They arrive at the end of December, just before an historic blizzard seals the lodge off from the outside world. Just before New Year’s Eve, a group of old university friends head to an isolated estate in the Scottish Highlands for their annual getaway. It boasts a strong sense of place and engaging characters, but the presentation choices really lessen the story’s impact. How do you seed the story, playing fair with your reader without giving too much away, and hold their attention throughout? I was thinking about this a lot after reading Lucy Foley’s debut crime novel, 2019’s The Hunting Party, because it tries something different and doesn’t quite land it. The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley is a classic whodunnit that will keep you guessing up to the end.Writing murder mysteries is a hard task. Most everyone is despicable in their own way, just playing nice with one another. A page-turner, I stayed up late reading this thriller. I am really into this book! Lucy Foley paints a portrait of friends who have grown apart.

It’s plain this was murder – the only question is, who did it? Could it be one of the guests? Or the Highland Ripper whose still on the loose? THE VERDICT When Doug finds one of the guests dead on the rocks below a bridge, he shows Heather. Staying at a remote estate can be tranquil, but when a snowstorm hits, everyone is stranded. And then we have to ask ourselves – do we still have anything in common with these people? Stuck in a Snowstorm That’s the trouble though, isn’t it? We grow, our interests change. The funny thing about old friends is we all fall into our old personalities when we’re together. Emma and Mark are the traditional couple who planned this weekend. Samira and Giles are the first of the crew to have a baby. Miranda and Julian are the glamorous couple with loads of money. When the estate manager and groundskeeper find one of the guests – the death is anything but an accident. But, tensions run deep, and everyone has dark secrets. The Hunting Party by Lucy FoleyĪn annual getaway in the Scottish Highlands, nine friends gather for a New Year’s weekend. Special thanks to TLC Book Tours & William Morrow for providing our copy of The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley in exchange for an honest & fair review.

The hunting party by lucy foley