A living Cluedo game. A modern 'locked room' mystery insofar as there is a limited number of suspects. A knowledge of the Bard will aid you. Not a new idea but good fun. Thanks to Netgalley.

The Murder Game is a phenomenal thriller from start to finish perfect for lovers of puzzles. Filled to the brim with twists and a captivating plot, this murder mystery is sure to keep readers hooked. The characters are well-developed. The story is incredibly fast-paced. This is one not to be missed! Highly recommended! Be sure to check out The Murder Game asap.

What better way to spend an evening than participating in a nice old-fashioned murder? All for fun and in the best possible taste, of course. Well, that’s certainly the intention when the owner of Hamlet Hall decides to run a murder mystery evening in the hope of drumming up a bit of extra business during the off-season. Unfortunately, the inhabitants of the apparently tranquil Hamlet Wick have a lot of secrets to hide, and the murder mystery proves to be the perfect opportunity for one of them to exact deadly revenge on another guest at the part.

The Murder Game is a modern twist on the classic country house murder made famous by Agatha Christie and other writers from the golden age of crime. There’s a closed circle of suspects and plenty of clues with which to unravel the various strands of mystery that permeate the story. The plot is very cleverly crafted and it’s a whole lot of fun to attempt to solve the murder alongside the (surviving) players.

I loved this even more than “A Fatal Crossing”, and that is a firm favourite …
There’s nothing not to love about this classic who dunnit book,
In short, a troubled young man plans a murder mystery party (we’ve all been to those..), in a quiet town. The guests arrive, are fed, and a murder happens…just not quite as the host hopes?
Really enjoyable, great scene and atmosphere setting, great characters, and an excellent ending!

Sometimes you just need a good light hearted murder and this is it!
It kinda gave me Agatha Christie vibes, lots of characters to keep track of but nothing too taxing. While it was an easy read I was intrigued to find our killer.
Perfect little read for these long winter nights

A brilliant locked room mystery in true Agatha Christie style. As each hour ticks by, another layer if information is revealed until finally all the pieces fit together. A very clever and well written book. Very enjoyable

Tragedy strikes a murder mystery evening taking place on New Year's Eve in the quiet seaside town of Hamlet Wick, when one of the guests is found dead. In a secluded country house the remaining guests are left to figure out what really happened.

A completely addictive locked room mystery.

I made the mistake of reading this on a plane journey, only to have to stop right before the end - desperate to find out what happened as soon as I got home! The incredibly clever plot kept me reading late into the night.

I love Tom Hindle's writing style. His characters seem so genuine and believable. I enjoyed how Tom used the remote winter setting to create a sense of danger and add to the suspense. If you love Agatha Christie this is definitely a book for you.

My recommendation is to make sure you have time to devour this because you won't want to put it down!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House UK for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Wow!! This may only be Tom Hindle's second book, but like his first one, it was absolutely gripping!!!!
'The Murder Game' was literally that!! A game set up in a hotel, on New Year's Eve, where everyone has a part to play, to work out the imaginary murder! But it turns out to be real! So in reality, the guests, the actors, and the hosts, having to work out who did it!! Accusations, blame etc all in the mix!!
Fantastic story, I really enjoyed it, didn't want to put it down!! I can't wait for the next one!!

Well I am sorry to say that this book did not fulfil my expectations in any way. I was totally confused by who was who as there seemed to be several men around and in the end I just had to guess. I felt that the plot was very loose and to be honest rather cliched ridden. I could not cope with any more facial expressions, flaring nostrils and other grimaces. Not the best read to be honest.

Set in an old manor, it is a murder mystery that would have Agatha Christie clamouring to solve on New Year's Eve. A body is found, the list of suspects is endless and of course there is no phone signal. The deceased was an unlikeable character and for me this spoilt my enjoyment of the book. A bit predictable.

I really enjoyed this murder mystery novel. It gave me Agatha Christie vibes due to it's secluded nature and how twisty and turny it was with the action. I liked how this was paced and the characters all seemed quite well rounded out and real in this world. The action was plotted out well and i liked how the pacing helped keep me hooked. The final section was kind of electric and i didn't want to finish it as i was enjoying the characters and the world so much.

Although this was a little slow I did enjoy it. It read that a Agatha Christie book and kept me interested all the way through. The mini stories going throughout this book was good but I did get confused. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Giving me Agatha Christie vibes and for that I’m always grateful! Loved his first and now loved his second, excited to see what’s next for Tom Hindle!
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Thank you to the publisher for the arc!

I enjoyed this take on a locked room mystery. I liked how it wove many little mini mysteries in one and slowly revealed the secrets of the town. I liked the balance of the various characters, some I loved some I loved to hate and I think that was the real highlight for me in this book.

I did find that the plot was very slow. This kind of took away from the impact of some of the reveals as you could see them slowly building up and it made it easier to guess where the twists and turns were going to take you so that was a little disappointing. I also felt the grand reveal of Who-dun-it and why was a little lack lustre. It was a shame and it was such an intricate mystery that could have taken so many different routes but I felt a number of the character backstories were kind of ignored and didn’t really get to play out in full and they seemed really interesting.

Overall I enjoyed this book but I felt it just let me down a little. I think because I read a lot of this kind of mystery I could see the patterns play out easier and that is more on me and my reading taste than the authors choice to play with those tropes. I did prefer a Fatal Crossing I thought it was more exciting and drove you to read on more than this book. However, Hindle is a very good writer and I will happily pick up the next book.

4.5 stars
An abandoned lighthouse that holds a secret, a body found on the beach many years ago, and someone out to get revenge.
It is New Year’s Eve and Will and Ian have organised an evening of entertainment for those who have decided to participate to the Murder Game, but as they all gather together the last 2 guests running late leave them all speechless.
Lily and her dad, Mr White, the person who recently purchased the lighthouse and is planning to turn it into a residence. The lighthouse that has been left empty since that tragic accident.

The first course of the meal ends up with heavy accusations being thrown around, and when people gather for the second course, a body is discovered.

Tense writing and interesting plot- I guessed the murderer but not the twist!

In the small town of Hamlet Wick the population have been divided by the plans for the old lighthouse. Some want it as a memorial to a tragic death whilst Damien-the 'local boy made good' with deep pockets has managed to get hold of it to make into a luxury home. The local hotel is struggling & in an attempt to bring in some extra money a Murder Mystery party has been arranged for New Year. There will be three parts played by actors & the guests will receive a 'part' after dinner. There is friction amongst the guests & when Damien arrives with his daughter, Lily the atmosphere cools even further. When Damien is found battered to death by a rock, the phones are down & the single police officer wants to keep it to herself the reader is left wondering who's next!

I found this one quite confusing as some of the characters seemed interchangeable. I struggled to remember who was who & their connections. I'm not sure if this is a fault with me or the author. I certainly didn't guess whodunit! Overall it was an enjoyable read. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

Fantastic locked room mystery in true Agatha Christie style. As each hour ticks by, another layer if information is revealed until finally all the pieces fit together. A very clever and well written book.

One house. Nine guests. Endless motives for murder...

Tom Hindle returns with his second novel, and I can unequivocally state it's a worthy follow-up to his excellent debut A Fatal Crossing. He's leapt from the actual 1920s murder to a 2020s group playing a murder mystery game set in the 1920s. Until of course, there's an actual modern-day murder.

This is a very Christie type novel. It's a classic who dunnit that never relies on gory details, major violence, etc. No, instead, it's clever and engaging. I'd highly recommend this to Christie fans and modern crime novel fans alike.

This is a pretty classic murder mystery in the Agatha Christie tradition. A group of people who don't like each other very much get together in a hotel which is effectively cut off from the outside, and then one of them is murdered. It ostensibly has to be someone already in the hotel who committed the crime, but who had the motive and opportunity? It's a good, fun read as secrets are uncovered and the killer is finally unmasked. While it doesn't break any new ground in terms of style or substance, I enjoyed it very much and highly recommend it to fans of this genre.

My thanks to Random House U.K. Cornerstone for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Murder Game’ by Tom Hindle.

The author’s 2022 debut, ‘A Fatal Crossing’, was a 1920s classic murder mystery set on an ocean liner. Here he has written another closed circle mystery though with a contemporary setting.

In the Devonshire seaside town of Hamlet Wick, the owner of Hamlet Hall has organised a New Year's Eve party to remember: a murder mystery evening with a 1920s theme. There are nine guests along with three actors with scripted parts. The game has barely begun when one guest is found dead - killed by a fatal injury to the head!

A local PC investigates as old rivalries are revealed. The story proceeds in hourly increments towards the final denouncement.

This proved an enjoyable and satisfying murder mystery with plenty of suspects and of course twists along the way.