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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
You know that one friend who is a bit too much into fancy dress and themed parties? Lucas Jarrett is that guy, and he sure as hell takes the murder mystery game to another level - a hostage/blackmail/murder investigation level. The Murder Game offers an interesting twist to the closed house murder mystery by taking us through a couple of timelines and multiple points of view before we uncover the culprit.
Let's deal with the trigger warnings first. This book contains graphic references to past kidnapping and multiple rapes, as well as a kidnapping and fear of rape within the current narrative. If this is a topic which you find upsetting, the book is not for you, as the past trauma is a focal plot point around which the mystery revolves.
Read full review: https://pollyan8.wixsite.com/already-booked/post/the-murder-game-and-why-does-everyone-seem-so-guilty
Let's deal with the trigger warnings first. This book contains graphic references to past kidnapping and multiple rapes, as well as a kidnapping and fear of rape within the current narrative. If this is a topic which you find upsetting, the book is not for you, as the past trauma is a focal plot point around which the mystery revolves.
Read full review: https://pollyan8.wixsite.com/already-booked/post/the-murder-game-and-why-does-everyone-seem-so-guilty
I didn’t realize this was the second installment in the Stephanie King series. I love book series so I’m happy I have found another one to add to my list! Even though I started with book 2, book 1 (And So It Begins), wasn’t spoiled so you will see me definitely picking up book 1. I loved this book so much I will be keeping an eye out for the next installment in the Stephanie King series.
I couldn’t put down this book! The story is told from three POVs, Gemma, Stephanie (the detective) and Alex. Having these three points of views changed the whole story. It made it even more gripping. Each character all have their own secrets, therefore you don’t know who to trust at any given time.
The story had and old school mystery vibe, the setting takes place in a huge mansion where it seems everyone is creeping around eavesdropping. This was right up my alley! It made me feel like I was on vacation with my friends. It was so well written and atmospheric I absolutely loved it! The perfect summer read.
The ending was brilliant and unpredictable! The whole book was perfectly executed if you ask me.
Rachel Abbott has now been promoted to one of my favorite authors!
Thank you to Bookouture for providing me with an electronic ARC of this book via NetGalley. As usual, my reviews are my honest and unbiased opinions.
Really good book!
The story is frankly well thought, the characters well-built and the plot well-achieved.
It takes the suspense right to the end, as we want...
In the end, it left a feeling that we’d like to keep going, but maybe it didn't really make sense...
Very, very good!
The story is frankly well thought, the characters well-built and the plot well-achieved.
It takes the suspense right to the end, as we want...
In the end, it left a feeling that we’d like to keep going, but maybe it didn't really make sense...
Very, very good!
I was a big fan of the first book in the series And So It Begins so I had huge expectations for the newest release. I must admit I had a great time reading the story.
A group of friends meets to celebrate a wedding of one of them but the gathering is brutally stopped by the horrible tragedy. Twelve months later the same people are invited back to the newlywed’s luxurious house but this time the host has a different plan in mind.
The Murder Game was definitely on the lighter side. There was no gruesome crimes and manic killer chasing their victims. The novel was a unique and interesting take on the locked room murder mystery which I really enjoyed. The choice of characters was brilliant - each of them had dark secrets and motives to kill, I wasn’t sure who to trust and kept guessing which one of them was a killer.
Although I guessed the main twist of the book early on I still had a lot of fun reading the story and the ending was very satisfying to me. I wished we could see more of Stephanie as I feel like her part was pushed back to the side a little bit.
Overall the book was fantastic: full of secrets, clues and variety of characters. It was a totally gripping story that kept me entertained till the last page. Highly recommend.
A group of friends meets to celebrate a wedding of one of them but the gathering is brutally stopped by the horrible tragedy. Twelve months later the same people are invited back to the newlywed’s luxurious house but this time the host has a different plan in mind.
The Murder Game was definitely on the lighter side. There was no gruesome crimes and manic killer chasing their victims. The novel was a unique and interesting take on the locked room murder mystery which I really enjoyed. The choice of characters was brilliant - each of them had dark secrets and motives to kill, I wasn’t sure who to trust and kept guessing which one of them was a killer.
Although I guessed the main twist of the book early on I still had a lot of fun reading the story and the ending was very satisfying to me. I wished we could see more of Stephanie as I feel like her part was pushed back to the side a little bit.
Overall the book was fantastic: full of secrets, clues and variety of characters. It was a totally gripping story that kept me entertained till the last page. Highly recommend.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It’s the day before Nina and Lucas are due to get married. However, the wedding is cancelled after a tragedy.
The story is told from multiple points of view but it is very easy to follow what is happening. It is also told in dual timeline- present day and a year ago. This book is filled with twists and turns right until the end. The characters are well developed and are multi layered.
This book is amazing. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The story is told from multiple points of view but it is very easy to follow what is happening. It is also told in dual timeline- present day and a year ago. This book is filled with twists and turns right until the end. The characters are well developed and are multi layered.
This book is amazing. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Just awful. I was expecting this to be a thriller about the murder game, but the game doesn't even start until just before the halfway mark, and it gets derailed so quickly that nothing is really even done with it. The description sounds exciting but everything is so slow-moving, with a bunch of bickering and deliberating before anyone does anything.
The characters are all very boring and stereotypical (almost offensively so with the book’s one Asian character, a quietly inscrutable Korean heiress who is obsessed with herbalism and exclusively eats kimchee). The culprit is glaringly obvious from almost the beginning because they are given these constant cartoonishly villainous descriptions. There is very little indication that this is a book in a series, so the cop’s emotional drama that takes up a huge amount of mid-book real estate and brings the plot to a crushing halt comes out of left field. One character narrates in first person and all other pov characters are third person for no discernible reason. The first-person character makes completely unbelievable decisions.
There are like four thousand plot twists and they're all stupid and boring. I hated this book.
The characters are all very boring and stereotypical (almost offensively so with the book’s one Asian character, a quietly inscrutable Korean heiress who is obsessed with herbalism and exclusively eats kimchee). The culprit is glaringly obvious from almost the beginning because they are given these constant cartoonishly villainous descriptions. There is very little indication that this is a book in a series, so the cop’s emotional drama that takes up a huge amount of mid-book real estate and brings the plot to a crushing halt comes out of left field. One character narrates in first person and all other pov characters are third person for no discernible reason. The first-person character makes completely unbelievable decisions.
There are like four thousand plot twists and they're all stupid and boring. I hated this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Trafficking, Kidnapping
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Suicide, Medical content, Grief, Murder
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Fatphobia, Infidelity
I really wanted to like this book; it had all my usual go-to cliches for a quick thriller and promised twists and turns galore. Friends United in a “murder game” to catch the killer amongst them - gripping stuff. In reality however the book lacked substance, it skimmed over details and the twists were too predictable - many though there were. In the end the book had an unsatisfying conclusion, leaving unanswered questions. 2/5 would only recommend if you’ve given up on life.
What started a twisted dark tale of mystery and suspense ends a little less than predictable.
The murder game is a story of 4 childhood friends, Lucas, Matt, Andrew and Nick. Lucas is the leader of the pack. Now, times have changed. They have reunited for Lucas’s wedding, who’s getting married to Nina. Matt has come with his wife Jemima, aka Jemma. Andrew is engaged and has arrived with Chandra and Nick with his twin sister, Isabel. The reunion was supposed to be fun, a journey to the memory lane. They have a dark past and that will resurface and test their friendship or if they are friends.
I have read some books in the Tom Douglas series by the same author. This book is the second book in the Stephanie King series. I haven’t read the previous book in the series, but it can be read as a standalone book.
There aren’t many characters. Other than the list above is the DS Stephanie King. It was after a long time I liked most of the characters of the novel, except for Isabel. I liked the character of Jemma. She is the one who’s narrating the story (most parts of it). There are some portions narrated by Nina. Jemma is portrayed as strong & independent. She stands up against wrong done and yet feel and understand the emotions of the wrong.
There were subplots and the merge well at the end. There are plot twists and turns that you do not see coming at all. But then, a lot of it is predictable. The driving force that keeps you going is the motive.
Even though the book is a Stephanie King’s, there is not much from her narration and that’s another character I did not like in the book. She’s doesn’t seem like an integral part of the story, so I could continue without her interference.
I like the mystery and suspense of the story; however, they had major flaws. One is the story kept dragging the suspense until the end (it was a test of my patience). The book could have finished a lot earlier. There are flaws that I cannot reveal, the flaws as they will be spoilers. I expected a lot from this book and I wasn’t disappointed, but then it wasn’t completely fulfilled!
The murder game is a good afternoon that can be easily read in one sitting given its stupendous suspense.
My rating for the book 3.5 stars.
Thank you, NetGalley and Headline for the review copy in exchange for my honest review.
The murder game is a story of 4 childhood friends, Lucas, Matt, Andrew and Nick. Lucas is the leader of the pack. Now, times have changed. They have reunited for Lucas’s wedding, who’s getting married to Nina. Matt has come with his wife Jemima, aka Jemma. Andrew is engaged and has arrived with Chandra and Nick with his twin sister, Isabel. The reunion was supposed to be fun, a journey to the memory lane. They have a dark past and that will resurface and test their friendship or if they are friends.
I have read some books in the Tom Douglas series by the same author. This book is the second book in the Stephanie King series. I haven’t read the previous book in the series, but it can be read as a standalone book.
There aren’t many characters. Other than the list above is the DS Stephanie King. It was after a long time I liked most of the characters of the novel, except for Isabel. I liked the character of Jemma. She is the one who’s narrating the story (most parts of it). There are some portions narrated by Nina. Jemma is portrayed as strong & independent. She stands up against wrong done and yet feel and understand the emotions of the wrong.
There were subplots and the merge well at the end. There are plot twists and turns that you do not see coming at all. But then, a lot of it is predictable. The driving force that keeps you going is the motive.
Even though the book is a Stephanie King’s, there is not much from her narration and that’s another character I did not like in the book. She’s doesn’t seem like an integral part of the story, so I could continue without her interference.
I like the mystery and suspense of the story; however, they had major flaws. One is the story kept dragging the suspense until the end (it was a test of my patience). The book could have finished a lot earlier. There are flaws that I cannot reveal, the flaws as they will be spoilers. I expected a lot from this book and I wasn’t disappointed, but then it wasn’t completely fulfilled!
The murder game is a good afternoon that can be easily read in one sitting given its stupendous suspense.
My rating for the book 3.5 stars.
Thank you, NetGalley and Headline for the review copy in exchange for my honest review.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated