MRC RECOMMENDS: Player Elimination
by Shelly Jones
“Player Elimination is the fabulous series starter in the now three-book Wren Winters Mystery series by Shelly Jones. Readers get to venture into the world of board gamers, where there are definitely some sore – and sordid – losers.”
—Mystery Review Crew
Player Elimination
By Shelly Jones
Genre: Cozy Mystery, Amateur Sleuth
Series: A Wren Winters Mystery Book 1
She loves to play games, but not when it comes to murder.
Wren Winters is a businesswoman on a mission, juggling an alumni event for a rising game designer while keeping her late husband’s retail store alive. With RSVPs pouring in and her cranky landlord threatening to bulldoze her shop for high-rise apartments, Wren’s plate is full—but she’s no stranger to overcoming challenges. From economic slumps to vandalism and vicious online rumors, Wren has always found a way to persevere.
But nothing could prepare her for what she finds one fateful morning: her landlord murdered, her store turned into a crime scene, her only employee under suspicion (and hiding something), and a missing piece from an unreleased game.
Now, with her store’s future hanging by a thread and the stakes higher than ever, Wren must channel her puzzle-solving skills like never before. Can she and her friends follow the clues, clear her employee’s name, and crack the case before it’s game over?
Perfect for fans of Gigi Pandian and Ellery Adams, Player Elimination serves up page-turning suspense, clever twists, and cozy charm with every clue uncovered.
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Review of Player Elimination by Shelly Jones
Player Elimination is the fabulous series starter in the now three-book Wren Winters Mystery series by Shelly Jones. Readers get to venture into the world of board gamers, where there are definitely some sore – and sordid – losers.
In Player Elimination, Jones shows their talent for creating places and spaces, like the game shop, The Cardboard Sheep, that invite the reader to come in and stay awhile. What initially strikes us is the small, college-town setting. What a cool little community this is with its game store, bakery, bookstore, and farmers market all within walking distance from neighborhoods placed just far enough away from the college to not have noise and disruptions. Adding to the allure is a group of friends who are always at-the-ready with the right words and a delicious cuppa or pastry to deescalate any crisis. Perfect.
“She wouldn’t know what a meeple was if it bit her.”
I grew up in a house where board games were in abundance, and played competitively and often. Admittedly, times have changed, as has the terminology. In Player Elimination, I learned some new words that I may sling at my gaming nephews, surely adding more cool and nerdy status to my moniker. Credit must be given, too, for the elevated vocabulary the author uses to enrich the details of her scenes (I’m talking to you, glaive-wielding paladin.). The carefully selected words make the reading a bit more cerebral than usual for the genre, and it’s a delight.
“Esther’s protective instincts were barbed with snark.”
The Cardboard Cuties, the tight-knit core friend group in Player Elimination, is terrific and a highlight of the novel. Each member of the group has their own strengths and eccentricities, and each knows and understands the other with a mutual respect that’s enviable. Readers will be fond of them, but shining above the others is Esther. Everyone needs an Esther, who provides humor, wisdom, and fierce love of friends.
I appreciate the inclusion of a major character who prefers to use gender-neutral pronouns (as the author does in real life). Charlie’s choice is established early on and then incorporated organically within the story, and it’s a nice reminder that using a person’s preferred pronouns is respectful and easy. The author also makes other intentional word choices, even repeating them, to help readers get additional insight into the main character Wren’s personality quirks.
My complaints are few: the book had more errors than I expected in a final copy that’s for sale, and as is often the case in cozy mysteries, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of concern that a murderer is on the loose (and this one’s particularly violent and has left no clues or motive). The result is that some of the characters’ actions and reactions ring false. Nonetheless, these quibbles are only a minor distraction from the engaging stories within Player Elimination.
When a book like Player Elimination leaves me thinking about its characters and wondering what’s happening in their world right now, it’s a winner in my playbook. The author makes this one even more realistic with a cute add-on at the end, where she shares some posts from the Cardboard Cuties’ blog to share real-world topics with readers. Fun! What a wonderful bonus that readers can go straight from Player Elimination into reading the second book in the Wren Winters Mystery series, Murder She Rolled, and at the end of November 2025, the third book, Game Over, hits the shelves. Count me in.
About Shelly Jones
Shelly Jones is a professor by trade and a nerd by design. Woefully introverted, their pockets are full of post-it notes and their head is full of (unsaid) witty come-backs and un-won arguments from years past. When they aren’t grading papers or writing new cozy mysteries, Shelly can often be found hiking in the woods or playing a board game while their cats look on.
Find her and more of her stories at: https://shellyjonesauthor.com/
