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This Is Not a Game
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  • Published: 19 May 2026
  • ISBN: 9781804951606
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 384
  • RRP: $28.00
Categories:

This Is Not a Game

Formats & editions
Paperback
19 May 2026
Hardback
24 May 2025
EBook
10 Apr 2025
Audiobook
2 Oct 2025
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A deliciously smart locked-room mystery with a difference - featuring an irresistible grandmother and granddaughter sleuthing duo. Perfect for fans of Janice Hallett and Richard Osman.

One body. Two unlikely sleuths. The time for playing nicely is over...

Widower Mimi is rarely one to ask for help. She knows where to buy her favourite sourdough. And she knows the unmatched pleasure of an evening crossword with her cocktail of choice – a Gibson.

But when Mimi receives an invite to her wealthy neighbour’s charity auction, she knows she needs back-up – fast – and she knows just who to ask.

Mimi’s granddaughter Addie needs help too. Three months ago she was toasting her engagement and the success of the hit video game she created with her fiancé. Now she’s single and her ex has cut out of a deal to sell their murder mystery game for millions. A weekend with her grandmother promises welcome relief from endless reruns of Buffy and Poirot.

But what Mimi isn’t telling Addie is that a blackmail threat looms over the invitation.

The auction is barely underway when the host’s body is discovered in the lavish halls of her own mansion. Soon Mimi and Addie are caught in a dangerous game as they use their unique skills to narrow down the suspects.

And when another body turns up, it’s clear that only the winner will survive…
  • Published: 19 May 2026
  • ISBN: 9781804951606
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 384
  • RRP: $28.00
Categories:

About the author

Kelly Mullen

Kelly Mullen is an author, producer and marketing executive. As an executive producer, her credits include the Academy Award-nominated movie Trumbo starring Bryan Cranston and Helen Mirren, and the AppleTV+ documentary Dads, which she produced with Ron Howard. Kelly’s creative work for brands has won more than fifty awards, including Cannes Lions and Clios. Her debut novel This Is Not a Game was called ‘fabulous, over-the-top fun’ by The Guardian and named one of Waterstones Best Crime & Thrillers of 2025. A Murder in Eight Cocktails is her second novel. She lives in London with her husband and their rescue cats.
KM

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Praise for This Is Not a Game

Slick and witty

Daily Mail

Mullen debuts with an impressive closed-circle whodunit

Publishers Weekly

A thriller novel with a difference

Cosmopolitan

Fabulous, over-the-top fun

The Guardian

Locked room murder mystery at its best

The i Paper

Thrilling and heartwarming... This Is Not a Game is a playful mix of classic whodunnit and modern wit stirred to perfection

Criminal Element

Despite the title, this is absolutely a game from the first word to the last

Kirkus

A fun, atmospheric debut with sharp humour and classic whodunnit charm

Dead Good Books

A quirky variation on Golden Age locked room mysteries with a modern zest of eccentricity and humour, US author Kelly Mullen’s debut is very much a crowd pleaser in the mould of the KNIVES OUT movie series

Crime Time

A grand finale reveal Poirot would be proud of

Woman & Home

This locked room mystery delivers classic whodunnit drama along with a sprinkle of joy.

The i paper