The Cruellest Game by Bonner, Hilary (2013) Paperback

by Hilary Bonner

Excellent Book

Genres: Fiction, Mystery

Paperback

First published July 1, 2013

About the author

Hilary Bonner is an English crime novelist, best known for her psychological thrillers.

Almost all Bonner’s novels are inspired by real life events, often drawing on her journalistic past with The Sun, The Mail on Sunday, and Daily Mirror. The Times described her as ‘keeping on the public agenda the stories our masters would prefer buried.’

She shares her life with her partner, the actress Amanda Barrie, and, with their dog Coco. She divides her time between her house in rural Somerset and her flat at the heart of Covent Garden.

Reviews

[Adele Geraghty · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a boring waste of precious time, when I could have been reading something by someone with a real talent for writing! The plot wasn't bad, but the narration IMO, was slow, overdone and repetitious. The main character described her beautiful home so often that the narration began to sound like an estate agent's brochure. Characters were unlikable at best and mostly unbelievable, as were their routines and conversations. As usual, I figured out 'who done it' early on, so it dragged on forever. I struggled through the flat narration of a self absorbed, elitist character, having no saving graces whatsoever. It was impossible to feel for her loss or dilemma, when she described every character who offered her help (including her own father) with contempt, boredom and condescension. The best she could muster was to placate them and insinuate what a strain it was for her to share breathing space with these lowly peons, so far beneath her level! Give me a break! The rest of the characters were mere satellites and never fleshed out properly. There was a fine twist in the tail ending, but it was too little, too late. If you enjoy a slow...I mean really slow read and aren't looking for a work of literary art, it might work for you but, it's not my kind of reading...a thorough waste of good time and money. My recommendation? AVOID!

[Barbara Elsborg · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sorry but this didn't work for me at all. The writing style was so stilted and formal, the pace slow and the main character totally unsympathetic. Plus it was obvious who the 'villain' was right from the start and yes - I'd also seen the twist. The actual explanation of what happened didn't make sense in a number of ways but the thing that really made the book a non starter for me was the way Marion treated her husband. Sixteen years happily married with a lovely son and it was all thrown away in an instant - before she actually knew the extent of what his betrayal meant. She sounded like an old person too. The dialogue didn't feel natural. Yet again, I can see others love it so I guess I don't like the same things as most people but I was very disappointed.

[Raven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having to avoid spoilers with this review of The Cruellest Game is a tricky prospect indeed as, from the outset and in a similar pacing to S. J. Watson’s psychological thriller Before I Go To Sleep, this is a crime tale filled with unexpected reveals as Marion Anderson, a seemingly happily married wife and mother’s life goes into tailspin from the devastating emotional events at opening of this book. With Bonner’s vast experience of writing tautly plotted psychological thrillers, this is a gripping read with an uncanny balance of overly emotional and more dispassionate threads to the narrative, that wrong- foot the reader by turns in Bonner’s depiction of this family in crisis and in particular her main female protagonist’s reactions and actions as each layer of deception is unfurled. From the opening to this review, I can offer you little more in the way of plot as there are some nasty surprises along the way for Marion, and it’s interesting to see the way that she hardens and draws on an emotional strength, that even she seems to believe she doesn’t have, to cope with her domestic life spinning off its axis and changing her world…

Bonner’s writing is controlled and assured throughout, and this would definitely be a good book group pick with the twists and turns in the plot some obvious, some not, and the steadfast characterisation of Marion and those around her. A good read.

[Jen Surname · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointingly predictable. The thing I realised on completing this book is that the only character I actually liked in the whole thing died in the first chapter.

This book was recommended to me. I wish I could remember who it was that made the recommendation because then I would be sure to avoid any further such suggestions.

I worked out the plot twist early on, spent a couple of chapters wondering / hoping I was wrong, then found out I was right and predicted the final “surprise” that’s left to the very last line in the book too.

I’m not some kind of whodunnit detective who cleverly worked out what was happening, believe me. The book was just disappointingly predictable and I’m glad to be done with it.

[Maggie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is in my opinion seriously poor the characters are not interesting and the storyline has so many holes in it. The character of Robert especially was so unbelievable. He is portrayed as a man quite strong in his beliefs dictating his family living isolated and not engaging with anyone yet he is a total wet rag and a pushover throughout the book. The ending could be seen approaching from miles away So disappointed as other books by this author were good. Not recommending this one I am afraid.

[Renita D'Silva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Taut and gripping. Felt for Marion.

[Dale Harcombe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I nearly gave up on this book early in the piece as I got annoyed with the constant gushing over her teenage son Robbie s her ‘beautiful boy’ etc and the stress placed on what a close relationship she had with him. Another thing was the attention given to her scalded feet. Considering she had already carried the two mugs of tea up the stairs before she dropped them, I could not understand how her feet could have been as severely damaged as she made out. I’ve scalded myself with boiling water and it’s not as I big a drama as this was made out to be. I felt like it went on and on. As for the bath scene, even with another woman’s help I couldn’t figure put how she could get into a bath without getting her feet wet. Okay, maybe they are minor things and maybe it‘s just me but those little things pulled me out of the story and nearly made me give up. Sheer stubbornness made me persist and it did get better.
The experience she faces with her beloved only child Robbie s one no parent would wish to have to be confronted with, so I felt for her at that point and as the novel went on and Marion found out her husband was not the man she thought he was. Then other strange things start happening but it seems the local police will not believe Marion and dismiss her as merely a distraught woman.
The closer it got to the end the tension is ramped up and the more I kept turning the pages until suddenly it seemed the story was all wrapped up and the person responsible for some of the events went to trial. But then it went on and on. I was all the time waiting for the other shoe to drop. And drop it did right at the end. So it was a good read and a page-turner once I got past the beginning. However, while I could feel for Marion, I never warmed to her or any of the characters except maybe the garrulous but good hearted Gladys.

[Patsy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really disliked Marion. She must be one of the most unlikeable characters I've come across in a long while and I couldn't decide if the author had written her like that intentionally. Also the tea spilling incident early in the book was way overdone. I have spilt countless brews over myself and never have I been scalded that bad that I needed medical attention, twice. It was inaccurate and brought absolutely nothing to the story other than to annoy the reader. And whilst I'm on the subject of annoyances, how in the name of fiction did she manage to get into a bath full of water without getting her poor bandaged feet wet? Levitation wasn't mentioned but I have my suspicions.

[Stephanie Hutabarat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really good book. I finished it only in 2 days,cant put it down. It's not thriller,but when read it somehow seem creepy. Love this!

[Kelly West · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book in a day I would of given it 5starts but didn’t like the way the author went in to every little detail about everything. Felt like the story could of been told in half the pages if wasn’t for all the little details.

[Jan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story concept was interesting, but I couldn't engage with the main character.

Supposedly a woman of 38/39, Marion veered between sounding like a naive, gulliable youngster and a mature woman of 60+. Her dismissive attitude to everyone around her soon became irritating.

It became very obvious early on as to who was behind the vengence attacks.

The one glaring timeline error was revealed at the very end. At no point prior to the fatal car crash, was there any indication that Marion knew that Brenda/Bella was the legal first wife and therefore could not have been the person to have tampered with the car's brakes.

[Krusha Richman-broadbridge · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot was very good, but did not enjoy the way in which it was written. Seemed a little too descriptive about every tiny detail? I tend to lose myself in a good book & it certainly wasn't the case with this. So whilst I was keen to follow the plot, it was more of a skim read.

However, I would love to see this plot dramatised for TV. It would make a fantastic thriller.

I will try another of her books, but if it is written in the same style, it will certainly be my last.

[Joy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I started reading this with some high hopes; the story sucked me right in and I wasn't irritated by the narrator, Marion, the way many other reviewers were. As the story progressed, it became more and more outlandish, events were thrown together in ways that made no sense (even after the reveal), and I had guessed the villain along with the twist.

I'm not sure this author is going to make it to my must-read shelf.

[Mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read anything by Hilary Bonner before, but after this I definitely will.

I saw some of the twists coming, but not others. And I was actually smiling as I finished reading.

"If you like Sophie Hannah you'll love this". I thought this was better than Sophie Hannah!

[Erica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hard to feel empathetic towards the main character. Weak, passive, self-centered and very annoying,

[Nicky Mottram · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not much story and a little predictable

[Gail · Rating 1 out of 5]

Slow and boring. Unconvincing dialogue, reads like a translation. Plot twists obvious and generally impossible to care.

[Nicholas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that premiered to appeal to Sophie Hannah fans? Well, I'm in that camp, so I gave this a go and LOVED IT! One chapter one was out of the way it became one of the most compelling books I've read for a long time. Other reviewers said the main character, Marion, was unlikable, but I didn't think so. I thought I'd have probably reacted in much the same way, shunning company when facing such an awful situation. The plot was clever with lots going on, and the ending was very good too. I did think that the author might have cheated the reader when I first read the ending, so I backtracked and found all the clues were in the book, just well hidden. I'll definitely be reading more of Hilary Bonner's novels.

[Michaela · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hmmm not my cup of tea! Very predictable and I feel pretty poorly written but it's not my usual genre and perhaps I'm being harsh. I think what annoyed me the most of all was the inaccurate cover! The writer explicitly says (as she over explains everything in the whole damn book) that the trainer on the floor is a 'black Adidas original with a narrow red and white trim'. Cover shoe is a bloody converse!

[Fiona · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't think at the start I was going to finish this read let alone enjoy it. Some of the twists were predictable and the pace at times is a little slow but the more I read the more I was sucked into the story. I loved the ending even if I had started to realise what the final twist would be a few chapters earlier.

[Stuart · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half of the book was quite intriguing. I had no idea where it was going. Then the story unravelled rather too quickly leaving a final twist in the tale (which I guessed correctly). So a real tale of two halves.

[Marta · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
This was a real “slow burner”, almost too much so, in that I felt radical and dramatic events happened far too early on in the novel and took far too long to be explained or resolved.
The twist at the very end sort of made up for it, though.

[David Perrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good psychological thriller. A compelling and suspenseful story of betrayal and deception that keeps the reader well and truly hooked. Full of shocks and surprises throughout with a superb twist right at the end.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mean it was an okay read, but a little predictable to be honest.

[Tamzin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually really liked this book right until the end. It did not explain how Marion found out that Belle was actually Brenda. There is a difference between a plot twist and just being stupid.

[Janet · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very slow and obvious ,but OK 2.5stars

[Auden ＊＾ω＾♪ · Rating 1 out of 5]

It’s lousy. From the beginning you could tell who the true villain was.

[Carly Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put this book down. So many twists you would never guess the ending at all.

[Fraeya Holmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written, lots of twists and turns till the very end. A mother's instinct is always right

[Tracey · Rating 2 out of 5]

A slow Reed, it started off well with a quite disturbing initial story to the book but unfortunately the story then drifted into a very slow iunsuspenseful read.