Enter to Win by Kirsten Jany (Book Review).
Enter to Win is a whodunit novel about a mysterious murder on the set of the seemingly unpopular soap opera, Crystal Falls. With ratings down, director Rob de Heer decides to put together a contest sparked by the idea from his assistant, Jeremy. Contestants will win the opportunity to have a character shaped after them in the show. Not to mention, $200,000.
When the contestant pool is narrowed to four, Rob digs a little deeper to find out the real secrets behind the lives of the four contestants, and he ends up dead. Jeremy is the only one with a solid alibi, and while anyone on the film crew could have killed Rob, fingers are quickly pointed at the four contestants:
Corinne is the girl who grew up poor. When she was on the way to a job interview, she found a wedding band that she put on and quickly claimed as her own, faking a wealthy life full of love and opportunity. After something tragic happens at her job, her co-workers find out her secrets and are quick to throw her under the bus. When she finds out she's one of the final four contestants, she only has her eye on one thing (or 200,000 things), the prize money.
Michael was accused of killing his wife, and he hopes Crystal Falls will be his opportunity to finally set the record straight and let the world know that he's innocent.
Stephen lost his wife to cancer. Soon after (some may say too soon), he starts falling for a woman who works at a wig shop specializing in wigs for women battling cancer. He lies to the woman and tells her that he's buying a wig for his dying mother, and when she finds out about his dead wife, she wants nothing to do with him. Stephen goes between feeling guilty about moving on from his wife and lying to this woman he fell for after she died. He wants to make it up to his wife by letting her story be told on her favorite TV show.
Trish knows that her husband is cheating on her, and when she decides to follow him one day, what she witnesses will change her life, her family's life, and the life of a stranger forever. With the world now against her, she wants Crystal Falls to be her means of redemption and her chance tell her side of the story and get everyone back on her side.
This book kept me very intrigued from beginning to end. I love a good mystery novel that keeps you bouncing from character to character as far as accusations go. What was interesting about Enter to Win was that it was told from five different perspectives: Jeremy and the four contestants. I love getting insight into the murder and the unfolding of the murderer from several points of view.
By the end of the novel, I was at the edge of my seat trying to figure out who killed Rob. The revelation of who the murderer was was pretty shocking and unexpected, and the scene with everything coming into light was pretty action packed.
I give this book a 3.5 out of 5. It was a great murder mystery that kept me guessing until the very end. My main complaint is that there were a few glaring typos throughout the book that made me want to take out my red pen and correct it, but since I read the book on my phone, that was definitely not a possibility.
Also, even though the five main characters were all very different in almost every aspect, I didn't find myself connecting with any of them. Some of that may have to do with the age difference and the fact that these characters had definitely experienced things that I don't even want to think about, but at the same time, when I don't feel a personal connection with a character, it takes a little bit away from the book, and I don't delve into it as much as I would if there was a character that I really connected with. That's not to say other people couldn't relate though. I think some of these very real struggles have been experienced by many. Other than that, I thought this book was wonderful, and I recommend it to anyone that likes a good mystery. It was a pretty fast read with a lot of unexpected twists and turns.
I received a complimentary copy of this book for review from Musa Publishing. All opinions are my own.
09
10
I think soap opera settings are ripe for all kinds of interesting stories. All those actors in one place, in such a drama-laden genre? Oh yes.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a good book! Loving your blog.
ReplyDeletexoxo
Candace
www.FromCtoC.com
I love a good murder mystery, but I'm with you--the typos would have driven me crazy! In my print books, I have actually been known to correct typos and suggest alternate wording, a habit that drives my husband insane. What can I say? Once an English major, always an English major! :)
ReplyDeleteI love a good murder mystery, but the typos would drive me crazy, too! This does sound like an interesting read, though.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a fun read!
ReplyDeleteI just watched Clue for the first time last week, and this sounds like the same type of thing. Interesting! I love books that keep me guessing.
ReplyDeleteHaha yes! This book was definitely full of a lot of drama!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Candace! You're so sweet!
ReplyDeleteI was never an English major but I've always been a bit of a grammar shark.
ReplyDeleteIf it was free of the typos, it would have a made a huge difference. It was a still a good read though.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much! I'm glad you enjoyed the review. I love mystery books, but I can understand why they wouldn't be for everyone!
ReplyDeleteIt definitely kept me at the edge of my seat.
ReplyDeleteClue is one of my all-time favorite movies! I love it so much. I definitely love a good mystery.
ReplyDeleteOh wow! I haven't seen Clue but I want to and this book looks amazing!! I so want to read it now! :)
ReplyDeleteYou should definitely see Clue! It's based on the board game. It's awesome. It has three different endings. You should definitely check out this book too! I love mysteries!
ReplyDeleteThis looks great :)
ReplyDeleteIt was definitely an interesting read.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome!
ReplyDeletethis is a great review, but unfortunately I don't usually like mystery.
ReplyDelete