Murder and boarding schools are my favourite YA themes!!! This book was so good and so suspenseful! Fast paced and easy to read

A suspenseful who done it where everyone was a suspect and kept me guessing till the late hours. Recommended for fans of pretty little liars etc

The title of this book is somewhat misleading. It gives the impression that some homicidal game is about to occur- the movie saw comes to mind. However, there wasn’t any cat and mouse games. Just a simple murder and the whodunnit. I give it three stars. A quick read, though if a bit predictable.

I frankly don't understand the fixation on boarding schools in teen fiction. They don't reflect the experience of most readers. Is it aspirational? In the case of this book, the school has a lot of rules and supervises students more than is typical of these stories. That means that this book could as easily have taken place in any small town, no boarding school needed. I could accept the setting if the mystery were more compelling. But we don't meet the victim before her death. We have no emotional connection to her, or to any of the characters really. There are no stakes in the mystery. And while the police are not shown as useless (a frequent problem in novels) their plan is needlessly convoluted. On the whole, this one didn't make enough sense to me.

This book kept me guessing till the end. Every time I thought I had it figured out I was wrong. It is a well told story with good twist to keep you in the story.

Genre: YA Thriller/Mystery

Publishers: Sourcebooks Fire

Publication Date: April 6th 2021

Rating: 4 out of 5

https://brimmingshelves.wordpress.com/2021/04/13/arc-review-the-murder-game-by-carrie-doyle/

The Murder Game by Carrie Doyle was incredible! It was fast paced, scary throughout and the mystery behind the murder kept me guessing until the very end! I’m a sucker for stories that take place at boarding schools because they seem to add an eeriness that fits the elitist vibes that these schools just naturally give off, if that makes any sense haha. I find the setting spooky ok. Anyways, it’s also surrounded by woods which only makes it scarier! I definitely recommend this book to fans of Brittany Cavallaro’s A Study in Charlotte series Or The Truly Devious series by Maureen Johnson! There was also a hint to a possible sequel at the very end of this book and although right now this is a stand alone story, I hope that possibility becomes reality because that small hint has already hooked me in!

The amount of history at the school itself was incredibly well thought out. I liked the incorporation of The Southborough Strangler urban legend because it lent to a tragic past hinting at a possible murderer returning to the scene of the crime to commit another one and go uncaught once more. It made the school feel more eerie and creepy. Another thing I liked was how many teachers were previously students and therefore knew about this legend, having been there themselves when it allegedly happened. You could tell that there were things the teachers wouldn’t say outright but knew about and it was all because they shared a sinister past with the school itself having attended it at the time the legend was created.
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“Dean Heckler’s wife, Joanna, was found dead this morning. On campus.’

There was a surge of chatter in the classroom.

‘Damn,’ Andy Slater said to Luke. ‘That’s some morning announcement.’

‘Dead? What do you mean, found dead? Did she have a heart attack or something?’ asked a girl in the front row.”
____

I found this to be an honest reaction to finding out someone died on campus. It also established some sense of how the students dealt with a serious situation such as murder. This is how I expected them to react. It wasn’t fake or staged. The sarcastic comments from Andy, the concern from the girl in the front row trying to analyze what caused it, thinking it was natural causes. They didn’t jump to murder right from the beginning and I liked that. Another thing I wanted to mention about the student body was the concept of the ‘Animal Hour’. Is this a real thing at boarding schools? Where the students meet up to snack and talk to their crushes? Just curious! I have a public school education lol. And I don’t know if this was a reference to the film, Mean Girls but when they were discussing the audiovisual room as a makeout spot I immediately thought of that movie haha! Anyone else do the same?

“That’s an insufficient excuse. Look, these are all incredibly flawed people we’re dealing with, Luke. Everyone had broken a rule. The victim herself, one Joanna Heckler, was a loose woman. Immoral. Broke up a marriages, cheated, manipulated. Then there is Dean Heckler. I have no love lost for Dean Heckler. He’s a pompous, arrogant bore who thinks he is better than everyone. He still has his ex-wife, the demure, little librarian Mary, do his bidding, perhaps spying for him. The boyfriend—Joanna’s lover’s name withheld—he was knowingly committing a mortal sin. Finally, there are the four of you: Oscar, Kelsey, Pippa, and Mr Goody Two-shoes himself, Luke Chase. You had broken a major school rule as stated in the St. Benedict’s handbook, on page seventy-six, ‘no one is to leave the dormitory after hours.”

Mr Tadeckis never gave up on him and his character spoke a lot like Eugene from The Walking Dead if he had Abraham’s survival skills. I loved his character, he was the oddball who would rather spend his time in the woods on the property than in his room, and he was always observing. He was very cryptic and slightly creepy when interacting with the students but I chop that up to helping the overall vibe of the story mixed with his own lack of social cues.
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“Anything else you want to ask me about? Speak now. I can’t sit in our room thinking you’re hoarding all these unasked questions.’

‘Well, there is one thing,’ Luke said. He saw Oscar tense up.

‘Cougar lover?’ Luke said, spreading his arms out, palms up. ‘What the heck? Where did that come from?’

Oscar loosened up and ducked his head. ‘Yeah, okay, that was a little cheesy, I admit it. But you know what I meant. Desperate times call for desperate words, or so the saying goes.’

‘I am on your side, cougar lover. One hundred percent.”
_____

One of the most annoying parts to this entire book was when the police interviewed Luke about his best friend Oscar about the murder and he doesn’t tell him about it right away! He starts to doubt enough after just one conversation with the cops that he thinks he can’t confide in his best friend. I think their bond should have been strong enough that he would trust his friend over them without a doubt. I thought there would be more interaction between these two and I think there could have been but the snippets given were pretty good. I will always remember Oscar’s poor choice of words when he self-dubbed the title of Cougar Lover haha!
_____
“I know firsthand that leaving investigations up to the police, or the FBI for that matter, is useless,’ said Luke harshly. He knew he shouldn’t speak to the headmaster in that tone, but he couldn’t help himself.

The headmaster softened. ‘Luke, what happened to you was terrible. And I know you want to be a good friend to Oscar, which you are. But this is different. This is murder. And the police will solve this. You have to have faith in them.’

Luke stood up. ‘With all due respect, sir, I’ve learned that the only person I can have faith in is myself.’ And with that, he walked out of the room.”
____

Damn Luke! I got some serious respect when he said this to the Dean! This is where I was starting to see his character grow in confidence and I think him investigating the murder and being thrown into it really helped him embrace his survival instincts. Luke is also very astute and quick to think when evidence is planted in his locker and he hides it, he even resorts to calling them out as they searched for anything ‘suspicious’.

The main character has a dark past which usually helps enrich a scary story like the one of a murdered woman who was married to the Dean of your school. However, this time it didn’t work out as well as I had hoped. Luke Chase is dubbed ‘the Kidnapped Kid’ after he was kidnapped and held for ransom three years prior to this present murder. The annoying thing about this is the fact that his story comes in patches as current events such as running in the woods after witnessing Joanna Heckler’s final moments transport him back to this time where he himself was in danger of losing his own life. It was a patchy, confusing way to include his history and infuse it into the present. Being reminded of his own brush with danger does make sense but when you’re only given one piece of information but are constantly reminded of his past every time someone brings it up, such as calling Luke ‘The kidnapped kid’ it only leaves you in confusion.
At about 80 % in Luke finally confides in Pippa and details what actually happened in full and how he got the nickname. For me this was too late in the game to salvage the cute moment of trust shared between them. It should have happened way earlier or his nickname should have been used far less. The constant use of his other title only frustrated me because I didn’t have all the facts and because it was a past event and all facts were known to most of the characters in the story already that only made it more annoying. That nickname and its frequency hurt the story. I’m trying to figure out (along with Luke) what happened to the Dean’s wife and I can’t do that if Luke is brooding and angry about his past and the constant name calling from his fellow students and teachers. The worst part is how much this could have been avoided if it was just organized at the front of the story and laid out before you got caught up in the present murder. Going back and forth did not help with the complexity of a murder mystery. There are too many parts to one murder let alone trying to balance it out with another event that happened in the past.

A redeeming quality for his character was the fact that he hated how his friends and fellow students talked about women. When Andy talks about hooking up and how he now doesn’t have to pretend to like them Luke calls him out on it. This happens again with Andy when he comments about Mr. P wishing he had “a hottie like Joanna Heckler.” Luke tells him that it’s not all about looks and he has no idea what he means. I like how Luke values women for more than their appearance.
_____

“It was odd. Here he was, searching for a killer alongside her while she had been accused of homicide back home. But he didn’t see how she could have done it. She was reserved, for sure, and not very emotive, but he felt it was more of a suit of armour with her. He believed she was actually very vulnerable. Once you cracked the tough exterior, there was a really nice person underneath. Not to mention smart, funny, and sexy.

‘What’s our strategy?’

‘I was going to wing it.’

Pippa laughed. ‘You’ll have to do better than that.”
___

This brings me to my next point, the romance between Luke and Pippa. She reminded me so much of Charlotte from A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro. She was also a little bit like Pip from A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson. She was a great character and her standoffish almost snobby behaviour at the beginning gave her great character development as she interacted and got to know Luke more as they investigated the murder.

“They smiled at each other. Luke felt warm inside, with heat that had nothing to do with the recent physical exertion. He tried to remember if he’d ever felt like this around anyone else, but he didn’t think so. All this fear was definitely heightening his feelings for Pippa. This must be why guys take girls on dates to horror movies, he thought.”

This happened right after they were investigating an area and he offered to catch her after she jumps the fence. It was romantic! A swoonworthy scene! I won’t spoil much more about their relationship but I will say that she makes the first move and I respect that! You go girl! (This is another way she is like Charlotte and Pip!)

Overall this is a great book and it is perfect for any fan of YA thrillers! I want to thank the publishers at Sourcebooks Fire and Netgalley for providing me with an early copy to review!

This is exactly what you would expect a teenage boarding school murder mystery to be, so don’t expect to be surprised in any way.
Teens sneak out and unknowingly are present at the scene of a murder. Was it one of them? A faculty member perhaps? The teens investigate at the risk of getting caught by the killer.
There is one teacher who knows everything, but instead of telling the police and wrapping things up, he feeds the protagonist clues — leaving the teens in danger the whole time, which is super concerning and is never truly explained. Oh! And the author mentions the portaging story showering so frequently that I assumed it was a clue of some sort, but the story just seems to hinge on his shower schedule. (Seriously, if you read it, you will understand.)
It wasn’t a bad story in any way, in fact, it didn’t really have anything to say beyond a very basic story. Not that every novel needs to be an activism piece, there just wasn’t much in the way of depth or character development and that feels like a missed opportunity. It often felt very artificial and out of touch and almost a bit dated? I found myself assuming the story was set in the late 20th century, until someone mentioned something contemporary, like Snapchat. These hits of ‘Now’ felt inconsistent and out of place.

Thanks to Sourcebook Fire and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this book unaware that it was a teen book. The entire premise was far-fetched, including the backstory, that a teenager would be better at collecting clues, following leads, and solving a murder than the actual authorities. Let alone, sneaking around a heavily guarded school without being detected, eavesdropping on teachers, and numerous other unbelievable scenarios. Fantastic schemes aside, the timeline lacked momentum and very little pushed the reader to continue. Overall, the final result was an underwhelming mystery for any age.

Sourcebooks and NetGalley provided me with an advanced copy of this book. The opinions are my own.

I DNFed this one and I am sad that it came to that. I was very bored and I felt like everything was predictable in this book. Just very boring and I did not enjoy the writing style.

This didn't really work for me. It felt too long for one thing. In addition, it's a good thing that Luke is good-looking and lucky, because he comes off like he's as dumb as a sack.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC.

Firstly, I need to address the fact that the cover and title do not match the story; there are not thirteen deaths, there’s only one non-historical death. I was expecting something far different to the story that I read due to the cover, perhaps more deaths or student involvement?

The first part of the story consists of four students at boarding school sneaking out for night time hijinks and then discovering the next day, that a faculty member was murdered while they were in the woods. Which leads to one of the two best friends, Luke and Oscar being a suspect. The story then continues with the main character Luke trying to solve the mystery of who was the murderer and clearing Oscar’s name.

While the premise is good, the somewhat stilted dialogue and descriptive elements made it difficult for me to ‘get into’ the story. However, this is a solid murder mystery with a good resolution, and the hint of at least one sequel.

The murder game is about Luke Chase who got caught up in solving the murder of Mrs. Heckler. He didn't mean to, all he wanted is to spend alone time with the new girl at their boarding school.

Little did they know that someone would end up dead right next to their meet-up spot in the woods. Crazy thing is that his best friend and roommate Oscar would take the blame for the murder. Luke knows that he was to use his famous survival skills and solve this mystery and find the true killer. Is Oscar the real killer? Will Luke find the real killer? What famous skill does Luke have?

This was book was good, I enjoyed it. It was an easy read, very fast past. It kept me on the edge of my seat, I love that it wasn't predictable and the secrets were all kept till the end. The story was very well-plotted. It kept me intrigued till the end. It has lots of twists and turns that I enjoyed very much. I agree with a lot of you that the title and cover could have been better. I find this book is a little like the book One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus. It has the same vibe.

Thank you to Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Fire for giving me the chance to read and review this book.

I will start with agreeing that this book is misnamed. There is no game being played here. Instead there are 4 dumb high school students in a private school. They break out in the middle of the night so they can talk in a cave, basically. While there, they hear what they later find out may have been a murder. What follows is an interesting YA book in which the teenager, with the much more interesting past of surviving a kidnapping, does that YA thing and investigates the murder. The whole thing is fantastical and unbelievable. I’m OK with that. No one of any age wants to read about people their own age being without power, so YA books give the power to teenagers. There was way too much going on at this school and the perpetrator was pretty obvious, as were the red herrings. This was a decent, quick book for those who want to read a little fantastical murder mystery.

✨“You didn’t need my help. You needed my knife, but not my help.”✨
— Carrie Doyle, The Murder Game

Murder at a boarding school? Yes please!

🌷When a teacher is murdered, Luke Chase only wants to keep his head down. But when his best friend is accused of being the murderer, he has no choice but to get involved… especially because he and his friends were in the woods together at the time of the murder and may have even caught a flash of the victim in her last moments alive.

A mysterious British girl with secrets of her own. A best friend who suspiciously drops off the radar. A harrowing past that is impeaching on the present.

🌸This was quite a good, fast-paced read. I wasn’t totally on board the ‘like’ train for some of these characters and the plot was a little predictable in places, but it was still a very enjoyable read. And besides, who doesn’t love a murder mystery set with a boarding school backdrop?

Read. Be happy. Stay safe.

This book was okay, for a YA whodunnit in a boarding school setting! I think I was expecting much more, with the cover, but didn’t get what I expected. I was still able to finish it, and found it to be a solid read. It didn’t blow my mind, but didn’t make me not finish either. I think maybe it was a bit slow, but likely my expectations and the reality made me feel that way. Overall, I do think if you enjoy whodunnit murder mystery in boarding school settings, you will enjoy this one. I would recommend to those who enjoy those types of books!

A mediocre, overstuffed mystery. The characters were meh and the pacing was odd. I never got a good sense of place and not sure what time period it was supposed to be.

What a fun, dark, fast read. Carrie Doyle really transports you in this book and takes you on a wild ride. At every turn, you're questioning everyone which is exactly what I want in a book. I can't wait for this to hit shelves.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy!

Dark academia? Private schools? YA? All my cup of tea. However, this book just wasn’t it. It was fast-paced and thrilling at some points, but the characters felt claggy and the dialogue seemed .... off to me.

I think there were good parts — the main characters — but they were outweighed by class. The sideling characters weren’t as developed as I’d like to have seen, and many were cliched and predictable. Some of the writing and plot threads were chaotic and others were bland. While I wanted to be engrossed, I found myself jarred by odd references and stilted progression through the novel.

The Murder Game by Carrie Doyle first caught my attention because of its name. I’m all about “murder stories”, as I like to call them. Most know them as mystery, thriller, or suspense novels. I am also a fan of YA fiction novels and so this book combined a few of my favorite things, I was all in.

The story follows Luke Chase at his boarding school in the woods where a staff member is killed and the murderer is not immediately found. Luke, being well known for his kidnappin when he was a bit younger, at first has no big interest in helping solve the case. He is interested in who did it because he happens to be keeping secrets in fear of getting in trouble, but all that changes when his roommate is accused.

The characters in this book are my favorite aspect of this book. They are all so quickly and interesting in their own ways that it makes the story that much more enjoyable to read it. Luke seems like your average teenage boy, but he’s also kind of nerdy and more empathetic than other teenage boys. Oscar, the roommate, is definitely your typical teenage boy and a bit refreshing. He’s a bit of a ladies man, he doesn’t always follow the rules, and his room is a mess at almost all times. Pippa is mysterious and secretive. I wasn’t sure I liked her at first but she grew on me. Then you have all the teachers who have the strangest lives and personalities but they all seem very comfortable in their own skin and I love it. All of these characters really added to the story. A good plot line is one thing, but great characters to fill it seals the deal.

Doyle wrote a thriller that gripped me from the first chapter and held me up until the very end. I love when I cannot guess the ending of a mystery novel early on and Doyle accomplished that. There are a magnitude of twists and turns and a lot of suspenseful moments where I found myself holding my breath thinking something huge was about to happen. Just when I thought I had guessed it, another twist had me second guessing myself. While this book is labeled for Young Adult readers, it’s a mystery/thriller anyone could enjoy and will enjoy if they take the time to read it. Doyle’s writing style flows really nicely. There is no jumping around. You get a few flashbacks for Luke, but otherwise its just flowing until you hit the big reveal.

I’m so glad I picked up this novel. It’s an astounding story packed full of thrills and suspense. An absolute must read this spring. I had never read anything by Carrie Doyle before, but I will definitely be adding her to my list of authors to watch for new releases and all of her previous releases. I’ll be busy reading.

I was really excited to start reading this and I was not disappointed!
Luke and Oscar are best friends and roommates at an elite boarding school, St. Benedict's. Everything is normal, these two high school buddies planning to sneak out and meet a couple girls and hang out at a make-out spot in the woods. However, this is when things get crazy, they have a scary and strange experience and find out the next day that a female member of the staff was murdered that night right around where they were hiding.
So much goes on in this book. Luke has a mysterious past that leads him into privately searching for the murderer. Not only was Luke overwhelmed with suspicion, but I was too... for pretty much everybody else in this story at certain points.
I thought this was a fun and fast-paced read. I did think there were some predictable points but that didn't stop me from enjoying it.