The Murder Game: A gripping murder mystery from the author of A Fatal Crossing

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There are envelopes on the tables – one for each of the quests, informing them of their roles. Each guest plays a different character such as a maid, a solicitor, a doctor, a daughter, a wife, a murderer and a victim. There are clues, there are red herrings and there are the usual suspects and the ever present motives. The Murder Hame by Tom Hindle is published today by Cornerstone (an imprint of Penguin Random House) and you can now buy a copy from your favourite local book shop! This was SO dull. Honestly I contemplated DNF several times and I've just thrown the book aside at the epilogue as I just couldn't be bothered to read on. It's like a GCSE student read an Agathie Christie novel once and thought they'd have a rough go at it.

Tom Hindle - Fantastic Fiction Tom Hindle - Fantastic Fiction

Tom Hindle is originally from Yorkshire and now lives in Oxfordshire, where he works for a digital PR agency. A FATAL CROSSING is Tom's debut novel and was inspired by masters of the crime genre from Agatha Christie to Anthony Horowitz. The pace of the book was okay, it was neither super fast nor agonizingly slow, just perfect. I loved that we get different perspectives throughout the night, to get inside scopes to the different guests' mind and their anxiety through the night. I enjoyed the claustrophobic atmosphere of this book and the setting of the slightly run down hotel. The coastal location really added to the tension and the feeling of being trapped. I was hoping that the murder mystery aspect of the book would play out more and be more incorporated into the plot as that was what drew me to the book in the first place. While the plot was entertaining, it wasn’t as tightly drawn as I would have liked - there were a few plot holes that I couldn’t bring myself to ignore. I had guessed the killer about halfway through the book and although the final twist was one I didn’t see coming, it stretched my credulity somewhat.This is your standard murder-at-the-party format that includes many twists and turns that accompany the complex narrative. There are deep lies and discoveries that intertwine between past and present and Hindle has really set a stride with this one. There are layers to these characters motives that are expressive but brutal. As before, we've had to pay attention to close details to follow everyone's steps and motives. This was an engaging read, but it did fall short on its surprises. The writing is innovative and can be deemed as a step up from A Fatal Crossing but the characters weren't as interesting. This could be more since A Fatal Crossing was one of my favourite reads of the year. This was my first Tom Hindle novel and although billed as in the 'Golden Age' style, I found it to be a very disappointing imitation of this genre. I enjoyed what I read of this more than the A Fatal Crossing, because it felt more focused and more clearly plotted. However, there are a lot of characters and perspectives though, which I was struggling to keep on top of, but this may have improved had I continued to read.

The Murder Game - Penguin Books UK

An Agatha Christie worthy whodunnit for the Midsomer Murders generation (me then!). Murders and hatred abound but there’s an overall cosy, Sunday night feel. This isn’t about hardened psychopaths, it’s all very middle class. I loved how the game was constructed and how everything went down hill when a murder happened during the murder mystery party. as the guests start turning on each other things hot up as more disclosures abound but can the murderer be unveiled or has someone else have a hidden agenda They are to take part in a murder mystery game with a 1920s twist, and everyone has their own part to play. This was a great follow-up to A Fatal Crossing, which might have been the better of the two, but The Murder Game is a strong story that sweeps you right up.But it seems that someone wants to play a different game. There is going to be a real victim and a real murderer with a very real motive. This book was actually such a fun book to read, it was a bit slow at some places, but I think it has the perfect amount of tension and cliffhangers between each hour of the night were delectable I was at the edge of my seat whenever I finished a part and had to sleep because I had to wake up early the next day. The characters are not especially likeable and I'm not sure there's a single one you can trust but they're all very well crafted. I could picture each and every one. A classic style, small-cast mystery, this story sees a group of locals all assembled for a game, each with their own secrets and strong reasons to hate the surprise guest, Damien White, who is inevitable found brutally murdered during the course of the evening. A really interesting storyline peppered with characters who interlink in ways that the reader becomes aware of mainly at the end reveal. Well written and tense, another hugely enjoyable book.

Tom Hindle - Penguin Books UK Tom Hindle - Penguin Books UK

My hope is that Tom's novels will improve as he acquires greater experience and a more robust style of writing. I requested this ARC from NetGalley last year, it was what prompted me to read the author's debut, A Fatal Crossing, which I DNF'd two thirds in. I thought it only fair to give The Murder Game a fair shot, but as 20% in, have decided to also DNF. There is some authentic-feeling portrayal of PTSD in the story and it was a clever idea to focus the narrative mostly on the viewpoint s of the four younger (early 20s) – all very different – characters: Lily, heiress to and daughter of the murdered man; Will, organiser of the event but struggling with long-term trauma; Theo, actor in the game and aspiring actor outside it; and Justin, local journalist, desperate for a big story to break him out into the big papers. Finally, we are left with a satisfying ending, all loose ends are tied up neatly. Whilst I had figured out who the murderer was it did not take away the enjoyment of seeing this Cluedo story play out. Of course, the inevitable happens, and one of the guests ends up dead, and it seems impossible for anyone to have left the hotel. So the murderer is among them, and it’s left to the guests, along with local PC Natalie Fay, to get to the bottom of the group’s hidden secrets and possible motives, and uncover the killer.I would maybe have liked a little more of certain characters and there were a couple of things that didn't quite seem credible but I did find myself drawn into the story. Poor plot with a most uninteresting twist. Weak characters with no depth left me not caring what happened to any of them. Terrible prose and narrative. I'm still getting over 'the smile slipped off his face like grease' and 'she felt panic skirting across her face'. Overall it’s a good read and it was an entertaining few hours but it just didn’t have the depth and complexity I was hoping for. There is certainly plenty to like about "The Murder Game" and the influence of those aforementioned authors is plainly evident. There is a nice prologue to set the scene and introduce the key protagonists in true "Golden Age" mystery fashion. The setting, too, is very Christie-esque and I liked the way the author made use of a 1920s themed murder mystery game to create a mystery within a mystery. Not only did this allow homage to be paid to that classic era, but it also reminded me of the technique employed by Anthony Horowitz in his "Magpie Murders" and "Moonflower Murders" books. It won't escape fans of Horowitz that there is something of a "Midsomer Murders" feel to this story too.