“Everyone is capable of murder. Are you?

It started with an invitation to dinner. An evening of good food and good company at a luxury villa. But as the night progresses, the party takes a dark turn.

The host makes you an offer, a party favour he calls it: another guest has committed a heinous crime, you can end their life, stop their terror. He tells you there will be no consequences; do you believe him?

Your decision will change your life. Choose carefully.”

Hello and welcome to damppebbles. Today I am delighted to share my review of Notes on a Murder by B.P. Walter. Notes on a Murder is published by One More Chapter today (that’s Thursday 23rd November 2023) and is available in paperback, audio and digital formats. I chose to read a free eARC of Notes on a Murder but that has in no way influenced my review.

Twenty-one year old Oliver Churchfield is spending the Summer with his parents and older brother at their villa on the Greek island of Santorini. When Oliver’s father suddenly announces on their first night that he has an important business dinner he must attend, it causes instant ructions. Bored already, Oliver and brother Doug, decide to take an evening stroll into the local town where they inadvertently stumble across their father’s business meeting. Shooed away by their angry father, Oliver is surprised when he recognises the man at the beach the following day. He’s even more surprised when he is invited to the man’s island villa for dinner the following Saturday. But the invitation is far from innocent. The host of the dinner has an offer for Oliver, one he will find very hard to refuse…

Notes on a Murder is a highly intriguing, suspense laden tale which I devoured in two short sittings. This is a very quick, easy read told in both the past and the present, twenty years apart. The prologue opens with a choice and it sets the tone for the entire book perfectly. In the past, we meet twenty-one year old Oliver as he nearly misses the family’s taxi to the airport and their Summer-long holiday (which sounds divine!). Thankfully he wakes in time and makes the flight. On arrival, there isn’t a lot for either Oliver or his older brother to do other than exploring the local area, sunbathing or reading. On one such excursion to the local town Oliver spots an attractive man of a similar age and is immediately drawn to him. In the present day, twenty years after the family’s last visit to Santorini, Oliver has checked himself into a wellness centre to help him overcome his addictions. He’s shocked when a familiar face arrives at the resort. Even more so when a disturbing proposition is put to him.

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. Notes on a Murder is a suspense filled tale that builds slowly over the course of the book. After the prologue it does take a little while for the pace to pick up and for the events of the blurb to start happening (around the 40% mark) but during this time the author is spending time wisely introducing his characters and building relationships. For those who want thrills and spills from the start, it is worth investing in Notes on a Murder as those shocks and surprises do come along at a later point. The writing is solid and the characters are interesting. I did question a couple of times whether Oliver was just a bystander in proceedings or whether he was as fully committed to the cause as other characters in the book were. It wasn’t until the end of the book that I finally reached a firm decision. And I thought the ending was superb. It rounded everything off nicely. All in all, I enjoyed this slow build, suspenseful read and won’t hesitate to read another book by the author in the future. Recommended.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of Notes on a Murder. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

Notes on a Murder by B.P. Walter was published in the UK by One More Chapter on 23rd November 2023 and is available in paperback, audio and digital formats (please note, the following links are affiliate links which means I receive a small percentage of the purchase price at no extra cost to you): | amazon.co.uk | Waterstones | Foyles | bookshop.org | Goodreads | damppebbles bookshop.org shop | damppebbles amazon.co.uk shop | damppebbles amazon.com shop |

B.P. Walter is the Sunday Times bestselling author of psychological thrillers. He was born and raised in Essex, England and after spending his childhood and teenage years reading compulsively, he worked in bookshops then went to the University of Southampton to study Film and English. He is an alumnus of the Faber Academy and formerly worked in social media coordination. His debut novel, A Version of the Truth, was published in 2019, followed by Hold Your Breath in 2020, and The Dinner Guest, which was chosen as a Waterstones Book of the Month, in April 2021. His most recent novels are The Woman on the Pier and The Locked Attic.

You can follow B.P. Walter on Twitter: @BarnabyWalter and Instagram: @bpwalterauthor