Some games can be deadly

At first, Detective Chief Superintendent Frankie Sheehan believes the murder mystery game sent to her office is a birthday gift from one of her colleagues. But when Frankie studies the game''s contents, she notices a striking resemblance between the ''murder victim'' and missing twenty-two-year-old Lydia Callin.

As Frankie and her team investigate, a series of grisly crimes connected to the game are discovered across Dublin city and Lydia''s involvement with a shadowy network of murder mystery players becomes clear.

On the hunt for Lydia''s murderer, Frankie is drawn more deeply into the game. Every successful move brings her closer to the killer. But the real question is not what happens should she lose -- but what happens if she wins.

PRAISE FOR OLIVIA KIERNAN:

''A wonderfully rich lead character and a story that twists in unforeseen directions'' Claire McGowan

''What an absolute winner of a book. Five stars from me'' Gytha Lodge

''The heir to Tana French''s throne'' Irish Times

''Cracking . . . Taut, gripping and beautifully written'' Steve Cavanagh

''An ending you definitely won''t see coming'' JP Delaney

''A superior crime thriller . . . Highly recommended'' Mark Edwards

''A superior police procedural'' Sarah Vaughan

''Pin-sharp prose, brilliant characters and a hook to die for'' Phoebe Locke

''Tight, tense, pacy and full of twists. A cracker'' Neil Lancaster

''Very clever, chilling and brilliantly written! LOVED it!'' Karen Hamilton

''Clever, shocking, and psychologically astute - this deserves to be huge'' Caz Frear

''Grabs you by the throat from the first page and doesn''t let go until the last'' Araminta Hall

''An original concept that kept me utterly gripped from start to finish'' Nikki Smith

''Sleekly written, atmospheric, and beautifully macabre'' Charlotte Philby

''Authentic, taut, intriguing storytelling'' Mari Hannah

''You won''t be able to close it until you''ve solved the puzzle'' Trevor Wood

''The Murder Box is compulsive reading - and has the most genius twist'' Sam Blake

''A genius premise and beautiful writing. Loved it'' Susi Holiday

''A masterful and original thriller'' Rachel Edwards

''Line of Duty fans, here''s your next obsession!'' Amanda Reynolds

''Olivia''s Kiernan''s The Murder Box cements her position as one of the rising stars of crime fiction'' Fiona Cummins