Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
Jemma and Matt were invited to the intimate wedding of Lucas and Nina but it ended in Alex's apparent suicide. One year on they reluctantly return as Lucas invites them to take part in The Murder Game to honour the one year anniversary. DS Stephanie King investigates the apparent suicide and a year later is brought back as a woman has went missing and was last seen at Polskirrin.
This was a decent thriller that was easily and quickly read, with brilliant group dynamics that made the reader question who had the motive to kill Alex, due to them all being extremely unlikeable it could have been anyone however about halfway through I had figured it out. The setting was brilliant for this book and it reminded me of Agatha Christie and Lucy Foley. There were plenty twists to keep the reader intrigued with blackmail, abductions and family feuds.
This was a decent thriller that was easily and quickly read, with brilliant group dynamics that made the reader question who had the motive to kill Alex, due to them all being extremely unlikeable it could have been anyone however about halfway through I had figured it out. The setting was brilliant for this book and it reminded me of Agatha Christie and Lucy Foley. There were plenty twists to keep the reader intrigued with blackmail, abductions and family feuds.
The Murder Game is the second instalment in the Detective Superintendant Stephanie King series and although it is preferable to have read the preceding book, And So It Begins, beforehand, it is not a necessity. Abbott writes stories that can be described as contemporary takes on the brilliant, Agatha Christie.
A group of old school friends make their way to Polskirrin, a stunning mansion and estate in the heart of Cornwall, for the wedding of affluent Lucas Jarrett and Nina Belanger. Andrew, Matt, Nick and his twin sister Isobel are all in attendance having been friends with Lucas and Nina for many years. But when Lucas’s sister, Alex, dies in an apparent suicide the couple decides to cancel their big day and despite time passing Lucas can't shake his gut instinct that his beloved sister was savagely murdered and cooks up a wily plan to prove as such. Fast forward a year and in order to try and ascertain who the perpetrator was and tired of waiting to see if they would slip up Lucas invites the very same wedding party back to the house set amongst lush gardens to play the eponymous murder game.
Ms Abbott rarely lets readers down and this super thriller is her most accomplished and sophisticated to date. It flows well and begins in an explosive fashion gripping you from then right through to the conclusion. It's a stark reminder that despite a stunningly luxurious location psychopaths can only keep their brutal intentions hidden for so long and although the cast of characters is distinctly unlikeable and spiky I didn't feel this impacted my enjoyment at all; in fact, the air of mystery surrounding most of them only serves to intensify the amount you are chewing at your nails with the palpable tension. This is a page-turner in every sense of the word; it’s compulsively clever, devilishly dark and expertly plotted. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Wildfire for an ARC.
A group of old school friends make their way to Polskirrin, a stunning mansion and estate in the heart of Cornwall, for the wedding of affluent Lucas Jarrett and Nina Belanger. Andrew, Matt, Nick and his twin sister Isobel are all in attendance having been friends with Lucas and Nina for many years. But when Lucas’s sister, Alex, dies in an apparent suicide the couple decides to cancel their big day and despite time passing Lucas can't shake his gut instinct that his beloved sister was savagely murdered and cooks up a wily plan to prove as such. Fast forward a year and in order to try and ascertain who the perpetrator was and tired of waiting to see if they would slip up Lucas invites the very same wedding party back to the house set amongst lush gardens to play the eponymous murder game.
Ms Abbott rarely lets readers down and this super thriller is her most accomplished and sophisticated to date. It flows well and begins in an explosive fashion gripping you from then right through to the conclusion. It's a stark reminder that despite a stunningly luxurious location psychopaths can only keep their brutal intentions hidden for so long and although the cast of characters is distinctly unlikeable and spiky I didn't feel this impacted my enjoyment at all; in fact, the air of mystery surrounding most of them only serves to intensify the amount you are chewing at your nails with the palpable tension. This is a page-turner in every sense of the word; it’s compulsively clever, devilishly dark and expertly plotted. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Wildfire for an ARC.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Got a copy of the murder game from netgalley a long time and I finally started reading - but before reading Murder Game, I started reading Fractured by Catherine McKenzie - there was a lot of mention about Julie Apple & her book The Murder Game and it kicked my curiosity.
Murder Game revolves around 4 friends - Meredith, Jonathan, Julian & Lily.
Meredith meets the rest of the 3 of them when she enrolls into a law school, gets close to them quickly - the book opens to Meredith working as the Crown Prosecutor, something is bothering her and she sets off to the reader that she is not as normal as what she was when she started law school.
Then there's the murder of Nick Allan - the hockey star who is btw accused of child abuse, and Julian McCarthy is accused of that murder.
I really liked the way the author has spun this - back to the future in 1 chapter and then to the current day - but I felt the end was slightly flat!
I expected more energy towards the finish line..but!
Murder Game revolves around 4 friends - Meredith, Jonathan, Julian & Lily.
Meredith meets the rest of the 3 of them when she enrolls into a law school, gets close to them quickly - the book opens to Meredith working as the Crown Prosecutor, something is bothering her and she sets off to the reader that she is not as normal as what she was when she started law school.
Then there's the murder of Nick Allan - the hockey star who is btw accused of child abuse, and Julian McCarthy is accused of that murder.
I really liked the way the author has spun this - back to the future in 1 chapter and then to the current day - but I felt the end was slightly flat!
I expected more energy towards the finish line..but!