thegirlwiththebookonthecouch's review
5.0
The Murder Game was one of the most exciting experiences in my reading career. The novel is written by the main character of Catherine McKenzie’s other novel, Fractured. Fractured was released before The Murder Game, so I read them in that intended order. Throughout Fractured, there are many references to The Murder Game, so I was dying to read this one by the time I had finished Fractured.
Meredith Delay is working at her job at the prosecutor’s office when a gruesome case comes across her desk that makes her stomach churn; one of her law school friends is being tried for murder, and she has been put on the case. Meredith asks to be recused from the case, but because she has not had a relationship with Julian, the accused, in years, her boss tells her she must prosecute it. Not only does Meredith have to prosecute an old friend, the lawyer Julian chooses is her law school on and off boyfriend Johnathon. Hoping against all odds to not get tangled back into her law school friends’ pasts, Meredith dives into the case to convict Julian.
No matter how objective she tries to remain, though, she can’t help but remember that old game they all used to play together born of Julian’s obsession to concoct the perfect murder. Is Julian as innocent as he proclaims to be? He doesn’t give off a guilty vibe as the trial stretches on, but how can Meredith be sure?
Told in two timelines, one in law school, and one in the present, you won’t be able to put this down until Meredith discovers the twisty truth.
Check out more - www.himynameisk8.com
Meredith Delay is working at her job at the prosecutor’s office when a gruesome case comes across her desk that makes her stomach churn; one of her law school friends is being tried for murder, and she has been put on the case. Meredith asks to be recused from the case, but because she has not had a relationship with Julian, the accused, in years, her boss tells her she must prosecute it. Not only does Meredith have to prosecute an old friend, the lawyer Julian chooses is her law school on and off boyfriend Johnathon. Hoping against all odds to not get tangled back into her law school friends’ pasts, Meredith dives into the case to convict Julian.
No matter how objective she tries to remain, though, she can’t help but remember that old game they all used to play together born of Julian’s obsession to concoct the perfect murder. Is Julian as innocent as he proclaims to be? He doesn’t give off a guilty vibe as the trial stretches on, but how can Meredith be sure?
Told in two timelines, one in law school, and one in the present, you won’t be able to put this down until Meredith discovers the twisty truth.
Check out more - www.himynameisk8.com
sheenah684's review against another edition
3.0
I received this book from NetGalley to read and review.
The Murder Game is the novel that is referenced in Fractured by Catherine McKenzie. I enjoyed Fractured so I was looking forward to reading the book that propelled Julie Apple to fame and fortune. It is about a prosecutor who is facing off against her former boyfriend who is defending a friend from law school. While The Murder Game drew me in to the world of Meredith and her friends, I couldn't help but be frustrated by the ending. It wasn't the plot that was the issue, but the brevity of it. I felt like the main question was answered, the plot twist revealed, and then it was over. There was no really satisfying resolution. Other than that, the book was an interesting and quick read.
The Murder Game is the novel that is referenced in Fractured by Catherine McKenzie. I enjoyed Fractured so I was looking forward to reading the book that propelled Julie Apple to fame and fortune. It is about a prosecutor who is facing off against her former boyfriend who is defending a friend from law school. While The Murder Game drew me in to the world of Meredith and her friends, I couldn't help but be frustrated by the ending. It wasn't the plot that was the issue, but the brevity of it. I felt like the main question was answered, the plot twist revealed, and then it was over. There was no really satisfying resolution. Other than that, the book was an interesting and quick read.
samanthajayne_x's review against another edition
4.0
Oh my god this book it sent me on a rollercoaster whirlwind honestly I have so many mixed feelings for this book but it was amazing that is for sure! I have never read anything like this the story took me in so many different directions and I for sure did not guess the ending. I didn’t even see it coming, it slapped me in the face. I was guessing until the very last page and even then I still didn’t guess it right.
The author’s writing is so easy to read. This book was not an easy read your brain has to be switched on and you have to actively read a story like this. I liked how the novel was set out in 3 parts. We had the past shown from when they were in law school to the present with the case in court. The author had very much done her research for this story and was very well informed it made the story even more enjoyable.
Now I look at it I really should have guessed what was going to happen by the name of this book like it’s kind of obvious now I think about it but I didn’t. You are thrown from direction to direction and it was truly amazing how it was done. Once you thought for definite the story was going in one direction it would turn and go in a different direction it was honestly done so well that even when there was another twist or turn it wasn’t annoying. It wasn’t like “oh my not another” it just worked. The way information is delivered in this story too is nice there is no information dumping and we learn things when we need to know them not a moment before or a moment after. It really kept you in the the book.
I only had one problem with this book and that was I didn’t feel like we had gotten the full story out of Jonathon and Meredith’s relationship we learned bits and pieces but we never learn the full story. At least I didn’t manage to get the full story from them which was really sort of frustrating because I wanted to know more about these character dynamics and I didn’t get that from this.
What was good was how complex each of these characters were Meredith, Lily, Jonathon and Julian there was so much more to them than what we saw and I really liked the characters, it’s been a while since I have read characters as good as these and I am glad that I did read this book because it was interesting how we learned about each of these characters.
The author’s writing is so easy to read. This book was not an easy read your brain has to be switched on and you have to actively read a story like this. I liked how the novel was set out in 3 parts. We had the past shown from when they were in law school to the present with the case in court. The author had very much done her research for this story and was very well informed it made the story even more enjoyable.
Now I look at it I really should have guessed what was going to happen by the name of this book like it’s kind of obvious now I think about it but I didn’t. You are thrown from direction to direction and it was truly amazing how it was done. Once you thought for definite the story was going in one direction it would turn and go in a different direction it was honestly done so well that even when there was another twist or turn it wasn’t annoying. It wasn’t like “oh my not another” it just worked. The way information is delivered in this story too is nice there is no information dumping and we learn things when we need to know them not a moment before or a moment after. It really kept you in the the book.
I only had one problem with this book and that was I didn’t feel like we had gotten the full story out of Jonathon and Meredith’s relationship we learned bits and pieces but we never learn the full story. At least I didn’t manage to get the full story from them which was really sort of frustrating because I wanted to know more about these character dynamics and I didn’t get that from this.
What was good was how complex each of these characters were Meredith, Lily, Jonathon and Julian there was so much more to them than what we saw and I really liked the characters, it’s been a while since I have read characters as good as these and I am glad that I did read this book because it was interesting how we learned about each of these characters.
throwmeabook's review against another edition
5.0
Before I start this review, for the maximization of your reading enjoyment, I recommend you first read Catherine McKenzie's novel Fractured. Why, you might ask? Well, you see The Murder Game is unusual in that it is the 'Inception' of the book world. In Fractured, the main character Julie (Apple) Prentice has written a bestselling book and moved her family cross country to escape her stalker. Mishaps and misunderstandings ensue, some of it as a result of The Book. Guess what? Her bestselling book is none other than The Murder Game. Cool, right!?
At the heart of The Murder Game, a fast moving thriller slash legal drama, are Meredith, Lily, Jonathan and Julian, a group of friends who first met at McGill University Law School. Jump forward ten years, the son of a revered Montreal Canadiens hockey player has been murdered in his sleep. Meredith, now a prosecutor, has been assigned the case. The case seems straightforward; the alleged perpetrator has confessed and is in custody. But Meredith is shocked to find out that the perpetrator is her old friend Julian and that Jonathan is defending him.
As the story unfolds, moving swiftly through two separate timelines, we learn that these longtime friends have had a complicated, rocky, intense friendship that has shaped them and influenced them to become the people that they are today. As a reader you will be questioning everything you read: is Julian guilty of this crime? How are the others involved? What is the murder game and what is Meredith's role in it?
A really quick read. I basically inhaled it and really felt bad when I was finished for not taking my time and allowing myself the time to really enjoy it. But actually the speed at which I flew through The Murder Game is actually a compliment to the great writing, interesting and well developed characters and intense, engrossing storyline. Another gem from the very talented Catherine McKenzie (aka Julie Apple).
Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing me an advanced digital copy in return for an honest, unbiased review.
At the heart of The Murder Game, a fast moving thriller slash legal drama, are Meredith, Lily, Jonathan and Julian, a group of friends who first met at McGill University Law School. Jump forward ten years, the son of a revered Montreal Canadiens hockey player has been murdered in his sleep. Meredith, now a prosecutor, has been assigned the case. The case seems straightforward; the alleged perpetrator has confessed and is in custody. But Meredith is shocked to find out that the perpetrator is her old friend Julian and that Jonathan is defending him.
As the story unfolds, moving swiftly through two separate timelines, we learn that these longtime friends have had a complicated, rocky, intense friendship that has shaped them and influenced them to become the people that they are today. As a reader you will be questioning everything you read: is Julian guilty of this crime? How are the others involved? What is the murder game and what is Meredith's role in it?
A really quick read. I basically inhaled it and really felt bad when I was finished for not taking my time and allowing myself the time to really enjoy it. But actually the speed at which I flew through The Murder Game is actually a compliment to the great writing, interesting and well developed characters and intense, engrossing storyline. Another gem from the very talented Catherine McKenzie (aka Julie Apple).
Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing me an advanced digital copy in return for an honest, unbiased review.
arathi's review against another edition
3.0
Got a copy of the murder game from netgalley a long time and I finally started reading - but before reading Murder Game, I started reading Fractured by Catherine McKenzie - there was a lot of mention about Julie Apple & her book The Murder Game and it kicked my curiosity.
Murder Game revolves around 4 friends - Meredith, Jonathan, Julian & Lily.
Meredith meets the rest of the 3 of them when she enrolls into a law school, gets close to them quickly - the book opens to Meredith working as the Crown Prosecutor, something is bothering her and she sets off to the reader that she is not as normal as what she was when she started law school.
Then there's the murder of Nick Allan - the hockey star who is btw accused of child abuse, and Julian McCarthy is accused of that murder.
I really liked the way the author has spun this - back to the future in 1 chapter and then to the current day - but I felt the end was slightly flat!
I expected more energy towards the finish line..but!
Murder Game revolves around 4 friends - Meredith, Jonathan, Julian & Lily.
Meredith meets the rest of the 3 of them when she enrolls into a law school, gets close to them quickly - the book opens to Meredith working as the Crown Prosecutor, something is bothering her and she sets off to the reader that she is not as normal as what she was when she started law school.
Then there's the murder of Nick Allan - the hockey star who is btw accused of child abuse, and Julian McCarthy is accused of that murder.
I really liked the way the author has spun this - back to the future in 1 chapter and then to the current day - but I felt the end was slightly flat!
I expected more energy towards the finish line..but!
crolovr's review against another edition
5.0
The Murder Game is a book written by Catherine McKenzie as Julie Apple. We first met Julie Apple as the protagonist in Fractured who is an author who wrote The Murder Game. The book is about four lawyers Meredith, Jonathan, Julian, and Lily, as law students, try to plan a perfect murder. Ten years later Julian is arrested for killing a famous hockey player. Murder is the prosecutor in the case and Johnathan is defending Juliana. Is it the perfect murder? A great legal drama/thriller . Looking forward to more books written by Julie Apple. Thank you Netgalley, Catherine McKenzie and the publisher for a copy of this book.
read_nap_repeat's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jillhannaha's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you so much, NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing, for allowing me to read an early copy of this book.
Finishing this book made my brain think of a hundred different follow-ups on this book and FRACTURED. Both, such good novels, with a very clever concept by the author.
First we have Catherine, real author, and real attorney. We have her write FRACTURED, which is the story of author Julie Apple, and what happens in Julie's life after she's written her bestseller, THE MURDER GAME. Follow me so far?
I love this concept, especially loved this book, and without spoiling the ending, loved the way the REAL author (Catherine) ended it.
Clever, very clever!
Finishing this book made my brain think of a hundred different follow-ups on this book and FRACTURED. Both, such good novels, with a very clever concept by the author.
First we have Catherine, real author, and real attorney. We have her write FRACTURED, which is the story of author Julie Apple, and what happens in Julie's life after she's written her bestseller, THE MURDER GAME. Follow me so far?
I love this concept, especially loved this book, and without spoiling the ending, loved the way the REAL author (Catherine) ended it.
Clever, very clever!
niaforrester's review
3.0
A pleasant but overall unmemorable read for me. I will read this author again, but since it was basically Catherine MacKenzie writing as Julie Apple, a character in her book 'Fractured' I guess I treated this one as a gimmick more than anything else. Having said that, it was well written, and if you like the whole 'privileged, clannish new adults with secrets who invite in the less-privileged outsider' deal then you'll very much enjoy this book. I will say, though, that the main character, Meredith annoyed the heck out of me for one reason: she was "desperately in love" with a Jonathan but mostly because she said so. I never saw why that was, and the author didn't even attempt to show us why. It felt lazy to me, and made her long-suffering approach to their relationship a little exasperating. Otherwise, she could have been a pretty strong and admirable protagonist.