{"product_id":"the-game-is-murder-isbn-9780593952443","title":"The Game Is Murder","description":"\u003cb\u003eIn this fresh and immersive murder mystery that riffs on crime classics, the reader is put in the role of the Great Detective, reinvestigating an infamous never-before-solved case from 1970s England.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYou are invited to a very special murder mystery party. The game is simple: Listen to the witnesses. Examine the evidence. Solve the case. Be careful. Trust no one. All might not be as it seems.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIf you agree to play the role of the Great Detective, you must undertake to provide a complete solution to the case. A verdict is not enough. We need to know who did it, how they did it, and why. Are you ready? Can you solve the ultimate murder mystery—and catch a killer?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA word of warning: Unsolved mysteries are not permitted. . . .\"There are puzzles for the reader to solve, frequent authorial intrusions, dozens of sly, knowledgeable references to detective fiction classics and unexpected twists galore...Ward’s book is so captivating that I eagerly kept turning the pages.\" –\u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A high-energy mystery, both exclamation point and question mark – like Agatha Christie on amphetamines. Imagine a labyrinth packed with ninety-degree turns and spiralling staircases and art on the walls – and a ruthless guide addressing you directly from the page – and you’ve got a sense of \u003ci\u003eThe Game Is Murder\u003c\/i\u003e, a striking, playful novel for neither the faint of heart nor the slow of wit.” –A.J. Finn, #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThe Woman In The Window\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Move over, Anthony Horowitz. First-timer Ward has entered with a whodunit just as playfully meta as yours, though in very different ways.\" –\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A postmodern puzzler that dares to pull apart every trope in the book – literally.” –Antony Johnston, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestseller and author of \u003ci\u003eCan You Solve the Murder?\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Readers who love true crime podcasts, and entertainment of that ilk, will be drawn to this like armchair detectives to a streaming docuseries…The word ‘captivating’ doesn’t begin to capture the full breadth of this book…\" –\u003ci\u003eThe Pittsburgh Post-Gazette \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A significant achievement, packed with insight and invention, \u003ci\u003eThe Game Is Murder \u003c\/i\u003epresents the reader with a fiction killing that seems to defy explanation. It is witty and remarkable and entirely unpredictable.” –Alex Pavesi, author of \u003ci\u003eEight Detectives\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\"Strikingly original, but with nods to Golden Age crime, it's an ingenious story of constantly changing perspectives. Different, clever, and highly entertaining!\" –Guy Morpuss, author of \u003ci\u003eA Trial In Three Acts\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Clever and unusual...What an intriguing start for this author!\" –FirstClue Reviews\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Excellent fun, and perfect for anyone who loves Murdle.\" –The Bookseller\u003cb\u003eHazell Ward \u003c\/b\u003espent many years as an adult education teacher before going on to work for a charitable organization. She completed an MA in creative writing at Manchester Metropolitan University and is now working on her PhD. She was short-listed for the Margery Allingham Short Mystery Competition in 2021 and won the CWA Short Story Dagger in 2023 for her story “Cast a Long Shadow,” published by Honno Press. \u003ci\u003eThe Game Is Murder \u003c\/i\u003eis her debut novel.1\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ea murder is announced\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePeople that trust themselves a dozen miles from the city, in strange houses, with servants they don't know, needn't be surprised if they wake up some morning and find their throats cut.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-Mary Roberts Rinehart, The Circular Staircase\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe lights are on at 8 Broad Way. The steps have been swept and the brass door knocker has been polished. For this is an occasion. Walk up the steps and tap lightly upon the door. They are expecting you.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe night has long since drawn in, and there is a biting November wind of the sort that turns the tip of your nose a deep raspberry pink. Your breath mists beneath the portico lamp. Stamp your feet and rub your hands together while you wait. It's not really cold, but the Georgian town house and the dark London street are reminiscent of a Dickens novel. Be David Copperfield. Hope for the best and make the most of every situation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFootsteps on a tiled floor. Someone is coming. Get out your invitation. This is it. Good luck.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYou are invited to a\u003cbr\u003eMurder Mystery Party!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA murder will take place at: [Address]           Here\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOn: [Date and Time]  Now\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt is 1974. The world is changing. The Summer of Love is over, and a new world order is emerging, brasher, louder and angrier than before. Gone is the old deference to Class and Money. Harold Macmillan's assertion that the country had never had it so good is long forgotten, and James Callaghan's Winter of Discontent is coming.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe working classes are on the march.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor the upper classes, things are no longer rosy. In the rarefied atmosphere of the Berkeley Club, gentlemen may cling to the old traditions, as a shipwrecked mariner to a life raft, and in the Georgian town houses of Belgravia, ladies may polish the escutcheons on their family silver and, in muttered tones, invoke the spirit of Enoch Powell as the savior of the Established Order, but the end is coming, and the dukes and earls and baronets all know it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEven in the aristocratic sanctuary of 8 Broad Way, change is coming. And for one inhabitant, at least, change will be deadly.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRSVP\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e* Please try to dress in appropriate costume\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e* Arrive promptly\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e* Bring booze\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWalk up the stairs to the drawing room. It is full of guests. Watch as conversation sputters into silence as you enter, and then, with a polite hiccup, smoothly resumes.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eChampagne? Perhaps not. Look around the room. The faded velvet curtains are drawn against the night and look magnificent, though perhaps a year or two past their best. The furniture, too, is old, very old, but it commands the room as though it has grown into the house, as though it were bought new a century ago and has never since moved from its appointed spot.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA chandelier glitters and lamps are lit around the room, casting their warm yellow glow over the guests, dripping them in gold.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGreet the host. He is a little odd, to be sure, but they say that that which in the commoner is merely odd is, in the aristocrat, an interesting eccentricity.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Welcome.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-Welcome, welcome.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"My brother and I are so glad you agreed to attend this little party of ours.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-Our little murder mystery.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Well, less of a party and more of an experience, so to speak. I see you chose not to indulge in fancy dress for this occasion, and I congratulate you on your perspicacity. Most people, in the circumstances, would have dressed in bell-bottomed jeans and hippie beads. I can assure you that no one in this affair would ever have attired themselves in such a manner. My father's only concession to the age was a rather unfortunate mustache. In his dress, he remained, thankfully, remarkably conservative. As, of course, did my mother.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWatch as your host claps his hands to ensure he has the full attention of the room.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Ladies and gentlemen, tonight we will be examining a real case, one involving our own family-the Verreman Affair, as it is usually referred to in the press. We will shortly review the real evidence and consider the solution as it was presented by the prosecution in a court of law. You have each been assigned a part, and we hope that you will play it with gusto. Tonight, overacting is positively encouraged.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A man has been accused, and, as you will see, has been, in some manner, convicted. However, this case is one of the most singular cases in legal history, and the court of law he was convicted in was not a criminal one. More on that later.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I have my own theory about what occurred.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-Me, too! I have a theory. Oh yes, I do.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I'm sure we all have theories. But we will not tell you our theories yet! My brother and I will listen to the evidence presented here tonight and contribute what information we can from our own firsthand knowledge of the case, and of the persons involved. In your turn, we hope that you will all regale us with your stories, and whoever plays the Great Detective will reach a definitive conclusion so that we can finally lay this matter to rest.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-Finally.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Some of you we have met before. Others are new acquaintances. All are friends here.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRaise your glass in acknowledgment of the toast.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"For those of you who haven't yet worked it out, I am David Verreman, and, of course . . .\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-I'm Daniel. The other brother.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eApplaud lightly.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Thank you. And, of course, the convicted man I spoke of was my father. Tonight, the task of our Great Detective will be to discover not so much whodunnit but whether our father dunnit.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-I'm the brother no one talks about.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Ah! The dinner gong.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-The dirty little secret.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"If you're all ready, shall we go down to dinner?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-The one no one talks about . . . Contracts!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"And, er, yes, I almost forgot. Ladies and gentlemen, you should have received a contract with your invitation. Can I just check you have all signed and dated your contracts, and sent them back? If you have not received a contract, can you raise your hand?\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDid you miss something? Was there something written on the back of that invitation? Better raise your hand.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Ah. Anyone else? No? Good. There you go. Do take your time reading it. I can always tell dinner to wait.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-I'm hungry.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSkim through the contract quickly; then sign it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Excellent. OK, then. If that is all of them, let's go down, shall we? I'm starving.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e2\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ethe documents in the case\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt is not for me to suspect but to detect.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-Anna Katharine Green, The Leavenworth Case\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Contract\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Agreement\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e1.           Reading the testimony that follows this agreement constitutes acceptance of this binding agreement between you, the reader of this document, hereafter known as The Reader, and the author\/curator of this document, hereafter known as The Author.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Document\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e2.           This document constitutes the entire scope of this investigation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e2:1        All information relevant to the investigation must be contained within this document.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e2:2        Any solution to this investigation by The Reader and\/or The Author must be based exclusively on information contained within this document, and not on any theory unsupported by the evidence within this document.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWithholding of Information\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e3.           The Author must not unreasonably withhold information from The Reader.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e3:1        All information should be provided to The Reader in a timely manner.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e3:2        If The Author acquires new knowledge relating to the investigation, it must be shared with The Reader as soon as possible.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e3:3        It is The Reader's responsibility to assess the value and weight of information contained within this document. The Author cannot be held responsible for inaccurate conclusions derived from accurate data.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePersons of Interest\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e4.           The Author must inform The Reader of all suspects, witnesses or persons of interest in a timely manner.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e4:1        The Author must inform The Reader of any new suspects, witnesses or persons of interest as soon as possible after their discovery.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSolutions and Resolutions\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e5.           In entering into this contract, The Author and\/or The Reader undertakes to provide a complete solution to the problem under investigation. Unsolved mysteries are not permitted.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e5:1        The solution\/resolution at the end of this document must be derived exclusively from the facts, as presented within this document, and be consistent with the behavior and character of the suspect, as described in this document.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e5:2        The solution\/resolution, when explained, must be logical and must not be reliant upon chance or coincidence or be derived from divine intervention of any kind.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e5:3        The culprit must have had clear Means, Motive and Opportunity, and this must be demonstrated by The Author and\/or The Reader in their solution.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e5:4        When demonstrating their solution, The Author and\/or The Reader must explain their deductive process, including:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e5:4.1    How they examined and assessed the evidence.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e5:4.2    Their preliminary assumptions.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e5:4.3    Their investigative and deductive reasoning, with results, including all working theories and rejected theories.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e5:4.4    The reasons for the elimination of suspects from suspicion.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e5:5        The evidence against the culprit, as identified by The Author and\/or The Reader, must be compelling, and all parts of the investigation must be resolved.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e5:6        The evidence against the other suspects must be less compelling than the evidence against the identified culprit.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e5:7        The motive of the culprit, when demonstrated by The Author and\/or The Reader, must be readily understandable, logical and human.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e[And if you think that's confusing, try googling this: \"Marx Brothers Sanity Clause.\"]\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI hereby agree to be bound by the terms of this contract:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eName [Reader]\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e[Signature]\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e[Date]\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eName [Author]  A. N. Author\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e[Signature]       A. N. Author\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e[Date]  Today\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReading on denotes acceptance of these terms and conditions. Failure to abide by them may incur penalties. For details of penalties, please refer to Appendix B.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSo, did you sign it?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYou did?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLiar!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGet your damned pen out and sign it. We'll wait.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRight, then. So you’ve signed it now?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI tell you what. Not that I don't trust you or anything, but I will just remind you that reading on constitutes acceptance of this agreement, and that it is as legally binding as a signature.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOK?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRead on, Macduff.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLet's Play a Game!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAn icebreaker. Isn't that what you call it? Don't you just love icebreakers? Of course you do. Everyone does. (Why else would you make people do them all the damned time?)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDon't worry, though. This one is easy. Child's play, actually. We have some items on a tray. In a moment, we will show you the items. Then we will take the tray away, and you'll have to try to remember as many of them as you can.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAre you ready? Here we go.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGambling chips\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA clock\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA woman's shoe\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA house key\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA diary\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA toy car\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA lead pipe\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA bloodstained letter\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA teacup\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA lightbulb\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA bottle of pills\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGot it? Good. We'll be testing you later!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e3\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ethe long divorce\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI shall not be present at my trial.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-Maurice Leblanc, Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Thief\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Ladies and gentlemen, in tonight's episode of Perry Mason, I will be playing the prosecuting barrister, and . . .\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-I'll be appearing for the defense.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDavid Verreman is standing at the head of the table. A folded cream-colored card sits in front of each place setting, with the character name of a murder mystery guest on one side, and the menu on the other.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYour place is next to David.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"We have our witnesses here, and both the judge and jury will be played by our Great Detective. It's a slight mixing of metaphors, perhaps, but you will have noticed that detective novels generally don't bother with juries. They move straight from detection to guilty verdict, without worrying about trifles like habeas corpus. Not here. I will make my opening statement, and then we can start discussing the case while we eat.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eYour place card says, The Great Detective.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTurn it over quickly.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe First Course\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eO\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePrawn cocktail, on a bed of lettuce, sprinkled with a dusting of paprika\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAccompanied by the opening statement for the prosecution\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eServed with brown bread\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDavid Verreman puts a hand on your shoulder. He leans in confidentially, as if anxious not to be overheard.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Congratulations, Great Detective. I'm sure you are going to do a great job. We have invited a number of people to join us this evening. You might call them witnesses.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-Or dinner guests.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Or, as Daniel says, you might refer to them simply as dinner guests.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-Or suspects.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Or, just possibly, as suspects. I have reserved for myself the honor of sitting on your left. Next to me we have Mr. George Howard-Cole and his wife, Margaret; next to them, Sir Henry Wade and his wife, Carolyn Keene-Wade. They are all friends of Lord Verreman, including Carolyn, who also happens to be Lady Verreman's sister.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-And our aunt.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Then we have Dr. Ronald Knox, coroner. I expect his story will be quite a long one, because he does love to talk, so I will try to rein him in. We have also invited the jury foreman, who we like to call Jeff. 'J.F.' Get it? He doesn't have many answers for us, I'm afraid, but he does ask some pertinent questions, which you might find useful.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"At the far end of the table we have put Mr. Stanley Gardner and Mr. Eddie Biggers, the husband and boyfriend of the deceased, respectively.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe leans in closer and drops his voice to a stage whisper. \"We have seated them together in the hopes that it will lead to fireworks later. I do love fireworks. Don't you?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Next come our experts. We have Professor Cameron McCabe, the pathologist; Dr. Elizabeth Mackintosh, the world-famous blood analyst; and then comes another great detective, Chief Inspector Nicholas Blake, the detective in charge of this case.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Finally, we have two singular gentlemen. Mr. William Collins-Wilkie to his friends-was a valet at the Berkeley Club at the time of the murder. And next to him, a gentleman who goes by the unlikely name of Gaston Leroux. He lends money-and at extortionate interest, if you can believe it. Lastly, of course, my brother, who has claimed the seat to your right.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDavid straightens up and addresses the room. \"Welcome, all. During tonight's meal, we will invite each of our guests to make a statement about their particular knowledge of the case. Some of you will contribute a broad knowledge of the whole case. Others will have only a small snippet of information to add to the pot. All, however, are welcome at our table. I hope you will all be able to answer the questions raised by the Great Detective, or ourselves, or, of course, each other. Is that clear?","brand":"Berkley","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48233670574309,"sku":"NP9780593952443","price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780593952443.jpg?v=1767739464","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-game-is-murder-isbn-9780593952443","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}