The Family Game: A Novel (Hardcover)
Staff Reviews
As much as I usually want love to prevail in a story, this time I had to ask myself if Harriet and Edward’s love was worth the risk of losing lives. Through confessional tapes that reveal only part of the truth, the reader is taken on an emotional rollercoaster of love, doubt, courage, and fear. No one is blameless, everybody is hiding something, and it’s safe to say the holidays are not going to be a fun time for this family.
— From Chelsea's Picks
“A powerful family and a deadly game. Be prepared for a nail-biting, roller-coaster of a ride” (B. A. Paris, author of Behind Closed Doors), from the New York Times bestselling author of Something in the Water, Mr. Nobody, and The Disappearing Act
“The Holbecks are what you might come up with if you took the Roys from Succession and blended them with the Murdochs, the Macbeths, and the Borgias. . . . Let the fun begin!”—The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice)
THE RULES
1. Listen carefully
2. Do your research
3. Trust no one
4. Run for your life
Harriet Reed, a novelist on the brink of literary stardom, is newly engaged to Edward Holbeck, the heir of an extremely powerful family. And even though Edward has long tried to severe ties with them, news of the couple’s upcoming marital bliss has the Holbecks inching back into their lives.
As Harriet is drawn into their lavish world, the family seems perfectly welcoming. So when Edward’s father, Robert, hands Harriet a tape of a book he’s been working on, she is desperate to listen.
But as she presses play, it’s clear that this isn’t just a novel. It’s a confession.
A confession to a grisly crime. A murder. And, suddenly, the game is in motion.
Feeling isolated and confused, Harriet must work out if this is part of a plan to test her loyalty or something far darker. What is it that Robert sees in her? Why give her the power to destroy everything?
This might be a game to the Holbeck family—but losing could still prove deadly.
READY OR NOT, HERE THEY COME . . .
“The Holbecks are what you might come up with if you took the Roys from Succession and blended them with the Murdochs, the Macbeths, and the Borgias. . . . Let the fun begin!”—The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice)
THE RULES
1. Listen carefully
2. Do your research
3. Trust no one
4. Run for your life
Harriet Reed, a novelist on the brink of literary stardom, is newly engaged to Edward Holbeck, the heir of an extremely powerful family. And even though Edward has long tried to severe ties with them, news of the couple’s upcoming marital bliss has the Holbecks inching back into their lives.
As Harriet is drawn into their lavish world, the family seems perfectly welcoming. So when Edward’s father, Robert, hands Harriet a tape of a book he’s been working on, she is desperate to listen.
But as she presses play, it’s clear that this isn’t just a novel. It’s a confession.
A confession to a grisly crime. A murder. And, suddenly, the game is in motion.
Feeling isolated and confused, Harriet must work out if this is part of a plan to test her loyalty or something far darker. What is it that Robert sees in her? Why give her the power to destroy everything?
This might be a game to the Holbeck family—but losing could still prove deadly.
READY OR NOT, HERE THEY COME . . .
Catherine Steadman is an actress and author based in London. She has appeared in leading roles on British and American television as well as on stage in the West End, where she has been nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award. She grew up in the New Forest, Hampshire, and now lives in North London with her husband and daughter. Steadman’s first novel, Something in the Water, was a New York Times bestseller with rights sold in more than thirty territories. She is also the author of Mr. Nobody and The Disappearing Act.
Praise for The Family Game
“The Holbecks are what you might come up with if you took the Roys from Succession and blended them with the Murdochs, the Macbeths, and the Borgias. . . . The mysteries accrue, as does our admiration for Steadman, whose gift for invention only increases with each novel. . . . Let the fun begin!.”—The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice)
“Both sharply modern and timeless, with strains of King Lear, Dickens, and P.D. James’s postwar holiday chillers.”—Flynn Berry, The Washington Post
“[A] terrifically twisty thriller.”—Good Housekeeping (UK)
“Enter another book I’ve read in one sitting: The Family Game by Catherine Steadman. . . . [A] psychological thriller that’s a surefire must-read.”—New York Post
“Truly creepy . . . highly imaginative, nail-biting, and great, rollicking fun.”—CrimeReads
“A powerful family and a deadly game: Be prepared for a nail-biting roller-coaster of a ride in Catherine Steadman’s classy and ingenious new thriller.”—B. A. Paris, New York Times bestselling author of Behind Closed Doors
“Millionaires, marriage and murder make for a potent cocktail in this compelling tale set among the super-rich of New York’s elite.”—T. M. Logan, internationally bestselling author of Lies
“Instantly compelling and filled with ingenious twists and brilliant characters . . . This is sublime thriller writing.”—B. P. Walter, author of The Couple’s Secret
“Addictive . . . This pitch-dark fairy tale will leave most readers spellbound.”—Publishers Weekly
Praise for the novels of Catherine Steadman
“Stylish, riveting, hugely atmospheric.”—Lucy Foley, New York Times bestselling author of The Guest List
“Thrilling and thought-provoking.”—Riley Sager, New York Times bestselling author of Survive the Night
“[A] tricky psychological puzzle . . . It’s a joy to encounter a suspenseful book whose turns lurk, rather than lumber, around the corner.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Twisty . . . highly imaginative . . . deliciously provocative.”—The Washington Post
“Perfectly thrilling.”—Vanity Fair
“Mesmerizing . . wildly imaginative . . . Suspense is peppered in all the right places.”—Associated Press
“The Holbecks are what you might come up with if you took the Roys from Succession and blended them with the Murdochs, the Macbeths, and the Borgias. . . . The mysteries accrue, as does our admiration for Steadman, whose gift for invention only increases with each novel. . . . Let the fun begin!.”—The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice)
“Both sharply modern and timeless, with strains of King Lear, Dickens, and P.D. James’s postwar holiday chillers.”—Flynn Berry, The Washington Post
“[A] terrifically twisty thriller.”—Good Housekeeping (UK)
“Enter another book I’ve read in one sitting: The Family Game by Catherine Steadman. . . . [A] psychological thriller that’s a surefire must-read.”—New York Post
“Truly creepy . . . highly imaginative, nail-biting, and great, rollicking fun.”—CrimeReads
“A powerful family and a deadly game: Be prepared for a nail-biting roller-coaster of a ride in Catherine Steadman’s classy and ingenious new thriller.”—B. A. Paris, New York Times bestselling author of Behind Closed Doors
“Millionaires, marriage and murder make for a potent cocktail in this compelling tale set among the super-rich of New York’s elite.”—T. M. Logan, internationally bestselling author of Lies
“Instantly compelling and filled with ingenious twists and brilliant characters . . . This is sublime thriller writing.”—B. P. Walter, author of The Couple’s Secret
“Addictive . . . This pitch-dark fairy tale will leave most readers spellbound.”—Publishers Weekly
Praise for the novels of Catherine Steadman
“Stylish, riveting, hugely atmospheric.”—Lucy Foley, New York Times bestselling author of The Guest List
“Thrilling and thought-provoking.”—Riley Sager, New York Times bestselling author of Survive the Night
“[A] tricky psychological puzzle . . . It’s a joy to encounter a suspenseful book whose turns lurk, rather than lumber, around the corner.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Twisty . . . highly imaginative . . . deliciously provocative.”—The Washington Post
“Perfectly thrilling.”—Vanity Fair
“Mesmerizing . . wildly imaginative . . . Suspense is peppered in all the right places.”—Associated Press