Murder on Lake Garda

Murder on Lake Garda by Tom Hindle  continues the author’s fascination with locked room mysteries and the Golden Age of detection. Hindle cites Agatha Christie and Anthony Horowitz as influences on his third novel - so the reader should not be surprised by his writing style.

Eighteen guests gather on a picturesque Italian island to celebrate a wedding but then a murder occurs just before the ceremony takes place. The event soon unravels as a number of family secrets are spilled as the guests and family find themselves trapped on the island awaiting the Police.  But why did this murder take place and who is the culprit?

As this novel follows golden age convention, there are soon more murders peppering the proceedings.

However, this is a contemporary story (involving a media influencer) that updates the Christie-esque elements in play. Initially Christie’s novel And Then There Were None comes to mind with Hindle’s “country house” styled plot. The authors’ delineation [and evocation] of setting and characterisation are vividly realised. I have never believed one has to have likeable characters to make a novel engaging, and this is most certainly the case in this latest work by Hindle, as very few of the protagonists are likeable.  In fact, many of the characters are repugnant, but despite this, Tom Hindle makes this narrative an intriguing story.  Furthermore, being told in third person ensures that we see different perspectives [and facets] of the characters.

With red herrings and misdirection[s] in place - this becomes a thoroughly enjoyable read that adroitly evokes a tale of Golden Age detection updated to our contemporary times.

Highly recommended