The Murder Game (Griffin Powell, #8) by Beverly Barton

The Murder Game (Griffin Powell, #8) Reviews

• 
  Auntee

  This was a great read, a book I had a hard time putting down--it was that riveting for me! It had loads of suspense, a really creepy, deranged villain, a brave, kick a** heroine, and a smart, loving, swoon-worthy hero.
  Although this book could be read as a stand alone, it is the follow up to a previous book titled, "The Dying Game", in which the hero and heroine of this book had significant roles.
  The heroine, FBI agent Nicole Baxter, first meets the hero, Private Investigator Griffin Powell, in "The Dying Game", where they both had a hand in taking down a sadistic serial killer. Nicole and Griff don't exactly get along; neither one can stand the other one for various reasons; they just rub each other the wrong way. In this book, there is a new serial killer on the loose, and he wants both Nicole and Griff to play along with him in his little 'game' of hunt and kill. Nicole and Griff reluctantly agree to team up and work together when the killer starts providing each with clues as to who his next victim will be. While working together both Nic and Griff learn a lot about the other, and realize maybe each had prejudged the other. There's lots of sexual tension that follows, and just when it looks like Nic and Griff are going to have a chance at a loving relationship, something devastating happens that could snatch happiness from the couple.
  
  This book produced some tears for me; tears of sadness and of happiness. If you've read the previous book, you know that Griffin Powell has a somewhat secretive past, and this book reveals what happened to him in the missing 10 years of his life that he refuses to talk about. I found it very shocking and sad, yet very relevant to the story and to what happens to Nic.
  The character of Nic starts out as really abrasive and unlikable, and I wondered what Griff saw in her. But Griff was not only patient with Nic but intuitive, and I loved how he worked to finally win her over and get past the walls she built around her heart. And Nic proved herself to be one courageous and gutsy lady, and she won me over--I was rooting for her and Griff to make it as a couple.
  
  This was a very entertaining and satisfying romantic suspense--I can't wait to read the next one in the series!
• 
  Christa

  After reading about the character, Griffin Powell, in several of Barton's books, I was intrigued and ready to read his story. I wasn't disappointed, and found this book to be at least as good as the others. I thought that Griffin made a great hero, and I also enjoyed the heroine, Nicole Baxter. I do not usually find ultra-feminist characters particularly appealing, but I did like Nic. The storyline was interesting, and there was plenty of fast paced action and intrigue. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and look forward to more by Barton.
  
  FBI Special Agent Nicole Baxter worked a case where the murderer was titled the Beauty Queen Killer. Her nemesis, Griffin Powell, a private investigator, also worked the case. When the killer was shot, Nicole and Griffin became certain that the Beauty Queen Murders were the work of two people who were competing in a "game". They are unable to convince anyone else of the validity of their idea until the second killer begins to telephone both of them about a new game he is playing. Nicole and Griffin grudgingly begin to work together as the killer gives both of them clues. As they begin to actually like one another, Nicole and Griffin share ideas and information. Just as they begin an intimate relationship and start to realize how important they are to one another, the killer takes his game to a new level as he targets Nicole. They must both work to keep Nicole alive until they can apprehend the murderer. While they are desparately trying to win the "game" the killer instigated, they must both come to terms with extremely traumatic experiences.
  
  This was a great addition to the loosely connected novels that have Griffin Powell as a character. I enjoyed his story, and was glad to get some insight into his past. I liked the developing relationship between the hero and heroine, and I hope to be updated on them in future novels.
• 
  jenjn79

  Another good book from Barton. Not utterly fantastic five-star worthy, but a solid 4-star. Which is typical of her books for me. I usually enjoy them quite a bit, but they tend to be lacking...something...to give them that extra kick to make them really great.
  
  To read this book, you really have to have read Barton's previous book, The Dying Game. You'll end up a bit lost if you don't. The plots are fairly heavily intertwined. Which relates to one of the minor problems I had with the book.
  
  Despite the fact that timeline wise there is a year's space between the two books (plots), the beginning of The Murder Game has this feel as if I'd just turned the page from one book to the next. Barton jumps right into the new book full force. I ended up feeling a little disconnected from the storyline, but more so the characters. I read The Dying Game months and months ago so the details had faded quite a bit. Then this book throws you right into the plot and characters and I found myself stopping and trying to refresh my memory on the last book. A slower start to the book would have been better, in my opinion, with more introduction to the characters.
  
  I think because of what I mentioned above, it wasn't until about 150-200 pages into the book that I really started to feel the Griffin/Nicole relationship and connect with the main characters. For a little while in the beginning, Nic annoyed me quite a bit with her attitude, but once I got into the book more, I liked her. And once the romantic angle picked up, I enjoyed it. Griff and Nic make an interesting couple.
  
  Plot-wise...no complaints. I don't think the plot is quite as intense as the previous book, but it was still good. And creepy. The chase scenes were well done really engaging. One thing I didn't quite like, though, was how much Barton personalized the soon-to-be victims. There was one woman who Barton played up as a loving wife and mother, made us like her...then snuffed her out. And it was rather depressing. I just didn't think it was necessary to personalize them as much as Barton did. But that's a personal preference.
  
  The most disappointing aspect of the book for me was how Barton dealt with Griffin's mysterious past and his "missing" ten years. I wanted more. She gives the basic details of where he was and what happened, and then a deeper detail here and there in short flashbacks, but it wasn't enough for me. I finished the book, and was like 'that's all I get?' His missing past has been this big thing, and I just expected a deeper explanation, more details. They didn't come. So I was disappointed in that aspect.
  
  Overall, though, a good read. I wasn't bored at any point and I wanted to keep reading even when I was tired. If a couple of things had been done differently, it would have been a great book for me.
• 
  Debbie DiFiore

  Loved the story. There were a couple of things that bothered me though that were just never explained and I wondered why they were even in there. I thought for sure the villain had injected a tracking device in her shoulder when it kept itching and bleeding but then it was dropped. There was a romance in it but it was meh. He had another bed buddy in the first part of the book but it didn't even need to be in there. He took her to a party with his good friends. They had been dating two months and he spent a random night with her around 33% into the book and the next week he's in love with the h. She is never mentioned again.
  The villain was pretty evil and you really hate him and his cruelty. The h was amazing. Loved her kicka$$ attitude. I will read more from this author and in this series for sure.
• 
  Netha

  cerita khusus tentang griffin powell & agen khusus nicole baxter.
  
  penggalan2 cerita awal griff & nic sudah diceritakan di the dying game, yg sejak awal pertemuan sudah tidak ada akur2nya sama sekali.
  
  di the dying game pun sudah diceritakan mengenai si pembunuh.
  di the dying game pembunuh beauty queen ada 2 orang (hal yg tidak diketahui oleh siapapun), pinky & pudge.
  kita tahu pinky tewas tertembak namun dia mati karena 2 peluru bukan 1 peluru yg berarti 1 peluru lagi ditembakkan oleh penembak misterius, hal yg membuat griff & nic curiga termasuk foto2 korban yg ditemukan ditempat pinky hanya 1/2 dari jumlah korban yg ada.
  
  sekarang pudge kembali beraksi dengan pola pembunuhan yg berbeda.
  yg diincar adalah para wanita dengan stamina yg kuat. pudge menyebut dirinya the hunter.
  pudge kehilangan partnernya, pinky, yg berarti dia harus mencari lawan yg lain. lawan yg seimbang yg mampu membuat permainan menjadi seru.
  jadilah setiap kali hendak menculik wanita incarannya, pudge memberikan 2 clue. 1 untuk nic & 1 untuk griff.
  karena petunjuk2 itulah nic & griff harus mengesampingkan perbedaan mereka & bekerja sama berlomba dengan si pembunuh.
  
  disini nih serunya. nicole yg masih menyimpan trauma kematian suaminya tidak mau bergantung pada siapapun. dia tidak ingin orang lain melihat kelemahannya, terutama griff.
  sedang griff semakin nic berusaha mandiri semakin griff mendekati nic.
  aq senengggggg banget waktu akhirnya nic & griff jadi sepasang kekasih. griff kelihatan care bangnt ma nic.
  tapi dasar nih si pudge ga bisa liat orang seneng dikit, eh dia nyulik nicole waktu nicole baru jogging.
  ya ampun jelas aja griffin langsung kalang kabut. apalagi dia tidak mampu menebak clue yg dibeikan pudge.
  hari demi hari mendekati hari ke 21 griff semakin tenggelam dalam keputusasaan memikirkan nicole.
  
  sementara itu nicole berjuang hidup. dia disiksa & didera, tidak dikasih makan, diburu seperti hewan buruan. dia mengandalkan segalanya untuk bertahan hidup.
  udah dasarnya nic memiliki trauma tersendiri eh disiksa habis2an sama pudge tambah trauma lah nic.
  aduh pudge tuh kayaknya bener2 sakit jiwa deh.
  dia memburu semua wanita yg dia culik (pantesan dia milih yg berstamina kuat) lalu dia bunuh lalu kulit kepalanya si korban dijadikan piala sama si pudge.
  euwwww yuck bener2 sakit jiwa.
  aq seneng banget waktu akhirnya nicole berhasil melukai pudge & melarikan diri.
  harusnya nicole nusuk pas di jantung tuh orang trus tinggalin si pudge ditengah hutan biar dikoyak2 hewan.
  jahatnya ga ketulungan. nyawa manusia dia anggap kayak lalat aja yg bisa seenaknya dia incar & dia bunuh.
  heran dulu diapain sih dia sama ortunya sampe bisa sakit kayak begitu????
  
  ya ampun untung dia ga jatuh ke tangan griff sendirian. bisa habis dicabik2 griffin dia.
  
  oh ia, di buku ini akhirnya kita tau apa yg terjadi selama 10 tahun menghilangnya griff & kenapa antara griff, sanders & yvette seperti ada ikatan kuat tak terpisahkan.
  trauma penculikan nicole sepertinya hanya bisa dimengerti oleh griffin karna kondisi griffin saaat menghilangpun kurang lebih sama seperti yg dialami oleh nicole.
  ah pasangan griffin & nicole memang sesuai.
  mereka saling melengkapi.....
  
  ah disini juga judd & lindsey nongol lho... mereka mendampingi griffin yg depresi saat nicole diculik.
  mereka punya anak perempuan. emily.....walker. ayah babtisnya yaa si griffin lhoo^_^
• 
  Marisa

  
  “I am not going to die!... I refuse to give up, to let him win this evil competition..”
  
  The hunter is looking for prey – and when he finds it - all bets are off. From the very first page you’ll be pulled into a deadly game of hunter and hunted.
  
  Miss Barton, cleverly brings back the character Pudge, one of the serial murderers from The Dying Game. He has unfinished business and he’s looking for a new game to play. The game: research and find women who will challenge him as a hunter and then begin the hunt. However, he wants the game to be even more challenging, and so to really test his skills he involves FBI agent Nicole Baxter and private investigator Griff Powell to be an intimate part of the game.
  
  Both Nicole and Griff worked on a previous serial murder case, and there is no love lost between them. In fact, they disagree on just about everything. But in order to catch this sadistic maniac they’re forced to collaborate - and the clock is running out. Nicole, a by the book agent, can not believe that the lives of innocent women depend on her working with Griff, a man who doesn’t believe in playing by the rules. Yet, there it is – work with him – or let a mad man continue to kill innocent women.
  
  Barton’s characters have motives and secrets that propel them to act, that shape their lives and dictate how they relate to one another. Miss Barton is very good at slowly revealing and integrating those motives into the story. Each character is unveiled with purpose as both the suspense and romance heat up. The tight plot and pacing had me turning the pages to find out what the next twist and turn would bring. She does an excellent job of weaving the suspense and romance together – giving equal weight to both creating a story that had me at the edge of my seat. The romance is not sacrificed for the suspense – rather the suspense and romance are intertwined revealing an intriguing, fast paced, surprising, suspenseful and yes romantic book.
  
• 
  Nara Rain

  Keren deh ceritanya.
  
  Pepatah mengatakan, jangan terlalu membenci, nanti kau bisa jatuh cinta. Nah, itu sungguh-sungguh terjadi di novel ini.
  
  Griffin Powell, multijutawan, pemilik Biro Keamanan Swasta, playboy kelas kakap yang menghindari keterikatan dengan seorang wanita, dipertemukan dengan Nicole Baxter, Agen Khusus FBI yang tangguh, mandiri dan keras kepala.
  
  Griff tidak pernah seekstrim Nic saat menyatakan ketidaksukaannya terhadap wanita itu, sementara Nic mengatakan ia akan bunuh diri jika sampai jatuh ke dalam pesona seorang Griffin Powell.
  
  Tetapi pada akhirnya, cinta menentukan segalanya. Jatuh cinta dengan orang seperti Griff, kenapa tidak?
  
  Novel ini benar-benar membuat ketagihan untuk membalik halaman demi halamannya. Bukan hanya karena kasus kriminalnya yang melibatkan psikopat sok pintar dan menggemaskan karena kekejamannya, tapi sepanjang membaca novel ini, hati bertanya-tanya kapan kira-kira Nic akan mengurangi kadar kekeraskepalaannya yang selalu menganggap dirinya sanggup melakukan segalanya sendiri. Bersyukurlah penulisnya menciptakan Griff yang penuh pesona dan tebal muka sehingga Nic punya lawan tanding yang seimbang.
  
  Sisi kriminalitasnya kali ini, masih lanjutan The Dying Game, tapi sekarang petarungnya sendirian. Membunuh untuk kebanggaan dan kepuasannya sendiri.
  
  Sejak Bab pertama, perut sudah diaduk-aduk karena penulis sengaja membocorkan siapa incaran si pembunuh. Dia tidak lain adalah Nicole Baxter.
  
  Bagaimana nasib Nic, selamatkah dia?
  
  Mengoleksi 12 seri Griffin Powell rasanya tidak rugi setelah membaca seri kedelapan ini.
• 
  Moira

  Well, I was very excited to try this book - I LOVE reading about very smart, psychopathic serial killers who play games and give clues and the even smarter law enforcement/detective types who stop them (I was, after all, weaned on Sherlock Holmes). But although the characters were interesting and the killer was smart and intriguing, this book really missed the mark with those tasked to stop him. I kept wanting to scream "Call Lincoln Rhyme" for heaven's sake - he'll take soil samples, he'll find this guy. Or call Eve Dallas and get some sheer grit from her and some savvy computer help from her husband. But no, the killer goes on a 9-month aduction, torture and killing spree and no one does much to stop him except wring their hands. I dont' know if it was some sort of statement about the inadequacy of law enforcement (which might be true, but in my fiction, I want smart cops!!) or just laziness because the author didn't want to do the research, but this book was very frustrating - a great premise, a smart killer, and nothing on the other side. If you like Jeffery Deaver or J.D Robb, you will find this very disappointing.
• 
  Shelvy

  The best of Beverly Barton dari semua novelnya yang udh pernah aku baca
• 
  Mike French

  My first Beverly Barton novel, but definally not my last! A real page turner from the get go !
• 
  denudatio_pulpae

  Nie mam nic przeciwko przeczytaniu raz na jakiś czas thrillera, w którym znajdzie się trochę romansu, w końcu dentystka też baba :) Czasami udaje mi się nawet trafić na taki wytwór, nazywany przeze mnie "thrillerem dla bab", który nie męczy aż tak bardzo stężeniem cukierkowatości i przewidywalności. Niestety, mimo szczerych chęci "Morderczy dotyk" mnie zmęczył.
  
  Zacznijmy od zaskakujących postaci i nieprzewidywalnej fabuły. On - zabójczo przystojny i obłędnie bogaty. Ona - głównie piękna, ale tym razem również twarda agentka FBI. Nienawidzą się szczerze i do bólu, czemu dają wyraz przez mniej więcej pierwszą połowę książki, tak co drugie zdanie. Niezmiernie trudno się było domyślić, że w końcu zapałają do siebie ognistym uczuciem, ale w końcu to nastąpiło :) Zbliżyła ich do siebie ni mniej ni więcej tylko seria brutalnych morderstw.
  
  Morderca zaś to niezły drań, porywa młode, wysportowane kobiety, torturuje i urządza polowania na swoje ofiary na własnej posesji. Kiedy wreszcie je dopada i uśmierca, wiesza zwłoki na drzewie i zdejmuje skalp, psychopata jeden. Tylko ma mały problem - jego ofiary nie są takie, jakich się spodziewał. Oczekiwał woli walki i lepszej rozrywki. Dlatego wpadł na pomysł porwania... tak! Agentki FBI!
  
  Agentka Baxter zostaje oczywiście porwana tuż po pierwszej wspólnej nocy spędzonej ze swoim największym wrogiem (może ktoś pomyśli, że będą żyli długo i szczęśliwie i przeżyje wstrząs? :P). Niestety, ja wstrząsu z tego powodu nie przeżyłam. Dalej akcja trochę się rozkręciła i chyba tylko dzięki temu skończyłam czytać tę książkę. Może nawet skusiłabym się na ocenienie jej wyżej, ale wyjaśnienie kilku tajemnic z życia pana przystojnego i bogatego odebrało mi te chęci, niestety bez spoilerowania nie mogę Wam wyjaśnić o co chodzi, może przekonacie się sami, chociaż nie namawiam.
  5/10
• 
  Tiny Shen 沈帝妮

  The Murder Game ~ Beverly Barton
  ⭐⭐⭐
  
  "Halo, Mia. Maukah kau mengunjungi pulau surgaku? Tempat ini sangat cocok untuk... mati." -p. 376
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  Seorang serial killer yang menjuluki dirinya sendiri The Hunter menculik para wanita dan menganggap mereka adalah mangsanya. Pertama, wanita-wanita ini dibiarkan lepas dan The Hunter akan mengejar dan menangkap mereka kembali. Kedua, Hingga batas waktu yang telah ditentukan, mereka akan dibunuh. Ketiga, setelah dibunuh The Hunter akan menguliti kepala wanita tsb dan menyimpan rambut mereka sbg trofi. Dan yang terakhir, korban akan digantung terbalik di pohon.
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  Griffin Powell dari Biro detektif swasta dan SA Nicole Baxter dari FBI adalah dua orang yang dihubungi oleh The Hunter secara langsung. The Hunter mengajak mereka ikut "bermain", memberikan dua orang ini clue ttg korban yg telah dia pilih selanjutnya. Hanya saja sejauh ini, dua orang selalu selangkah di belakang.
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  Dari awal target utama The Hunter adalah Nic. Menurutnya, hanya Nic yg bisa mengimbangi permainannya. Ditambah lagi, niat Nic yang ingin menangkap The Hunter, membuat pelaku semakin bergairah untuk menculik Nic.
  
  Apakah Nic dan Griffin bisa menemukan The Hunter sebelum jatuh korban lainnya?
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  Sadis sih menurut aku. Sudah diculik dan disiksa, harus berperan sbg "hewan buruan" pula. Kalo berbuat salah, akan mendapat hukuman lagi. Pelaku sangat licin hingga sulit menangkapnya. Tipikal Novel Oma Beverly, awal cerita pasti slow dan agak bosenin, setelah pertengahan buku baru deh mulai seru.
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  
  
  
• 
  Theresa

  Funny how you can think of a two-star book as being an improvement, but after Barton's last Griffin Powell book was so awful, this one was surprisingly human. Now, don't get me wrong, I'd in no way recommend it, but it was an improvement. Ironically, it's more of a human interest story than a thriller -- the main characters do an unfathomably poor job of any actual crime-solving -- but what gave this one an extra star is the vulnerability and humanity in watching Nic (and Griff, in a smaller sense) overcome their PTSD from traumatic events. If you're dead set on picking up a Beverly Barton novel, this is the only one of the series thus far that isn't reprehensible, but honestly, there's much better books out there to waste your time on this one if you can help it.
• 
  Abigail Hedley

  I was young when I read this but I remember it captivating me from cover to cover. I suspect it was due to the fact the plot was about a serial killer who had no real motive other than sport and in my young years I hadn't heard of anything quite like it. It was always out of passion, financial gain or anger. So this novel gripped me, maybe shouldn't have read it at such a young age but it influenced my love of true crime and killers, to this day I still sing the praises of this book.
  I remember it being written for easy reading, the plot flowed smoothly and each chapter ended with a vice like grip urging you to continue reading. Just what you need.
  I found this book in a second hand store, some of the best are on a shelf for 50p.
• 
  Plum-crazy

  I was expecting this book to be a hard-hitting thriller (the back cover blurb does say "be prepared to be petrified"!) but actually, in my opinion anyway, it fell into the romantic suspense category - certainly the latter half of the book does. Now I am a big fan of romantic suspense but as I was hoping for something a bit grittier it meant I was a bit disappointed!
  
  That said, it was certainly entertaining enough although the story lost credibility for me once the relationship between Griff & Nicole developed & it wasn't helped by the introduction of a psychiatrist empath!
  
• 
  Nessa

  Wow, absolutely wow, this book has left me speechless and in awe of the author. It just amazes me how the author continues to keep coming up with these amazing plot ideas.
  
  This is an edge of ure seat gripping crime thriller, I could not put this book down, was completely taken in by the story from beginning to end.
  
  As always I love the characters in this ongoing series of books. :-)
• 
  Zev

  This had heaps of sexism in it. I do not care that alpha-holes are common to romantic categories; I cannot stand them. This was an incredibly poorly done enemies-to-lovers. I hated everyone and couldn't relate. I felt bad for the women who died, though. The pacing of this was odd. I was glad when it ended.
• 
  Sabahat

  Found it easy to read but was pretty predictable. Griffin Powell's character was likeable but the same cannot be said for Nicole . The other characters weren't too interesting either. 2.5/5 for suspense.
• 
  Ally Rowe

  Very gripping story that was easy to become absorbed in. I had not read any previous books in this series and although a previous book is paramount to this story it didn’t take away any enjoyment due to the way it was written and explained.
• 
  Alisha

  I found this book's plot kind of predictable, other than Griff's past, but I still enjoyed it and it really got good about 3/4 of the way through. This is the first book I've read of Beverly Barton and I may read another one if I come across it.
• 
  Lucy McLaurin

  The sequel to The Dying Game - which I thoroughly enjoyed. This was great - nearly stayed awake all last night to finish it but had to succumbed to sleep! Really good to close the chapter on the character's lives and how they'd pregressed.
• 
  Reggie

  A killer who abducts athletic women and hunts them for his sport…he calls in clues to an FBI agent and a private security agent. Can Baxter and Powell catch this maniac before it’s too late for one of them? Lots of action and some romance make this an enjoyable read.
• 
  L Cherry

  4.5 stars
• 
  CherylR

  This was a real page turner. I now want to read more books by this author especially this series.
• 
  Edie Reynolds

  This is the first book I have read by this author. It was a real page-turner. I am definitely a fan of Beverly Barton and will read more of her books.
• 
  Nancy

  If you like edge of the seat suspense then Beverly Barton is your author. I love the Griffin Powell series. Can’t wait to read the next one in line.
• 
  Suze

  THE MURDER GAME
  
  I have read some of the later books first, loved finding out how Nic and Griff got together. This is a page turner or maybe at times a heart stopper- great suspense.