The Name of the Game Was Murder [Mass Market Paperback]

The Name of the Game Was Murder by the 4-time winner of Edgar Allan Poe contest, Joan Lowery Nixon, is about a young girl named Samantha that wants to be a writer. She is visiting her Aunt Thea in an isolated location. Samantha goes there to get writing suggestions from her Uncle Augustus Trevor, a well-known writer. She thinks that Augustus is very gentle and nice, but he is nothing more than a grouch. Augustus has invited many famous people to his house for the weekend; they couldn¡t refuse because the letter they all received was a threat letter. It says, ¡§ If you don't participate, you'll be sorry." He has written a ¡§gossip¡ manuscript about everyone- things that could change their whole lives completely. He even wrote something about his own wife. The object of the game is to see that whoever solves the clues first and finds the manuscript can get their information removed from it. Augustus Trevor is killed in his study room. Samantha thinks it will be a good idea to work together to find out where the manuscript is before the police get there. Where is the manuscript?
I liked this book because it had an affect that made the hairs on my neck stand up. New clues unravel while old clues still float around unsolved. The Name of the Game Was Murder made me toss and turn all night while sleeping because it was so scary. It is a breathtaking book that makes you sit at the edge of your seat. When Samantha notices strange clues step by step it just makes me want to read faster. ¡§Why was she still in her work clothes? Where has she been?¡
A clue that Samantha wrote to derive the rest of the players to the wine cellar-everyone but Aunt Thea was "one left, 13 down." That was like a crossword puzzle. This book had very clever clues. It confuses and messes your thinking up. You can never let go of this book.
My favorite part of this book was when Samantha read the manuscript. It revealed many hidden secrets about the players. This story proves that no one in this world is perfect. We all make mistakes. It was very shocking to find out that Aunt Thea killed someone on vacation. Overall, this book was wonderful.

Joan Lowery Nixon gave me a great first impression with "The Name of the Game Was Murder!" The story is extremely fast-paced, and was my first book that I had finished in a few hours. Nixon gives a well-descriptive storyline, which makes you feel as though you're in the actual story!

The book takes place on a remote island in a creepy mansion. Samantha goes to visit her Aunt Thea for the first time. Sam is an aspiring writer and her aunt's husband, Augustus Trevor, is a famous novelist. Not only does Sam visit to see her Aunt Thea, but she hopes to get writing advice from Augustus.
When she arrives, she soon realizes that Augustus is a rude, hot-tempered man who warns Sam to stay out of his way during the weekend while he has guests over for a party. Also, after Sam has already settled in the Red Room, Augustus moves her to a tiny room, far away from the rest of the house called the Tower Room....
Later that day, Augustus' guests arrive, and Sam finds that they are famous people! But, things start to get fishy when a movie star named Laura says that she received a threatening letter stating that if she didn't come, she'd regret it.
That night during dinner, Augustus announces that the guests will be taking part in a game. He explains that he has written a story that includes a devestating secret about their past, and whoever can use Augustus' typed clues to get to the manuscript, will have their secret removed from it. He hands out the clues, which make no sense to the guests, including his own wife Thea. Sam demands a clue for herself, and when given one, quickly deciphers it, due to the fact that is was just an "alphabet note." (Example 1 stands for A, 2 stands for B, etc). Because Sam is quick in figuring out hers, everyone thinks that she can decipher thier's, which is just another problem for Sam!
The next morning Augustus is found dead in his office; murdered!
Can Samantha figure out the clues? If she finds the manuscript will it reveal the murderer? Find out in "Name of the Game Was Murder!"

I read this book for school last year and thought it was really good as school books go. It was really suspenseful and i read it in under a week. The only problem I had was that, once it came to book report time, I had some trouble describing the characters because there wasnt really too much about them in the book.

So, I think that this is a really good book as long as you don't plan on writing 5 page character biographies.