cocktails and crimes

Mimi loves her quiet life on Mackinac Island. Sure, during the summer, their small Michigan island is overrun with tourists, but once the temperatures fall and the snow hits the forecast, it’s a quiet life. She had bought a small house with the help of her late husband’s life insurance, and Mimi is happy to live there alone, with her nightly Gibsons, her bridge club, and her snowmobile named Joan Rivers.

But then she gets invited to an event at the home of a local celebrity. Jane Ireland is a descendant from an old money family, and she is well known for her outrageous lifestyle. Her current boyfriend is also her son-in-law Matthew, which has caused quite a stir. She is having a charity auction, and Mimi is invited. Mimi is generally not invited to things like this, but this time she can’t miss it. Really, she can’t miss it, because she is being blackmailed. She has to go and bid an outrageous amount on a certain piece in the auction, or her worst secret will come out. Mimi knows she has to go, but she doesn’t have to go alone. She emails her granddaughter for help.

Addie is a game developer who lives in Chicago. She and her boyfriend had developed am interactive murder mystery game called Murderscape, which is hugely popular. Brian had gone on to propose to her, and then recently, to dump her. Now, he’s taken sole ownership of the company that owns Murderscape as well as full credit for the game, so when Microsoft made a lucrative offer for the company, he also took sole ownership of the check they wrote him. Addie has spent her time since leaving working her day job at an ad agency, watching Dateline, and considering hiring an attorney and getting what is due to all her hard work on the game.

But when Addie gets the email from Mimi, she doesn’t hesitate before heading to Mackinac Island to help her. Mimi doesn’t tell her about being blackmailed, but Addie agrees to go to the party with her. But things don’t go quite how they expect. Mimi and Addie arrive at the party and get their cocktails, waiting for the auction to start. When it does, Mimi bids on what she’s been told to, but the price is far more than she was informed it would be. Addie is stunned, and they step outside so Mimi can have a cigarette. She explains to Addie that she’s being blackmailed. And when they go back inside, they find out that Jane has been murdered.

The snowstorm has picked up, making it impossible for anyone to get to the island, and the local police officer on duty went home sick, to the mainland. No police can get to the island that night, and no one cam leave the Ireland home. So whoever killed Jane is stuck there with them. Mimi is a puzzle fanatic, and Addie has always loved studying crime. Mimi believes that they have the best chance of figuring out who the killer is, and she convinces Addie to investigate with her. But as the night goes on, more crimes are revealed. Sime items from the auction and personal items have gone missing. Matthew is also killed. And there’s the fact that Mimi probably isn’t the only person at the auction who was there because of blackmail. Addie uses all her knowledge from Murderscape and from years of Dateline to create a murder notebook and keep track of everything they know.

But the longer they’re all there, the more danger they’re in. And as Addie and Mimi go around questioning alibis and trying to suss out secrets, the bigger the targets they are painting on themselves. Will they be able to survive the storm and find a killer before it’s too late?

This Is Not a Game is a twisty thriller where everyone has secrets, everyone is telling lies, and it’s up to Harriet the Spy and Jessica Fletcher to solve the mystery. There is a stylish party, a lot of cocktails, and a locked-room mystery where the lock is an actual drawbridge that those inside can’t open without the code known only to the murder victims. This mystery is stacked with interesting characters, who all seem to be pretending to be someone different than who they are, making the plot shift from side to side.

I really enjoyed This Is Not a Game, especially the ending, which is satisfying in the best way. I liked Mimi and Addie a lot, so following them around as they try to solve a mystery was lots of fun. There were moments I had some trouble remembering who was who in the large cast of party goers, but mostly, I just liked this story so much.

Egalleys for This Is Not a Game were provided by Dutton through NetGalley, with many thanks, but the opinions are mine.