⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️☆ (4/5)
High-concept, high-stakes, and wildly entertaining. This thriller blends reality TV, survival games, and psychological drama in a way that feels both timely and addictive. Kelly Mullen’s fast-paced style keeps the tension high right through to the end. A must-read for fans of The Hunger Games meets Black Mirror.

A cost humorous murder mystery that just loses a bit of pace at times. Perhaps it could be defined as a modern day Agatha Christie story. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to ARC this book.

A classy, twisty, glamorous locked room murder-mystery. This is not a game but really fun to play along.

Mimi and Addie (Grandma and Granddaughter) reunite to go to a swanky party at the local celebrity’s mansion, where incidentally Mimi is being blackmailed. However the guests get more than they bargained for when the hostess is brutally murdered, the drawbridge (an actual drawbridge!) is stuck open and a thick snow storm is cutting off any rescue. Addie and Mimi need to come together and solve this puzzle before the next body drops.

This is a great, fun story! My favourite part is the setting! The old house filled with secret passageways and rooms was so well described and designed, it made me feel like I was exploring the house myself. I could see it that clearly.

I love the grandma/granddaughter combo and Mimi and Addie were so much fun as co-protagonists. There could have been more meat to their relationship but equally I really appreciate the author’s commitment to getting on with the plot.

Addie being a murder mystery games designer was a genius touch, it gave the whole story a new dimension and made it sort of self aware, but not in a pretentious way. The parallel between video game players and the reader in a detective story and how both participate in the story was just a really nice touch.

Highly enjoyed, and I can’t say more… you’ll need to play for yourself.

Thanks #Cornerstone and #Netgalley for my #arc

Well wasn't this a bit of a blast! We start with Mimi opening an invitation to a party which she really doesn't want to attend but kinda has to cos non-attendance will lead to her secret being exposed. She also has to bid for, and win a pricey item on the charity auction being held. Yup... we're talking blackmail. So she contacts her granddaughter Addie to accompany her, which also doubles to keep her mind off Addie's split with fiance Brian who not only dumped her but is also refusing to credit her in the video game they created together.
So together they attend the soiree, at the isolated house, on a remote island, reached only by an electric drawbridge, meeting their hosts. 70 odd year old narcissistic socialite Jane Ireland who is currently dating her own son-in-law, shock horror. Along with an eclectic mix of other guests, family and friends, most of whom do not appear to fit together, or even like each other. And with bad weather coming in...
What could possibly go wrong!?!?
Well... murder for one... But the Police can't reach them to help. And then the power goes out.
But, in Addie, Mimi has the perfect partner in crime to try and solve the mystery of what in the heck is going on... And then there's another body and time is running out.
While I really applaud the author for the story, the plotting, the mystery and puzzles, I really have to admit that this was marred for me a tad by the fact that I really didn't get on with Mimi. There was something there that just rubbed me up the wrong way right from the off. In fact I think I read the opening chapter a few times and put the book down for another before I eventually put my big girl pants on and really dug in. And I am glad overall that I did. I did like Addie better and thought she was quite helpful with cracking the puzzles although I found her a bit whiny at times, especially with the repeated mention of her video game creation skills. Yes, I got it the first time, thank you. They also felt a wee bit disjointed together, and more than just the stuff from their past, but that might have been by design.
But all that said, I did have fun along the way trying to second guess it all. I did and I didn't, let's leave it there, so apart from the already mentioned niggles, it was a good solid read that, on finishing, I discover to be a debut book. I would most definitely be interested in seeing what the author serves up next time. Even if it does turn out to be a series opener as I have been known to warm to MCs I initially disliked... My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I really enjoyed this whodunnit which gave me TMC vibes. The story features two main characters, Mimi and her granddaughter Addie, who find themselves at a super fancy auction party. Well, Mimi has actually been blackmailed into attending and bidding, and has taken her granddaughter for backup. When the host turns up dead and nobody can leave because of the weather, the pair end up attempting to uncover the murderer.

I really enjoyed Mimi’s character in this book. She’s cantankerous yet classy, as well as being unintentionally quite funny. This book was a slower pace but I felt like it suited the story well. Can’t wait to see if these characters return in a future book!

This is a great book. It reminded me a little of the Thursday murder club books. Kelly mullen has written some great characters into this book and I look forward to reading more from her.

This book was so easy to read, I didn't want to put it down as I was having so much fun with the mystery and the twists and turns.

The premise of the story was very good. The idea of people being blackmailed into paying an extortionate amount of money at an auction being run by the blackmailer was a great start. The bad weather, the hostess being killed, the police not able to attend because of the weather added great interest. Sadly I found that the pace of the story was too slow. This is a story that when Mimi asked her grandaughter to accompany her to to the auction party it took away any interest I was trying hard to garner. I am not a gamer and all the references and abbreviations to the development of a good digital game took away what I felt could have been an excellent story. The reasons that everyone was being blackmailed were very convoluted was developd at a good pace and helped with the discovery of the murderer.
This is a book that any prson who enjoys PC gaming would love I am sure as it gives so many ideas on what a developer is expecting the gamer to think and hence act,
Sadly this was not for me but reading other reviews I think that it was loved or not.

This was a really great read filled with well written characters and witty dialogue. The pace was just right and the story kept me interested throughout. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving them to an early copy of this book.

This was such a fun time! I loved the relationship between Mimi and Addie, it felt so relatable. A fresh take on the classic locked room mystery. I'll definitely be reading more from this author!

A cosy murder mystery but bit slow moving at times.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book

I enjoyed this 'locked room' mystery. There were some nice little touches between Mimi and her grand daughter Addie.

A easy cosy read of trying to figure out who done it. I enjoyed the characters and storyline. Would recommend

This book was a delightful and easy-to-read mystery, perfect for a cozy afternoon! Mimi, the 77-year-old protagonist, is an absolute gem – cantankerous, witty, and utterly charming. Her reluctant granddaughter, Addie, provides a wonderful contrast, making their dynamic both humorous and heartwarming.

The setting of Mackinac Island, with its grand mansion and extravagant party, creates a wonderfully atmospheric backdrop for the murder mystery. The plot unfolds at a pleasant pace, with just enough twists and turns to keep you guessing.

The real strength of this book lies in its characters. Mimi's sharp tongue and no-nonsense attitude are a breath of fresh air, and her interactions with the more reserved Addie are consistently entertaining. A fun and engaging read, perfect for fans of cozy mysteries

Evoking the nostalgic charm of classic whodunits, this debut novel immerses readers in a traditional locked-room mystery. Set on Mackinac Island in the Great Lakes, the story traps a diverse group of guests at a socialite's mansion, becoming the stage for murder after a charity auction turns deadly.

The unlikely detective duo, Mimi and Addie, provide a refreshing and compelling dynamic. Mimi, a widow with a sharp wit and an even sharper appreciation for a well-made Gibson, brings a worldly charm and a knack for extracting information through convivial conversation. Addie, a modern-day analytical mind and video game designer, channels her inner Hercule Poirot, employing a methodical, logic-driven approach. Her constant references to "means, motive, and opportunity" provide a delightful contrast to Mimi's more intuitive methods. The interplay between their old-school charm and new-age pragmatism creates a truly engaging partnership.

Addie's unique perspective, as the co-creator of the wildly successful murder mystery video game "Murderscape," offers a clever twist on the classic "mystery author as guest" trope. Instead of drawing on literary experience, Addie applies the structured, analytical framework of her game design to the real-life investigation. She regularly references the logic puzzles and narrative structures of "Murderscape," using them to guide their questioning and progress the case. This incorporation of video game logic into a traditional mystery is well handled, adding a fresh dimension to the familiar formula.

The mansion itself, with its hidden corners and historical weight, becomes a character in its own right, enhancing the atmospheric tension. While the plot adheres to the familiar structure of a classic locked-room mystery, the novel offers a warm, nostalgic embrace of the genre, perfect for readers seeking a familiar yet enjoyable escape into a world of elegant intrigue and genteel detection.

I would like to convey my thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone Publishers for providing the opportunity to review this novel. All opinions are my own.

This is Not a Game is due to be released on 10th April 2025.

Reviewed March 2025

Mimi lives on Mackinac Island on Lake Michigan. She is grandmother to Addie and has looked after her since Addie’s parents died. Addie is now a gamer having devised a successful game with her partner who has now dumped her. Trying to decide what to do Addie receives a message from Mimi inviting her to join her at a party at the home of local celebrity Jane Ireland.

Briefly, the invitation included a demand that Mimi bid for a particular item at the party otherwise her secret will be made public! It is of course the middle of winter and with a snow storm blowing the pair find themselves trapped in the house with the other partygoers, also invited under similar duress. And when the hostess is murdered matters go downhill very quickly, and more bodies soon follow. With Mimi under suspicion Addie decides to use her skills as a gamer to help Mimi solve the case.

I loved our two lady sleuths. They have a great relationship and very different personalities so they bat well off each other as they try to solve the murders. Pleasant cosy murder mystery where there are any number of suspects to keep the brain ticking over. A good locked room plot with some great twists and turns, making for a fun and entertaining read.

I absolutely loved this - a fantastic locked-room whodunnit with an engaging modern twist in the video-game-inspired approach to puzzle-solving and a central duo to fall in love with in Mimi and Addie. It starts slowly, and is slightly rambling at times - there are a lot of characters to wrangle, and a lot of ground to cover - but the last third really rocketed along and Kelly Mullen has created a setting and cast that I would happily have spent a lot more time immersed in. All in all, a satisfying mystery with a quick wit and a refreshingly cool, anti-cosy edge - just like one of Mimi’s Gibsons.
Thanks to Penguin Random House | Century and NetGalley for the ARC.

An outstanding murder mystery!

An invitation to a dinner party with a side note of blackmail - what could possibly go wrong? Thankfully Mimi, with her cutting insights and razor-sharp wit, and her granddaughter Addie, with her penchant for mystery solving, are on hand to help.

This an isolated setting mystery to the extreme! Not only are they trapped in manor, they also live on an island that is totally cut off from the mainland thanks to a mighty snowstorm. This really heightens the tensions and ups the stakes, which keeps going as the body count rises.

The two protagonist make an awesome duo. The stoic grandmother who is fiercely protective of her granddaughter and does not suffer fools, and the granddaughter whose intelligence is instrumental in solving the mystery. The writing really captures the unique and complex dynamic between the two.

Overall, this was an outstanding murder mystery with plenty of heart, wit and intrigue.

A cozy and funny whodunnit with some great characters :) Perfect read for evenings by the fire. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance reader copy

Mimi takes her granddaughter to an evening at a posh friends house where she has been instructed by the host,Jane, to buy a certain object.
Snow falls thick and fast and soon they are snowed in with no escape as the access to the house is now closed and no one knows the code to get the drawbridge open again. Jane is found dead, murdered, at the end of the evening. Surrounded by well known faces it soon becomes clear that they all had secret past dealings with Jane that they prefer to keep hidden. Mimi included but who would murder to keep them so. Mimi and Adie set themselves the task of detectives and they hope they can solve the case without too many deaths occurring. A big house with plenty of secret passages known only to a few makes life more difficult for the two but..................Mimi thinks better with a Gibson cocktail or more inside her and a carryall bag that seems to have all the right things required by an amateur detective. A good read that will keep you guessing until the end.