The Name of the Game Was Murder

Rating:
Summary: Wow
Review: It was a good book. I like how Joan Lowery Nixon wrote it. I enjoyed Samatha and the clues to find the treasure and it shocked me to find out who the murder was.

Rating:
Summary: An Unbelieveable Book!....
Review: Joan Lowery Nixon gave me a great first impression with "The Name of the Game Was Murder!" The story is extremely fast-paced, and was my first book that I had finished in a few hours. Nixon gives a well-descriptive storyline, which makes you feel as though you're in the actual story!

The book takes place on a remote island in a creepy mansion. Samantha goes to visit her Aunt Thea for the first time. Sam is an aspiring writer and her aunt's husband, Augustus Trevor, is a famous novelist. Not only does Sam visit to see her Aunt Thea, but she hopes to get writing advice from Augustus.
When she arrives, she soon realizes that Augustus is a rude, hot-tempered man who warns Sam to stay out of his way during the weekend while he has guests over for a party. Also, after Sam has already settled in the Red Room, Augustus moves her to a tiny room, far away from the rest of the house called the Tower Room....
Later that day, Augustus' guests arrive, and Sam finds that they are famous people! But, things start to get fishy when a movie star named Laura says that she received a threatening letter stating that if she didn't come, she'd regret it.
That night during dinner, Augustus announces that the guests will be taking part in a game. He explains that he has written a story that includes a devestating secret about their past, and whoever can use Augustus' typed clues to get to the manuscript, will have their secret removed from it. He hands out the clues, which make no sense to the guests, including his own wife Thea. Sam demands a clue for herself, and when given one, quickly deciphers it, due to the fact that is was just an "alphabet note." (Example 1 stands for A, 2 stands for B, etc). Because Sam is quick in figuring out hers, everyone thinks that she can decipher thier's, which is just another problem for Sam!
The next morning Augustus is found dead in his office; murdered!
Can Samantha figure out the clues? If she finds the manuscript will it reveal the murderer? Find out in "Name of the Game Was Murder!"

Rating:
Summary: GREAT!
Review: Once I started this book I could not put it down. It had a very astonishing ending. I whould recomend this book to anyone who has read one of her books and enjoyed it or is just looking for a good book

Rating:
Summary: Sketchy and amateurish
Review: Please note this review contains several hundred spoilers, but I think the unread should take note anyway.

To begin with: ugh.

I read this book for a teen book club sponsored by the local library. My biggest lament is that they used up their funds buying this book for the group. By the end of the discussion, the whole club was ready to go out and buy matches and lighter fluid.

There are several major problems with the book. For one thing, on the cover is the picture of the urn--the major giveaway of the book.

Next, the murderer (I think) breaks the news of her employer's husband's death like this: "I'm sorry, Mrs. Trevor. Mr. Trevor is dead." Could you be a little more blunt, please? She is obviously not shocked to find a dead man's body, ie she is the killer.

Thirdly, it is very vague as to who killed Augustus Trevor. We don't know if the housekeeper did it, or if Aunt Thea did it and the housekeeper was trying to cover up for her.

Then there's the whole problem about Alex. He is much too interested in the location of the manuscript, so the discerning reader automatically discounts him as one of the suspects. Mrs. Nixon should have used a larger red herring.

The characters are not nearly as developed as they should be. I found it hard to keep the characters straight because I didn't really know who they were. I also found the characters to be one-dimensional and had characteristics to the point of extremes.

I beseech you to save your money and your eyesight. I believe the only reason this book has garnered five stars is that the rest of the readers were so disgusted with the book they didn't even bother to write a review. For a better read with an EXTREMELY similar plot, try Agatha Christie's Ten Little Indians or And Then There Were None.

Happy reading (something else), Danielle

PS Those of you voting for my "helpful factor" please don't just vote against me because you don't like my point of view. That's not the purpose of these things. I would appreciate it if you vote against me for not being helpful in selecting your reading material.

Rating:
Summary: THE BEST MYSTERY-THRILLER I HAVE READ IN A LONG-TIME!!!!!
Review: Sam is going to stay with her great uncle, Augustes Trevor, who is a famous writer.She has never met him before but when she does she finds out that he is not at all what she expected. Augustes invited a few very well-known people to his house for the weekend. The invitation says "If you don't come you'll regret it." He has found out one thing about all of the guest that could ruin their career.They must use clues to find the manuscript to tear out the information about them. The weekend turned out to be very stormy. Every one was stranded. Then the maid discovers Augustes Trevor dead in his office. Murdered! Sam is stranded until the storm is over and that could be days. One of the residents has to be the muderer. What is Sam going to do? The murderer could strike again any minute!!!

Rating:
Summary: A great book to read
Review: Sam, a clever young girl was inspired by her uncle, Augustus, to become a writer. One day her parents let her go to her uncle's house on an island. Her uncle owns the whole island and a masion on it. Sam and her aunt love each other. Her uncle invited five other people to his house. The five people that were invited was all blackmailed. Augustus says he holds infomation about something that the public doesn't need to know. Augustus made five clues and hide them away. After the first clue was sent out to everyone including his wife Augustus was murdered.
The Name of The Game was Murder, holds many suspenses for the reader. The author makes you picture every scene in the story. And the suthor makes you follow the main characters fear and feelings in the stoy. This story makes you keep on reading after every chapter. This is a great book to read.
The name of The Game was Murder is an exciting, suspensful, and outstanding book to anyone who enjoy some mysterys. I recomemend this to anyone who wants to feel what the characters feeling and how the book makes you keep reading on and on.

Rating:
Summary: Where is that manuscript?
Review: Samantha goes to visit her aunt and uncle in an old house to discover that a major party has been planned. Her evil uncle was writing a book about all these famous people's lives! Including his own wife! Will Samantha ever find the hidden manuscript?

I enjoyed this book very much because it kept you on your toes. ALl of the books I have read by Nixon I have given 5 stars!

Rating:
Summary: Best Book I Have EVER Read!!!
Review: Samantha is a 15 year old wanna be writer. She is visiting her aunt in hopes of getting suggestions from her uncle Augustus Trevor, a famous novelist. It turns out that Augustus is bad tempered and has a bunch of guests coming over that weekend to play a game. Everyone got the same invite, " If you don't participate, you'll be sorry." The game is a game of detective work. Augustus has written a manuscript about each of the guests and his wife, Thea, that has things in it that could ruin their reputation! After Augustus is found murdered in his office, Sammy gets everyone to work together to figure out where the manuscript is. Time is running out. The police will be here on Monday and Sammy still doesn't have any idea where the manuscript is.

I loved this book. Anyone who loves suspence will like this book. I read it for a book report and I remember everything in it. It was that good!!!

Rating:
Summary: a horrify and interesting novel for mystery reader
Review: Samatha had joined the game after her mean spirite uncle bludgeoned to death.The book is so interesting that I join the game with Samatha automatically to solve the clues and find the treasure before the murder!

Rating:
Summary: A Breathtaking Book
Review: The Name of the Game Was Murder by the 4-time winner of Edgar Allan Poe contest, Joan Lowery Nixon, is about a young girl named Samantha that wants to be a writer. She is visiting her Aunt Thea in an isolated location. Samantha goes there to get writing suggestions from her Uncle Augustus Trevor, a well-known writer. She thinks that Augustus is very gentle and nice, but he is nothing more than a grouch. Augustus has invited many famous people to his house for the weekend; they couldn¡¦t refuse because the letter they all received was a threat letter. It says, ¡§ If you don't participate, you'll be sorry." He has written a ¡§gossip¡¨ manuscript about everyone- things that could change their whole lives completely. He even wrote something about his own wife. The object of the game is to see that whoever solves the clues first and finds the manuscript can get their information removed from it. Augustus Trevor is killed in his study room. Samantha thinks it will be a good idea to work together to find out where the manuscript is before the police get there. Where is the manuscript?
I liked this book because it had an affect that made the hairs on my neck stand up. New clues unravel while old clues still float around unsolved. The Name of the Game Was Murder made me toss and turn all night while sleeping because it was so scary. It is a breathtaking book that makes you sit at the edge of your seat. When Samantha notices strange clues step by step it just makes me want to read faster. ¡§Why was she still in her work clothes? Where has she been?¡¨
A clue that Samantha wrote to derive the rest of the players to the wine cellar-everyone but Aunt Thea was "one left, 13 down." That was like a crossword puzzle. This book had very clever clues. It confuses and messes your thinking up. You can never let go of this book.
My favorite part of this book was when Samantha read the manuscript. It revealed many hidden secrets about the players. This story proves that no one in this world is perfect. We all make mistakes. It was very shocking to find out that Aunt Thea killed someone on vacation. Overall, this book was wonderful.