Game, Set & Murder: The deliciously gripping new cosy murder mystery you won’t be able to put down!

by Judy Murray

'Full of twists and turns it kept me guessing right to the end. A real page-turner, the perfect holiday read!' SUE BARKER

'A tale of a dastardly tennis coach and a group of friends who play together. Really fun' CLARE BALDING

'Cosy crime at its best, Judy has aced it! Just what I needed for my summer holiday' SANTA MONTEFIORE

Four close friends.
One big secret.

On a hot midsummer day in the Surrey countryside, close friends Kristin, Vee, Bibi and Hailey are celebrating their Ladies' Team victory at the exclusive Royal Oaks Tennis Club.

But when their oh-so-charming coach, Jeremy, collapses after tucking into a carefully decorated sponge cake, it seems the season isn't just ending with a championship trophy - but with a murder.

Off the court, it's clear that each of the four women has been keeping a dark secret, but surely no one would wish Jeremy dead? Or perhaps revenge truly is a cake best served cold...

A delicious new murder mystery from household name Judy Murray, perfect for fans of Richard Osman, Shirley Ballas and Reverend Richard Coles.

Praise for Judy

'Utterly thrilling and joyful. I couldn't put it down!' ANTON DU BEKE

'Enthralling and captivating. Absolutely loved it!' CAROL KIRKWOOD

'A stunning debut, this is the perfect summer read' SANTA MONTEFIORE

'A pacey page-turner' THE TIMES

'Full of twists and turns. We loved it!' HEAT

'Fizzing with excitement and high stakes' JO THOMAS

'Absolutely fantastic' CHRIS EVANS

'A brilliant read' BELLA

'A high-stakes novel set in the world she knows best' The i

Genres: Mystery, Fiction

292 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 3, 2025

About the author

Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. See also Judy L. Murray and Judy Murray.

Judy Murray is a Scottish tennis coach and former tennis player. She was the first coach of her sons, professional tennis players Jamie Murray and Andy Murray.

Reviews

[Beachcomber · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. I was pleasantly surprised by this - I thought it would be a cosy mystery with 4 women trying to solve a murder, and what I read was a twisty turny mystery where I began to suspect each of the 4 women as actually having done it… while I did find the character of Jeremy became almost a little too pantomime villain over time, I found I liked all the women and with the story developing over time, I kept changing my mind on whodunnit (I did guess correctly before the end though!). Tennis features of course, but not exhaustively so and wouldn’t be off putting to anyone who doesn’t want to read a shot-by-shot description of matches.

In short - good mystery, characters you’ll care about, would recommend!

I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and publishers Orion, in return for an unbiased review.

[Sophie E Oldham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading this one. Each chapter from a different characters perspective but at the same time. Each character had there own story's and it lead to a good ending!

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

‘Game, Set & Murder’ by Judy Murray is a murder mystery set at the prestigious Royal Oaks tennis club that combines ‘Big Little Lies’ vibes with intriguing police procedural elements.

Each of the four main characters - friends and teammates Kristin, Vee, Bibi and Hailey - appear shocked when their coach Jeremy drops dead at a victory celebration. However, we see via a series of flashbacks that charming Jeremy collected enemies even more avidly than Royal Oaks’s Ladies Singles Team collected wins across the summer club tournament!

While this was interesting and emotional at times, I didn’t quite enjoy the writing as much as I did ‘The Wild Card’ by the same author, possibly because this time there was less actual tennis content in the story, which felt like it could have happened at any private members’ club. Worth a read for cosy mystery addicts, this gets three stars from me.

I received an advance Digital Review Copy of this book from the publisher Orion Publishing Group via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Game Set and Murder by Judy Murray in return for my honest review.
I was really excited to read this book having enjoyed Judy Murrays’ first book The Wild Card.
Game Set and Murder is what I’d call a cosy Mystery making it a perfect holiday read. I really enjoyed the interesting mix of characters and the fact it had a tennis theme but not overwhelmingly so that it distracts from the story.
This is a really enjoyable easy read which I definitely recommend reading.

[Sarahlovesbooks76 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kristin, Bibi, Vee and Hailey are a successful women's tennis team. When their coach Jeremy dies, they become embroiled in a murder case. Who decided Jeremy needed to die, and why?

A fun twisting and turning story, with revelations throughout. Packed with characters that you care about, along with those you really dislike, I enjoyed the writing style, with little bits of information drip fed as the narrative changed from character to character. I definitely preferred this to Judy Murray's first novel, so I hope she sticks to this style in future!

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in an exclusive tennis club, four women are celebrating their team victory, when their coach Jeremy collapses and dies after eating the sponge cake
As the investigation unfolds , each woman is hiding secrets and motives as to why they might have wanted Jeremy dead
A cosy crime with a sporting backdrop
Loved the themes of female friendship in sport and the issues of powder in sport and the toxic behaviour it leads to
Thanks @judymurray, @orionbooks & @netgalley for the quick entertaining read

[J. E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was so pleased to see that Judy Murray had written another book as I enjoyed her biography and her previous novel. This one is less about tennis but didn't disappoint as it is based in a tennis community. The murder reaches it's conclusion after a series of flashbacks where we get to know the main characters. Some might find this distracting but I enjoyed the way it builds some suspense. It's not a challenging read but nice to read by the light of the Christmas tree.

[CJ Eve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Judy Murray is best known as the mother in Andy Murray so to see her have recognition in her own right for her own accomplishments is fab.

There are a host of complex characters in this one all with there own challenges who are intertwined together, this was an easy read for me a cosy mystery type.

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

Personally I didn't enjoy the constant jumping back and forth in time and would have preferred the story told in chronological order. The jumping back and forth felt like you were at side of court watching the tennis!

[Susan Milne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book overall but found the jumping about from ‘time set’ a little too frequent for my liking. It was nonetheless an enjoyable holiday read with interesting characters all woven into the story line.

[Annette Hewlett · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy read, no complicated plot, just what I wanted

[Karine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A murder happened at the club. But if everyone has a motive how do you find out who did it? Does it matter?

[Leanne Crouch · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Daisy McAdam · Rating 3 out of 5]

So bad it’s good?! Fun story but the ending was rather silly… but nice cosy mystery book!