The family game: A wild ride if you don't think too much about it

I picked up The family game at my local library not having heard of the author before. Catherine Steadman is a British writer and actor but I had to look her up to discover she's been in Downton Abbey, not a television show I have ever watched. I was intrigued by both the author's background and the premise of the book, plus of course that I will read anything by a British writer!

Since writing this post I've read Steadman's other books published to date. They are just as bonkers as The family game. You can read my reviews here and here.

The family game | Published September 2022 | Read December 2023

The family game follows the story of British author, Harriet 'Harry' Reed, recently moved to New York and newly engaged to Edward Holbeck, a charming man from a mega wealthy American family. Harry is supposed to be working on her new novel but instead finds herself entangled with the rich and powerful Holbeck family as they try to bring estranged Edward back into the fold.

Harry is covertly given a cassette tape by patriarch, Robert, that details a series of gruesome murders. Harry's quest to unravel the mystery of the tape is set alongside the Holbeck family games, cruel and creepy madness dressed up as Christmas traditions. Harry, orphaned as child after her parents are killed by a drunk driver, has her own secrets, and her past is being used against her by Robert. Her soon-to-be father-in-law seems to expect Harry to stop the murderer killing again. The title of the book and the bizarre Holbeck family activities make the reader question whether the contents of the tape are real or another of the family's twisted games.

To enjoy this novel requires a complete suspension of disbelief. I don't mind doing that when I read psychological thrillers, but The family game makes absolutely no sense. Harry listens to the tape in bits and pieces and it's narrated in a way that suggests the tape's listener will do that, which is odd. The reason that Robert gave the tape to Harry (and what he expects her to do with it) makes no sense, either, although I won't reveal a spoiler here.

The Holbeck family games are truly savage and the family members are revealed one by one to be complete psychopaths. One wonders why Harry doesn't run a mile! The ending is bonkers and completely over the top. Not one of the characters behaves in a rational way and the situations they find themselves in aren't logical.

All that said, I was engaged enough with the writing style to want to see the story through to the end. It was suspenseful and evenly paced, but it just had too many plot holes. I have a lot of questions now that I've finished the book and I've seen other reviewers ask the same. The biggest one is why Harry, a crime novelist, was given the tape to solve the murders and stop the murderer instead of Robert going to the police. The author makes you think that Robert is the perpetrator and it's all a game, but you know as you're reading it that can't be the case. I did like, Harry, though.

The family game is a fun read if you can cope with the book making zero sense. The premise for the story was intriguing, just not well executed.

Rating: ⭐⭐