The Assassin Game

by Kirsty McKay

Overview

It was just a game…until it wasn't. Will Cate discover the assassin before it's too late? Perfect for fans of teen mystery books!

TAG. You're It…

At Cate's isolated boarding school Killer is more than a game—it's an elite secret society. Members must avoid being "killed" during a series of thrilling pranks—and only the Game Master knows who the "killer" is. When Cate's finally invited to join The Guild of Assassins, she thinks it's her ticket to finally feeling like she belongs.

But when the game becomes all too real, the school threatens to shut it down. Cate will do anything to keep playing and save The Guild. But can she find the real assassin—before she's the next target?

"An intriguing, tightly wound mystery. The game is on!" —Hannah Jayne, author of Truly, Madly, Deadly and Twisted

Perfect for those looking for:

• Teen books for girls ages 11–14
• Secret societies in fiction
• Psychological thrillers

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781492632764
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	08/02/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	384
Lexile:	HL690L (what's this?)
File size:	2 MB
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Kirsty is a former actor who was born in the U.K. but spent many wicked awesome years in Boston, MA. She now lives in the hills of Northumberland, England with her family, beloved muckhound, and a lot of bad weather. She is the author of The Assassin Game and Have You Seen My Sister? Follow @kirkybean.bsky.social

Editorial Reviews

"McKay keeps things ambiguous so that readers will continue guessing until the true culprit is revealed in the climactic scene. Her witty, self-deprecating voice captures the thrill of belonging and the complicated emotions that come with new money. Smart, edge-of-the-seat thrills." — Kirkus Reviews

"Umfraville Hall, an exclusive boarding school on the windswept Welsh island of Skola, is an ideal setting for a mystery that takes a few cues from Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None… McKay (Undead) pokes a bit of fun at teen angst, using Cate’s wry voice to tell this twisty whodunit." — Publishers Weekly

"Fans of elusive thrillers like Gail Giles’s What Happened to Cass McBride will enjoy this book thoroughly. Lovers of mystery and suspense and those who appreciate a good boarding school story will also engage with this fast-moving and adrenaline-packed novel." — School Library Journal

"McKay’s world building is topnotch and the suspense palpable." — Booklist

"Red-herrings abound in this page-turner… The fast-moving plot will motivate readers to sort through the many characters, guess at their motives, and spot the real criminal." — VOYA Magazine

"An exhilarating thriller from start to finish, this action packed book is full of betrayals, mystery and heartbreak. Both the Game and Cate’s love life kept us guessing until the end." — Justine Magazine

"Perfect for readers looking for a good "scary" novel...THE ASSASSIN GAME has the perfect amount of romance, suspense, and action to make for a wonderful read." — TeenReads

From the Publisher

2016-05-04
A girl joins a traditional secret murder game in her snooty boarding school only to find that the game might be more real than anyone had intended.Cate attends the elite private academy located on the Welsh island that her nouveau riche parents have inherited. The white teen's not at the genius level of so many of the other students, but she makes it into the Game anyway. Every year the Assassins' Guild holds a game in which one member secretly becomes the Killer and stages fake murders of the other players. It's all completely secretive and elaborate, and Cate is proud to be in it. But when biracial (part-Jamaican, part-Irish) Vaughan, a childhood friend, shows up as a new student and manages to gain late acceptance into the Guild, Cate begins to worry. Computer-whiz Vaughan sets up an undetectable social network in the school, and someone Cate knows only by the screen name Skulk begins to taunt her. When an actual death occurs in the Game, things become all too real. What is Vaughan really up to, and why has he apparently followed Cate to the school? Through Cate's present-tense narration, McKay keeps things ambiguous so that readers will continue guessing until the true culprit is revealed in the climactic scene. Her witty, self-deprecating voice captures the thrill of belonging and the complicated emotions that come with new money.Smart, edge-of-the-seat thrills. (Thriller. 12-18)

Kirkus Reviews