Review: The Game by Linsey Miller

Author: Linsey Miller
Publisher: Underlined
Publication Date: August 2020

 A game turns deadly with a killer who picks his victims one by one, letter by letter.

Every year the senior class at Lincoln High plays assassin. Lia Prince has been planning her strategy for years and she's psyched that not only does she finally get to play, she's on a team with Devon Diaz. But this year, the game isn't any fun--it's real. Abby Ascher, Ben Barnard, and Cassidy Clarke have all turned up . . . dead. Can Lia stop the ABC killer before he reaches D?

The Game is one of those books where you have to suspend a bit of disbelief.  The premise is that the students of the senior class at Lincoln High School play a game every year called assassins.  They are put on teams and have to "take out" kids from other teams until there is one winner.  They use water guns and can't do anything on school property.  Lia has waited and planned for years to play the game.  She wants to finally be good at something.

I know this is a murder mystery and fiction.  However, I had a bit of a problem believing any school would allow a year long game called "Assassins". Especially given the issue with school shootings in the past couple of years.  Aside from that, I did enjoy the mystery.  I didn't call the murderer.  Lia's character made me a bit sad.  The girl really thought that she was not good at anything.   I was happy to see she did have some growth but the end of the book. 

I think this is a stand alone.  The ending did kind of leave it up for a sequel. But if not, I was still satisfied with how it ended.  I do recommend this one.  It wasn't the best YA mystery that I have read, but it is worth checking out.