A joy from start to finish this is a very modern take on cosy crime. Funny, tightly written and it is a properly old school locked room style mystery but feels like a breath of fresh air

I found this book quite disappointing. The plot was quite basic, and it lacked the humour which would have made it an entertaining read. It was clearly meant to be a collection of clichés, but without humour, it all fell a bit flat I'm afraid.

Looking at other reviews, I wondered if they were reading the same book. I was hoping for something like Knives Out but instead found This Is Not A Game to be the book equivalent of a Hallmark movie: entertaining, maybe, but ultimately lacking in depth. It wasn't for me.

Outstanding..
Fabulous in every sense, this country house style murder mystery will keep the reader on their toes and briskly turning the pages. A grandiose mansion on the island of Mackinac is the setting for a jazz style party, to include an auction, and to which local resident Mimi has been invited. Mimi cannot resist this particular invitation, for reasons only known to her, and cajoles her granddaughter Addie into accompanying her. Things soon begin to go awry, then the bodies begin to pile. Cut off by snow, what on earth will Mimi and Addie do next and who will survive the night? Beautifully done with a cast of eccentric and eclectic characters populating a well paced and cleverly executed plot, this gives ‘Only Murders’ vibes and would work as well on screen as it does between these pages. Outstanding.

Thank you #netgalley for allowing me to read this BRILLIANT murder mystery!

LOVED this book so much that I couldn’t put it down! The characters were all brilliantly described, the plot was excellent and the banter between Mimi and Addie was hilarious!

There was nothing I didn’t love about this murder mystery which was very Marple-esque in its way but with a loving relationship between grandmother and granddaughter cleverly mixed in. The hilarious one-liners were also excellent and I how there is a series of these murder mysteries featuring this duo. Please tell me there are MORE?!!

It seems strange to be writing this review in August, when the novel isn’t due out for another eight months. It’s an interesting one, though, particularly if you’re fond of a locked room mystery with just the right amount of death. Mimi is in her late 70s, fond of a cocktail, missing her granddaughter and living in a place where there are no cars. She receives and invitation to Jane Ireland’s auction party, an event where Mimi’s been told to bid… or her secret will be revealed. Cue daunting music. But, undeterred, she persuades granddaughter Addie – who’s having an ex-fiance mixed with business issue – to attend with her, only to discover that the host is dead and she’s not the only dead body they’ll come across. It’s almost snowing heavily, the estate has a drawbridge that has been pulled up, there’s no local police force as such and someone in the building is a murderer. What else can you do other than put your metaphorical deerstalker on and attempt to crack the case? This is beautifully paced with plenty of time for readers to solve the crime(s) too – and I hope we see Mimi and Addie make a return to murder solving in 2026.

An enjoyable read. Loved the descriptions of everything from houses to Gibson’s ( thanks for the recipe) and of course all the characters. Easy to read and a perfect holiday book to keep your brain ticking over whilst by the pool!

Really enjoyed this one! It’s an absolutely solid debut and I was hooked throughout. It’s classy and stylish, with a great murder mystery plot and a fantastic set of characters. It has all the feels of Knives Out and Agatha Christie, with some great classic gaming vibes (Monkey Island, Full Throtle etc) with a sprinkle of Thursday Murder Club too. This is definitely one to watch in 2025!