Tuesday Mooney Wore Black by Kate Racculia

Tuesday Mooney Wore Black by Kate Racculia
Published in: 2019
Reviewed by: Book Worm
Rating: [★★★★]

This ARC was provided by Harper Collins UK (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis from Netgalley: You are cordially invited to play a game…

Tuesday Mooney loves a puzzle. So when an eccentric billionaire drops dead, leaving behind a fiendish treasure hunt – open to anyone – to his fortune, Tuesday can’t resist.

Although she works best alone, she soon finds herself partnering up with best friend Dex (money manager by day, karaoke-zealot by night) and the mysterious Nathaniel Arches, eldest son of a wealthy family who held a long-running feud with the dead man.

As the clues are solved, excitement across the city reaches fever pitch – but nothing is as it seems, and the puzzle-within-a-puzzle holds something much darker than a vast fortune at its heart…

Book Worm’s Thoughts: I went with the Netgalley synopsis as the Goodreads version gives away certain clues that I loved discovering for myself as I read. You have been warned!

I have seen this book compared to “The Westing Game” unfortunately I have never read this a situation I intend to remedy in the not too distant future. If I was asked to define this book I would call it  “Ready Player One” for the horror fan. While Ready Player One made me nostalgic for the 80s Tuesday Mooney makes me nostalgic for the 90s the same kind of pop references are threaded throughout the narrative and it gave me a happy feeling inside when I spotted them.

The story is set in Boston Massachusetts. The city and its history form a vital part of the narrative especially the treasure hunt. I loved the setting and I suspect if I had ever been to Boston myself I would have loved it even more.

The horror references begin as soon as you open the book and I found myself thinking hold on I know that name or I recognise that story. Spotting these things are what made reading the book so much fun, well that and the characters.

I have seen some reviews that claim the central characters are stereotypes and yes I can agree with that point of view, but they are given enough personality that I cared about them as individuals and in a way I feel the stereotypes are part of the whole tongue in cheek narrative style.

I would love to share some quotes with you but I don’t want to spoil the discoveries for anyone so you will just have to read it for yourself.

Who would like this? I would recommend this to anyone who enjoyed Ready Player One and also enjoys the classic writers of horror. Anyone who likes a good mystery story. Anyone who needs a feel good, light-hearted (for the most part) story to take them away from everyday life and anyone who has ever dreamed of using their book knowledge to win a fortune.

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