The Layers of a Murder Mystery
Spoiler-free review of The Plus One by S.C. Lalli
After the success of Are You Sara?, S.C. Lalli’s second thriller The Plus One gives readers a taste of an extravagant Indian wedding, à la White Lotus. Shay Kapoor is invited as the best man’s plus one to THE wedding of the century: the children of two insanely wealthy Indian families are getting married. However, on the eve of the wedding, the bride and groom are murdered in cold blood, and due to the exclusiveness of the resort, there are only three possible suspects: the bride’s sister, the groom’s cousin, and Shay’s boyfriend.
Someone is coming for me.
This is a whodunit in the best way possible: there are red herrings galore, and so, so, many turns that will keep you guessing until the very end. Lalli weaves together intricate layers of intrigue throughout Shay’s investigation, and just when you think all the layers have been peeled back, Lalli reveals another one. In fact, if you’re like me and try to guess the ending by the end of the first chapter, this is the kind of story where you can be both right and wrong about the murderer’s reveal.
The plot keeps you up reading until 3 a.m., but it’s Lalli’s writing style that keeps the pages turning. Shay is an engrossing character—a bit sarcastic, a bit flawed, and 100% relatable. Add that to Lalli’s vivid descriptions of a posh Cabo resort that only caters to the rich and famous—of which Shay is neither—and you’ve got a hell of a good read. I powered through this book in a matter of hours!
Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Would read again: 10/10
Personal recommendation: Read this book if you like whodunits where everyone is guilty of something.
Favorite line(s): “It wasn’t supposed to be like this. I was supposed to bring Mr. Joshi right on this one thing in a world built upon wrongs. This can’t be how it ends. Here in Cabo. Mr. Joshi, smug, in those fucking salmon-pink shorts. Me still wearing a bathing suit.”
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