On the surface, Louise Hegarty’s debut plays out like a classic murder mystery that pays deep homage to similar novels from the early 20th century. But beneath the surface, something completely different is happening. Hegarty knows that to make an impact in this genre, her story will need to be unique, and FAIR PLAY certainly delivers on that front.

It begins with an invitation to Benjamin’s New Year’s Eve birthday party, which is being thrown by his sister, Abigail, at a rented gothic location called the Yew Tree House. It is also made clear that there will be the opportunity to solve a murder set in the Jazz Age as part of an interactive party game. The attendees are small and include all of Benjamin’s closest friends and colleagues: school chums Stephen, Declan and Cormac, the latter of whom is there with his fiancée, Olivia. Benjamin’s assistant from work, Barbara, is also invited, which many feel strange about as they assume the two are having some sort of an illicit affair. Abigail’s friend Margaret, who happens to be Benjamin’s ex, is present as well.

"The surreal gamesmanship [Hegarty] springs forward with her construction of FAIR PLAY is unlike anything I have encountered in mystery fiction, mixing elements of both meta and the bizarre in a story that was never really about a murder."

The party is a hit, and the murder mystery game is a lot of fun. Everyone goes to their own rooms at the end of the celebration, but no one is prepared for what will meet them the following morning. When Benjamin fails to appear for breakfast, everyone becomes concerned. So they go to his room, which is locked. Upon breaking in, they find him on his bed, and his body is cold. It is apparent to all that Benjamin is dead. If his passing was not from natural causes or a suicide, then it does indeed present us with a classic locked-room murder.

Before the real fun and games begin, we are provided with a quote from Dame Agatha Christie from THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES: “Every murderer is probably somebody’s old friend.” This then leads us into Part Two, which opens with a Cast of Characters as if we are reading a murder mystery play, along with the rules of Fair Play and a list depicting the Twenty Rules for Writing Detective Stories. This is just the start of the unique style that takes over the narrative of FAIR PLAY.

The consulting detective who takes charge is August Bell, who I have no doubt that Hegarty based on Joseph Bell, Master of Forensic Science, and the role model for Sherlock Holmes. What proceeds is a strange delight in storytelling unlike anything I have seen before in this genre. There is even an ironic reference to the detective story rules, which indicate that “a detective story must never turn out to be an accident or a suicide.” It is this rule or idea that will permeate this story and remain beneath all of the narrative games that Hegarty plays around it.

Readers will be taken on a final literary journey before the denouement with a page titled CHALLENGE TO THE READER, whereby August Bell provides them with the opportunity to solve the mystery themselves. This is done via a series of possible endings, each of which focuses on a different character or characters and various motives for Benjamin’s death. Hegarty recently wrote an article on the comforts of “fair play,” and it contains many interesting ideas from this highly intelligent author that supports what she did within the confines of the novel.

Fair play is a very common British term that speaks to treating others fairly and honestly in whatever game you are playing. But Hegarty does just the opposite to her readers here, and in all the best ways. The surreal gamesmanship she springs forward with her construction of FAIR PLAY is unlike anything I have encountered in mystery fiction, mixing elements of both meta and the bizarre in a story that was never really about a murder. Instead, it is one of the most brilliant looks at life and death that I have ever read.