4.5 stars

yas prequel! i can't get enough of pip and the gang so this was a welcome surprise. pre-ptsd pip is so young and bittersweet, it was nice to see her again.

there are some concerns that this is a knives out rip off, but i think that's kind of the point? not ripping off knives out, but that this store-bought locked room mystery game is derivative. the whole point is for the game to be just a *little* too simple, too easy, and there are too many plot holes for pip to believe it. THAT'S the whole reason she even starts to look into andie bell's case in the first place. i feel like the KillJoy game is intentionally archetypal: the cheating wife, the gambling brother, the shady cook, the old butler, etc. everyone plays their roles and if no one looks too closely, you'll come to the same conclusion that the game does: bobby remy did it. but not pip, she looks closer than the others and listens to the inconsistencies and plot holes, and that's why she's the main character folks! that's why we love her.

aside from being just a fun story with the gang, this is a great character-building prequel that segues nicely into AGGGTM. it's so fun to see how pip's brain works as she figures out the clues, taking the game way too seriously hehe. it establishes everyone's characters really well, as well as priming the setting of little kilton for the events of AGGGTM. pip is as she used to be, hates being wrong and determined to get to the truth for justice. it was nice to see her this way again.