This Is Not A Game - Kelly Mullen

 

Description

Two unlikely detectives. A killer cocktail of suspects.

A Gibson martini garnished with three silverskin onions is 77-year-old Mimi’s favourite cocktail. It is best served with a crossword puzzle, not as an apéritif at Jane Ireland's extravagant auction party.

But given Mimi has been blackmailed into attending Jane's event, at a grand old mansion on Mackinac Island (Michigan’s answer to The Hamptons), there are worse drinks she could spend an evening sinking.

Thankfully for her, she's roped her granddaughter, Addie – who is escaping the heartache caused by her manipulative ex-fiancé – into accompanying her. While Addie spots celebrities and socialites in the manor's labyrinth of dark rooms and Mimi wonders how to confess the real reason for her presence at the soiree, a scream pierces the air.

Jane is dead.

And when a second body turns up, Mimi and Addie soon become the unlikeliest of sleuths in a race to narrow down the suspects.

In a house that contains as many secrets as the people within it, it’s going to take more than a Gibson to survive the night…

Review

The book is set on Mackinac Island in a Grand old Mansion with it's own drawbridge. Resident Mimi is attending an auction there as part of a blackmail note she receives. Not wanting to go alone she invites her Grand Daughter Addie from the mainland to go with her. Addie has her own issues to contend with after breaking up with her fiancé who was also the co-author of a successful online murder game she wrote.

Despite the title, the story did feel more like a game to me. I couldn't really take it seriously especially as at every turn of events Addie was comparing it to the game she co-wrote. She and Mimi take upon themselves to be the detectives after no one can gain access to the mansion due to the weather. 

There were parts where I was really drawn into the drama and was enjoying reading the book. Overall it felt a little repetitive for me. Some of the dialogue was very stilted, more like a murder mystery party than a real life drama. The characters didn't feel real and although it was set in present day it seemed more like the 1920s.

I'm giving this book 3 out of 5 stars.

My thanks to Netgalley for the ARC to review. This book is published on 24 May 2025.

Mrs Spy - M. J. Robotham

 

Description

Get ready for a pulse-pounding, laugh-out-loud ride through 1960s London as Maggie Flynn, unexpected MI5 operative and single mum, unravels the intelligence agency's most treacherous secrets.

***

Maggie Flynn isn’t your typical 1960s mum.

She’s a spy, a covert operative for MI5, stalking London’s streets in myriad disguises.

Widowed and balancing her clandestine career with raising a very angsty teenage daughter, Maggie finds comfort and purpose in her profession – providing a connection to her late husband, whose own covert past only surfaced after his death.

But Maggie’s world spins out of control when a chance encounter with a mysterious Russian agent triggers a chilling revelation: he knew her husband. And what’s worse, the agent suspects someone on home soil betrayed him.

As Maggie searches for answers, she’ll question everyone – and everything – she thought she could trust. In the dangerous world of espionage, can she outsmart those determined to keep her silenced?

Review

Not what I expected from the title.

Set in the 1960s Maggie Flynn is Mrs Spy. She is widowed and has a daughter and errant mother living with her. She's no Jane Bond and is far from glamourous in her role as a watcher. Something a middle aged woman is suited to, as no one gives her a second glance, especially in her many wigs. 

She's fairly content with her lot apart from a nasty bunion causing her grief. Then she has to mind a Russian agent with whom she has an interesting conversation, which leads her to believe her husband was much more than a watcher himself.

I loved the social history aspects of this book. From Maggie trying to obtain Beatles tickets for her daughter to her taking her shopping on the Kings Road. It all seemed fairly low key and pedestrian when the plot took a bit of a sinister turn and my interest was piqued. There were some truly nail biting parts that followed and I would have liked more of those. 

Maggie is a strong character and that shows through from her transition from a watcher to actually spying. 

However, I didn't find this book laugh out loud as the blurb suggests. There were amusing scenes of domesticity with her daughter and mother and some very true to life observations of a middle aged lady's ailments.

I'm giving this book 3 out of 5 stars. My thanks to netgalley for the ARC to review. The book is published on 15 May 2025.