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There is some authentic-feeling portrayal of PTSD in the story and it was a clever idea to focus the narrative mostly on the viewpoint s of the four younger (early 20s) – all very different – characters: Lily, heiress to and daughter of the murdered man; Will, organiser of the event but struggling with long-term trauma; Theo, actor in the game and aspiring actor outside it; and Justin, local journalist, desperate for a big story to break him out into the big papers. A classic murder mystery weekend in an old hotel in a beautiful costal area, where tensions are running high between many of the attendees. Everyone was just anxious to find the murderer, me being one of them, and then 2 o'clock came around and shit hit the fan. He is the author of A Fatal Crossing and now The Murder Game - which have both been inspired by masters of the crime genre such as Agatha Christie and Anthony Horowitz. However, where the author comes up a little short is in taking this approach while still delivering a narrative that is well paced.
The Murder Game by Tom Hindle - Penguin Books Australia
It was so well-written, and so well-plotted, that I finished it in one day – in one sitting in fact.
Horowitz is a master of creating quite complex plotlines that always pull together in a very satisfying manner at the conclusion of the mystery. But little did he know someone would end up dead right next to their rendezvous spot in the woods, and his best friend and roommate Oscar Weymouth would be the one to take the blame. The characters are not especially likeable and I'm not sure there's a single one you can trust but they're all very well crafted.
The Murder Game by Tom Hindle - Penguin Books Australia The Murder Game by Tom Hindle - Penguin Books Australia
I must be honest and say, I did predict the murderer and the twists, but it didn’t stop me from thoroughly enjoying it. A little less atmospheric and twisty than his debut and I had annoyingly pretty much worked out the killer and motive by the half way point due to a few very clunky clues. The characters, each with their backstories and motives, were well drawn out and the story flowed well.The characters were mostly unlikeable apart from Theo, one of the actors hired for the party, and Lily, the victim’s daughter. With the guests not able to leave we quickly see the pressure get to them and secrets soon start spilling, some of which I had not seen coming. To my knowledge I've never read a good old fashioned murder mystery like this before and now I'm craving more.
The Murder Game by Tom Hindle - Fantastic Fiction
I already cannot wait to find out what classic murder mystery concept Hindle turns his hand to in his next novel! Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. I'm still getting over 'the smile slipped off his face like grease' and 'she felt panic skirting across her face'.The way the history of the area and the characters blended with the evening was cleverly done - little snippets of conversation adding to the mystery but never revealing too much.
The Murder Game (Audio Download): Tom Hindle, Elliot Barnes
My other issue, that the local council is believed to have been bribed by the developer to give him the planning permission, comes across as lazy plotting that bashes 'corrupt' councils. The arrival of a man who is hated by all heightens the mystery and as the events of the evening progress an actual murder takes place. A number of different characters are introduced, each with their own inter-connecting backstories and then a murder takes place. The writing is innovative and can be deemed as a step up from A Fatal Crossing but the characters weren't as interesting.It's like a GCSE student read an Agathie Christie novel once and thought they'd have a rough go at it. Mr White is universally despised in the town and so when he is found dead in an upstairs room there are no shortages of suspects.
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