FEBRUARY 2019 - AudioFile
Five talented narrators deliver a shivery story in the style of an Agatha Christie mystery. One by one, the 13 people who are trapped by snow in an isolated lodge in the Scottish Highlands are found dead. Since this is a psychological thriller, most of the trapped guests and staff have ample opportunity to reveal their feelings about the past and present. Each chapter is written from the point of view of one of the suspects/victims—each portrayed by one of the five actors: Gary Furlong, Elle Newlands, Morag Sims, Imogen Church, and Moira Quirk. They move easily from Scottish burrs to the cadences of Oxford English. The format builds suspense but requires concentration to keep track of who is speaking. Listeners will be gripped by this contemporary take on the classic locked-room mystery. D.L.G. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
11/26/2018
Historical novelist Foley (The Invitation) makes an auspicious thriller debut. Nine close friends, four of them couples, gather for their extravagant annual New Year’s getaway—this time at Loch Corrin, a remote estate in the Scottish Highlands—a decade after most of them graduated from Oxford. Tensions, sexual and otherwise, first flare during the lengthy, alcohol-lubricated train trip from London on December 30, fanned by charismatic, capricious Miranda—the golden girl most men want to be with and more than a few women long to become. At the Loch Corrin station, they’re met by Doug, the estate’s odd, though hunky, gamekeeper; at Loch Corrin, they encounter unexpected additional guests: a pair of strange Icelandic backpackers. Things start to go seriously wrong with the arrival of a blizzard that will soon cut off the 50,000-acre spread from the outside world. And then one of them disappears. Foley spins her story skillfully through multiple narrators, and if she’s less sure-handed with character, this still makes for a cracklingly suspenseful story for a long winter’s night. Agent: Alexandria Machinist, ICM Partners. (Feb.)
From the Publisher
“A tense, perfectly paced murder mystery.” — People
“Lucy Foley proves that the traditional country-house murder formula…can still work brilliantly.… Superb." — The Times (London)
“My favorite kind of whodunit, kept me guessing all the way through, and reminiscent of Agatha Christie at her best -- with an extra dose of acid.” — Alex Michaelides, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Silent Patient
“A ripping, riveting murder mystery—wily as Agatha Christie, charged with real menace, real depth. Perfect for fans of Ruth Ware.” — A.J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window
“Fans of Ruth Ware will likely rip through The Hunting Party at warp speed.” — Popsugar
“Like a deliciously drawn out game of Clue, this novel brings together a group of Oxford friends at a remote Scottish highlands estate for the Christmas holidays....Foley paints such a vivid hunting-lodge-and-lochs setting that you’ll immediately be booking your own highland fling, clandestine killers or no.” — National Geographic
“Everyone is a suspect in Lucy Foley’s clever murder mystery that harkens back to Agatha Christie and the Orient Express. Friends, lovers, strangers and murder at a secluded hunting lodge make for an absolutely delicious read!” — Wendy Walker, author of the national bestseller All Is Not Forgotten
“An addictive murder mystery full of suspense, secrets and surprises. I loved it!” — Alice Feeney, New York Times bestselling author of Sometimes I Lie
“Psychological suspense that rivets. Imaginatively conceived and deftly executed.” — Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star
“An auspicious thriller debut...a cracklingly suspenseful story for a long winter’s night.” — Publishers Weekly
“Foley excels at the small details that make up a person… builds the tension cleverly and creepily, underlining the point that old friends aren’t always the best.” — The Observer (London)
“A great update on the classic country house murder… brilliantly builds the tension.” — Good Housekeeping, UK
“A claustrophobic, compulsive read.” — Tatler (UK)
“The suspense will keep you reading long after lights out.” — Woman & Home (UK)
“Anyone who’s grown apart from old friends will recognize the yearning depicted here to make everything as it was....Readers are left wondering until the end which guest has died as well as who the killer is; they will be well rewarded by the story’s ending.” — Booklist
“Very gripping and so good on the awfulness of some long-history friendships!” — Sophie Hannah
“Hugely entertaining. Full of surprises. This is a clever, twisting page-turner of the highest order. I loved it.” — Simon Kernick
“A brilliant, addictive, claustrophobic read.” — Karen Hamilton, author of The Perfect Girlfriend
“I loved THE HUNTING PARTY – a gripping, eerie thriller set in a beautifully imagined remote wilderness with pitch-perfect characters.” — Laura Marshall
“The Secret History meets And Then There Were None, this is a fantastic crime debut.” — Cass Green
“A first rate murder mystery with a cast of well crafted characters, secret upon secret and a healthy dose of deceit. You won’t look at your old friends in the same way when you read this book. I hugely enjoyed it. Guaranteed to be a huge hit.” — C.L. Taylor
“Thrilling and atmospheric. I loved this thoroughly modern and glamorous update of the country house murder mystery.” — Tasmina Perry
“Twisty, layered and compulsive. I raced through the pages in a hunt to discover the truth.” — Lucy Clarke
”[A] brilliant, edgy book about friendship and obsession. Atmospheric, spooky, dripping with threat, it’s a book to dig your claws into and not let go.” — Julia Crouch
“Brilliant characterisation. And great fun!” — Harriet Tyce
“It was gripping and exciting and wonderfully written, of course, with such incredible characters and a wonderful twist that I really didn’t see coming. I bloody loved it.” — Louise O’Neill
“Reminded me of The Party mixed with In a Dark Dark Wood with a dash of And Then There Were None.” — Sarah Vaughan
“Grab a blanket and read the surprising things that happen when highly educated English people let their hair down.” — Mystery Scene
Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star
Psychological suspense that rivets. Imaginatively conceived and deftly executed.
People
A tense, perfectly paced murder mystery.
Alex Michaelides
My favorite kind of whodunit, kept me guessing all the way through, and reminiscent of Agatha Christie at her best — with an extra dose of acid.
Wendy Walker
Everyone is a suspect in Lucy Foley’s clever murder mystery that harkens back to Agatha Christie and the Orient Express. Friends, lovers, strangers and murder at a secluded hunting lodge make for an absolutely delicious read!
The Times (London)
Lucy Foley proves that the traditional country-house murder formula…can still work brilliantly.… Superb."
National Geographic
Like a deliciously drawn out game of Clue, this novel brings together a group of Oxford friends at a remote Scottish highlands estate for the Christmas holidays....Foley paints such a vivid hunting-lodge-and-lochs setting that you’ll immediately be booking your own highland fling, clandestine killers or no.
Alice Feeney
An addictive murder mystery full of suspense, secrets and surprises. I loved it!
A.J. Finn
A ripping, riveting murder mystery—wily as Agatha Christie, charged with real menace, real depth. Perfect for fans of Ruth Ware.
Popsugar
Fans of Ruth Ware will likely rip through The Hunting Party at warp speed.
National Geographic
Like a deliciously drawn out game of Clue, this novel brings together a group of Oxford friends at a remote Scottish highlands estate for the Christmas holidays....Foley paints such a vivid hunting-lodge-and-lochs setting that you’ll immediately be booking your own highland fling, clandestine killers or no.
Mystery Scene
Grab a blanket and read the surprising things that happen when highly educated English people let their hair down.
Cass Green
The Secret History meets And Then There Were None, this is a fantastic crime debut.
Lucy Clarke
Twisty, layered and compulsive. I raced through the pages in a hunt to discover the truth.
Louise O’Neill
It was gripping and exciting and wonderfully written, of course, with such incredible characters and a wonderful twist that I really didn’t see coming. I bloody loved it.
Julia Crouch
”[A] brilliant, edgy book about friendship and obsession. Atmospheric, spooky, dripping with threat, it’s a book to dig your claws into and not let go.
Tatler (UK)
A claustrophobic, compulsive read.
Simon Kernick
Hugely entertaining. Full of surprises. This is a clever, twisting page-turner of the highest order. I loved it.
The Observer (London)
Foley excels at the small details that make up a person… builds the tension cleverly and creepily, underlining the point that old friends aren’t always the best.
Harriet Tyce
Brilliant characterisation. And great fun!
Sarah Vaughan
Reminded me of The Party mixed with In a Dark Dark Wood with a dash of And Then There Were None.
Woman & Home (UK)
The suspense will keep you reading long after lights out.
Karen Hamilton
A brilliant, addictive, claustrophobic read.
Laura Marshall
I loved THE HUNTING PARTY – a gripping, eerie thriller set in a beautifully imagined remote wilderness with pitch-perfect characters.
Booklist
Anyone who’s grown apart from old friends will recognize the yearning depicted here to make everything as it was....Readers are left wondering until the end which guest has died as well as who the killer is; they will be well rewarded by the story’s ending.
C.L. Taylor
A first rate murder mystery with a cast of well crafted characters, secret upon secret and a healthy dose of deceit. You won’t look at your old friends in the same way when you read this book. I hugely enjoyed it. Guaranteed to be a huge hit.
Sophie Hannah
Very gripping and so good on the awfulness of some long-history friendships!
Good Housekeeping
A great update on the classic country house murder… brilliantly builds the tension.
Tasmina Perry
Thrilling and atmospheric. I loved this thoroughly modern and glamorous update of the country house murder mystery.
Booklist
Anyone who’s grown apart from old friends will recognize the yearning depicted here to make everything as it was....Readers are left wondering until the end which guest has died as well as who the killer is; they will be well rewarded by the story’s ending.
Times (London)
Lucy Foley proves that the traditional country-house murder formula…can still work brilliantly.… Superb.
Times (London)
Lucy Foley proves that the traditional country-house murder formula…can still work brilliantly.… Superb.
National Geographic
Like a deliciously drawn out game of Clue, this novel brings together a group of Oxford friends at a remote Scottish highlands estate for the Christmas holidays....Foley paints such a vivid hunting-lodge-and-lochs setting that you’ll immediately be booking your own highland fling, clandestine killers or no.
Louise O'Neill
It was gripping and exciting and wonderfully written, of course, with such incredible characters and a wonderful twist that I really didn’t see coming. I bloody loved it.
Library Journal - Audio
04/01/2019
Foley's (The Book of Lost and Found) latest title features a group of old friends who travel to the Scottish Highlands over New Year's and are trapped by a blizzard. One guest dies, though listeners are kept guessing which one it is until the very end. Practically everyone there—including the caretaker, Heather, and groundskeeper Doug—has at least one dark secret, all of which are revealed in this neatly plotted, fast-paced locked-room mystery. Readers Gary Furlong, Elle Newlands, Morag Sims, Imogen Church, and Moira Quirk handle the shifting points of view with aplomb, easily navigating dramatic emotional shifts and ramping up the tension. VERDICT Recommend to listeners who loved Ruth Ware's In a Dark, Dark Wood or other character-driven suspense. ["Agatha Christie fans will shiver as they imagine themselves in snow-covered woods, silence amplifying their fear of not knowing…who might be next to die": LJ Xpress Reviews 1/25/19 review of the Harper hc.]—Stephanie Klose, Library Journal
FEBRUARY 2019 - AudioFile
Five talented narrators deliver a shivery story in the style of an Agatha Christie mystery. One by one, the 13 people who are trapped by snow in an isolated lodge in the Scottish Highlands are found dead. Since this is a psychological thriller, most of the trapped guests and staff have ample opportunity to reveal their feelings about the past and present. Each chapter is written from the point of view of one of the suspects/victims—each portrayed by one of the five actors: Gary Furlong, Elle Newlands, Morag Sims, Imogen Church, and Moira Quirk. They move easily from Scottish burrs to the cadences of Oxford English. The format builds suspense but requires concentration to keep track of who is speaking. Listeners will be gripped by this contemporary take on the classic locked-room mystery. D.L.G. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2018-10-28
Ever since college, these nine friends have remained close. This year, only eight of them will go home from their New Years' party.
While Miranda and Katie are childhood friends and bonded with Julien, Mark, Samira, Giles, Nick, and Bo while they were at Oxford or soon after, Emma didn't become part of the group until she married Mark just a few years ago. For that reason, she has gone all out to plan this year's New Year's gathering at a remote Scottish hunting lodge. "Very exclusive," she reports. "They only let four parties stay there each year." She's had the place stocked with truffles, foie gras, and other delicacies, and Miranda and Julien have brought a case of Dom Pérignon. As we turn the first page of Foley's (The Invitation, 2016, etc.) debut thriller after several historical novels, it is Jan. 2, 2019. Heather, the manager of Loch Corrin, receives a breathless visit from Doug, the rough-hewn and scary/sexy gamekeeper. He has found the body of the missing guest. We won't know which guest that is, of course, for quite some time. The tense tale of this ill-fated reunion is told in flashbacks from several different characters' perspectives, each with a different angle and a different dark secret in his or her past, as is classic in this form of the whodunit. It seems likely that the killer comes from the ranks of the guests—there's a good bit of interpersonal tension, much of it generated by the extreme gorgeousness of Miranda, the queen bee of the crowd. Her relationship with her husband, Julien, is surely not the bed of roses the others believe, and her so-called best friend, Katie, seems to hate her guts. On the other hand, there's mention of a serial killer on the loose in the Highlands, so who's that sneaking around in the woods?
Plot, reasonably clever. Setting, nicely done. Characters, two-dimensional stereotypes, but you can't have everything.
