From the author of This Books Kills comes another twisty mystery that's part Agatha Christie, part Karen McManus. Trapped in a mansion with a murderer and a family of liars—how would you survive?
When Devi, Lizzie, and Jayne get snowed in and stranded at the grand Bramble Estate, home of the wealthy Vanforte family, they find themselves accidentally right in the middle of a murder plot. The matriarch, Emily Vanforte, has been poisoned at her own dinner party, and whoever did it is still on the loose.
The killer could only be one of four Charles, Emily's notorious politician husband; Lottie their seemingly perfect teenage daughter; Douglas, Lottie's good-for-nothing boyfriend; and Tate, Charle's nephew who is more than meets the eye.
Cut off from help, confined in an isolated house with a killer, and surrounded by suspects, the girls decide to solve the mystery before one of them becomes the next victim. But no one is safe with knives hidden under the floorboards, vanishing guns, and secret passages in the walls. And in a house full of liars, how will they ever discover the truth in time?
A born and bred Londoner, Ravena writes MG and YA, usually featuring antiheroines or snarky narrators. She is a lawyer with a degree in biochemistry, and hopes to use the knowledge gained from her experiences to plot her books, whether that's wild MG fantasy adventures, or twisty YA murder-mysteries.
Ravena Guron’s second YA Thriller was a masterfully executed and beautifully compulsive, locked room murder mystery that Cluedo-loving fans of Holly Jackson and Agatha Christie are gonna absolutely devour!
Told from the POV of three protagonists (Devi, Lizzie and Jayne) who all find themselves stranded at the grand Bramble Estate during a snowstorm and inadvertently end up at the heart of a sophisticated murder plot.
For wealthy hostess, Emily Vanforte has been poisoned (at her own dinner party no less), and as they’re already trapped until morning—Devi, Lizzie and Jayne decide to solve the case themselves.
Having loved Guron’s debut YA Thriller (This Book Kills) back in January, I was beyond excited to get my hands on an early copy of Catch Your Death and can finally confirm that it surpassed all my expectations.
I loved our protagonists Devi, Lizzie and Jayne (who ranged from fabulously sharp witted and impulsive to socially awkward and endearingly compassionate) and found them all really intriguing. Their complexity, depth and meticulously crafted backstories were phenomenally compelling and really helped to keep the narrative flowing.
Though if I had to pick a fave I would probably be Devi, who’s opinionated take charge attitude (and ability to speak her mind) was utterly entertaining.
Like Jess from This Book Kills, Devi gives us a refreshingly candid view on how wildly out of touch the extremely wealthy can be, and the power imbalance which allows them to ruin lives (or break laws) with little consequence. I can’t really go into too much detail on this (for fear of spoilers), but it’s an aspect that’s startlingly relevant right now and something that really resonated with me.
If you love the classic whodunnit-style, murder mystery format—where pretty much every character is a suspect— then you will definitely appreciate how intricately woven and plot twisty this is. The moral ambiguity of every character and the lies and secrets exposed along the way had me on the edge of my seat —which I loved!
I also enjoyed the interactive elements (note pages to write down our guesses for who the culprit was) which gave us the chance to really think through our suspects, and get into the mindset of a detective (or the killer) —which I had soo much fun with. Though as mine was a proof I’m unsure if this will be included in the final copies.
Unfortunately I didn’t manage to guess who Emily’s killler was, (the revelation of which I’m still impressed by.) But I did manage work out one of the other twists, which did make me feel quite clever.
Overall, a satisfyingly empowering, YA Murder Mystery with more plot twists than you can shake a stick at —amateur sleuths and arm chair detectives alike will definitely want to add this to their TBRs.
Also, a huge thank you to Jess over at Usborne for the proof.
Wowwwwwww. What a plot twist. I never would’ve suspected this book to play out like it did. The whole second half of this book was literal whiplash and I just had to devour it one sitting. Deciding to binge this one at 1 a.m. was probably not my brightest idea because I was on edge for the next 3 hours, but that's a sign of a good, immersive murder mystery, right? At first, I thought that the murder was obvious, and I didn’t see any other way that this book could play out, but that is exactly what Ravena Guron wanted, and I struggled to decide who I should believe and who I shouldn’t. The big plot twist? I definitely did not see that one coming. There were multiple times when I closed the book and just let my jaw hang on the floor for a little bit before picking it up and continuing the story, I just had to let my body react for a moment to what I had just read. The pacing of this book was perfect, it wasn’t constant jaw-dropping scenes, but it kept you hooked just enough to keep turning the page. Also, I absolutely loved the way that this book was written, three different POVs and detective interviews in-between? You can never get bored reading this one.
Three girls find themselves stranded at the Bramble Estate in the middle of a snowstorm, with no other choice than to stay the night. Unfortunately, they picked the wrong place at the wrong time, because just as quickly as they stumbled onto the estate, they also stumbled upon a murder. The lady of the house, Emily Vanforte, has been poisoned. This means that the girls, Jayne, Devi and Lizzie are trapped in the house with a killer. Everyone is suspicious and the murder must be solved, but with missing weapons and secrets to be shared, no one is safe.
There was so much tension and suspense in this book that you could right through it with a knife. This book was just as good as ‘This Book Kills’ if not better, and I feel so lucky to of received an ARC of both of Guron’s books. I loved the interactive part of this ARC, and although my predictions weren’t really correct, I felt like a true detective writing down my thoughts! For lovers of ‘A Good Girls Guide to Murder’ and ‘One of Us is Lying’, this one is for you. Thank you, Usborne and Ravena Guron for filling my Wednesday night with excitement by sending me this ARC!
This really gets a 3.5 rating, rounded up, because there’s an intriguing story in here—it’s just way, way too long. The switching back and forth between the actual story and the police interviews was distracting and a bit annoying, and I would’ve rather just had the police procedural chapters removed entirely. I think it would have made it a much more cohesive story.
The setting is the all-too-common-these-days trope of blizzard + secluded estate = group of strangers trapped with a murderer. It’s been done well before, and the synopsis for this one sounded interesting enough for me to request a copy. The cast of characters is extensive, but not so much that you lose track of who’s who. Four people are blood-related, and there’s also a boyfriend, and those five make up the attendees of a fatal dinner party. Additionally, there are three girls who are stranded and each receive an odd, immediate invite to stay the night.
When the matriarch of the house dies during the dinner, and the girls subsequently are drawn into the murder mystery, they know the killer must be one of the remaining four dinner guests.
As you might imagine, the girls have a vested interest in finding out the killer’s identity, since the blizzard rages on outside, and they are trapped inside with a psychopath.
Again, I liked this. It has a lot of potential, if it’s pared down quite a bit. I do recommend it, with the caveat that it will take awhile to get through.
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.
ARC for review. To be published September 2, 2025.
3 stars
This YA book was previously published in the UK in 2023 under the same title.
Teenagers Devi (on the way to her grandmother’s house, and, yes, I just realized that makes her Little Red Riding Hood, only she doesn’t shut her mouth long enough to ride anywhere. I swear to you that a good 81.6% of this book is Devi talking,) Lizzie (delivering a necklace for her mother) and Jayne (part-time employee at the house) are snow-bound at the Bramble Estate, way out in the country the same night that stately, extremely wealthy Emily Vanforte is having a “special” family dinner for her husband, Charles, a politician, daughter, Lottie, 17, Douglas, Lottie’s rude boyfriend, also 17 and Tate, Charles’s nephew, who is likewise 17.
At the dinner Emily is poisoned, it seems by one of the people in the room. Only Charles, Lottie, Douglas and Tate would have had access. In the book Devi, Lizzie and Jayne (mostly Devi) are being interviewed by law enforcement to see if they hold the information that would point to the killer…and they believe they do.
So, there were up and down sides to this book. I liked that the three girls were very different from one another, even though Devi really dominated the story. At least different types of people could see themselves in one (or more) of the three characters (if you could muzzle Devi for a half second. Although I’m a Devi. Definitely.). However, at 350+ AM ages the book was FAR too long, especially since large swaths of it seemed to involve running around secret passages to little end. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love me a secret passage or two, but these were literally EVERYWHERE. I have the least knowledge of spatial relationships in the world (I think I always did poorly on those sections in IQ tests, which probably led people to believe I had the intelligence of a potato bug,) but there were so many in that house, the rooms must have been as narrow as swim lanes! I think that even I might have thought something was up…or I don’t know, I might have been too busy talking. Because, you know, I’m Devi.
Anyway, younger YAs will probably like it, though they will likely also think it too long.
This had such a strong beginning with the interviews being used as a framing device and the introduction and development of characters. I was so invested in what was happening and how the girls were going to solve this! And then I lost steam.
The story here was a bit too long for me. Guron's decision to split the timeline as a way to reveal some information didn't work for me at all and actively affected my enjoyment while reading. During the last third of the book, I was just waiting for it to end.
I put on my sleuthing hat then I was ready to dive into this locked room style murder mystery. However, as it turns out, I wasn’t ready for what was in store for me.
Like Guron’s previous story (This Book Kills) she has written fabulous characters that you will love, hate and suspect all at once! Devi is an instant favourite because, 1 - her interviews with the detective were hilarious and 2 - love snarky, witty, confident characters, (as it usually means they are hiding a pain and/or a vulnerability and I love characters with more depth to them), but there was someone else that I loved just as much. And, although they aren’t a main character, I loved their humour & sarcasm. (Obviously I can’t say who but you’ll work it out once you’ve read the book).
I sat there thinking this is a really good whodunnit an easy 4 stars but then I got dizzy. Why you ask? Well, simply because of the plots twists I didn’t see coming! The first was a stroke of genius making you reevaluate what you thought you knew but then there’s more! I was in a constant state of “OMG!” And “No blooming way!” (Ok, I didn’t say blooming but I’m keeping it PG! lol). This was brilliant and clever. I loved it.
And again it’s an interactive mystery (kinda). At two different points in the story you get to write down your thoughts and suspicions, really allowing you to play detective.
You might be wondering how I got on playing detective, well … one of my guesses was right but not exactly for the reasons I suspected, but it’s still a win! lol
My review today will feature the music of Papa Roach - Getting Away With Murder because after reading this book, it was stuck on a loop in my head!
Thank you so much, NetGalley & Usborne, for inviting me to read this fantastic murder mystery.
Thanks to Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire for the pre-release copy of Catch Your Death by Ravena Guron. Below is my honest review.
I really enjoyed this one. It was tons of fun! It offered up a mystery told through flashbacks and interviews with the police, alongside some (reliable?) narration. The creepy house with secret passages set out in the countryside and cut off from power, phone service, or even the surrounding area due to snow was a great setting. The mystery was spooled out at just the right pace, and the twists, albeit slightly predictable if you're a huge mystery reader like myself, were spot on in both timing and thrill level. And the relationships of the characters were really well done.
Four stars, definitely recommend to mystery/YA fans. (Check out her novel "This Book Kills" too!)
This book makes hits me in the feels Ms Guron has done it again and she always never disappoints me with her books I truly loved catch your death I had such a fun time reading it I loved how she gave me an emotional joy for the girls Devi, Lizzie and Jayne she made them feel like real teenage girls the only one I couldn’t stand at times was Lizzie but she got better overtime and wasn’t such a crybaby like I thought she was and I think I found a new book couple Devi and Tate, they’re so cute and I adore the two characters Ravena ends up making a couple like Tommy and Jess from this book kills Ms Guron characters will stay with me for a long time I can’t wait to dive into her next ya mystery novel she’s the best!
I absolutely adored this book so much I really loved the characters. Devi was by far my Favourite I really liked her sense of humour. I was constantly guessing who the killer could of possibly been. The twist and turns were soo good as well. I really liked the friendships made within this book. I liked how a lot of the chapters started with interview transcripts. The pacing was really good and I also like how Devi , Lizzie and Jayne came together. A definite must read if you love YA thriller I can’t wait to read more from this author.
Ravena Guron’s Catch Your Death is definitely a five star read. Considering the only other thriller/crime novels I’ve read are Holly Jackson’s (which I also LOVED), maybe I should pick up some more YA murder mysteries – if anyone has any recommendations! I had the pleasure of speaking to Ravena about her books at Darlington Library for Crossing The Tees Book Festival 2025 and she said this was the most difficult book she had written. I can completely understand that now knowing how many layers there are to this novel. Our three protagonists, Devi, Lizzie and Jayne are trapped overnight in Emily Vanforte’s creepy mansion with her creepier family. She is murdered in the night and they’re unable to contact help until morning, the girls must stay alive and figure out which of the family poisoned her. Each of these POV’s were so well crafted and thought out, each girl was so different in character and voice, forming complex and intriguing protagonists. The Bramble Estate is hiding more than secrets than the characters themselves. Emily’s husband, Charles, a crooked politician with a dark past, his suspicious nephew Charles, Emilie’s teenage daughter, Lottie, who is unable to earn her parents affections, and her angry, bankrupt boyfriend Douglas. The more we learn about the families history and relationships, the darker the plot becomes. I loved Devi’s last conversation with the detective before the first twist was revealed to us, I thought the writing here was just brilliant and set up the next scene magnificently. The second twist left me speechless, its walls within walls! I can never guess the perpetrator, but this one really had me swindled. I can’t wait to read Guron’s other novels!
4.5 sterren! Zag de plottwist echt totaaaal niet aankomen! Echt een spannend boek en heerlijk als verkoeling om dit bij een temperatuur van 30 graden te lezen. In het boek is er namelijk een sneeuwstorm. ❄️🌨
2.75 ⭐️ (rounded up cause it’s Christmas and I’m feeling nice)
So going in I knew this was YA, but I definitely feel like it was on the younger side of the genre and at times felt a bit childish and cringy.
This was a cosy locked room murder mystery type thriller. There was a big plot twist which left me speechless, but other than that the rest of the book was just average. I did like the transcripts from the police interviews which were spaced throughout the book.
Overall it was okay, but was just a bit too young for my taste.
I am a big YA thriller/mystery fan, but I did not enjoy this one. It's waaaay too long and drawn out. The characters are all kind of annoying. They were all very flat - each one had basically one single trait and it was just repeatedly brought up over and over. In general, it was pretty boring. Anything that could have been interesting was skimmed over. The 'twists' were over the top and just not very interesting. Majority of the book is monologues. The characters barely interact, and when they do, it's the same conversation over and over. Overall, this was a huge miss due to the drawn out length and underdeveloped characters.
Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for the ARC.
(Ik geef het eigenlijk 4,5 sterren). Ik vond het echt heel leuk en het begon beetje langzaam maar dat maakte niet uit. Het einde was heel goed bedacht en er waren een paar plottwist achter elkaar waardoor ik echt naar de muur ging staren. Zeker een aanrader.
What can I say about this book? One of the most engaging YA thrillers that truly reads like an Agatha Christie locked room murder mystery.
After really enjoying This Book Kills, I was really excited to read the author’s next novel and I am so glad I read it especially during winter.
There is nothing cozier than an isolated location murder mystery to solve. This one takes place in an isolated mansion in the middle of a rich family’s estate. Three girls are trapped in there with their family members during a snowstorm, unable to go home.
During the family dinner, one of the family members is murdered. Unable to leave they are all trapped in there for the night and with a killer on the loose.
It was really clever from the author to introduce us to the characters the way she did. We got an excerpt of the interviews that characters had with the police after the murder was committed and we also heard their stories from their own point of view.
They tell us their story from before the murder happened, during and after, letting the reader figure out who is behind the murder. Who had motive and also had the opportunity?
This is a longer novel than what I am used to for a YA mystery thriller but it is absolutely worth it. From the rich character depth to the structure of how the story is told and the twists are being revealed, this was just a fun time.
Definitely the perfect read for any fans of a good locked room murder mystery with some added rich family drama.
This was awesome. I loved reading this. In Catch Your Death, we are introduced to the three main characters: 🖤 Devi - smart-mouthed and bolshy - a strong sense of adventure - little reverence for danger - a need to solve a mystery 🖤 Lottie - not a risk taker - strong moral compass - consistently underestimated - sweet and compassionate 🖤 & Jayne - socially avoidant - prefers cold hard facts to people - does not enjoy conversation - distant but still lovable Each of these characters ends up staying overnight at The Bramble Estate in the West Wing that has been rumoured to be haunted. I could not help but to invest myself in these characters, particularly when they start bonding over the terrifying events that occur to them.
The setting of an isolated manor in a snow storm was a fantastic choice, there is nothing quite like a snowstorm on a night somebody is murdered to set up another angle of suspense. Alongside a family who hate each other, each with motive and opportunity to kill the tremendously wealthy matriarch who pulls all the strings.
I adore how things were tied up. I love how purely engaging this story was, this is the PERFECT book club read, particularly for those who are searching for the next One of Us is Lying. The plot to this is nothing short than diabolical and I feel very satisfied and smug after reading this, even if my skills as a sofa detective only guessed two plot points in this entire novel.
Content warnings: murder, death, gun violence, toxic relationship, death of a parent, cheating, blood, grief, suicide
I loved this author's first book so I was really excited to pick this up. And for the most part, it had kind of a Knives Out vibe to it - a murder in a locked house under mysterious conditions, an outsider trapped in the middle of it, and an investigation full of twists. And for the most part, I enjoyed this! It kept me guessing and there were plot twists I didn't see coming. But this was definitely longer than it truly needed to be, and there were times that it dragged a tad more than I would have liked. So, still a fun read, but not QUITE as gripping as I'd hoped based on the first one.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a thriller that genuinely kept me guessing. It really was not what I expected. Our story opens with a group of people cut off from the outside world, when one of them is killed. Our victim, Emily Vanforte, is poisoned during a family dinner…and only someone staying in the house would have the opportunity to do this. We follow the cast of characters as they try to establish who killed her and why. The truth is so far from what you might expect that it’s hard not to be impressed.
I just realized I hadn't added this book, so here it is.
Three girls end up in a manor the same weekend its owner is murdered. It was a bit like One of Us Is Lying and Clue (yes, the board game), with a bit of unexpected twists.
Ik vond het een leuk boek, niet super bijzonder. Las lekker weg door YA vibe. Vergelijkbaar met Holly Jackson en Karen McManus maar dan slechter hahaha
Er zaten voor mijn gevoel net te veel obvious plottwist in en de storyline op het einde had niet gehoeven voor mij. Over het algemeen heb ik me vermaakt dus daarom 3 sterren
Whoa!! I did not see the twist in the middle coming, although the one at the end was somewhat evident.
This book was full of morally gray, and despicable characters, and they were its strength. It was fleshed out nicely, and the murder mystery was really good too! Some scenes sent chills down my spine.
Mijn hemel wat kwam dit traag op gang. Uiteindelijk goed plot wel op zich maar boeide me al niet meer. Had dit ook met haar vorige boek. Helaas geen fan van deze auteur.