This Is Not a Game
Kelly Mullen
Dutton
Mimi MacLaine is a Gibson cocktail-drinking retiree living on Michigan’s idyllic Mackinac Island. Not the most sociable person, Mimi tolerates her fellow islanders–and tourists not at all. She’s surprised when an invitation from island socialite Jane Ireland arrives. They have nothing in common. Jane wants Mimi to bid at a charity auction to be held at her Jazz era mansion—otherwise she’ll reveal Mimi’s dark and dirty secret. Terrified of exposure, Mimi turns to the one person she can trust: her granddaughter Addie. But Addie has her own troubles. Her former lover has cut her out of Murderscape, the hugely successful video game they designed together. Addie’s trying to find a legal solution to her dilemma when Mimi calls her to come to Mackinac Island.
From the start nothing about the lavish auction seems right. The other attendees are mismatched and act like they’d rather be anywhere else. The isolated mansion coupled with a record breaking winter storm shuts everyone up inside. Things go downhill rapidly when Jane is found dead. Addie’s angry with Mimi for not revealing the blackmail attempt. It makes Mimi the prime suspect, but Addie can’t help using her natural deductive skills to help her grandmother solve the case. When the power goes out and another body hits the floor the pair realize they’re in a race against time. Can Mimi and Addie combine their skills, identify the culprit and save Mimi from blackmail before they become the next victims?
This is Not a Game pits two delightfully quirky characters against the classic cozy mystery trope in the style of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. The deadly race-against-time plot keeps the story boiling along nicely making this a fun read for all cozy mystery lovers.
