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House Of Games
It’s Halloween night and Marlee McCabe and Hector Ramos are hosting an Open House at their newly opened bed and breakfast. In keeping with the season, guests are encouraged to wear a costume. Nine party attendees are selected to participate in a murder mystery activity. It’s all fun and games until someone dies – for real! Can Marlee solve the mystery before someone close to her is charged with murder?
371 pages, Paperback
Published October 29, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 29, 2024
I was one of the lucky readers who received an ARC and thoroughly enjoyed this read.
Brenda Donelan’s latest installment in her University Mystery Series, "House of Games," is rich in layers and loaded with well-developed characters. Having read the entire series, I believe “House of Games” stands out as the most intricate and captivating yet. Set in the usual Elmwood, South Dakota, Marlee is a full-time professor at the local university and is always curious about the happenings of this little midwestern burg. The narrative kicks off with Marlee and Hector hosting a Halloween party and B&B open house, complete with a few games to enjoy. True to the spirit of a good mystery and Halloween tale, a dead body soon appears, setting the stage for this thought-provoking mystery. While there are numerous moments of humor mostly due to the eclectic group of characters, the story also addresses an important societal issue, which I won’t name to avoid spoiling it for readers. This is a mystery book that I highly recommend for book clubs as it has many topics that would be great for discussion. Donelan skillfully weaves a fantastic tale filled with twists and turns that will have readers turning the pages faster than a gust of South Dakota wind. Even though this book is part of a series, for those of you who have not previously read the University Mystery series, the books are so well written they can stand on their own so just dive in and enjoy!
Brenda Donelan’s latest installment in her University Mystery Series, "House of Games," is rich in layers and loaded with well-developed characters. Having read the entire series, I believe “House of Games” stands out as the most intricate and captivating yet. Set in the usual Elmwood, South Dakota, Marlee is a full-time professor at the local university and is always curious about the happenings of this little midwestern burg. The narrative kicks off with Marlee and Hector hosting a Halloween party and B&B open house, complete with a few games to enjoy. True to the spirit of a good mystery and Halloween tale, a dead body soon appears, setting the stage for this thought-provoking mystery. While there are numerous moments of humor mostly due to the eclectic group of characters, the story also addresses an important societal issue, which I won’t name to avoid spoiling it for readers. This is a mystery book that I highly recommend for book clubs as it has many topics that would be great for discussion. Donelan skillfully weaves a fantastic tale filled with twists and turns that will have readers turning the pages faster than a gust of South Dakota wind. Even though this book is part of a series, for those of you who have not previously read the University Mystery series, the books are so well written they can stand on their own so just dive in and enjoy!
October 28, 2024
The Best So Far in the University Mystery Series
Brenda Donelan’s House of Games is the tenth entry in her University mystery series and is just in time for Halloween. This time, criminology professor and amateur detective Marlee McCabe is investigating a murder that occurred close to home—in her own home, in fact! She and her boyfriend Hector Ramos have added three rooms to their vintage house to serve as a B&B and have a full house for the opening of their business. They’re also throwing a costume party for Halloween, complete with a murder mystery play in which some of the guests are players and the rest are detectives. But things go terribly wrong when one of the players is killed for real, and with Hector’s gun, to boot.
As Marlee and her cousin Bridget begin their investigation, it quickly becomes apparent that the killer wants to frame Hector for the murder. Hector is a policeman and has garnered many enemies, so there’s no dearth of suspects. Marlee and Bridget turn over every rock they can find and form many alternative theories. Then one dark night, Marlee feels the barrel of a gun pressed to the back of her neck…
When the denouement finally comes, it’s plausible, logical and you’ll wonder why you didn’t see it yourself. But I’ll bet you don’t.
Brenda Donelan’s House of Games is the tenth entry in her University mystery series and is just in time for Halloween. This time, criminology professor and amateur detective Marlee McCabe is investigating a murder that occurred close to home—in her own home, in fact! She and her boyfriend Hector Ramos have added three rooms to their vintage house to serve as a B&B and have a full house for the opening of their business. They’re also throwing a costume party for Halloween, complete with a murder mystery play in which some of the guests are players and the rest are detectives. But things go terribly wrong when one of the players is killed for real, and with Hector’s gun, to boot.
As Marlee and her cousin Bridget begin their investigation, it quickly becomes apparent that the killer wants to frame Hector for the murder. Hector is a policeman and has garnered many enemies, so there’s no dearth of suspects. Marlee and Bridget turn over every rock they can find and form many alternative theories. Then one dark night, Marlee feels the barrel of a gun pressed to the back of her neck…
When the denouement finally comes, it’s plausible, logical and you’ll wonder why you didn’t see it yourself. But I’ll bet you don’t.
October 30, 2024
I loved this quick read murder mystery. The main character, Marlee McCabe, is witty, snarky, funny, and oh so smart. I believe I was chuckling already on about page 3 or 4 of the book. I enjoy the whole cast of "regular" characters! There were for certain twists and turns throughout the story and I wasn't sure who did what a lot of the time. But in the end Donelan brought it all together! Nice job on another good book, Brenda!
October 24, 2024
A fun, quick read. I have read a few other books in this series and enjoy their personalities. This book has an interesting take on a social topic ( I won’t spoil it in this review).
October 29, 2024
Another great university mystery by Brenda Donelan! The whodunit was full of twists. Very enjoyable read. Love the SD references!!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews