A well written, tightly woven murder mystery. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie. Thanks to the publishers for allowing me to read a copy

Thank for letting me read in advance. A good old murder mystery and kept me reading until. The end. Would recommend

Everything you could want from a murder mystery. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an advance copy, I will definitely be recommending.

A modern 'Who Dunnit' in the classic Agatha Christie style. The premise of the story is that a group of villagers gather together on New Year's Eve for an entertaining Murder Mystery Evening with Dinner. All goes awry when one of the guests is murdered. As the story progresses you find that all of the characters are intertwined in some way or other. As with all stories of this nature you do not discover the murdered until the very end.....but all the clues are there for you to solve yourself. An entertaining read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for the advance copy of this book.

A murder set within a murder mystery evening a clever idea
This was enjoyable and you have to pay attention to what is going on within the characters but not as good as his first book

The story starts off slowly as there is a lot of scene setting and character description. I still got a bit muddled and frustrated as the reader is drip-fed their back stories. It is still an enjoyable read and worth finishing the book even though it's obvious just over half way who the murderer is. The end reveals all. The Murder Game is an entertaining typical locked-house murder mystery.

I loved Tom Hindle’s first novel, A Fatal Crossing, a mystery set on a cruise ship in the 1930s, so I was excited about his new book, The Murder Game. I was expecting something similar – another historical mystery written in the style of the Golden Age – but was surprised to find that this one has a contemporary setting, although still with many of the tropes of a classic crime novel.

In The Murder Game, a group of people have assembled for a New Year’s Eve murder mystery evening at Hamlet Hall, a hotel in the small seaside town of Hamlet Wick. The arrangements are all in place – a fictional murder has been invented, roles have been assigned to each of the guests and actors have been brought in to play the supporting characters – but before the game can even begin, a real murder takes place at Hamlet Hall.

There’s no shortage of suspects; the victim was not a popular person and most of the others have a motive for the murder. PC Fay arrives on the scene and begins to investigate, hoping to solve the mystery herself to further her career, but her progress is slow and in the meantime tensions are increasing between the guests, actors and hotel staff. The atmosphere grows more hostile as they argue about a controversial project to renovate the local lighthouse – the site of a tragic accident several years earlier – and with no phone signal and everyone forbidden to leave the hotel, the group at Hamlet Hall could find themselves in danger if the killer decides to strike again.

The Murder Game got off to a good start, but it didn’t really sustain my interest all the way through and I found it less enjoyable than A Fatal Crossing. I had loved the idea of a novel set during a murder mystery evening and was disappointed that the game never had time to begin before the real murder took place! The group of people gathered at the hotel for the evening are an unpleasant bunch, but that’s nothing unusual in this sort of novel – however, I felt that the story moved from one character’s perspective to another so often that I didn’t have a chance to get to know any of them very well.

The plot is quite complex and centres around two previous cases of people being killed under suspicious circumstances in Hamlet Wick. After we unravel the truth about those two deaths, which took place years before the novel begins, the events of the present day begin to make more sense – although I had already guessed who the culprit was, having picked up on one or two clues. I don’t often solve mysteries correctly, so it was nice to see that I had got it right for once! I couldn’t really see the point of the police officer character, though, as she seemed to have little impact on the story and we aren’t given much insight into her thought processes so can’t try to solve the murder along with her.

I found parts of the novel entertaining and would still recommend the book, but my expectations were probably too high after enjoying A Fatal Crossing so much. I’ll be looking out for a third novel from Tom Hindle and will be interested to see what setting he chooses next.

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

I wouldn't say this was anything out of the ordinary, but it's well written and an easy read which helped me to while away a few hours.

It's a pretty typical murder mystery which centres on the inhabitants of a small village, a tragedy from their past and a lot of people who all have a motive for murder. So nothing groundbreaking, but intriguing enough that you'll want to know who did it.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.

It was an ok read but with altogether too many characters and relationships to truly keep track of. It also felt like the story had too much unnecessary waffle in so it became tiresome to read it in parts. It was an ok read, but I must admit to skipping some chapters as I grew bored whilst reading it

I’m doing cartwheels (in a geriatric kind of way)! so excited that I’ve found another Agatha Christie style writer. It’s a dying art to creat stuff like this. Competent hooked!

I enjoyed this. Despite the subject being murder it was very light hearted and easy to read. Like any good murder mystery the murderer was not revealed until the end of the book.

Tim Hindle's second book is not a disappointment
A murder mystery night which turns into a true crime scene
What more can you ask for
Plenty of twists and turns
Who's safe and who is not

Thank you netgalley, Tim Hindle and Random House

I really enjoyed the setting and plot of this novel as it made for an exciting murder mystery evening which turns all too real. Set in a remote area with no phone signal, the guests settle in for what is supposed to be a night of fun but when an unexpected and unwanted guest arrives everything changes. There is a wide range of characters in the story all with their own problems and personalities so they were easy to distinguish but you have to pay close attention to keep up with who does what if you want to try and figure out the murderer for yourself. There are also a few twists and turns to keep you reading and overall I thought it was a good murder mystery though not as good as his first book.

I have read A Fatal Crossing by this Author and enjoyed it so was looking forward to reading The Murder Game and I wasn't disappointed I actually enjoyed it more .A fast paced ,compelling crime mystery set in a grand hotel in North Devon .Guests have been invited to a Murder Mystery Evening but before the game has begun someone is murdered for real and so the mystery begins .The story was gripping and the characters well developed and I enjoyed the ending as it was a surprise .I look forward to reading the next book by this Author .Than you to NertGalley for my ARC.

An enjoyable, if not wholly-original, premise, a murder at a murder mystery party with a limited number of guests/possible perpetrators. This felt like a classic Agatha Christie type story, and was entertaining.

I really enjoyed this murder mystery. A great setting, a disparate cast of dinner guests, a town with history and grudges all made for a thriller with plenty of secrets and twists that’s a must read!

From GoodReads:
I really enjoyed A Fatal Crossing.
This was not that - but a solid read.
I liked the idea of using a murder mystery night as the backdrop to the murder. Gave us plenty of characters/suspects to choose from - unfortunately, few of them were very likeable or interesting. And perhaps the most irritating copper I've ever come across.
Twists and turns everywhere - but I did guess correctly too early for my liking.
An interesting update on the Country House mystery

A Murder Game is the second book I've read by Tom Hindle and it's another great murder mystery.

One house. Nine guests. Endless motives for murder...
In the seaside town of Hamlet Wick, nine guests assemble for a New Year's Eve party to remember.
The owner of Hamlet Hall has organised a murder mystery evening with a 1920s twist, and everyone has their own part to play.
But the game has barely begun when one guest is found dead - killed by a fatal injury to the head.
With no phone signal and no way out of the house, the others are trapped with a killer in their midst.
Someone is playing by their own rules. And in a close-knit community, old rivalries run deep...

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 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.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the eARC.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for an advance copy of The Murder Game, a stand-alone murder mystery set in the Devon village of Hamlet Wick.

A murder mystery evening is arranged at Hamlet Hall, a hotel in the village. Nine guests will be attending, but the evening has hardly started when one of them is murdered. With no phone signal and a single police officer investigating they are trapped with a murderer.

I enjoyed The Murder Game, which is an updated version of the Golden Age country house murder format. There are secrets and lies to be uncovered and a complex motive for murder with its roots in both the past and the present.

The victim is not the most pleasant person in the room, so there are plenty of people with a motive. In the beginning these motives are mere hints, but as the stress begins to bite the secrets come tumbling out amid acrimony and temper. I think that this gradual unraveling of both the characters and their secrets is the strongest part of the novel, as there are certain parts that feel more manufactured than natural. I don’t really know what to think about the solution. I guessed some of it in advance of the denouement, but not all because it’s a bit fantastical, not the actual story and emotions involved but how it happens and the warped reasoning. It seems out of place with the tone of what has gone before.

As I said this is an updated approach to a traditional format, so it is much more interested in character analysis. There are pros and cons to this. It makes the characters less one dimensional on the one hand, but on the other it slows down the action and forward momentum.

The Murder Game is a good read that I can recommend.