A mysterious dinner party. Seven strangers with nothing in common. Or so it seems. A magazine editor, a charming banker in his 30s, a rich YouTuber, a reserved software developer, a preachy doctor obsessed with healthy eating, a sensual lingerie entrepreneur, and a stern police officer. The evening is off to an interesting start when, mid-conversation, each guest finds a card placed in front of them, quietly revealing the age at which they will die.
They brushed it off as some sort of PR stunt, most guests laugh it off and return to their daily lives. But one of them take everyone’s contact informations, just in case the cards are right. Two weeks later, one of them is dead.
Could it be an accident? Or their mysterious host just happens to be a time traveler? The group begins to unravel only after a second death confirms their unease. Even though it still looks like suicide.
Told through multiple points of view, the story dives into each of their lives. At first, it doesn’t seem like their personal stories tell us much about the host or why they were invited, but as the book goes on, you start to pick up on the small clues. It becomes clear that they weren’t chosen randomly.
What really kept me hooked was the characters. Their lives felt real, messy, and interesting. The mystery is slow-burning but builds tension in a way that sneaks up on you. The ending left me unsettled in the best way. Like one of those movies where you still think about what happened after the end.
Stephanie is a writer, avid reader and movie lover with great love and passion for thrilling, suspenseful and mystery stories. When she’s not writing a traumatic character or reading through a gripping thriller she’s definitely watching a dark psychological thriller movie.
