Plenty of twists in this fast moving novel. An atmospheric thriller with plenty of tension as Clay tries to prove he did not commit murder.

#DeadlyGames #NetGalley
One time read.
Franklin Davis is questioned by Detective Detective Mendez for the murder of Emily Parker with whom he had physical relationship with.
Who killed Emily?
And who's sending threatening messages to Franklin?
Deadly Games is not so deadly. It didn't hold the reader till the end. Atleast it didn't hold me.
Characters and narration are so so.
Thanks to NetGalley and HQ for giving me an advanced copy of this psychological thriller.

Wasn't really what I was expecting. It had a good plot idea, Clay is a bartender that is framed for a murder and his troubles keep getting worse from there. He is racing against time to find out who the killer is before more people die and as time goes on, he is becoming the prime suspect.

It was a bit less than ok for me. It started out good and the ending was fast paced but the middle really lost me, there wasn't a lot going on and it was slow going. I didn't really click with any of the characters, and the conversations seemed stilted. The scenes with the killer reminded me of the movie Scream and I felt like this was more 90s slasher film when I thought it was going to be more psychological. I finished because I wanted to know who the killer was but didn't really think the reveal was that exciting.

Sadly it really had potential but I just didn't find it suspenseful and there were parts that didn't make sense. Disappointing and sadly I don't recommend this deadly game🩸

Wow. What a great read this was. I finished this in 24 hours as I simply could not put it down. This was so fast paced with so many twists and turns. A another great book from Steve Frech.

This is one of my favorite books I've read this year. It is absolutely fantastic! I always love a good mystery, and one of my favorite tropes is an unidentified criminal who is heavily involved in the dialogue. We get so much interaction with this mystery person, and Frech does a wonderful job of sending shivers down your spine throughout the entire book. I was on edge the entire book waiting for another murder to occur. This book was just so well written.

Clay is a good bartender. When one of his regulars, Emily Parker, is found murdered, he becomes the main suspect in the eyes of the police.

That’s because someone knows all his secrets and they’re using them against Clay. They’re setting him up. In order to prove his innocence and survive, Clay needs to beat the killer at his own game

No doubt this was a quick read because I really wanted to know who was the real killer and how he was always one step ahead of Clay.

But I didn’t enjoy the plot much and some parts in the middle of the book felt kind of off. The ending was definitely a twist but not exciting. I just couldn’t make sense of it.

Overall, an okay read.

Thank You NetGalley and HQ Digital for this ARC!

First off, thank you so much to Net Galley, HQ Digital and Steve Frech for allowing me to read this amazing story!

He knows everything about about everyone. Everyone tells him their secrets, their whole life stories, their dreams, their fears... why? Because he is a damn good bartender. When a murder occurs and it happens to be one of Clay's regulars at his bar, his whole world is turned upside. All the evidence points to him, and there is no way anyone will believe he had nothing to do with it. Who is trying to play games with him? Who is trying to ruin his life? And lastly, how is he going to get out of this alive?

I absolutely loved this book! The main character was just so well written I felt like I knew him. Everything was so exciting and I could not stop turning those pages. You know it is a good story line when you can't see an ending coming, and this is exactly what happened with this novel. Steve Frech definitely has a way with words, and knows how to get his readers hooked. I will for sure be looking into more of his books and am surprised I have not read any of his work before!!

Frech's latest offering follows the ABC's of action and suspense, a solid but flat example of the genre. For fans of his, Deadly is essentially a retelling of Hollows with the addition of a buddy. For newcomers to the author, it is a B movie without the crackle of witty dialogue or an original character to root for. Our hero, a la "The Fugitive," finds himself on a fantastically lucky journey with the help of God (the writer) and a conveniently spry guardian angel (a journalist).

I would suggest a rereading of Frech's previous works, if you're still craving something to read by the fire. Unfortunately, Deadly Games didn't seem to inherit the same sparkle and suspense as its siblings.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview Deadly Games by Steve Frech. From beginning till the end, you will hold your breath reading this fast paced crime novel. YOu are in the head of Clay, a bartender, who lives a batchelor's life and likes it. Clay is having an affair with a married woman - and this works for him for now. So all is well - that's until he walks in and finds his lover with her throat slit and before long the bodies pile up. Clay is on the run from the police and the real killer.
He is being framed, but no one believes him and he is being hunted. But Clay won't give up and he will do anything to prove his innocence. This killer is playing a game with him and it is deadly.
5 stars....really good book.

OMG, I stayed up until the middle of the night to finish this - couldn’t put it down! Great story telling; I could feel the fear of the main character at various times in the story. I was fully immersed in his plight! 5 stars.

Intense and fast paced with no time to stop and take a breath!! That’s what it feels like reading this book. You will need to clear your diary as you will want to read it in one sitting.
It will keep you guessing from the very first page until the last!
Having read the previous book from Frech, I was excited to see this new one and it certainly didn’t disappoint! Clay, a bartender, suddenly becomes caught up in a murder investigation. Is he involved? Can he prove his innocence? Can the case be solved before anyone else gets into harms way?
I’m not going to give anything away as you just need to read this for yourself, but be prepared to loose sleep as you won’t be able to stop reading once you have read that first page!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and most importantly the author, for the chance to read this book, in exchange for an honest review.

Clay, a bartender at The Gryphon, being a suspect of triple murders as all leads pointing to him. A psycho put and arrange every leads to go to Clay and he definitely enjoys the "game" torturing Clay. The plot was ok, however it's a bit slow so the suspense didn't really have a full grip on me.

"My sweet little cupcake"

Thank you so much to NetGalley and HQ for the e-ARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This is any thriller enthusiast’s dream! Known for his dark and creepy novels, Steve Frech produced yet another suspenseful and well thought out novel.

No matter where you go, you can't hide from the truth.

Clay is on the run, he's been framed for the murder of his lover and someone is out to get him - they want him to pay. I loved everything about this book, it was so twisty I just needed to know what Clay was going to do next! It seemed that no matter what the situation was - he could never get a break. I liked how he teamed up with Genevieve and how much tension they had, if anything I would have liked to see a bit of a romance bloom between them as they had gone through so much at that point.

I had no clue who the killer was, I was never able to make any assumptions so the ending was really well done as it's someone who you wouldn't have guessed! I read this book within a day, it was such a page turner and I couldn't put it down until I knew what was going to happen. I would like to applaud Steve Frech on another job well done, if you haven't read his books - please do. Deadly Games will be available December 4th 2020
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I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts/opinions are my own,

I have loved Steve Frech's other books and enjoyed this one as well. While it was missing the paranormal/ghost-y aspect of the others, this still pulled me in and had me pulling for Clay.

I will continue to read Steve's other books because he knows how to pull a reader in and then blow their minds over and over again.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publishers and Steve Frech for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A fantastic thriller of a bartender being framed for murder and trying to prove his innocence by any means possible. This was a totally wild ride that left me literally gasping for breath!

What a fast paced book! It draws you in from the first chapter and keeps you guessing to the end. Quite a quick easy to read book. Ideal for a short break.

Thank you to NetGalley & HQ Digital for the advance copy of this book.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

Starting off, I was REALLY excited about this book! I have read a few other books by this author and liked them. He has a way of developing the characters so you feel like you know them.

This book didn’t disappoint! It kept me guessing until the end. The killer wasn’t on my radar at all!

WOW! No lag time here. A concise story that is constantly unravelling.

Profound read about a bartender and his affair with Emily, a married woman. Found dead. Her husband is quite unbearable - yet he is rich. So Emily doesn't want to leave him. Katie (partner to Clay at the The Gryphon Bar) is Clay's best friend and has given a report already to the police.

Detective Mendez, who is now questioning Clay, is not very convinced with Clay's story about that night.

Tremendous read! HIGHLY Recommend!!!

Many Thanks to HQ Digital and NetGalley for a superb read ! 10 stars!

Wow, this was another Steve Frech book that I just wanted to keep reading! I thought it was well written and different. I liked way the cat & mouse game was played out, with Clay trying to figure out who was behind it all - and I never guessed who that was!