I really enjoyed this book! A great story line that kept me hooked and excellent main characters. I would highly recommend this book.

I have read other books by Rachel Abbott but not the first book in this series. However I did enjoy Stephanie as a main character. I enjoyed the premise of this book- a reunion following a traumatic event. I think I would not score this book 'full marks' as I did guess a lot of the twists. However, I still found myself eager to keep reading to discover that I was right which I always think is the sign of a good read.

Another smash hit from Rachel Abbott. I love her books. This was a dark and menacing whodunnit. Brilliant and totally unexpected xxx

Thanks to Headline and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
#TheMurderGame #NetGalley

The intriguing blurb that introduced Rachel Abbott's latest thriller certainly lived up to my high expectations, and then some. Abbott has quite rightly gained a reputation for being a master of this genre. In 'The Murder Game' she has written another compelling thriller of high imagination and pitch-perfect plotting. I was hooked from the very first page. This is the stuff of a crime lover's dreams. It opens with a bang and does not let up for one moment. To distil the resonance and creative imperatives of this novel in a few words is difficult, but if I say friends reunited with a devilishly clever, killer twist, then this comes somewhat nearer to describing the imaginative thrust of 'The Murder Game'. The genesis of the story begins with the death of Lucas' sister, Alex, on the day of his wedding to Nina. Unsurprisingly, the wedding never took place, but the mystery of Alex's death endures. We fast-forward a year top the anniversary of the wedding that never was and the death that definitely was, when the cast of characters from the original event are called upon to play 'The Murder Game'. Alex insists that one of the invitees is a killer, but is he right? If he is, who is the killer? Could it be Andrew, who is now married to Chandra, Matt, who is now married to Jenna, or Nick and Isobel who are twins? In this gloriously suspenseful whodunnit Abbott reveals all in timely fashion, but not before I was thoroughly on the edge of my seat. Every page oozes tension and an undefinable brilliance that elevates this novel above others of its type. Then there was the inevitable melancholy I felt upon finishing a great book. Always a good sign. Indeed, I would go so far as to say that Rachel Abbott is rapidly becoming THE Agatha Christie of 21st century.

- AMAZING

This book was good but not great in my opinion.
It's good for a nice easy beach read. A classic who-dunnit.

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.

I’ve read what seems like almost all of Rachel’s books and I’ve enjoyed every single one. This one joins that list. A well written “whodunnit” mystery novel, second in the Stephanie King series. I read And So It Begins last year and that too was filled with plot twists, so I had high hopes for this one. The ending did fall a bit flat for me, however that doesn’t take away from how brilliant the storyline is.

I really, really, really enjoyed this book! Lots of twists and turns and really gets your mind going. As a big fan of Rachel Abbott I was not disappointed. I didnt want the book to end and was left wanting to know more about what happened to them all after. Maybe they'll be another book to follow?

I am a massive fan of Rachel Abbott's previous books so was thrilled to be accepted for an ARC of this one.

I think it says it all that I'm devastated that I've finished it. I loved how real the characters felt, I loved how there were several little mysteries to solve along with the big mystery and I loved how twisty the book was. I also liked the references to Penzance as that's where I'm from!

I would have liked a bit more closure from the ending (maybe something like where the characters all were 6 months later) but I think that's mostly because I didn't feel ready to let them go.

I would fully recommend this book and all of the others by this author.

I love Rachel Abbott's books and this was no exception. I loved the premise of the group of friends re-gathering a year after a suspicious death and really enjoyed the way the story was developed and the parts played out. It kept me guessing and it was one of those books I really look forward to picking up again. Some books are so easy to put down and leave - Rachel Abbotts are not! And this one was great.

I have read all of Rachel Abbott’s novels and admire her as an author for a huge number of reasons. Her storylines, plots and characters never disappoint and once again she has delivered a top notch read.

Lucas and Nina are getting married in Cornwall in his stunning, sprawling mansion set close to a private cove within beautiful gardens. He has invited his closest friends from his childhood to stay over for the weekend. This includes Andrew, who is now married to Chandra, Matt, who is now married to Jenna and Nick and Isobel who are twins.

The morning of the wedding tragedy strikes as Lucas identifies his sister Alex, who lives in the grounds of the estate, floating dead in the cove. Alex had suffered an awful kidnapping some years before and this adds to the intrigue and plot.

One year later he invites them all back and announces, ‘The Murder Game’ whereby he insists one of them is a killer.

This is an exceptional ‘whodunnit’ in so many ways from the surroundings of the estate, cove, boathouse and boat to a group of friends who hadn’t seen each other for several years and all the secrets and lies from their childhood days coming to the surface. Cleverly plotted and, mainly told be Jenna, Rachel Abbott releases the twists and turns with precision.

Thank you to NetGalley, Headline and Rachel Abbott for this ARC of The Murder Game in return for my honest review.

Exceptional read and highly recommended.

I love Rachel Abbott's book so was delighted to receive an early readers copy of this one. It is a murder mystery with plenty of twists and I did enjoy it, but there was something about the characters in this one that I couldn't connect with. Perhaps there were too many of them in such a small setting and none of them had many redeeming features!
It was a good solid enjoyable read though, but I would recommend some of the author's other books over this one if you are starting off reading her books.

Well! Where to begin! This latest Rachel Abbott offering, had me gripped from the opening paragraphs to the very last word.. The tension and intrigue threading through the pages was fast paced and multi-faceted, with almost every character under suspicion at various times throughout. Each time one particular character was in the frame as a 'definite' culprit, so the rules changed, and led me on a different tangent. Without giving anything away, I did eventually slot quite a lot of the resolutions into place, but as usual, Rachel led me on a merry dance to reach those conclusions. A fantastic read and one I thoroughly recommend to all! I would like to thank Headline and Netgalley for allowing me an early reader's copy of this book.

This solid read from an established author begins in a large house in Cornwall and involves a group of characters who meet to celebrate a wedding. The story is mainly told from the perspective of Jemma, one of the guests.
A year later they are together again as they are somehow all linked to a tragedy that occurred and they all seem to have secrets.

It's a solid whodunnit with interesting characters and plot line.

I struggled at times as I found the writing surprisingly difficult and slow. However, I persevered as I've read previous books from this author and enjoyed them.

Overall, it's a decent read with all loose ends neatly tied up and twists aplenty.

3* Good Read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to preview.

This was a interesting story set around a wedding weekend in the country where things don't quite go as planned. In saying that this book is a Stephanie King story, the detective is not the most important part of the story.
The story was put together well and kept me guessing until the end.

This is the second book in the Stephanie King series and I have to say this is my favourite.

Lucas and Nina are getting married in Cornwall so they invite Lucas’s childhood friends and their partners to their big day. Tragedy strikes and the wedding party is cancelled.

A year later Lucas invites his friends back for their anniversary, but it’s not all champagne and cocktails as he wants them to play the Murder Game and he has their costumes and their roles all planned out (Like a murder mystery weekend but the murder may have been committed a year ago) Lucas wants the truth revealed and thinks the game will expose who killed his sister. Lucas plays with his guests like a cat with a mouse, manipulating them until he gets to the truth.

This had me hooked!! I felt like I was one of the guests analysing the others to reveal all their secrets. I suspected everyone and loved the twists and the final reveal at the end, outside storm Denis was raging but I was so engrossed in this murder mystery book the roof could have blown off and I would have carried on reading, oblivious to everything!!

A must read series. I can’t wait for book number 3.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

It took me a while to get into this book, I don't know, I wasn't really feeling it to be honest. I was just OK in my opinion.

Rachel is such an accomplished writer. I have loved all her book so far and this one is no exception. A great twisty and taut thriller than keeps you guessing all the way through!

I really enjoyed this terrific mystery story, thanks net galley for allowing me to read this early edition of this story.
It really brought back memories of stories when people gathered together some one died and you have to guess the murderer., also a weekend we had away called the murder weekend.
Friends gathered for their friends wedding, but instead of a wedding there was a suicide, also a murder.
I never guessed the ending and cannot say any more.
Loved it, well done again Rachel Abbott.

The Murder Game is an unputdownable psychological thriller with plenty of twists that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Friends and family gather for Lucas's wedding at his Cornish home, but no one got married that day. Instead, tragedy struck leaving us with the dead body of Lucas's sister. One year later, Lucas invites everyone back to his home for what anyone would assume is a memorial. This is actually the murder game and Lucas intends to find out who killed his sister. This book was one wild ride. The characters are well-developed. The setting is vividly beautiful. Readers who enjoy a solid murder mystery will want to check out The Murder Game.