I recently read my first Owen Mullen book and by gosh I loved it.
I was thrilled when I noticed he actually had a fair few other books out. I decided to go with this one first, and i'm glad I did as there is a follow on due out real soon.
I love getting to know new characters, deciding if i'm going to love or hate them.
I found this to be a great thriller and a good start to a series. It was interesting and engaging. Well plotted and a darn good read. i'm looking forward to the next book and then continuing with this authors other works.
If you haven't read any of his books then now is a good time to start.

If you enjoy gripping crime thrillers, then this series is one you MUST pick up! The MC Charlie Cameron is both sympathetic and likable.

From the opening scene, my emotions were completely engaged! I was so angry with the selfish mother in the first scene and was furious with the events that transpired after.

The approach that Charlie takes throughout the investigation had me completely engrossed in this book. It was difficult for me to put it down and do ‘life stuff’. Without giving anything away, I can safely say that I highly recommend this book and wish I could do ½ stars as this one deserves 4 ½ stars without a doubt!! And on to Book 2 I go. 😊

Games People Play by Owen Mullen is an excellent thriller. The writing is really great. This was a bit of a slow burn in the beginning, but the payoff is well worth it.

I really enjoy Charlie. He is a relatable and endearing character that made this novel interesting to read through. It was interesting to watch how he works through the roadblock he hits. He also has quite a bit of baggage in his past and he needs to work through. His character arc made this story intriguing.

The execution of this novel is really well down. I think this thriller was excellent with great characters. Don’t miss this one.

*I received a free copy of this book from Rachel’s Random Resources to review honestly on the blog tour. All opinions are my own and unbiased.*

Games People Play is a psychological PI thriller and the first book in the Charlie Cameron series by Owen Mullen. Originally published in 2017, this reformat and re-release is out 20th April 2021. It's 334 pages in print format and available in ebook format. (Other editions available in other formats). It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.

This is a well plotted, taut, and sometimes graphic PI thriller. Protagonist Charlie specialises in missing persons (but not kids). He's drawn unwillingly into a case with a near drowning incident alongside an abduction which soon spirals out into murder and more. There are a number of entwined subplot threads and lots of false/misleading clues which resolve satisfyingly at the end.

The characterisations are well rendered and distinct. I had no trouble keeping the characters sorted out and I didn't get yanked out of my suspension of disbelief by clunky dialogue or out-of-character actions. The language is R rated, there are potentially sensitive/trauma inducing scenes including child abduction, drowning, rape, drug abuse, and neglect. A fair bit of this book is quite dark and atmospherically dank and chilling. Although it's set in Scotland, in a lot of ways it reminded me of the Jack Taylor books (set in Ireland).

I liked the music/bar subplot elements and the descriptions of the music and musicians added a lot of flavour to the book. The vernacular and spellings are British/Scots English.

Four stars. I would recommend this one to fans of Ann Cleeves, Ken Bruen, and Angela Marsons.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I have read and loved a couple of Owen’s books to date. I haven’t quite caught up with everything that he has written but I am getting there. I read the synopsis for ‘Games People Play’ and it certainly sounded like the fast paced sort of thriller that I particularly love to read. So without further ado, I grabbed my Kindle, grabbed a cup of tea and settled down for an afternoon of reading. I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘Games People Play’ but more about that in a bit.
‘Games People Play’ is the first book in the series featuring Private Investigator Charlie Cameron. I actually liked the character of Charlie Cameron and I warmed to him pretty much straightaway. He is what you might call a lovable rogue. Charlie is a mighty fine private eye. Charlie always gets a result even if he has to bend the rules slightly to get there.
I was drawn into this book by the synopsis alone and the story within the covers of the book sealed the deal as it were. I just couldn’t out this book down. My Kindle wasn’t exactly glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it travelled everywhere with me. I couldn’t bear to miss a single second of the story. I would pick the book up only intending to read a chapter or two but I would become so wrapped up in the story that I read more like half a dozen chapters at a time. I enjoyed the book so much that I seemed to go into my own little bubble in that I lost track of time and I managed to shut out all other distractions just so I could focus on the story itself.
‘Games People Play’ is superbly written but then I think that Owen is a superb author. He has one of those writing styles that is easy to get used to and easy to get along with. Owen makes the reader feel as though they are part of the story and right in the thick of the action so to speak. That’s how I felt at any rate. Reading ‘Games People Play’ felt like being on a scary and unpredictable rollercoaster ride with many twists and turns along the way. I found ‘Games People Play’ to be a gripping read, which kept me guessing and which kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘Games People Play’ and I wholeheartedly recommend this book to other readers. I will definitely be reading more of Owen’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board can only be 5* out of 5*.

I have read several books by Owen Mullen, so I had rather high expectations for this book and I am relieved to say it certainly did not disappoint.

When baby Lily goes missing, a manhunt begins to find who is responsible for this horrendous crime. Although the police are involved and very active in the case, it is decided by the family that a PI might be a better option in the hopes of locating the whereabouts of Lily quicker.

This is where we meet Charlie Cameron, a highly rated PI who is known for locating missing adults, but this is the first case he has dealt with where a child is involved. Charlie has a lot going on in his personal life too, which we learn more about as the story progresses, and things he would rather keep hidden begin to make their way to the surface once again.

It is a race against time to locate Lily and reunite her with her devastated parents, but as the plot thickens, things come to light that may well have been overlooked if Charlie hadn’t been employed to take on this case. When the story reaches it’s climax, I can honestly say that the ending was something I hadn’t expected at all.

With a cast of secondary characters that bring out Charlie’s different traits and highlight some of his weaknesses, this allows him to become more realistic to the reader. The storyline was gripping and well structured, with so many twists and turns throughout you were kept on your toes trying to fathom out what was happening alongside the investigators. A brilliant read which I would certainly recommend to others who love a good crime thriller.

I always love a good bit of Scottish crime fiction and I really love a good PI novel, so if you are like me, then Games People Play is definitely one for you.

Charlie Cameron is a complex character with some baggage that he hasn't managed to fully dissect. This makes him edgy, a little unpredictable and hugely likeable. He's not judgmental, he's got loads of friends and he carries on regardless of his personal traumas. - Just the sort of PI you ant to have onside.

As for the other characters - well, in Games People Play, as the title suggests, you get a healthy dose of the dregs of humanity. alongside the salt of the earth and that is one of the reasons I was so invested in the novel. I love novels with multiple layers that slowly are peeled away over the course of the story line and Mullen is an expert at keeping us readers on our toes. I soon came to expect the unexpected and was drawn deeper and deeper into the story with each page I turned.

This is a complicated, multi- faceted tale of bad deeds, complex motivations and with a healthy dose of humour to make the darkness all the more palatable.

A great read ... but then I wouldn't expect any less from Owen Mullen.

I will leave a review on Amazon or B&N on April 20th

For me the premise of the book was a interesting one, but it dragged and dragged and for the longest time nothing was even said about the missing baby or what happened to her. I try to give all books the benefit of the doubt but sadly this one just wasn't for me. I do however recommend it to others, because I know not everyone enjoys the same books.

I received a ARC from NetGalley and the publisher, and this is my own person opinion of the book.

I can't even begin to review this book. It was nothing like I thought it would be and nothing like the premise had promised. Except maybe the bodycount. I couldn't connect with Charlie or his co-horts. The best part of the book was the prologue. THAT was the most exciting it got. Everything felt cheapened and nasty and by 15% in I couldn't have cared less what happened to poor baby Lily. Life is too short to waste my time on a book that does nothing for me. NEXT!!!

🔎A Scottish P.I. with problems and a lost sister he can't forget

The mystery disappearance of a young child within yards of its parents is at the heart of this story which has so much else going on. Maybe too much. Charlie Cameron the private investigator gets wrapped up in some interesting missing persons cases but a good deal of the plot is also devoted to Charlie's messed up life. I could have done with less drama about Charlie.

The Scottish setting helped draw me to this story and it was a worthwhile read but a bit slow and dealing with too many issues, particularly in the lives of Charlie and his friends. And the author created a trio of secondary characters who kept reappearing and I kept mixing up: Alan, Alex and Andrew. Maybe it's just me but I wish the names were less similar.

So, high marks for the missing person investigations which had twists that made their resolution a true surprise, medium marks for the plot as a whole as the pace had its fits and starts.

Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for providing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was a slow building mystery with different points of views mostly centered around Charles, a private investigator, and a case of a missing child. We are taken through varies scenes where Charles wrestles with his commitment to the past and his current obligation to investigate every lead. A well written mystery although slow at times and written within too many layers.

Action and plenty of twists

An explosive start to this Glasgow based thriller sets the scene for the rest of the book.

To save his wife from drowning Mark is forced to leave their baby alone on the beach. When he gets his wife back to shore the baby is gone. Mark seeks help from private detective Charlie Cameron, as he has secrets he'd rather not share with his wife or the police.

Charlie Cameron is a great character, gritty and down to earth with an on/off relationship with the police. He works in an unconventional style, using interesting methods to help him solve his cases. His character is very real and is a great centre focal point of the book.

Whilst the hunt is on for Mark's baby, other crimes are being committed and whilst Charlie and the police are attempting to solve these, so the reader gets to learn more about Charlie, his background and personal life.

I love Owen Mullen’s writing style. His characters are completely alive, there is a subtle humour, and the reader is always "right there" in the midst of the action. However in this book I felt there were too many other sub-plots distracting from the hunt for Mark's daughter - which had plenty of brilliant threads of its own. I appreciate that this is very true to life, but I found myself impatient to get back to what I saw as the main story. By the end the book everything tied together very well, with some clever twists.

A great read from this exciting author, and a chance to get to know PI Charlie Cameron who features in more of this author’s thrillers.

With a very dramatic prologue opening this story I found myself quickly drawn into this authors latest book. A story of a missing child is only the very start of describing the storyline for this opener to a new series featuring Charlie Cameron, a Private Investigator.

When mark, the father of missing 13 month old Lily turns up on Charlie's doorstep asking for help alarm bells start to ring. Why would Mark asked for Chalire's help when the police are already active in the case? Deep down Charlie knows he should walk away, it brings memories back they Charlie still hasn't dealt with.

A missing child, dark secrets, and devious and intriguing "other events" that make up this story are brilliantly worked together to give the reader quite an intense reading journey. This is a slow burner and one that involves quite a few characters that did take me a while to get my head around.

The author has woven a tale that involves the past and there are secrets involved that need to be worked through. I do like the slower pacing of this story as it gives the reader a chance to get completely absorbed. Alongside the missing child, Charlie still has other cases that are brought to him. Being a Private Investigator is what Charlie is, so taking on several cases is what he does. It is mentioned in the story that it is often a feast or famine type of business, and it is definitely a case of a feast with several to juggle. Good job he has a couple of friends to give a helping hand.

As I mentioned this is a novel that has various threads, one of which is Charlie himself, his personal life and gradually more of his past. This is interwoven into the other plots. It does mean that the investigations do alternate, for me, it gave a more complete character, showing his working and home life balance.

This is a brilliant book that is a mix of crime, mystery and personal life and one that I thoroughly enjoyed, I do like the slower pace of this story. At times I did want it to move on quicker but that was because I was impatient to get answers to the questions. Forcing myself to slow my reading was great because it meant I could get into the storyline. This is one for those who like a slower-paced crime, mystery read and one I would defiantly recommend. It has left me looking forward to reading more int his series.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. Love Police procedural books and have found a new hero in PI Vincent Delaney. This was a fast paced and terrific thriller. Would recommend to other thriller seekers.

This is the first book by Owen Mullen I have read and I am really looking forward to reading more of his books.

Charlie Cameron is a Private Investigator who finds missing people, but not children, until Lily Hamilton goes missing from the beach and Mark Hamilton decides a PI is better than the Police. Everyone has history and some would rather forget it and others can't. 

I had to sit down and finish this book during the day I was so into it.

This made a refreshing change from Police procedurals which tend to get a bit sameish after a while.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for my ARC in return for an honest review.

This is only my second book by this author, it definitely won't be my last! This book was very good and interesting! I did enjoy the other book I read more but like I said this one was really good too! This book was filled with suspense, action, drama, and plenty of heart pounding moments! It was a real who dine it too! I definitely recommend reading this book! Its well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for sharing this book with me!

A good, well written thriller from beginning to the end. All the characters were good although it wasn't an edge of seater for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book which I can definitely recommend.

336 pages

4 stars

This is a wonderful debut novel. The only complaint I have is that it seems to assume that reader should already be familiar with the characters. We were introduced to many new faces without benefit of much background information. Very slowly, I began to understand the relationships between them. The writing and plotting are very good. I truly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more of Mr. Mullen's works.

Private Investigator Charlie Cameron is not very busy at the moment when a completely distraught man comes to his office and asks for his help in finding his kidnapped thirteen-month-old daughter, Lily. Charlie doesn't really want the case for it brings back painful memories of his own kidnapped sister when he was but a child. He reluctantly decides to take the case for the father tells him he knows who took Lily.

The person the father identified is missing. This leads Charlie on a long journey to the truth. And the truth turns out to be a very big surprise. The reader is treated to the painful results of infidelity.

I want to thank NetGalley and Boldwood Books for forwarding to me a copy of this very good book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed here are my own.