The Contest
In this crime novel, a previous puzzle prodigy returns to the competing world. A thoughtful, low-stakes mystery, perfect for fans of The Queen’s Gambit.
Once a child prodigy of puzzles and logic games, Gillian Charles now barely ekes out a living in Los Angeles. With her sick mother facing eviction from her care facility, Gillian can’t say no when her childhood nemesis, Tommy, shows up at her apartment with a $50k offer. All she has to do is return to the place where it all started, where she swore she’d never set foot again: Miscellany.
Miscellany is a place of wonder and enchantment—a Disney World for puzzle lovers, and one that quickly owns the lives of those who stay too long. Tommy is running the park’s latest big game, and he’s convinced someone is leaking the answers. With investment and expansion in the cards, Miscellany can’t afford a scandal. As a former puzzler who kept her distance from Miscellany for twenty years, Gillian should find it easy to investigate while avoiding Miscellany’s charms and entanglements.But when Gillian arrives, she discovers things aren’t so straightforward.
Her turncoat ex-friend Martin Ellsberg holds the security reins, Tommy’s estranged wife Evelina spins PR webs around the park’s machinations, and the manipulative park founder Sebastian offers her the financial security and intellectual future she always wanted. With her mother’s circumstances growing more dire, and under pressure to sweep the accusations under the rug, Gillian finds childhood games all the more treacherous for adults.
Miscellany is offering Gillian the life she always wanted. But at what price?
Reviews
"The Contest is unlike other books I have read. The world building is so complete that it transcends just being a crime novel and becomes its own speculative world. This is fitting as the puzzle setting is enigmatic and unnerving, the book should feel that in places, but at the core it remains a strong character piece with an effective crime narrative that fans of that genre will enjoy."
"Wonderfully intricate, well-plotted and with believable, well-drawn characters. Recommended."
"The Contest is an excellent thriller, quite a cozy crime novel that keeps you hooked until the very last page; if you want to read something unique and really immersive, you should give Jeff Macfee a try!"
"If The Queen’s Gambit and Knives Out had a baby, and then that baby grew up obsessing over logic puzzles, childhood rivalries, and slightly sinister theme parks, you’d get THE CONTEST... Jeff Macfee delivers a story that’s both clever and deeply human, with a main character who is witty, cynical, and just desperate enough to take a bad deal and make it worse. If you love quirky whodunits with brain-teasing fun, THE CONTEST is a must-read!"
"THE CONTEST is a thrilling suspenseful mind bending adventure."S.A. Cosby best selling author of ALL THE SINNERS and RAZORBLADE TEARS
"A brilliant page-turner about obsession, compromise, child prodigies, and second chances, all set in a world where Willy Wonka made escape rooms rather than chocolate bars, THE CONTEST is my favorite thing I’ve read this year."Peter Clines, New York Times Bestselling author of THE BROKEN ROOM and PARADOX BOUND
“Here’s a riddle: what’s the best mystery puzzler since ‘Squid Game’? The answer is Jeff Macfee’s ‘The Contest.’”Nick Kolakowski, author of WHERE THE BONES LIE
“THE CONTEST sports a fun story that does what my favorite crime novels do - transport me to an unfamiliar world and weave in a page-turning mystery. Jeff Macfee does not disappoint with this crackling debut.”Alex Segura, bestselling and acclaimed author of SECRET IDENTITY and ALTER EGO
“Jeff Macfee drops the reader into a hall of mirrors with no way out. A singular book.”Adam Oyebanji, author of the Quiet Teacher Mysteries
"THE CONTEST is one you want to get your hands on. It's like Willy Wonka if it was written by Hitchcock. Seriously, it is SO GOOD."Stephen Blackmoore, author of the Eric Carter series
"A mystery wrapped inside a riddle inside an enigma, THE CONTEST is a clever puzzle box of a book. An intrigue-filled, cerebral theme park provides the setting for an affecting tale about finding one’s worth after defeat, and Macfee’s storytelling instantly drew me in from the first page."Victor Manibo, author of THE SLEEPLESS and ESCAPE VELOCITY
"An intriguing and addictive novel full of risk, riddles and conspiracies – THE CONTEST will keep you on your toes until the puzzle is finally solved."S.B. Caves, author of HONEYCOMB