# Is "Death Instinct (Murder Game)" by Phillip Emmons (Bentley Little) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Death Instinct (Murder Game) by Phillip Emmons (Bentley Little) (Signet, 1992) is identified by: Signet mass-market paperback original, 1992, published under the Phillip Emmons pseudonym, with a number line. Paperback original under the Phillip Emmons pseudonym.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Signet mass-market paperback original, 1992, published under the Phillip Emmons pseudonym, with a number line
- This is the first edition
- Publisher imprint reads Signet
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Phillip Emmons (Bentley Little) |
| Publisher | Signet |
| Year | 1992 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Signet mass-market paperback original, 1992, published under the Phillip Emmons… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Signet mass-market paperback original, 1992, published under the Phillip Emmons pseudonym, with a number line. This is the first edition.

## Is this the true first?
Paperback original under the Phillip Emmons pseudonym. Later reissued under Bentley Little's own name as Death Instinct (Signet). The UK edition under his own name was retitled Evil Deeds (1994).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
N/A (paperback original).

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Death Instinct (Murder Game)* by Phillip Emmons (Bentley Little) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/death-instinct-murder-game
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.