End Game by Liz Mistry
Four dead bodies. One missing person. Let the game begin.
When an anonymous tip-off leads Detective Nikki Parekh and DS Sajid Malik to the sprawling Salinger estate, Nikki’s senses are on high alert. The brutal murder of all four members of the Salinger family has shocked the sleepy Bradford village to the core.
A mother, father, daughter, and son. . . all killed in exactly the same way – whilst sat around the coffee table, playing a game of monopoly. But Nikki notices that there are five pieces on the board. One of the players is missing…
Did they manage to escape the killer, or was the killer part of the game?
About the author
Born in Scotland made in Bradford sums up LIZ MISTRY’s life. Over thirty-five years ago she moved from a small village in West Lothian to Yorkshire to get her teaching degree. Once here, Liz fell in love with three things: curries, the rich cultural diversity of the city… and her Indian husband (not necessarily in this order). Now thirty years, three children, Scumpy, the cat, and a huge extended family later, Liz uses her experiences of living and working in the inner city to flavour her writing. Her gritty crime fiction police procedural novels set in Bradford embrace the city she describes as ‘Warm, Rich and Fearless’, whilst exploring the darkness that lurks beneath.
Having struggled with severe clinical depression and anxiety for many years, Liz often includes mental health themes in her writing. She credits the MA in Creative Writing she took at Leeds Trinity University with helping her find a way of using her writing to navigate her ongoing mental health struggles. Liz’s PhD research contributes significantly to debates concerning issues of inclusion and diversity of representation within the most socially engaged genre of contemporary crime fiction Being a debut novelist in her fifties was something Liz had only dreamed of and she counts herself lucky, whilst pinching herself regularly to make sure it’s all real.
You can contact Liz via her website https://www.lizmistry.com/
Review
‘End Game’ is a chilling book that kept me up till the early hours as I couldn't put it down. It was fast paced, multi-layered and the tension was amazing, especially towards the end! This is the sixth book in the series but it can be read as a standalone very easily. The story in this one is contained and very little character background is required which makes it an ideal book to pick up if you are new to Liz’s brilliant books!
DI Nikki Parekh is called to one of the most challenging crime scenes of her career. A whole family sat round a table have been killed during a game of Monopoly and pizza. The Salinger family is well known in Bradford’s elite and there is a lot of pressure on Nikki to solve the case. But Nikki has made a crucial observation, there is five pieces on the game board but only four victims round the table? Was there another guest who escaped or did the killer play the game…
Wow, this is a writer that is at the top of her game! I came late to this series but it has rapidly become one of my favourite series. Nikki is a character that you can't help but root for, she comes across as real. Yes, she has her problems but that only helps her become more relatable. It isn't just her that twangs a hairband on her wrist! I love Nikki, she is opinionated but not ballsy with it, an intuitive detective that loves to mull things over, loyal, oh so very loyal and she is also a woman to look up to! It could be that a young Asian woman might pick this book up and see herself represented and think maybe I can have my dream. Representation of normal but nuanced characters who reflect the population needs to happen in fiction as well and Liz is the best at doing this in my opinion.
This was not a jolly book. Yes, there is the normal banter between Nikki and her team but it can't counterbalance the fact that this is a dark topic. However, it is treated with a sensitive hand and is respectful of the victims. I flew through this book and literally did not put it down. I love all the team and especially Nikki and this is an auto buy series for me now as you know you will get a belter of a book for your money! Roll on book seven!
Let me know if you pick this one up!
