This was so good! I’m so mad I didn’t read it as a kid.
I mean, I’m an adult reading this for the first time, and even though I’m notoriously bad at figuring out mysteries, this was still quite the puzzle. It was just as well-constructed as an adult mystery, just with a different tone. And a main character called Turtle.
What I liked best about this, besides the puzzle-like nature of it, was the human kindness it had at its core. It’s been since April that I read this so my memory isn’t that great on the specifics, but I remember even the most flawed of the many characters (who all live in the same building) were treated with understanding and compassion by the narrator, and ultimately the other characters as well. There were twists and turns galore, and practically all the characters had a secret to reveal, even when they weren’t the murderer. The unlikely circumstances of all these characters being brought together by one man and his scheming was a prefect set up for a children’s book, as the narrative would have had to work a little harder to make that believable if it were an adult story. As the title implies, the book is structured like a game, but who is the gamemaker?
Glad I finally picked this one up; it’s another good one to add to the “Books I Missed In Childhood” shelf.
Read Harder Challenge 2021: Read a middle grade mystery.