Book Review

From Chelsea Weibley at the Library

The Family Game by Catherine Steadman

Harriet (Harry) is a recent best-selling novelist from the UK. Edward is the oldest son of the Holbeck family (think Rockefellers). They are recently engaged, living in New York City and very much in love. The couple has managed to avoid Edward’s family for the year they have been together, but with their engagement, the time has come to meet the family. They are no ordinary family…Robert Holbeck, patriarch, is instantly terrifying and electrically engaging. When he gives Harry a cassette tape in private, she has no idea what the contents will reveal and the house of cards the content might bring down.

I absolutely loved the cat and mouse game in this novel. There are so many questions and Harry makes it clear to the reader she is no saint. So many secrets! And the family’s holiday traditions are completely chilling. I had never heard of Krampusnacht, but it is a real celebration! I did a bit of research and while it does sound more like a Halloween event than a Christmas event, the Holbecks take it MUCH farther than tradition would dictate. And their Christmas Eve “scavenger hunt” is truly horrifying!

This may not have been a realistic suspense novel, but it was fast-paced, engaging and completely addictive. I highly recommend this weirdly perfect November/December read!

Check out The Family Game by Catherine Steadman for yourself at the Library (https://catalog.lclibs.org/polaris/search/title.aspx…) or through the eLibrary at https://lclibs.overdrive.com/media/8796028.