Igloo brings new murder mystery format to YA market

G.K. Ozier | Credit: Dorte Kjaerulff

• Murder For One series blends cosy crime fiction with immersive detective game

• Premium hardback format includes sealed evidence pouch with clues for readers to solve

• Author G.K. Ozier pens her YA debut The Unlikely End of Reggie Bloom to launch series

Igloo, part of the Bonnier Books UK Group, has announced the launch of Murder For One - a pioneering new interactive YA format that allows readers to play detective and solve gripping murder mysteries as they read along. The first title in the series, The Unlikely End of Reggie Bloom by debut YA writer G.K. Ozier, will publish this September.

Launching under Igloo’s YA and adult imprint, SparkPool, this new genre-bending format combines page-turning cosy crime with hands-on sleuthing. Each premium hardback includes a sealed evidence pouch containing clues from the story, such as letters, receipts and photographs, placing readers directly in the detective’s seat.

The Unlikely End of Reggie Bloom follows 17-year-old Jessie Daniels, who is determined to uncover the truth behind the mysterious death of a local man in a sleepy English town. Armed with sharp wit, a diary full of theories and a knack for noticing what others miss, Jessie dives into a tangled web of gossip, grudges and hidden motives.

Readers are encouraged to immerse themselves in the investigation as it unfolds, joining Jessie to examine clues and evidence, while making their own deductions and attempting to crack the case before she does.

G.K. Ozier said: “I am really excited about the release of Murder for One. It’s the first time I have written a crime novel, and it was an unexpected joy. I have always loved the gentle brilliance of Agatha Christie’s storytelling, and more recently I have devoured books by Janice Hallet, so I hope they have influenced my writing in some tiny way. 

“To combine a complex storyline with pieces of actual evidence for readers to use as they investigate the murder alongside Jessie was certainly a challenge, but I really hope readers enjoy the format, and I am looking forward to finding out when, and if, they can figure out who Reggie’s killer turns out to be.”

The series marks a strategic move for SparkPool as it expands its established murder-mystery games list into fiction-led game play. Grace Rahman, Publishing Manager at SparkPool, commented: “With the National Year of Reading very much at the front of our minds, we have been proactively developing innovative new products and formats that respond to the challenge of engaging with young readers. Murder For One is an exhilarating new genre-bending format that blends fiction with gameplay and stands in a category of its own. It straddles the fast-growing cosy crime and interactive fiction spaces and the tactile world of immersive murder mystery games and whodunnit experiences.

“We are thrilled to be working closely with the exciting and gifted writer G.K. Ozier on her debut YA fiction novel and can’t wait to see how readers respond when this book-with-a-twist hits the shelves this autumn.”