ARC Review: The Murder Game by Carrie Doyle

The Murder Game
Author: Carrie Doyle
Publication: Sourcebooks Fire (April 6, 2021)

Description: A murder at a boarding school is gruesome enough, but what if the murderer is your roommate? Perfect for fans of A Study in Charlotte comes a gripping prep school novel filled with dark mystery and suspense.

What if your best friend and roommate killed a teacher at your prep school? Or what if he didn't do it, but he's being framed, and you're the only person who can save him? What if you aren't sure which it is?

Luke Chase didn't mean to get caught up solving the mystery of Mrs. Heckler's murder. He just wanted to meet up with the new British girl at their boarding school, and if that meant sneaking out to the woods after hours, then so be it.

Little did he know someone would end up dead right next to their rendezvous spot, and his best friend and roommate Oscar Weymouth would go down for it. With suspects aplenty and a past that's anything but innocent, Luke Chase calls on his famous survival skills to solve the mystery and find the true killer. With plenty of suspects, Luke will need to use all his skills to solve the mystery and find the true killer.

My Thoughts: This is a boarding school mystery. Luke, his roommate Oscar, and two girls Pippa and Kelsey sneak out late one night to a local make-out spot. They weren't expecting to overhear a murder.

Since they snuck out which could have consequences including expulsion, they want to keep their presence at the scene a secret. But Oscar is the sort of troublemaking kid who soon becomes a focus of the investigation. Luke is the stand-up, rule following kind of guy who has a past which includes his kidnapping and desperate escape through wooded country. He is trying to live down his reputation as the Kidnapped Kid but he still has the skills he needed when he was younger. 

Once Oscar is accused, Luke becomes determined to find out who really killed the new Mrs. Heckler. He has lots of suspects besides his roommate who worked in her office to offset some demerits. Joanna Heckler was the sort of woman who always wanted the next new man which means that quite a few of the other male teachers now appear on Luke's suspect list along with her husband. 

I liked Luke's growing relationship with Pippa who is a new student at the school. She left England under a sort of cloud because she was seen arguing with her best friend just before her friend was murdered. She was blamed but not charged and has come to the US to start over. 

I liked the mysterious survival skills teacher who seems to know a lot more than he's saying and who pushes Luke to recover the skills that let him survive his own kidnapping. 

This was an entertaining story and well-plotted mystery with interesting characters. I hope this isn't Luke's last adventure in crime-solving. 

Favorite Quote:

The headmaster softened. "Luke, what happened to you was terrible. And I know you want to be a good friend to Oscar, which you are. But this is different. This is murder. And the police will solve this. You have to have faith in them."

Luke stood up. "With all dur respect, sir, I've learned that the only person I can have faith in is myself."

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from Edelweiss. You can buy your copy here.