"The Name of the Game Was Murder" by Joan Lowery Nixon. The story revolves around a novelist named Augustus Trevor, who hosts a party at his seaside mansion on Santa Catalina Island. The guests in attendance include high-profile individuals such as a movie star, a retired NFL quarterback turned sportscaster, a rival novelist, a US Senator, and a fashion designer. Trevor's newest manuscript contains secrets about each of his guests, and he plans a scavenger hunt for them to find the manuscript on the island.
However, shortly after the game begins, Trevor is found murdered, and the guests must work together to find the manuscript and uncover the identity of the killer. As they search for clues, their own secrets start to unravel. The book explores the various secrets held by the guests, including a past murder, gambling addiction, literary plagiarism, involvement with organized crime, and the use of sweatshops.
Samantha Burns, Trevor's young niece and an aspiring writer, takes on the role of the protagonist and works diligently to solve the central mystery. With her skills as an amateur cryptologist, she deciphers the clues and gradually uncovers the truth about each guest's secret. Samantha ultimately deduces that the killer is Mrs. Engstrom, the housekeeper, who had been protecting Thea, Trevor's wife. Thea's secret involves an incident in Acapulco where a young boy died, and Thea never reported it to the police.
In the end, Samantha manages to convince Mrs. Engstrom to confess her crime to the police, presumably in exchange for a reduced sentence. The book combines elements of a murder mystery, secrets, a stormy setting, and cryptic clues to create an engaging and suspenseful story.
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