"We Play Games" by Sarah A. Denzil - Book Review

When the rules turn deadly, winning is everything.

Only available from Audible, a gripping psychological thriller from the author of Silent Child, Saving April, and The Broken Ones. Perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn, Lisa Jewell and Paula Hawkins.

This gripping multi-voice audiobook features Billie Piper as Effie, Dan Stevens as Ben, Shane Zaza as David, and Avita Jay as Sophie. Other roles are played by Felicity Duncan, David Holt and Sarah Whitehouse.

The perfect couple. The perfect marriage. The perfect game.

Effie and Ben May have everything. Success. Beauty. Glamour. But beneath the charming smiles and expensive clothes, a twisted game is in progress.

A game for which only they know the rules.

Leaving their fast-paced London life behind them, the Mays move to the exclusive gated community of Ivy Oaks. Here they can settle down and start a family in this quiet, safe little neighbourhood. At least, that’s what they tell their new neighbours.

But the truth has deadly consequences.

While Effie and Ben scheme and manipulate those around them, they fail to notice their carefully cultivated façade crumbling away. The perfect couple soon turn the game on each other, breaking all the rules. But when the stakes are life and death, losing isn’t an option.

As the final cards are dealt, who will play the winning hand and who will pay the ultimate price?

As soon as Sarah A. Denzil releases a book, I know I will buy it and most probably love every moment of it. However, this is the first of her thrillers I’ve listened to exclusively on Audible. Granted, her thrillers have always attracted an impressive voice cast to narrate them in the past, but this was a new experience of not going back and forth between reading and listening.

The more I listened to We Play Games, the more I realised that the tone, atmosphere, and dark twists should have been in the third season of Netflix’s You. Denzil’s latest thriller stars a truly twisted couple as they swindle naïve and wealthy victims through emotional manipulation, threats and blackmail. Told from several different perspectives, we see the ripple effect of Effie and Ben’s actions and their toxic dynamic behind closed doors.

The casting for this audiobook was nothing short of exceptional. Billie Piper, Dan Stevens, Shane Zaza, Avita Jay, Felicity Duncan, David Holt and Sarah Whitehouse were perfectly chosen for their roles, and their performances truly brought these characters to life. Denzil's writing, combined with the stellar voice cast, captivated me as the real story slowly unravelled with deadly consequences.

Billie Piper and Dan Stevens were so convincing in their roles that I found myself on the edge of my seat, unable to predict how far Ben or Effie would go to win their twisted game. Their performances were so compelling that I could easily envision them reprising these characters in a live-action adaptation. The same can be said for Zaza, who portrayed the emotions of a romantic lead character while still maintaining an air of mystery regarding his motives. Lastly, Jay adds an edge to Sophie's chapters as her inner thoughts are revealed, showcasing her to be almost as formidable as the other characters in the book.

The setting was ideal for a thriller that focused on deceit, manipulation, seduction, and lies. The inhabitants of Ivy Oaks seem to be living in a world of their own, and their isolation clearly influences their relationships. The hostility that the neighbours exhibit toward one another is evident in every chapter, and I couldn't help but wonder about their personalities before or after the events of the book.

I am a big fan of audiobooks and audio dramas. However, I usually don't like it when a production tries to combine the two. But, Audible has done an incredible job at balancing the two aspects with the rest of the ensemble cast. The different chapters that focus on other characters or different plot points transition effortlessly between that and the book's main narration of the novel.

You may notice I am deliberately avoiding spoilers, but I can confirm this is another superb Denzil thriller. It is best to listen to it with no expectations or prior knowledge of the plot. This book was so gripping that I finished it in a matter of days, unable to wait for the conclusion as the story became increasingly dark and sinister. The book was an excellent read, and the audiobook made this read a cinematic experience.

My rating of We Play Games by Sarah A. Denzil - ★★★★★.