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Author (Platform): Isabella Maldonado (Kindle)
Publisher (Release): Thomas & Mercer (2023)
Length: 365 pages
Genres: Adult; Crime; Thriller; Mystery; Action
❗️Disclaimers❗️:
moderate violence and gore
this review contains low-level spoilers
recommendation: must read
👍 Pros 👍
Fans of Squid Games and/or The Hunger Games will rejoice in this more mature thriller
Characters feel human and develop naturally
Sets up the series with powerful foundations
👎 Cons 👎
Zero for me
👀 Synopsis 👀
FBI agent and former military codebreaker Daniela “Dani” Vega witnesses a murder on a Manhattan sidewalk. The victim is chief of staff for a powerful New York senator. The assassin turned informant is Gustavo Toro. His code: hit the target and don’t ask questions. When Dani suspects a complex conspiracy, the only way to take down the mastermind is from the inside, forcing her to partner with Toro. Together they must infiltrate the inner circle at a remote facility.
Except it’s a trap. For all of them.
Locked in a subterranean labyrinth and held captive by an unseen host, Dani, Toro, and others must fight for their lives. Now Dani must stay undercover, unravel a bizarre conspiracy, and survive lethal puzzles. But will Toro be friend or foe? Because in this killer’s game, everything is real: the paranoia, the desperation, and the body count. And only one person can make it out alive.
🧩 Plots 🧩
Riveting
Engaging
Enjoyable
Uneven
Boring
🎭 Characters 🎭
Alive
Developed
Okay
Inconsistent
Soulless
🚨 Crime/Thriller/Mystery 🚨
Mind-blowing
Intense
Tense
Meh
Yawn
🧠 Final Thoughts 🧠
Squid Games and The Hunger Games collide in this mature crime thriller, taking the dark, competitive puzzles in both and wrapping them in a grittier mystery that’s undeniably smart. Plot beats feel earned and characters benefit from author Isabella Maldonado’s choice of third-person, past-tense narrative that crafts rich personalities through layered back stories and organic development.
I was rapt, beginning to end, and Maldonado has birthed one badass protagonist in Daniela Vega to helm a smashing new series that could not have started stronger than A Killer’s Game.
I cannot wait to see what the author cooks up in the upcoming A Forgotten Kill.
Sign. Me. Up.
The Phoenix Project 