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A review by aussiegirlinuk
Five Found Dead by Sulari Gentill
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Release date: 19 August 2025
It began, as all good mysteries do, aboard a train…
Joe Penvale and his twin sister Meredith set out on the storied Orient Express for a journey of rest and recovery—Joe, a crime fiction author in remission, and Meredith, ever the hopeful twin, eager for inspiration to strike once more. But as snow falls and wheels turn, fiction becomes fact, and blood is discovered where only words should have been. No body, just red-stained sheets. And so begins the mystery of Cabin 16G…
The scene is set for a classic locked-room whodunnit, the cast assembled like suspects in a parlour: former law enforcement officers, travellers with secrets, and a killer who’s always one step ahead. As the death toll rises—five found dead, one still missing—the question lingers: who among them is capable of murder?
This is the second novel I’ve read by Sulari Gentill (the first being The Woman in the Library), and once again, the premise is enticing: literary nods, a moody train setting, and a deliciously Christie-esque setup. And yet, for all its potential, the execution didn’t quite reach the heights I hoped for. The pacing lagged at times, the plot veered into the implausible, and some characters fell into nationalistic stereotypes that felt more outdated than artful.
Still, I appreciated the homage to classic crime fiction, and the sense of atmosphere aboard the Orient Express was palpable. There is something irresistible about a train, a mystery, and the ticking clock of arriving at your final destination.
Murder may be timeless, but sometimes, even the best intentions miss their stop.
Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
It began, as all good mysteries do, aboard a train…
Joe Penvale and his twin sister Meredith set out on the storied Orient Express for a journey of rest and recovery—Joe, a crime fiction author in remission, and Meredith, ever the hopeful twin, eager for inspiration to strike once more. But as snow falls and wheels turn, fiction becomes fact, and blood is discovered where only words should have been. No body, just red-stained sheets. And so begins the mystery of Cabin 16G…
The scene is set for a classic locked-room whodunnit, the cast assembled like suspects in a parlour: former law enforcement officers, travellers with secrets, and a killer who’s always one step ahead. As the death toll rises—five found dead, one still missing—the question lingers: who among them is capable of murder?
This is the second novel I’ve read by Sulari Gentill (the first being The Woman in the Library), and once again, the premise is enticing: literary nods, a moody train setting, and a deliciously Christie-esque setup. And yet, for all its potential, the execution didn’t quite reach the heights I hoped for. The pacing lagged at times, the plot veered into the implausible, and some characters fell into nationalistic stereotypes that felt more outdated than artful.
Still, I appreciated the homage to classic crime fiction, and the sense of atmosphere aboard the Orient Express was palpable. There is something irresistible about a train, a mystery, and the ticking clock of arriving at your final destination.
Murder may be timeless, but sometimes, even the best intentions miss their stop.
Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.