Bianca Marais has crafted something genuinely unprecedented in the mystery genre with “A Most Puzzling Murder”—a book that refuses to be confined by conventional storytelling boundaries. This interactive gothic mystery transforms readers from passive observers into active participants, creating an immersive experience that feels like a cross between a classic murder mystery and an elaborate escape room.
The novel follows Destiny Whip, a brilliant enigmatologist whose life has been shaped by profound loss and isolation. When she receives a mysterious invitation to interview for a historian position with the enigmatic Scruffmore family on remote Eerie Island, she discovers far more than she bargained for. What begins as a quest for family secrets quickly evolves into a race against time to prevent a murder she’s foreseen in disturbing visions.
A Heroine Worth Investing In
Destiny Whip emerges as one of the most compelling protagonists in recent mystery fiction. Marais has created a character who feels authentically broken yet brilliantly capable—a former child prodigy whose intellectual gifts couldn’t shield her from life’s cruelest blows. The author skillfully weaves Destiny’s tragic backstory throughout the narrative, revealing how the loss of her adoptive mother Liz to murder, followed by the death of her guardian Annie to cancer, and finally the devastating loss of her brother Nate and best friend Bex, has shaped her into someone who exists rather than lives.
What makes Destiny particularly engaging is how Marais avoids the typical “wounded genius” trope. Yes, Destiny is intellectually superior and emotionally damaged, but she’s also genuinely funny, self-deprecating, and refreshingly human. Her internal dialogue sparkles with wit even in the darkest moments, and her tendency toward self-sabotage feels earned rather than manufactured for dramatic effect.
The supporting cast of the Scruffmore family reads like something out of a particularly dysfunctional episode of “Succession,” if the Roy family happened to possess actual magical powers. Mordecai Scruffmore, the tyrannical Sorcerer King with compass star tattoos covering his forehead, rules his diminishing magical empire with cruel calculations. His children—the ambitious but magically weak Darius, the emotionally complex Evangeline, and the youngest family members Angel and Minx—each harbor their own dark motivations and family grievances.
The Magic of Interactive Storytelling
Where Marais truly innovates is in the book’s interactive elements. The “Choose Your Own Conundrum” chapters aren’t gimmicky additions but integral parts of the storytelling mechanism. These sections allow readers to experience the narrative from different characters’ perspectives, uncovering crucial information that informs the main mystery. The puzzles embedded throughout the text range from cipher-breaking to mathematical calculations, and while some readers might find them intimidating, Marais wisely provides solutions at the book’s end for those who prefer to focus on the story.
The puzzles serve a dual purpose: they mirror Destiny’s own problem-solving process while creating a genuine sense of collaboration between reader and protagonist. When you successfully decode a message or solve a riddle, the satisfaction feels earned. The author has managed to create what feels like a literary video game without sacrificing narrative depth or character development.
Gothic Atmosphere Meets Modern Sensibilities
Marais demonstrates masterful control over atmosphere throughout the novel. Eerie Island feels like a character in its own right—a windswept, storm-lashed setting where ancient magic coexists uneasily with modern technology. The author’s descriptions of Scruffmore Castle, with its secret passages, hidden archives, and ominous family portraits, evoke the best of gothic tradition while maintaining a contemporary accessibility.
The magical elements are handled with particular skill. Rather than overwhelming the mystery with fantastical elements, Marais uses magic as both plot device and metaphor. The Scruffmore family’s declining magical abilities mirror their fading relevance in a world that has moved beyond them, while Destiny’s emerging prophetic abilities represent her gradual acceptance of her own power and agency.
Where the Magic Falters
Despite its many strengths, “A Most Puzzling Murder” isn’t without its weaknesses. The novel’s ambitious scope occasionally works against it. With multiple timeline jumps, character perspective shifts, and interactive elements to manage, some plot threads feel underdeveloped. The resolution, while satisfying on an emotional level, relies perhaps too heavily on revelations that feel slightly convenient rather than carefully foreshadowed.
The book’s length and complexity may also prove challenging for readers seeking a straightforward mystery experience. While the interactive elements are innovative, they can disrupt narrative flow for readers who prefer uninterrupted storytelling. Some of the puzzles feel more essential to the plot than others, creating an uneven experience for readers who engage with them versus those who skip ahead to the solutions.
The family dynamics, while compelling, sometimes veer toward melodrama. The Scruffmores’ interpersonal conflicts occasionally feel designed more for shock value than character development, and certain revelations about family relationships strain credibility even within the novel’s magical framework.
A Bold Experiment That Largely Succeeds
What makes “A Most Puzzling Murder” remarkable isn’t just its innovative approach to mystery storytelling, but how successfully it balances multiple ambitious elements. Marais has created a novel that functions simultaneously as:
- A compelling character study of grief and recovery
- An engaging gothic mystery with genuine surprises
- An interactive puzzle experience
- A meditation on family, belonging, and the stories we tell ourselves about our origins
The author’s previous works, including “The Witches of Moonshyne Manor,” “Hum If You Don’t Know the Words,” and “If You Want to Make God Laugh,” established her as a writer unafraid to tackle difficult subjects with both depth and humor. “A Most Puzzling Murder” represents a significant evolution in her craft, demonstrating an increased confidence in genre-blending and narrative experimentation.
For Readers Who Appreciate Innovation
This novel will particularly appeal to readers who enjoyed the puzzle-solving elements of Kate Morton’s gothic mysteries, the interactive storytelling of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s experimental works, or the magical realism found in Susanna Clarke’s novels. It shares DNA with contemporary works like “The Thursday Murder Club” series by Richard Osman in its blend of humor and mystery, though Marais’s approach is decidedly more gothic and psychologically complex.
Readers seeking similar experiences might explore:
- “The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue” by V.E. Schwab – For its blend of magic and mystery with a strong female protagonist
- “The Ten Thousand Doors of January” by Alix E. Harrow – For portal fantasy elements and puzzle-solving
- “Mexican Gothic” by Silvia Moreno-Garcia – For atmospheric gothic horror with family secrets
- “The Starless Sea” by Erin Morgenstern – For interactive storytelling and mysterious organizations
- “The Inheritance Games” by Jennifer Lynn Barnes – For puzzle-solving and family mysteries
Final Verdict: A Mystery Worth Solving
“A Most Puzzling Murder” succeeds as both an entertaining mystery and a bold experiment in interactive fiction. While it may not appeal to purists seeking traditional mystery structure, it offers something genuinely fresh in a genre that often feels constrained by convention. Marais has created a novel that demands active engagement while rewarding it with genuine insight into human nature, the complexity of family relationships, and the healing power of connection.
The book’s innovative approach to reader participation, combined with strong character development and atmospheric world-building, creates an experience that lingers long after the final puzzle is solved. Though it has occasional pacing issues and some plot elements that feel overly convenient, these flaws don’t diminish the overall achievement.
For readers willing to embrace something different, “A Most Puzzling Murder” offers a uniquely engaging experience that successfully bridges the gap between traditional mystery fiction and interactive entertainment. It’s a bold, occasionally messy, but ultimately rewarding experiment that points toward exciting possibilities for the future of genre fiction.
