Olivia Kiernan's Dublin bases series featuring DI Frankie Sheehan is consistently good and The Murder Box, the fourth outing for Sheehan, is the best yet. The concept is extremely clever; a murder mystery game turns out to be related to an actual crime and Frankie herself is in receipt of one of the murder boxes. She is under great pressure to find the other players and the game is fitted with a timer. Well written, with a great setting and fascinating characters, this is tremendous from start to finish.

DCS Frankie Sheehan receives what she thinks is a birthday gift to her office, a board game called The Murder Box. However, it turns out to be a game built around a real murder that’s just taken place. At the same time, a celebrity has gone missing in the area and he just happens to be the ACC’s nephew, so they’re pulling out all the stops to find him when it appears that his disappearance could be linked to the game.

Frankie has to ‘play’ the game and discovers that there are other players, and they could be at risk from the murderer.

I was totally hooked from the beginning and was reluctant to put it down to eat or sleep! A really brilliant story with a twist that I didn’t see coming. I’m off to look for more in the ‘Frankie Sheehan’ series…!

Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.

A solid police procedural thriller with an interesting premise.
Obviously well written with likable characters and a good plot.
If I'm honest, I thought it lost a little pace towards the end but I still thoroughly enjoyed it.

We have ofcourse all seen the commercials for products like Hunt A Killer, where you get send a box with a fictional murder that you can then solve.

In this book, a box such as that is being send to the detectives, however, it is not a fictional murder!

Very thrilling and exciting read.

Another case for Detective Chief Superintendent Frankie Sheehan and it’s by far the one that I’ve enjoyed most. She receives what looks like a birthday gift, a murder mystery game, to her office, but this is more than an amped up version of Cluedo. In fact, when Frankie looks a little more closely, the game seems to not be fictional in the slightest, with the supposed victim resembling a missing twenty-something young woman, Lydia Callin. If that’s not unsettling enough, it’s clear there are linked crimes connected to the game and its contents, and that someone has gone to a forensic amount of detail to put together a game that will have the police in Dublin travelling all across the city. Because Frankie isn’t the only one to receive the Murder Box, there are other players, other people involved in the discovery of what really happened to the victim. While this is troubling for the DCS, she has no option other than to become further involved in the game, knowing that it is the only way in which she will find out the truth. This is a multi-layered novel – from Frankie’s personal and professional concerns, plus the main plot that is so cleverly put together – you will want to devour this book and do little else but read.

This was an intriguing and chilling book that had me gripped from the start. The plot was very absorbing and I absolutely flew through the book.
I did get a bit confused at some parts and had to re-read some paragraphs because I thought I had missed something but I still really enjoyed it.
Would definitely recommend to fans of thrillers and would read more of Olivia Kiernan's work.
Thank you for the opportunity to read and review The Murder Box.

I've read some amazing crime novels, with engaging characters and creepy villains. Sadly, this wasn't one of them. The first few chapters really dragged me in but there was an abrupt stop about a third of the way in. There was such a long gap before anything of substance happened and by that time I was bored. I struggled to finish it.

Thanks to Netgalley and Quercus Books for my free ARC.

A good, chilling book that had me gripped. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review this book. Will read more by this author.

My thoughts about this brilliantly written gripping police procedural thriller Olivia Kiernan's The Murder Box,was just spectacular with its breathtaking suspense and  a race against time to find the killer, was just wow beyond excellent. Author Olivia Kiernan is not only a brilliant story teller but the tension she brings to the story is remarkable, and the characters are truly amazing. The Murder Box is a rollocoster ride blockbuster in the making,what a fantastic ride. The story of The Murder Box starts were we see lead character Detective Chief Superintendent Frankie Sheehan believes the murder mystery game sent to her office is a birthday gift from one of her colleagues. But when Frankie studies the game's contents, she notices a striking resemblance between the 'murder victim' and missing twenty-two-year-old Lydia Callin.As Frankie and her team investigate, a series of grisly crimes connected to the game are discovered across Dublin city and Lydia's involvement with a shadowy network of murder mystery players becomes clear.While on the hunt for Lydia's murderer, Frankie is drawn more deeply into the game. Every successful move brings her closer to the killer. But the real question is not what happens should she lose -- but what happens if she wins was just fantastic. Author Olivia Kiernan has delivered a brilliant masterpiece that truly deserves appreciation, the way the story ends it has left me breathless. I would like to say thank you to Author Olivia Kiernan, Publishers River Run Books And Netgalley, for giving me a chance to read and review this outstanding nail-biting explosive thriller, that packs a punch. Highly recommended.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥💥💥💥💥💥

I flew through this book!
The plot was so absorbing I didn't even realise it is written in the present tense until halfway through and that is a testament to the great plot and characterisation - I usually steer clear of books in the present tense as I find them annoying.
I appreciated the harsh truth that law enforcement is political and many cases get lost due to budgetary constraints etc. It was also great to see strong female leads and I liked the irony that the two women who head the division are at loggerheads and it has nothing to do with their sex but their personal beliefs and who they are.
And of course, this is set in Ireland, which was refreshing.
The twist at the end was phenomenal - I definitely did not see that coming.
A good read for those who love a suspenseful mystery story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - The Murder Box - Olivia Kiernan - Publish date: 22nd July 2021

Thank you @QuercusBooks for an ARC

Detective Chief Superintendent Frankie Sheenan receives what she believes to be a murder mystery game box on her birthday whilst working a very public high profile case. As a bit of light relief her and her partner Baz start to work through the game. The next day they get a visit from a woman reporting her flat mate missing, who just so happens to have the same name as the victim in the ‘game’...

When I saw Steve Cavanagh had called this cracking I new I had to give it a go. I was trying to decipher clues all the way through but I did not figure it out at all. This felt so real - honestly I had chills for the last 25% of the book it’s been a long time since a book has given me a physical reaction like that. There were some points I was a little confused, I had to re-read a few passages because it felt like either I missed something or the story jumped a bit. However that doesn’t take away from the brilliance of the storyline.

I would definitely recommend this to any thriller fan - and I’ll certainly be checking out more of Olivia’s books.