Seeing Todd while she's trying to walk six dogs at once is not the best way for Mel to begin her day. It gets better though when he has a gift for her - Givenchy shoes. That, combined with disappointment over her parents blowing off a reunion with her is enough to get Mel to agree to have dinner with Todd at his place.

Before their plans are completely made, a messenger brings her a mysterious package with a coded message. Todd appropriates it, saying she can have it back at dinner, so she has to follow through and see him. The message is creepy, play or die. Not sure what to make of it, Mel says she's not playing, but she's not the one dying yet either.

When Mel wakes the next morning, after sleeping in Todd's tub, to avoid his snores, Todd is dead. On the street, she sees the messenger again, and feels a prick. When she gets home, another stranger is there, Stryker. He's there to protect her. It would seem a computer game has come to life, Play Survive Win.

In it, there are three characters, the predator, the prey, and the protector. Mel is the prey, Stryker, the protector. Todd was a warning. The prick was poison. If the antidote is not found, Mel is dead. The pair races time to try and get first the antidote, then solve the game before Mel is killed.

All of Stryker's military skills and all of Mel's cryptology talent will be called upon to keep her alive and stop a killer.

If you start this book, make sure you have time to read it straight through. The initial pages might lead you to expect light humor, but as you get into the story, it will captivate you, so that putting it down is not an option. It'll keep you tense and guessing the whole way. There's romance, thrills, a bit of humor, and tons of suspense. In this game, the only loser is the person who misses this book.