Hazell Ward spent many years as an adult education teacher before going on to work for a charitable organization. She completed an MA in creative writing at Manchester Metropolitan University and is now working on her PhD. She was short-listed for the Margery Allingham Short Mystery Competition in 2021 and won the CWA Short Story Dagger in 2023 for her story "Cast a Long Shadow," published by Honno Press. The Game Is Murder is her debut novel.

"A high-energy mystery, both exclamation point and question mark - like Agatha Christie on amphetamines. Imagine a labyrinth packed with ninety-degree turns and spiralling staircases and art on the walls - and a ruthless guide addressing you directly from the page - and you've got a sense of The Game Is Murder, a striking, playful novel for neither the faint of heart nor the slow of wit." -A.J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman In The Window

"Move over, Anthony Horowitz. First-timer Ward has entered with a whodunit just as playfully meta as yours, though in very different ways." -Kirkus Reviews

"A postmodern puzzler that dares to pull apart every trope in the book - literally." -Antony Johnston, New York Times bestseller and author of Can You Solve the Murder?

"A significant achievement, packed with insight and invention, The Game Is Murder presents the reader with a fiction killing that seems to defy explanation. It is witty and remarkable and entirely unpredictable." -Alex Pavesi, author of Eight Detectives

"Strikingly original, but with nods to Golden Age crime, it's an ingenious story of constantly changing perspectives. Different, clever, and highly entertaining!" -Guy Morpuss, author of A Trial In Three Acts

"Clever and unusual...What an intriguing start for this author!" -FirstClue Reviews

"Excellent fun, and perfect for anyone who loves Murdle." -The Bookseller

Publisher: Berkley Books

Pub date: 2025-07-29

Length: 464 pages