A great murder mystery!
The Blurb
Set in the gilded opulence of the Roaring Twenties comes a unique, transporting
and thrilling homage to the world of The Great Gatsby, in which murder comes
to visit the world’s most beloved literary characters. As well as an addictive and
immersive murder mystery, The Gatsby Gambit is also a clever examination of
class, social structure and what it meant to be a woman in the 1920s, from an
exciting new voice.
1922: You are cordially invited to summer at the Gatsby Mansion in West Egg, with
the most illustrious – and the deadliest – guest list.
Freshly twenty-one and sporting a daring new bob, Greta Gatsby– younger sister
to the infamous Jay– is finally free of finishing school. An idyllic summer stretches
ahead of her at the Gatsby Mansion, the jewel of West Egg.
But when Greta arrives at the secluded white-stone estate bathed in the late-afternoon light, she finds she isn’t
the only visitor. Jay is hosting an intimate gathering of New York’s fashionable set: Daisy and Tom Buchanan, along
with his brother Edgar, Nick Carraway and Jordan Baker.
That evening, the guests enjoy a candelabra-lit dinner party. That night, they dance to the lilt of the gramophone.
The next morning, one of them is missing.
Murder has come to West Egg, the warm breeze tainted by scandal, betrayal and secrets. Turning sleuth isn’t how
Greta meant to spend her summer – but what choice does she have when one of them could be next?
My Review
The Gatsby Gambit by Claire Anderson Wheeler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A thoroughly enjoyable murder mystery set in a wealthy household in America.
The Gatsbys are not rich by birth, but rather through hard work and sheer grit. A brother and sister team, Jay and Greta now mix with the upper echelons of society, though there are always people not there who like to remind them they are not the same at the other monied families.
The story centers around a summer where Greta finally finishes all the schooling her brother provided, and she is looking forward to the future.
When she arrives, she is a bit disappointed to find the house already full of some of her brothers wealthy friends, apparently here to stay for a little while.
After accepting she is not getting time with her brother alone, first, she settles into her first day home.
Peace is not longlasting as the body of one of the guests is discovered, and what ensues is a journey to try and find the truth.
Was it suicide or murder?
I wasn’t sure I would get into the story, initially, and it’s quite a long book, however within a couple of chapters, i was hooked, and i read it all within three days!
I enjoyed the twists and turns as different pieces of evidence were unravelled, and I found myself doubting the character of several of the people. The final conclusion was not something I anticipated at all.
All in all, a jolly good read!
About the Author
Claire Anderson-Wheeler grew up in Dublin, Geneva, and Brussels. She studied Law at Trinity College, Dublin, and holds a Masters in Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia. She works in Publishing and this is her debut novel. Claire first read The Great Gatsby on holiday when she was fourteen, and has revisited it often since. She currently lives in Boston with her partner.
But I Smile Anyway... 