My main reason for DNFing is because the premise is inaccurate, although my knowledge of this only comes from my career. Essentially, there's upset in a Devon village when the lighthouse is to be developed by a local developer who left for London as a teen and has returned; he is hugely unpopular because he 'stole' the planning permission for development from a popular local who also runs the tourist information. I'm a Town Planner and it's impossible to steal a planning permission, it belongs the building, not to a person. 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. Anyone can apply for planning permission, for any building, but only the person who owns it can implement that permission, if approved, and undertake the development.

The Murder Game by Tom Hindle - Penguin Books Australia

As a lifelong fan of Agatha Christie and any kind of murder mystery set in a hotel or a manor house this book instantly appealed to me. The author is clearly a fan as well, as scattered throughout are subtle nods to the Queen of Crime and her works. The party is thrown by Will, a young man who works in the antiques shop and among the guests are the head of the local tourist board and Damian White, a very rich man who has just bought the local lighthouse. 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.I requested this ARC from NetGalley last year, it was what prompted me to read the author's debut, A Fatal Crossing, which I DNF'd two thirds in. I thought it only fair to give The Murder Game a fair shot, but as 20% in, have decided to also DNF. This is your standard murder-at-the-party format that includes many twists and turns that accompany the complex narrative. There are deep lies and discoveries that intertwine between past and present and Hindle has really set a stride with this one. There are layers to these characters motives that are expressive but brutal. As before, we've had to pay attention to close details to follow everyone's steps and motives. This was an engaging read, but it did fall short on its surprises. The writing is innovative and can be deemed as a step up from A Fatal Crossing but the characters weren't as interesting. This could be more since A Fatal Crossing was one of my favourite reads of the year. Overall it’s a good read and it was an entertaining few hours but it just didn’t have the depth and complexity I was hoping for.

Tom Hindle - Fantastic Fiction Tom Hindle - Fantastic Fiction

I love a good closed circle murder mystery so this was right up my street and so well done. There's a small(ish) cast of not especially likeable characters, some secrets from the past, a few grudges and a lot of twists and turns. It’s New years eve and a murder mystery party is being held at Hamlet Hall hotel. A hotel that has seen better days. In a secluded area of North Devon and there is no phone signal. There are eight guests, all with secrets of their own. Which had something to do with a body that is found on a beach over twenty years ago.This was a great follow-up to A Fatal Crossing, which might have been the better of the two, but The Murder Game is a strong story that sweeps you right up. I loved everything about this. The setting, the history and the characters - the perfect mix. 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.

Tom Hindle - Penguin Books UK Tom Hindle - Penguin Books UK

But it seems that someone wants to play a different game. There is going to be a real victim and a real murderer with a very real motive. This was SO dull. Honestly I contemplated DNF several times and I've just thrown the book aside at the epilogue as I just couldn't be bothered to read on. It's like a GCSE student read an Agathie Christie novel once and thought they'd have a rough go at it. I was looking forward to reading The Murder game after reading the authors first novel The fatal crossing and enjoyed it.The mystery itself is an intriguing one. It is possibly not the most original but sometimes it's great to just relax and enjoy a story that has a traditional feel to it. It's like settling down to watch a classic murder mystery on a Sunday evening. There are a few twists and turns, the odd red herring and a few reveals around events that happened in the past. I did see some of the reveals coming but there were a few surprises in there too. The pace of the book was okay, it was neither super fast nor agonizingly slow, just perfect. I loved that we get different perspectives throughout the night, to get inside scopes to the different guests' mind and their anxiety through the night.

The Murder Game by Tom Hindle | Waterstones

Tom Hindle hails from Leeds and lives in Oxfordshire with his wife, a cat and two surprisingly cunning tortoises. 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. A classic style, small-cast mystery, this story sees a group of locals all assembled for a game, each with their own secrets and strong reasons to hate the surprise guest, Damien White, who is inevitable found brutally murdered during the course of the evening.well this author certainly loves agatha christie and his style of writing is very much based on her stories with his own twist