Rating: *****

The Game is a 352 page hardcover thriller by Derek Armstrong published 2007.

The Game is a perfect fit for this era of reality television. In Derek Armstrong's new novel, a serial killer is knocking off members of the cast and crew of Haunted Survivor, a top rated reality show. Alban Bane, the lead detective, discovers that these murders are virtual copycats of those committed by Tyler Hayden, a serial killer Bane arrested years earlier. The catch is that Bane had just witnessed Hayden's execution. From there the plot really gets complicated.

And interesting.

Although the story is complex, with twists and turns coming from all directions, Bane is the driving force that makes The Game compelling. I really like this character --- he's intelligent, determined and very funny. Right up there with John Corey, Nelson DeMille's wisecracking NYPD detective.

If you enjoy a dark thriller with an offbeat sense of humor, get in The Game.