For readers of Richard Osman and Benjamin Stevenson, a clever, comedic debut mystery full of secrets, uneasy alliances, and hijinks set at a board game conference. When a board game legend is found dead, reluctant amateur sleuth Tom Lundquist must play every card in the deck to find the killer before everyone at the conference concludes the killer is… him.
Tom Lundquist may have designed the notoriously unsettling board game Blood for Blood, but his real life as a stay-at-home dad is much more ordinary than the grisly murder mysteries he imagined for that game. All that changes when he gets an opportunity to spend a week in game heaven: the Lost River Board Game Conference in New Hampshire. There, he mingles with industry insiders, tests games with fellow designers, and even meets his game design idol. All signs are pointing to a big win for Tom, until he’s dealt the . . . Worst. Hand. Ever.

A board game legend turns up dead, and Lundquist is marked as the primary suspect. He’ll have no choice but to form an alliance with his new conference pals—Rishi, the lowkey charming himbo and Morgan, the cynical ex-public defender—to clear his name and smoke out the real killer amidst a nutty cast of townies and board game lovers that includes the victim's ex-wife, a mysterious man in a cowboy hat, a cocky hotel valet, and a super-annoying #vanlife couple.

Meanwhile, back home, his murder mystery-loving wife Emma wrangles their three kids in his absence, contributes her own theories, and hires a “Nextdoor Miss Marple” (aka a meddlesome local on the infamous app) to assist with his investigations.

It’ll take bluffing, secret alliances, the ability to think several moves ahead, and more than a bit of luck for Tom to come out on top. Unfortunately, he’s surrounded by people who are experts at these very things! Can Tom outplay the others and find the killer, before he’s taken off the board?