Board to Death by C.J. Connor: Book Review

Board to Death is the debut novel by C.J. Connor. With an anticipated release date of August 22, 2023, from Kensington Cozies, readers will travel to Salt Lake City and visit Of Dice and Decks, a board game shop. Ben has returned home to help his father and discovers a dying man on his doorstep. Who murdered the man, and why at the store?

I want to thank Kensington Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Board to Death. All opinions presented here are solely mine.

Synopsis from Goodreads

Back in his hometown of Sugar House, running his family’s board game shop and cafe, Ben Rosencrantz just can’t seem to get his life to pass go, much less collect $200. Once, he was a happily married English professor in Seattle. Now he’s a divorced caregiver, looking after his ill father and a chihuahua named Beans while still figuring out the rules of retail management. At least the town has become more LGBTQ+ friendly than when Ben was a teenager–and that flower shop owner Ezra McCaslin enjoys flirting with him.

But despite his usual clientele of gamers, Ben is barely earning enough to keep the store running and stay on top of his father’s medical bills. Then a local toy and game collector named Clive offers him a winning strategy–to purchase a turn-of-the-twentieth-century edition of The Landlord’s Game, the realty and taxation game that inspired Monopoly, at a tenth of the rare edition’s true value. Suspicious of Clive’s shady, low-priced deal, Ben turns the offer down.

Then Clive turns up dead in the dumpster behind Ben’s shop, and a backpack full of $100 bills appears on his doorstep. Now Ben is the #1 suspect in Clive’s death, and unless he and Ezra can prove his innocence and find the real killer, he’ll go to jail for murder–and no amount of double dice rolls will set him free. 

My Opinions

Board to Death is the first book in the Board Game Shop Series by C.J. Connor. Set in Utah, readers are introduced to Ben Rosencrantz as he tries to figure out what’s next in life after returning home to assist his father in the board game shop Ben grew up in.

Board to Death is a quick, easy read. Perfect for curling up and reading over a weekend! The biggest issue I had with the book was the inconsistent timeline. I mean that you are led to believe the book opens early in the week (Tuesday-Thursday). After the murder happens, you learn it’s a Friday. There are a few other times in the book where you think it’s one day when it’s another. But it doesn’t take away from the story.

There is LGBTQ2A+ representation in the book. Ben is a recently divored gay man, who finds himself drawn to the owner of the flower shop. One character is mentioned with they/them pronouns. And there is a f|f relationship as well. There is also a discussion throughout the book about growing up queer in Utah.

I loved the setting of a board game store because board games are a passion I picked up over the pandemic. There are several games mentioned in the story; they range from old-school (i.e. Monopoly) to recent favorites (i.e. Gloomhaven). Connor even introduces readers to one of their favorite games called Nertz, and rules are included in the back of the book.

In his previous life, Ben was an English professor with a concentration in fantasy novels. As such, there are multiple references to C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. While neither author (or their works are) are ones I’ve enjoyed, it’s still fun to see such references.

Board to Death is a fun read, and I am looking forward to reading more by C.J. Connor!

Looking for some more books to read? Check out my bookish lists, book reviews, and monthly reading wrap-ups.