a portion of a million dollar cash payout.
All they need to do, make it a full 24-hours on the property.
From the publisher:
Six people walk into the house. One of them is an imposter, all of them are traitors, which of them will survive the night?
The Traitors is a hoot! It definitely reads like a B-Horror film, but y’all know that I have no problem with that.
It gets categorized as a Locked-Room Mystery, and while I guess I can understand that comp, to me it’s the classic set-up for a blood bath of a Horror Thriller.
Sure, there’s some mystery as to who is killing people, but to me the blood and brutal slayings sort of take center stage. It is a And Then There Were None format, but with much more of a heavy-handed Horror slant.
That’s all semantics though, either way, it’s a fun time.
I enjoyed the initial character set-up. Getting to meet each of the six people who received a Willy Wonka-esque Golden Ticket invite for the overnight stay at Beechwood.
I was instantly reaching for the popcorn as the drama of this cast of unlikable characters began. They each had their own motivations for being there, but who wasn’t supposed to be there at all? That was the question.
It seems someone has infiltrated and they begin picking off the competition one-by-one. Is it as simple as that though, or is something else going on?
I had a lot of theories as to what was going on. It’s all a bit chaotic, but there’s never a lack of action. Lynch keeps the pace going at a nice steady speed throughout.
The twists and turns were surprising and they kept me engaged. I wasn’t just eating the popcorn, I was throwing it at some of these characters.
This is the third novel I have read by Carissa Ann Lynch and I’ve had fun with them all. They don’t take themselves too seriously. We’re all just here for a good time.
I would recommend this to anyone who just wants a fun, quick-paced, intense, OTT-dramatic weekend read. If you enjoy multiple kills, unlikable characters and an ominous setting, you absolutely need to check this out.
I enjoy all of those things and feel like this novel checks all those boxes.
Thank you to the publisher, One More Chapter, for providing me with a copy to read and review.
I had fun with this and am definitely planning to pick up more from Carissa Ann Lynch!