Fair Play: The dazzling literary murder mystery of the summer

This is a murder mystery. This is a story about love. Or is it? . . .

'A treat . . . Takes on the biggest questions of life and death' – Paul Murray, author of The Bee Sting

‘Dazzling' – Colin Walsh, author of Kala ‘Brilliant' – The Times ‘Ingenious’ – The Telegraph 'Terrific' – The New York Times 'Heartbreaking' – The Guardian ‘Sally Rooney meets The Secret History’ – The Sunday Times

Abigail and her brother Benjamin have always been close. To celebrate his birthday, Abigail hires a grand old house and gathers their friends together for a murder mystery party. As the night goes on, they drink too much and play games. Relationships are forged, consolidated or frayed. Someone kisses someone they shouldn’t, someone else’s heart is broken.

In the morning, everyone wakes up – except Benjamin.

Suddenly everything is not quite what it seems. An eminent detective arrives determined to find Benjamin’s killer. The house now has a butler, a gardener and a housekeeper. This is a locked-room mystery, and everyone is a suspect.

As Abigail attempts to fathom her brother’s unexpected death in a world that has been turned upside down, she begins to wonder whether perhaps the true mystery might have been his life . . .

Louise Hegarty's Fair Play is the puzzle-box story that brilliantly lays bare the real truth of life – the terrifying mystery of grief.

© 2025 Picador (Audiobook): 9781035036172

Release date

Audiobook: April 3, 2025