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  • Published: 10 March 2026
  • ISBN: 9781804991695
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 448
  • RRP: $28.00

The Shame Game




Can you destroy your best friend's life in time to save your own? An unputdownable, twisty thriller unlike anything else you've read.

Welcome to The Shame Game. Are you ready to play?

I know what you did. What you’ve kept hidden all these years. Now I’m going to make it public. Unless you do exactly what I say.

There’s only one way to keep your secret hidden: you need to ruin your best friend’s life. Take it apart, piece by piece, until they have nothing left. Betray their trust. Put them to shame.

Let the game begin…

  • Published: 10 March 2026
  • ISBN: 9781804991695
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 448
  • RRP: $28.00

Praise for The Shame Game

Praise for L.D. Smithson

:

What fun!

Guardian

Immediately immersive, and scary as can be.

Lee Child

Stylish, glamorous and clever.

Andrea Mara

A gut-wrenching read.

Woman’s Own

A definite page-turner. The pace never slackens.

Faith Martin

The pace is relentless, meaning there’s plenty to keep you entertained throughout.

Belfast Telegraph

Smart, suspenseful and seriously tense, The Escape Room is the very definition of a page turner.

CULTUREFLY

LD Smithson relentlessly turns the screws on her characters. It was excruciating to watch them squirm but I could not stop turning the pages.

Emma Curtis, author of The Babysitter

Praise for The Shame Game

:

A wickedly tense and twisty thriller that peels back the layers of friendship, shame, and long-buried secrets. If you loved First Lie Wins, prepare to be equally obsessed—this one will have you turning pages well into the night!

Wendy Walker, author of The Room Next Door

Totally original… a riveting story with a bunch of flawed and fascinating characters. Their lives are turned upside down and the shocks keep coming right up to an explosive ending. Highly recommended.

Alex Pine, author of The Christmas Killer

The countdown ramps up the tension, while LD Smithson challenges readers to think about far they would go to save their reputations and careers.

Sunday Times