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namitakhanna's review against another edition
3.0
Meredith Delaney is a Crown Prosecutor who has been assigned the murder case of well-known hockey player but the suspect is her old friend from college Julian. Defending the suspect is her on and off ex-boyfriend from law school Jonathan. Meredith, Jonathan , Lilly and Julian were a tight close knit group in law school. The book has alternating timelines from the present with Meredith fighting the case to the past where the group met for the first time.
This is good legal drama story especially for fans of “ How to get away with Murder”. I was not as invested in it as much as Fractured but it was overall a fast entertaining read with a rating of 3 ½ stars.
Many thanks to Lawsome Books & NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest and fair review.
This and more reviews at https://chloesbooksblog.wordpress.com/
pam2375's review against another edition
4.0
OK, here we go...Julie Apple is a writer and protagonist in Catherine McKenzie's new book Fractured. In the book Fractured, Julie writes a book titled The Murder Game. This is that book! What an interesting spin on a pseudonym.
This was a very good mystery about a group of law students who literally try to devise a plan on "How to get away with murder"! Once you start, you won't want to stop.
This was a very good mystery about a group of law students who literally try to devise a plan on "How to get away with murder"! Once you start, you won't want to stop.
rmarcin's review against another edition
4.0
Four law students, Lily, Julian, Meredith, and Jonathan, plan the perfect murder. Years later, the murder happends, and Meredith is asked to prosecute the case. Jonathan is the defense attorney, and Julian is the defendant. Julian readily admits he killed the victim who was a sexual predator, but that he had been sleepwalking when he did it and therefore, was not guilty.
The book weaves back and forth beween their law school days, their relationships (Jonathan and Meredith, Lily and Julian) and the up and down status of their lives as couples, and today - the trial, its prep, arguments, and the verdict.
This is a clever and disturbing tale of dependency, love, relationships, and what people are willing to try. Did they commit the perfect murder? At what cost?
The book weaves back and forth beween their law school days, their relationships (Jonathan and Meredith, Lily and Julian) and the up and down status of their lives as couples, and today - the trial, its prep, arguments, and the verdict.
This is a clever and disturbing tale of dependency, love, relationships, and what people are willing to try. Did they commit the perfect murder? At what cost?
judithdcollins's review against another edition
3.0
Julie Apple (AKA Catherine McKenzie) returns following Fractured (2016) where we met Julie Apple, with her bestselling novel--now featured in the clever twisty THE MURDER GAME, part legal drama, part thriller, and a perfect murder plan resurfaced.
Confused? Don’t be. First, read Fractured then circle back around and enjoy, TMG.
EW "Why Fractured author Catherine McKenzie wrote an entire book within a book."
Four friends make their way through law school, in the mid- nineties, learning the ins and outs of the criminal law system They plot the perfect murder. Ultimately later, becomes a reality. Facing the past.
With dual time frames that span twelve years, The Murder Game explores the powers of the unconscious mind with the history of a group of law students, and friends- planning the perfect murder.
Busy law students, tossing around possibilities for months. They would have breaks and would call one another for a rendezvous and set a topic of discussion. Poisoning, suicide, an accident – the perfect murder. Nothing was perfect. But you had to get away with it. Why not when you knew your way around the law, right?
Meet Meredith, Lily, Jonathan, and Julian, a group of friends who first met at McGill University Law School. They play a game where they each try to create the perfect murder.
Flash forward ten years, the son of a Montreal Canadian hockey player Nick Alan 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 McCarthy and that Jonathan is defending him. Conflict of Interest?
The game becomes a reality. There are so many questions, doubts, who is guilty, who is innocent, who is involved?
Julian, is the accused and Lily is his girlfriend, and Jonathan Sayers, Meredith’s on and off boyfriend. Meredith was kind of an outsider of the group. Meredith never truly feels like she belongs in this group. The other three come from money and the lifestyle that it brings. Whenever it suits them they let her in. Their terms.
Nick had destroyed his chance at a great hockey career by overindulging in cocaine, hookers, and a toxic lifestyle until he was finally arrested for the sexual abuse of a young boy. Meredith had prosecuted that case and now it would seem that someone has taken justice into their own hands.
How did she know what would follow? Why does this seem familiar?
Sleepwalking . . .
Part One tells the story of the history of the friends back in law school in Montreal. Flashing back and forth, to present day from the college days. Part Two features the trial with Meredith, prosecutor, and Jonathan as the defense attorney representing Julian. There will be familiar circumstances—connecting the past with the present. Part Three ties it together with the closing arguments of the trial, sentencing and the final closing with a twist.
Would classify this as a cozy murder mystery/legal drama; not a deeply psychological or intense suspenseful legal thriller; however, it was a lot of fun; highly creative and twisty - tieing in both books.
Those who enjoy the TV series: (available on Amazon) “How to Get Away with Murder” A group of ambitious law students and their brilliant criminal defense professor, become involved in a twisted murder plot that promises to change the course of their lives—"will enjoy" THE MURDER GAME.
A special thank you to Lawsome Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
JDCMustReadBooks
PS. Catherine/Julie, can we move to Canada with you if Trump wins tonight? It is looking very scary. Looks like you will have "plenty of company."
Confused? Don’t be. First, read Fractured then circle back around and enjoy, TMG.
EW "Why Fractured author Catherine McKenzie wrote an entire book within a book."
Four friends make their way through law school, in the mid- nineties, learning the ins and outs of the criminal law system They plot the perfect murder. Ultimately later, becomes a reality. Facing the past.
With dual time frames that span twelve years, The Murder Game explores the powers of the unconscious mind with the history of a group of law students, and friends- planning the perfect murder.
Busy law students, tossing around possibilities for months. They would have breaks and would call one another for a rendezvous and set a topic of discussion. Poisoning, suicide, an accident – the perfect murder. Nothing was perfect. But you had to get away with it. Why not when you knew your way around the law, right?
Meet Meredith, Lily, Jonathan, and Julian, a group of friends who first met at McGill University Law School. They play a game where they each try to create the perfect murder.
Flash forward ten years, the son of a Montreal Canadian hockey player Nick Alan 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 McCarthy and that Jonathan is defending him. Conflict of Interest?
The game becomes a reality. There are so many questions, doubts, who is guilty, who is innocent, who is involved?
Julian, is the accused and Lily is his girlfriend, and Jonathan Sayers, Meredith’s on and off boyfriend. Meredith was kind of an outsider of the group. Meredith never truly feels like she belongs in this group. The other three come from money and the lifestyle that it brings. Whenever it suits them they let her in. Their terms.
Nick had destroyed his chance at a great hockey career by overindulging in cocaine, hookers, and a toxic lifestyle until he was finally arrested for the sexual abuse of a young boy. Meredith had prosecuted that case and now it would seem that someone has taken justice into their own hands.
How did she know what would follow? Why does this seem familiar?
Sleepwalking . . .
Part One tells the story of the history of the friends back in law school in Montreal. Flashing back and forth, to present day from the college days. Part Two features the trial with Meredith, prosecutor, and Jonathan as the defense attorney representing Julian. There will be familiar circumstances—connecting the past with the present. Part Three ties it together with the closing arguments of the trial, sentencing and the final closing with a twist.
Would classify this as a cozy murder mystery/legal drama; not a deeply psychological or intense suspenseful legal thriller; however, it was a lot of fun; highly creative and twisty - tieing in both books.
Those who enjoy the TV series: (available on Amazon) “How to Get Away with Murder” A group of ambitious law students and their brilliant criminal defense professor, become involved in a twisted murder plot that promises to change the course of their lives—"will enjoy" THE MURDER GAME.
A special thank you to Lawsome Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
JDCMustReadBooks
PS. Catherine/Julie, can we move to Canada with you if Trump wins tonight? It is looking very scary. Looks like you will have "plenty of company."
susanthebookbag's review
5.0
The Murder Game is an intriguing story within a story, written by one of my must read authors. You need to read the information below to learn the interesting way this story came about. After reading Fractured and getting a look at Julie's life, I was super excited to read the story that was such a part of that book. Confused? Don't be, it all makes sense and I loved how these two books are connected.
So .... about The Murder Game. I loved it! What a great look at the inner workings of the legal world, lawyers, and those who think they can get away with murder. It's also a story about friendships and loyalty and secrets.
I loved the uniqueness of bringing a character from one book to life in another one and to be able to tie the stories together like this author did. And I love that Catherine is able to shake things up and make each of her books more enticing than the last. She just keeps getting better and better!
So .... about The Murder Game. I loved it! What a great look at the inner workings of the legal world, lawyers, and those who think they can get away with murder. It's also a story about friendships and loyalty and secrets.
I loved the uniqueness of bringing a character from one book to life in another one and to be able to tie the stories together like this author did. And I love that Catherine is able to shake things up and make each of her books more enticing than the last. She just keeps getting better and better!
rodeorocks13's review
5.0
I received a copy through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The murder game is a perfect companion to McKenzie’s novel Fractured. I would recommend reading fractured first however, the murder game is not a continuation. I was really excited when I heard about this novel since it was being written under the pen name Julie Apple and I was not disappointed. I can agree that fans of how to get away with murder will enjoy this novel. It carries the same kind of suspense and drama. It’s interesting to see how the characters differ from the college to adult times and all the twisty turns that happen. The murder game is the kind of novel you can’t put down and I hope McKenzie writes more like this. A must read novel.
The murder game is a perfect companion to McKenzie’s novel Fractured. I would recommend reading fractured first however, the murder game is not a continuation. I was really excited when I heard about this novel since it was being written under the pen name Julie Apple and I was not disappointed. I can agree that fans of how to get away with murder will enjoy this novel. It carries the same kind of suspense and drama. It’s interesting to see how the characters differ from the college to adult times and all the twisty turns that happen. The murder game is the kind of novel you can’t put down and I hope McKenzie writes more like this. A must read novel.
erinnejc's review
3.0
An enjoyable thriller with a great plot and characters that kept me turning the pages. Look forward to more in the future by this author.
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.