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Play Stupid Games
Paperback
ISBN13: 9781865210575
Publisher: Australian Book Publishers
Published: Sep 8 2026
Pages: 604
Weight: 1.76
Height: 1.22 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
From a mechanic's workshop tucked into the Victorian high country to a Melbourne PR office where the walls turn out to be very thin, PLAY STUPID GAMES is a collection of dark, razor-sharp stories about ordinary Australians pushed one bad decision from disaster.
A tracker hidden under a bumper. A cup of coffee poured with just a little too much care. A Facebook group that decides someone deserves to be punished - and doesn't wait for the police to agree. An online game where the choices are KILL, WOUND or LEAVE, and the clock is real.
Each story stands alone. Together, they form a portrait of small-town Australia where everyone is watching everyone else, secrets don't stay buried for long, and the line between justice and revenge gets thinner with every scroll, swipe and screenshot.
Perfect for readers of dark Australian crime fiction, rural noir and psychological thrillers who like their short stories with teeth.
Inside this collection:
- Play Stupid Games - a mechanic who tracks the cars of the women he protects
- Burnouts, Cuppa For The Road, Skin Deep and Conduit - small favours, small towns, big consequences
- Invincible / The Lantern Project - an online vigilante movement that decides who deserves to disappear
- Kill Screen - a game with real stakes and a countdown that doesn't stop
- Threshold and Open Frequency - obsession, isolation and the things we don't say out loud
Warning: contains violence, coercion and themes of stalking that some readers may find confronting.
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