The Family Gameby Catherine Steadman

​Oh, I am such a fan. This is my fourth read by the author, and time after time, Steadman produces the exactly perfect popcorn thriller: exciting, completely absorbing, fun.
Is it hyperbolic? Is it over-the-top at times? Well, yeah, sure, but that’s just part of the fun.
It never insults your intelligence, never panders to the lowest hanging fruit of the audience, instead it just reaches out from page one, grabs you, and takes you on a wild ride.
It’s the best possible version of the beach thriller, albeit one good enough to actually make you forget where you are.
Some of Steadman’s book have been summery, this one is definitively wintery. In fact, so much of it is set around Christmas that it almost made me wish I’d held off reading it until then. But of course, by then I had read the first chapter and wasn’t going to put it down.
So, true to its title, this story revolves around family. A very particular very wealthy kind of family that our young albeit not so innocent protagonist is about to marry into. And true enough, this family likes to play games. Dangerous, dangerous games.
And our protagonist didn’t sign up for that. She’s a humble English orphan who has found some measure of success with a best-selling debut novel when she meets her Prince Charming. Edward.
Edward proceeds to literally sweep her off her feet and into a New York fairy tale. Edward’s family is insanely intimidatingly old world moneyed, but one can only put off meeting the (future) in-laws for so long and now it’s time.
The family is welcoming, excited, but also complicated, secretive, and manipulative. And then of course, their penchant for games.
The novel’s first pages find our protagonist desperately trying to survive one of those games, then rewinds in time to see how she got there. And then, of course, how she gets out of it, complete with a delicious ending plot twist for genre connoisseurs.
And is it far-fetched? Sure, somewhat, but who cares. It’s so fun. Original. Mostly unpredictable. Riveting. Magnetic. Unputdownable. All one can ever want in a thriller, really. And all, most of the thrillers out there are aspiring to and failing at being. In other words, very, very good. 
Popcorn thriller, sure, but gourmet popcorn, all the way. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.