At the center is Cassie Thompson, a protagonist who immediately feels real and layered. She has built a glossy, successful life far removed from her rural Pennsylvania past, riverfront condo, red Mercedes, and a hard-earned legal career in Philadelphia. But Gillespie wisely avoids painting her as purely admirable. Cassie is ambitious, driven, and willing to bend ethical lines to get ahead. That moral ambiguity makes her fascinating rather than alienating, and the novel’s greatest strength is how effectively it makes readers root for someone who may not entirely deserve it.
The inciting incident, a cryptic message promising a tip that could secure a major case, pulls Cassie into Eberly Manor, a Gothic estate that immediately signals danger. Once inside, the story locks into place: five strangers, a chillingly composed judge with unfinished business, and a deadly series of games where survival depends on strategy, nerve, and confronting long-buried truths. From this point on, the pacing is relentless.
The “games” themselves are a standout element. They are tense, psychologically charged, and written in a way that subtly invites the reader to play along mentally, an effective trick that deepens immersion and unease. As Cassie is forced to make impossible choices, the pressure mounts not just physically, but morally. This isn’t simply about staying alive; it’s about whether she can face who she’s been and what she’s done to get where she is.
Gillespie’s handling of twists is confident and controlled. Rather than relying on shock alone, the reveals feel earned, emerging naturally from character motivations and misdirection. While a few late developments may feel faintly predictable, the author keeps enough uncertainty in play that doubt lingers right up to the final moments. The ending, in particular, is satisfying, resolute without being simplistic.
Stylistically, the novel fits comfortably alongside comparisons to The Guest List and Alice Feeney’s work, but it maintains its own voice. The prose is clean and purposeful, the atmosphere claustrophobic, and the psychological tension consistently sharp.