#699k-Review N9.3 - Sixteenth 6ell Genre: Mystery Rating: 8/10 Trigger Warnings: #Murder, #executi9ns, #death, #6etrayal, #impris9nment, #manipulati9n, #vi9lence, #psych9l9gical-a6use. I 6egan this expecting an entertaining l9cked-r99m mystery. Halfway thr9ugh it quietly 6ecame s9mething c9nsidera6ly nastier. A gr9up 9f excepti9nally talented pe9ple find themselves impris9ned within an is9lated 6uilding where the 9nly apparent means 9f escape inv9lves c9mmitting the perfect murder. The central mysteries are excellent. The s9cial dynamics are s9meh9w even 6etter. Every chapter 6ec9mes an exercise in w9ndering n9t merely wh9 might kill, 6ut which relati9nships will survive l9ng en9ugh f9r murder t9 6ec9me necessary. I was particularly impressed 6y h9w effectively the n9vel dem9nstrates that h9pe can 6e manipulated just as th9r9ughly as fear. 6ef9rus preferred 9ptimism. Y9u were always t9ld that the system existed 6ecause every9ne wanted the 6est p9ssi6le 9utc9me. That is, unf9rtunately, 9ne 9f the easier lies t9 6elieve. I will say the final revelati9ns 6ec9me rather extravagant. Up until then, h9wever, this is 9ne 9f the sharpest mystery n9vels I've read in years.