This Is Not A Game
Two unlikely detectives. A killer cocktail of suspects.
A Gibson martini garnished with three silverskin onions is 77-year-old Mimi’s favourite cocktail. It is best served with a crossword puzzle, not as an apéritif at Jane Ireland's extravagant auction party.
But given Mimi has been blackmailed into attending Jane's event, at a grand old mansion on Mackinac Island (Michigan’s answer to The Hamptons), there are worse drinks she could spend an evening sinking.
Thankfully for her, she's roped her granddaughter, Addie – who is escaping the heartache caused by her manipulative ex-fiancé – into accompanying her. While Addie spots celebrities and socialites in the manor's labyrinth of dark rooms and Mimi wonders how to confess the real reason for her presence at the soiree, a scream pierces the air.
Jane is dead.
And when a second body turns up, Mimi and Addie soon become the unlikeliest of sleuths in a race to narrow down the suspects.
In a house that contains as many secrets as the people within it, it’s going to take more than a Gibson to survive the night…
Reviews
Slick and witty.
A thriller with a twist!
Agatha Christie brought bang up to date in this innovative and funny spin on the classic country house murder. I adored Mullen’s intrepid sleuthing duo and loved unravelling this locked-room mystery with them.
Mullen’s debut introduces us to a sparkling new crime-fighting partnership: acerbic septuagenarian Mimi and her smart-as-a-whip granddaughter, Addie. In THIS IS NOT A GAME, the pair find themselves trapped together on an island mansion as murders ensue. Crackles with wit and cosy crime goodness.
A zippy, witty and delightful game of twists, featuring a wonderful new puzzle-solving duo guaranteed to win your heart.
Miss Marple meets Only Murders in the Building, this is a proper old school murder mystery brought bang up to date by Kelly. Entertaining from start to finish.
My early pick for 2025 Debut of the Year. I’m blown away. Read it in a single sitting and loved every single page. Part Agatha Christie part Alafair Burke with a touch of Anthony Horowitz, THIS IS NOT A GAME — a twisting mystery set on Michigan’s famous Mackinac island — grabs you immediately and never lets go.
A deliciously smart locked room mystery featuring an irresistible grandmother and granddaughter sleuthing duo.
A wonderfully vibrant take on the classic whodunit, THIS IS NOT A GAME tackles the locked room mystery with warmth and humour, serving up a crime solving duo that I couldn’t stop rooting for. After finishing the book, I was craving three things - a visit to Mackinac island, a Gibson, and more from author Kelly Mullen.
I adored this deliciously twisty and wickedly sharp murder mystery.
Mullen debuts with an impressive closed-circle whodunit.... Mullen makes the most of her classic setup, playing scrupulously fair with readers while leavening the bloodshed with dashes of wry humor. It’s a promising start.
Terrific, zippy, locked-room mystery with a septuagenarian sleuth. A HOOT.
Brightly witty.
A feast of a winter tale.
Everything you want in a good mystery.
A fun, atmospheric debut with sharp humour and classic whodunnit charm.
…a grand finale reveal Poirot would be proud of.
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