REVIEW: THE MURDER GAME, BY CATHERINE MCKENZIE WRITING AS JULIE APPLE

 

 

 

The four of them had attended McGill Law School in Montreal, back in the 1990s: Julian McCarthy, Jonathan Sayers, Meredith Delay, and Lily. Back then, they played games with pseudo murder cases, trying to figure out ways for a perpetrator to commit the act and get away with it.

The relationships between the four are complicated, so in addition to their law school fun and games, they are occasional sexual partners, with Lily hooking up with Julian, and Meredith with Jonathan. But the on again off again aspect disturbs Meredith enough that she finally ends things. But Lily is a mysterious character, like a cipher, close-mouthed about her personal life and her secrets. Even when she and Julian aren’t joined at the hip, she doesn’t talk about it. She was quite vocal in frequently announcing her high IQ, however, almost as if she didn’t quite believe it herself.

Fast-forward to 2008, when Meredith gets a mysterious phone call about Julian. We don’t know the exact content of that call, but as The Murder Game begins, we are ready for anything.

Back-pedaling to 2007, the news breaks that Julian McCarthy has been arrested for the murder of a man named Nick Allen, who was home on bail facing charges that he sexually abused his eleven-year-old son. Jonathan Sayers is his defense attorney, and before she can even stop to ponder the issues, Meredith, who works for the Crown Prosecutor’s office, will be prosecuting the case. She tries to plead conflict of interest, but her boss turns her down. And the defense attorney waives conflict.

So…the games begin.

Back and forth in time we go, learning bits and pieces about the four when they were young, moving forward a little at a time, until finally we begin to suspect something is amiss. Could the four of them have set these events in motion? Or could the unfolding events in the present have been pure coincidence?

As a big fan of legal suspense tales, and also having read and loved Fractured, with its main character being Julie Apple, I could not stop reading until I reached the final page. Then I had my answers. Or did I?

I can’t wait to see if “Julie Apple” continues with Meredith’s story. I loved this character, and want to spend more time with her. 5 stars.

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