In interviews, author Benjamin Stevenson explains his concept for the book as an update to traditional mystery novels such as those by Agatha Christie (Murder on the Orient Express, Death on the Nile, Crooked House) and Arthur Conan Doyle (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, A Study in Scarlet, The Hound of the Baskervilles), noting that the genre is rooted in certain “rules” that allow the reader to be able to solve the mystery along with the book’s detective (Brewer, Robert Lee. “Benjamin Stevenson: On Combining Humor With Mystery.” Writer’s Digest, 18 Jan. 2023). These rules were devised by mystery writer Ronald Knox in 1929. By adhering to these rules, the writer can create a suspenseful tale that challenges the reader by keeping them guessing as to the correct solution but also makes the solution a logical and viable one. Stevenson specifically represents the novels of Agatha Christie, who is known for centering the conflict amid a web of complex family relations in which many characters have a motive for committing the crime.