A Game for All the Family    by Sophie Hannah Order:  USA  Can William Morrow, 2016 (2016) Hardcover, CD, e-Book     Reviewed by Bob Walch When Justine Merrison relocates to the coast to start a new life with her daughter, she believes the pressures of her former job and life in the city will be a thing of the past. She looks forward to a blissful existence of doing pretty much nothing. Justine explains to a friend that she 'could have walked away years earlier, instead of letting work swallow up my whole life'. But she didn't. Now, though, having finally cut the cord, it is time to just kick back, relax and watch the flowers grow. Or so Justine thinks! Soon after they are resettled, Justine's daughter, Ellen, begins to withdraw and complains that her new friend named George has been thrown out of school. When she talks to her daughter's school principal, Justine is troubled to learn that there is no such student as George. Disturbed by Ellen's apparent need to create this fantasy, Justine begins to try to figure out what is happening. Compounding the problem is a mysterious phone call from a person who claims that she and Justine share a traumatic past and a guilty secret. The caller also threatens Justine and the well being of her family. Well, so much for an idyllic new life in the countryside! Whether she wants to or not, Justine must now try to deal with this threat while figuring out why her daughter is retreating into world of her own making. The ensuing deadly game of deception, secrets and lies will keep the reader on edge and makes this a psychological thriller that will be difficult to set aside. The author of nine previous thrillers, Sophie Hannah was awarded the Crime Thriller of the Year Award in 2013 at the United Kingdom's National Book Awards ceremony. She lives in Cambridge, England, where she is working on her next bestseller. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews