Wow! What a great thriller. This one hooked me from the first chapter and I couldn't put it down. I have loved Steadman's previous books and this one was just as good. Didn't see the twist at the end coming but thought it was a great ending. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

This book took me on one crazy ride! I really did not see this twist at all. I love all of this author’s novels.. so was super excited to receive this ARC from NetGalley! And all I can say is wow!!! She did it again with a twisted, corrupt ( super successful) family full of very dark secrets. Enter Harriet, a novelist and recently engaged fiancé to the above twisted family’s number one son… loved this read and I have to say it kept me guessing and doubting until the end! Amazing read that I would rank 4.5 stars of 5! https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59722034

The Disappearing Act is one of my favorite thrillers, so I was ecstatic to receive an advance copy of Catherine Steadman's newest book. I recommend reading as little about the plot as possible before you start — it's so much fun that way. Like The Disappearing Act, the circumstances in The Family Game unfold in a way that isn't driven by larger-than-life plot twists, but a subtle, building suspense. That said, the ending still made a major impact. I'm already looking forward to her next book!

An thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. But on the same note also kept me from being able to sleep so there's that.

I’m still trying to wrap my head around this book. What a wild ride.

Harriet is a writer who is engaged to Edward, who is part of a rich family. She has a dark past and is terrified of someone finding out. Edwards father, Robert, gives her a tape to listen to and the mystery begins.

This was a great thriller. Kept me on my toes and turning pages. I really liked it, even though the family was crazy and creepy. I did think it wrapped up a little too neatly but I feel that way about most books. Definitely a quick read that makes you think!

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. The initial pages of this ARC specifically ask to not leave a review ahead of the publication date, so I will just leave it at: I thoroughly enjoyed this story.

4 stars
What an excellent book! Twists and turns abound, and with a great dark sense of humor! I loved every minute!

Author Harriet meets the man of her dreams and moves from the UK to begin life with him. As Harry and Edward get engaged in fairy tale fashion, it becomes necessary for her to meet his family. All families have secrets, but does Edward’s family has secrets to die for? This is a taut thriller with a twist. It is a worthwhile read. Thanks to NetGalley And the publisher for allowing me to be an early reader in exchange for my review.

WOW! What a book... This has been my favorite book of 2022 thus far. Thank you to NetGalley for this book in exchange for an honest review!

I was instantly drawn to this book based on the title and after reading the synopsis, I had to read it! It reminded me of the movie Ready Or Not...which is one of my favorites.

Harriet is a thriller/mystery author who has left London to be with her boyfriend turned fiancé in NYC. After getting engaged she wants to meet Edward's side of the family. After meeting them, she notices the power, control, wealth and oddness they have as a family. At Thanksgiving her future father-in-law asks to speak with her and she accepts. In his study, they talk and he gives her a tape, on it is a crime story and with this leads into a twisty, dark and dangerous game...

WOW (again)! I loved everything about this book. As I was reading, it felt like a movie inside my head with the detail, characters and storyline. The way Catherine writes about this family is amazing. You can see their dark sense of humor with their games as well as their viciousness. The Holbeck family is a strange one at that! The twists and turns of this story will keep you on your toes until the end. I highly recommend reading this book, 5 star read for me!

Thank you so much for sending me an early copy of this in exchange for a review!

This book was fantastic and I couldn’t put it down. Although I did guess the twist pretty close to the ending, I still really enjoyed this.

Harriet Reed is getting ready to marry the love of her life, but she’s never met his eccentric wealthy family. The family has an odd fondness for games that turn out to be terrifying and possibly deadly and on top of that, Harriet’s soon to be father-in-law gives her a tape that sounds an awful lot like a confession…

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Between the tape, the games, and the underlying mystery there were no slow points and the plot kept me guessing! I only wish the book had been more terrifying/had gone deeper into an eerie atmosphere.

Overall, very enjoyable read! Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing/Ballantine Books for the digital ARC

WOW. I feel like that is the best way to describe this book. I absolutely did not see that ending coming.

Thriller novelist Harry is dating Edward Holbeck, who just happens to be a part of an incredibly powerful family. They’ve been dating for about a year and she has yet to meet his family, he claims they’re a lot to handle and he’d rather protect her from them. After Edward proposes to Harry, Harry comes to realize she will have to meet Edward’s family. After a dinner invite, Harry gets pulled aside by Robert, Edwards father, and is given a casette tape, he claims he has recorded a novel and he wants her to listen to it. After playing the tape, Harry realizes she might be in danger. Is everything on the casette tape true? Is her life in danger after listening to it? Why would he give it to her?

This is the first time I’ve read one of Steadman’s books, and I absolutely loved it. The suspense kept me going and I could not stop reading it. I thought I knew what was going to happen but boy was I wrong, that ending was crazy! I am so glad I read this book because it is honestly one of the best thrillers I’ve read. An amazing read.

“There are times in your life when you really do question where it all went wrong; and if scrambling into a pitch-black well at night, in a snow flurry, wearing a Balmain blazer dress, just shy of three months pregnant, with a torch rammed into your mouth, isn’t one of those times then I don’t know what is”

This book started off with a bang and kept me on the edge of my seat all the way through. I’ve read of few of this author’s other books but none of them held my attention like this one. I loved the cat and mouse game and even though I guessed the plot twist pretty early on, it didn’t change my mind a bit.

Harriet, an author on the precipice of a best seller can’t get enough of her seemingly perfect fiancé Edward. Their perfect world is shaken by the reemergence of Edwards family. The Holbecks are the epitome of old money. With news of their engagement reaches the Holbecks, Harriet is thrust into their life.

The family happily welcomes the new member of their family and Harriet wonders why Edward chose to shield her from them for so long. It all makes sense when she meets head of the Holbecks, Robert. Upon their first meeting, Robert gives her a cassette tape which contains a unbelievable confession. This propels the games to follow.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review

Remind me not play games with this family. Yikes.

A well written, creepy, and somewhat odd thriller. Definitely fun.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59722034

Oh, wow. They say the rich live differently but “differently” doesn’t begin to cover it, in Catherine Steadman’s latest. But how very interesting it is to try to keep up with this “game”. The body count, too😯. Such an enjoyable read! An author’s love story that turns out to be anything but that….Almost 5 stars!

I've been a Catherine Steadman fan for years, and simply loved "the Family Game"! What a great thriller with all the complexity she is famous for.

I’ve become a fan of Catherine Steadman’s novels so I was thrilled when Random House gave me an ARC copy of her latest novel, “The Family Game,” to review. In this book, an English thriller writer, Harriet (“Harry”) Reid, falls in love with Edward Holbeck, a man from an extremely wealthy American family and moves to America to live with him. He doesn’t introduce her to his family until they are engaged. His reticence towards introducing her to them fills her with some trepidation. Soon she discovers that her fears were not misplaced. Although on the surface they seem congenial, she can’t help but feel that she is being manipulated by them, especially when his sister rearranges an appointment Harry has with her publisher so Harry can meet her for tea.

During her first introduction to the family, she discovers that Edward’s older brother, Bobby, died under mysterious circumstances, a fact which he never revealed to her. Her qualms about the family only grow stronger when she meets the charismatic patriarch, Robert Holbeck, who arranges to speak with her in private in his study to give her a recording on an old cassette tape, presenting it to her as a potential book. After tracking down a vintage recording device to play it on, Harry is shocked by its contents, which details the murder of several women connected in some way to the family, which have the ring of truth rather than fiction.

To add to her apprehension about her soon to be in-laws, Harry discovers that the family likes to gather to play elaborate, competitive, dangerous games, where the winner takes all. Times that should be fun and festive turn into scary games of cat and mouse, making innocuous holidays like Christmas into terror filled evenings.

The book is a fun read, filled with luxurious settings in lavish city dwellings and grand country mansions. Steadman keeps the tension up with Harry’s pursuit of the truth surrounding the horrible revelations in Robert Holbeck’s tape and her distrust of all members of the family, culminating in a twist that brings the shocking truth into the light. I highly recommend this book for those who like strong female characters with a tension filled plot.

Ask, and you shall receive....

I am a huge, I mean, HUGE, fan of Catherine Steadman. Steadman, will forever be an auto-buy author me and I have yet to be disappointed by anything she has put out to date.

When I saw The Family Game, after my 100th time refreshing netgalley, I was completely floored! How did I not know about this upcoming release? I need to keep better tabs on Steadman, that is for sure.

Anyway... Lets just take a minute to stare at this cover in awe. The colors just pop out of you, the sense of mystery, just everything. I love it. The title also draws you right in.

So, after I came to my sense and got my jaw on up off the floor (I would be putting it back there later) , I hit the "Wish For It" tab and just like that I became the luckiest girl in the world.

There is no way I was going to wait to read this, so I clocked out for the day and headed on home. My husband would go hungry, the dog wouldnt be walked, it was time to read The Family Game.

Holy Crap, Steadman can not be stopped. This author is a powerhouse and a force to be reckoned with. I hung on every word from chapter one on. I couldnt get enough. It was the cant eat, cant sleep, must read kind of feeling.

I am pretty exhausted today at work but it was well worth it, Steadman books will always be worth it.

Another grand slam, right out of the park kind of book.

Best advice, head on over to your favorite place to purchase books, and make sure to pre-order The Family Game. I promise you, you do not want to miss this

“The Family Game” was a much more twisted story than I expected. Harriet Reed is engaged to Edward Holbeck, whose family is establishment old money. Edward has kept Harriet away from his family, as they can be rather intense and intimidating, and he does now want to scare her off. However, meeting the family cannot be postponed forever.

Harriet is an orphan, her parents dying in a car accident when she was eleven. She also has a rather significant secret that relates to the accident; and no, it is not that she was responsible for their deaths.

The Holbeck family likes to play games, but their games are far more sinister and psychologically demanding than typical family games. Harriet is presented with information by one member of the family that suggests a sinister, possibly criminal, secret. For a variety of reasons, she has to look into the information to determine if it is true. As she tries to determine the truth, she becomes drawn deeper into the twisted games being played by the family, and it eventually becomes a life-or-death situation for her and some of her future in-laws.

The characters are complex, the plot is intricate, the story is dark, and there are some rather surprising twists/secrets. I enjoyed "The Family Game", but definitely glad not to be a participant.

I received a copy of the e-book via NetGalley in exchange for a review.

Oh absolutely love this one. The family game is an old-school Agatha Christie mystery type thriller. I absolutely enjoyed the twist and turns of the plot and the end was a banger.