Introducing your new favourite whodunnit. Perfect for fans of Gilmore Girls and Knives Out.

‘Fabulous, over-the-top fun’ The Guardian
‘A delightful game of twists’ Chris Chibnall
‘Slick and witty’ Daily Mail
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Two unlikely detectives. A killer cocktail of suspects.

A Gibson martini garnished with three silverskin onions is 77-year-old Mimi’s favourite cocktail. It is best served with a crossword puzzle, not as an apéritif at Jane Ireland’s extravagant auction party.

But given Mimi has been blackmailed into attending Jane’s event, at a grand old mansion on Mackinac Island (Michigan’s answer to The Hamptons), there are worse drinks she could spend an evening sinking.

Thankfully for her, she’s roped her granddaughter, Addie – who is escaping the heartache caused by her manipulative ex-fiancé – into accompanying her. While Addie spots celebrities and socialites in the manor’s labyrinth of dark rooms and Mimi wonders how to confess the real reason for her presence at the soiree, a scream pierces the air.

Jane is dead.

And when a second body turns up, Mimi and Addie soon become the unlikeliest of sleuths in a race to narrow down the suspects.

In a house that contains as many secrets as the people within it, it’s going to take more than a Gibson to survive the night…
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More love for This Is Not a Game…

‘Miss Marple meets Only Murders in the Building. Entertaining from start to finish’ Jennie Godfrey

‘Agatha Christie brought bang up to date’ Clare Mackintosh
‘Deliciously twisty’ Lucy Clarke

‘A thriller with a twist!’ Cosmopolitan

‘A quirky variation on Golden Age locked room mysteries with a modern zest of eccentricity and humour’ Crime Time

‘This is locked-room murder mystery at its best’ i Paper

‘…A grand finale reveal Poirot would be proud of’ Woman & Home

‘A wonderfully vibrant take on the classic whodunit, This is Not A Game tackles the locked room mystery with warmth and humour, serving up a crime solving duo that I couldn’t stop rooting for. After finishing the book, I was craving three things – a visit to Mackinac island, a Gibson, and more from author Kelly Mullen!’ Kristen Perrin

‘Mullen’s debut introduces us to a sparkling new crime-fighting partnership: acerbic septuagenarian Mimi and her smart-as-a-whip granddaughter, Addie. In This Is Not A Game, the pair find themselves trapped together on an island mansion as murders ensue. Crackles with wit and cosy crime goodness’ Vaseem Khan

The Bookseller’s ’10 Titles not to miss in April’ pick
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Readers are raving about This Is Not a Game…

’LOVED this book so much that I couldn’t put it down… Please tell me there are MORE?!!’
’This was a fantastic and fun read!’
’This Is Not a Game is an absolute gem of a mystery! From the moment I started reading I was hooked…’
’A mysterious murder in a luxury mansion with two delightful sleuths – what more could you ask for?! This laugh-out-loud whodunnit had me reading late into the night, eager to know what happened next… A fantastic debut from Kelly Mullen

Author Biography

Kelly Mullen has worked as a producer in Hollywood and as a marketing executive in New York and London. During the pandemic she took online writing courses through Curtis Brown Creative and The Novelry, which reignited her childhood passion for writing. She is the author of This Is Not A Game, which was inspired by a two-week stay at her grandmother’s house. A Murder in Eight Cocktails is her second novel.

As an executive producer, her credits include Academy Award-nominated Trumbo starring Bryan Cranston and Helen Mirren, and AppleTV+’s Dads produced with Ron Howard. Her creative work for brands has won more than 50 awards, including Cannes Lions and Clios. Born and raised in Iowa, Kelly is now a dual citizen of the US and UK. She lives in London with her husband and their rescue cats.