This was a slow burn of a read with plenty of twists and turns to keep you reading and, but something was missing for me,

This really was an excellent read. This is the second book that I have read by the author and I have enjoyed both. Luca has worked hard to build the background of the characters, and has clearly done research about the topic covered. The book is exciting however it is not reliant on blood and gore although there was enough detail to keep up with the story. I would certainly recommend this to lovers of thriller/crime genre and I intend to read more by the author.

Ooooh now I just could not put this one down…. Hard to say too much without giving away spoilers but suffice to say its one hell of a scary and unpredictable rollercoaster ride with several twists along the way, I love when a book keeps me guessing and just when you think you have it worked out… BAM, this will grip you from the get-go and keep you on the edge of your seat throughout. Exactly what I want from a read!

The more I read by Luca Veste the more I love his work. The Game starts off with an unknown man being interviewed at by the police in connection to a body he was found near and I did not see the twist coming. I like when thrillers surprise me and apart from one bit in the book I was pleasantly surprised by how it went. It had me hook line and sinker and kept me guessing throughout, itching to get the end to see who it was but not wanting it to end too early as I was enjoying it. Cant wait to explore more of Luca Vestes work

The Game’ by Luca Veste has an intriguing opening with an unidentified man being interviewed at a Lancaster police station and confessing to the murder of eight people. We then move back in time...

This is an intense thriller that is combined with a police procedural and is primarily set in Liverpool. It’s a difficult book to summarise without spoilers, so will refer potential readers to the publishers’ teaser summary.

The nature of the Game of the title is slowly revealed alongside the efforts of Detective Constable Mark Flynn to initially locate missing teenager, Emily Burns. He is somewhat at odds with his department as he starts to uncover disturbing links between Emily and an online community.

Overall, ‘The Game’ proved a highly engaging thriller, very twisty in a satisfying way.

I've always enjoyed Luca Veste's books (see my review of Veste's The Six). In The Game, Veste continues his commentary on contemporary urban myth as the eponymous game refers to the increasingly bizarre challenges that a group of people play that lead to their deaths. Since the book was published, we've all watched Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel on Netflix which similarly features a woman acting strangely in a lift before she disappears. Similarly in The Game, the police have footage of some of the victims acting strangely in public and in lifts. The most shocking aspect of the book is that it is all too real in the last few years and it plays on our familiarity with the increasingly ridiculous social media crazes, pranks, and dares that we are so familiar with. The Game goes one step closer to show us how peer pressure could potentially manifest on the Dark Web.

The main protagonist, Detective Constable Mark Flynn, is investigating the disappearance of a young girl, Emily Burns, from a suburb of Liverpool. His investigation of her family, particularly her indifferent siblings and her overly-involved uncle, make it an unusual case. Soon after Emily's disappearance, the body of a young girl that is not Emily is found and Mark is convinced that the two cases are linked in some way.

The book stunningly tackles several issues that are all too pervasive in our online world today as it cleverly plays all the all-pervasive control and influence that social media can have on some peoples' lives, particularly younger people. Interestingly, the main narrative is interwoven with several chapters in which someone is being interviewed in Lancaster Police Station about the mysterious game but we must wait until the end to find out who it is and how they are involved.

As always, Veste has written a thoroughly entertaining, gritty thriller that centres on an increasingly threatening social theme whilst, at the same time, examining the structure of the procedural.

An edge-of-your-seat thriller that merges the twists of a psychological-mystery with the investigative layers of a procedural . . .

THEY KNOW WHAT YOU DID
You receive a call, an email, a text – someone knows your secret and they want to ruin you.

AND THEY’RE OUT FOR BLOOD
If you don’t do what they say, they’ll tell everyone what you’ve been hiding.
They will come after you, destroy you, and they aren’t afraid to kill.

Another brilliant read from one of my favourite authors - highly creative plot which got more intense with each chapter! Cannot wait for the next book.

My thanks to netgalley for an arc of this book in return for my honest opinion.

It starts with some form of communication you can’t ignore: a phone call, a text, an email… The person you’re communicating with knows your secret and if you don’t play The Game, it will be revealed. Complete each level and you may be able to leave; fail and your fate is in the hands of some unknown puppet master.

After enjoying Luca Veste’s previous standalone books, The Bone Keeper and The Six, I couldn’t wait to read The Game – even if I do still live in hope for another in the Murphy & Rossi series! In The Game, we have probably one of the most twisted killers the author has written about and yet, for me, the scary part was that I could actually imagine something like this happening in real life!

When a young woman goes missing, DC Mark Flynn feels that there is more to this case than meets the eye. Going against what his colleagues believe has happened, he begins to investigate an online challenge known as ‘The Game’, linking the disappearance to the death of another young woman nearby. Although Mark found himself flying solo for the majority of the time, he is not the typical maverick detective you find in police procedurals, finding himself an outsider through circumstance not choice. I liked Mark, admiring his perseverance even though his beliefs pushed him further away from the rest of the squad.

The internet has become a feature of many crime books in recent years and here, Luca Veste has definitely demonstrated the negative side. As I said earlier, as the plot develops and we discover how people are ‘recruited’ to play The Game, you begin to realise how this could actually happen in the real world and how important it is to remember the consequences that online comments can have.

I really enjoyed The Game and hope that this isn’t the last we hear of Mark Flynn.

With thanks to Simon and Schuster UK and Netgalley for the ARC.

How far would you go to keep your secrets hidden?

Foe some, the only option is to participate in 'The Game'

Someone is manipulating vulnerable teenagers with hidden secrets to play along, inevitably leading to their death.

The story opens with a man confessing to 8 murders in a police interview. All is not as it seems and the police are suspicious.

We then see and follow a new 'game' starting.
We follow the participants through different stages to it's conclusion.

DC Mark Flynn is investigating the case of a missing girl, Emily Burns, it seems pretty straightforward to begin with.
As he looks into the case there are a few things that make him suspicious. the girls family are the main cause of concern. An Uncle who is known to the police, a brother who seems entirely unconcerned and a sister who is somewhat detached.

A brilliant, high concept, police procedural from Luca Veste, who continues to grow as a writer with each new release.

Highly recommended.

I love Luca Veste books, not least because the are set in and around the beautiful city of Liverpool. This was a great read and hooks you in from the start - it's a gripping read and a great storyline

I think I was expecting this book to be as riveting as The Chain by Adrian McKinty and it wasn’t. The plot developed at a reasonable pace but the whole thing was just lack lustre from the characters to the story. Not for me sorry to say.

I’ve read a couple of other Luca Veste books and thoroughly enjoyed them so was excited to receive this review copy of The Game.
Mark is a detective investigating the disappearance of Emily Burns, a teenager and as he looks into the case he discovers some strange anomalies which connect her to other unhappy teenage girls. However the case is not easy to solve and despite getting to know Emily’s family and trying really hard it is very difficult.
Mark is not a confident policeman and feels unliked in his new position where other members of the squad ridicule him and his abilities. However he perseveres and gradually he starts to discover something called “The Game”.
I won’t reveal too much more of the plot as this might spoil further enjoyment of the story.
Having said all that I did not find this book quite as compelling as the author’s previous novels. I didn’t particularly warm to Mark as a character and felt there was something missing, leading to him not ringing particularly true. I’ve also read a couple of books recently which had a similar “game “theme so I didn’t find the story line particularly revelatory.
Luca Veste’s earlier books are amazing, particularly The Six so it might be worth reading these novels first before embarking on The Game which is a quick and easy read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

The game by Luca Veste.
This was a good read. I did enjoy it bit I didn't have a favourite character. Nobody jumped out at me. 4*.

My thanks to Simon & Schuster UK for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Game’ by Luca Veste in exchange for an honest review. I subsequently bought its ebook/audiobook combination.

The novel has an intriguing opening with an unidentified man being interviewed at a Lancaster police station and confessing to the murder of eight people. We then move back in time...

This is an intense thriller that is combined with a police procedural and is primarily set in Liverpool. It’s a difficult book to summarise without spoilers, so will refer potential readers to the publishers’ teaser summary.

The nature of the Game of the title is slowly revealed alongside the efforts of Detective Constable Mark Flynn to initially locate missing teenager, Emily Burns. He is somewhat at odds with his department as he starts to uncover disturbing links between Emily and an online community.

Overall, ‘The Game’ proved a highly engaging thriller, very twisty in a satisfying way.

They know what you did: you recieve a call, an email, a text. Someone knows your secret.and they want to ruin you. If you don't do what they say, they'll tell everyone what you've been hiding. They will come after you, destroy you, and they aren't afraid to tell.

The body of a young girl has been found in Liverpool.it looks like suicide. DC Mark Flynn is called out to the scene.

This is one of those books you can't say too much about as you don't want to spoil it for potential readers. The characters are intriguing. You will spend most of your time second guessing yourself. The pace is steady and the plotline gripping. The story is told mainly from DC Mark Flynn's perspective. This is a gripping read.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #SimonAnd Schuster and the author #LucaVeste for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An unnamed man walks into a police station and confesses to 8 murders. DI Mark Flynn is investigating the disappearance of a teenager, but instead a different girls body is discovered. But how are these girls linked and what is 'The Game' that they were playing?🧐

3.5⭐- this was a good psychological thriller and an enjoyable, fast read. If you're looking for something quick and easy then this will be one to pick up!

I wanted to love this book a much as I have loved this author's other book however its just didn't do it for me. I didn't warm to the main character, I felt his lack of confidents as DC was frustrating and I found myself wanting to skip his drama. I also found the story line a bit hard to believe, I not sure anyone would play a game to keep there secrets secret, especially when one secret is catfishing people online. I am gutted I could not connect with this book however I know how great this author is "The Six" was one of my favourites, so I will be picking up his next book.

A clever and addictive psychological thriller!

We open on the confession of an unknown man, who is in the process of confessing to 8 murders. Problem is, other than the one he's holding, no others can be found.

The book relies heavily on the publics obsession with online forums, chatrooms and snapchat and brings us the Game. Similar to the real life blue whale challenge participants find them selves taking part in activities they'd never dream of being part of in their normal lives. If they do not take part, or the fail to complete a level a life destroying secret is revealed. There are so many complex themes buried into what on the surface is just another thriller. However Veste adeptly deals with, bullying, grief, an extreme in a sensitive and powerful way.

With Thanks to Simon & Schuster UK and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book

Oh man, I don’t know how I feel about this one. I have mixed emotions which doesn’t usually happen for Luca Veste. Let me start by saying I am a huge fan of his work. His last two “The Bone Keeper” and “The Six” were so brilliant I am still recommending them and still talking about the endings. This one however didn’t have the same pull on me. It’s still well written, but at a much slower pace than his normal style and I feel that is the main reason I struggled.

The first half I felt a little bored. I kept waiting for that moment that would turn it in to a page turning, need to get to the end, book. The second half was much better. The storyline got more interesting and by the last quarter I wanted to see how things would tie together. If it weren’t for the fact Luca Veste’s name was on this title, I am not sure I would have pushed as hard to finish it.

Please remember that these are my opinions and in no way should stop you from picking up a copy of “The Game”. There are reviewers out there that have loved this and if it was the first time, they were reading something by this author, I can definitely understand why. I know I shouldn’t compare this to his previous work, but I can’t help the comparison when I have seen him write something so much better.

So, my recommendation would be to read “The Game” first, and then read his other two standalones, leaving “The Six” to read last as that was incredible.

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster UK and Luca Veste for the opportunity to read this.

UK Publication Date: 2nd December 2020

The Game - Luca Veste

In this book someone knows your secret's and in order to make them go away you will need to complete The Game. Personally I feel you should just tell the world your secret rather than go through this hell, but as the people who have been targeted are somewhat at an all time low they are preyed on when they see no other way out. There were plenty of twists and turns in this book, enough to keep you reading and quickly, however I did feel it was missing something for me, I'm not sure what entirely I can't quite put my finger on it. Maybe it was due to the fact that the book tends to drip feed reveals throughout rather than a big dramatic ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster UK for allowing me the chance to read this in return of an honest review