My thanks to Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for letting me on the guest list for this blog tour for – The Guest List – Lucy Foley’s second foray into publishing. A joy to read and be part of, published by Harper Collins Uk on 20th February 2020.
Another murder. Another mystery.
Guests are called to a remote island off the Irish coast to celebrate the wedding of the year – the marriage of Jules and Will. Everything has been meticulously planned, the scene is set, old friends are back together.
It should be the perfect day.
Until the discovery of a body signals the perfect murder.
A groom with a secret.
A bridesmaid with a grudge. A plus one with motive.
A best man with a past.
It could be any, it could be all . . . But one guest won’t make it out alive.
The brand-new thriller from the Sunday Times No.1 bestselling author of The Hunting Party, one of the fastest selling & highly acclaimed debut thrillers of 2019**
‘It grabs you from the off and keeps you guessing until the very end. A genuine treat of a read.’ Lisa Howells, Heat
“Both a classic whodunnit and a very contemporary psychological thriller that left me guessing right to the end – a wonderful read.’
Kate Mosse
‘Great fun. Lucy Foley is really very clever.’ Anthony Horowitz
Our Author : Lucy Foley
Lucy Foley studied English Literature at Durham and UCL universities and worked for several years as a fiction editor in the publishing industry, before leaving to write full-time.The Hunting Party, an instant Sunday Times and Irish Timesno.1 bestseller, was Lucy’s debut crime novel, inspired by a particularly remote spot in Scotland that fired her imagination. Lucy is also the author of three historical novels, which have been translated into sixteen languages. Her journalism has appeared in ES Magazine, Sunday Times Style, Grazia and more.
My Review – The Guest List
We find the guests heading off on boats, towards Cormorant Island or Inis Amploir if your Gaelic. Now if you know your folklore tales you’ll also know that the Cormorant bird is a sign of evil, greed and bad luck – not something that has stopped Jules and Will deciding to hold their wedding on the island though.
Both successful in their chosen careers, Jules is the owner of The Download, a successful online magazine. And Will is the presenter of Survive The Night a TV show that finds Will scaling mountains and being all outdoorsy and intrepid. The strong caveman type. Yet devilishly handsome, and he knows it.
Joining them is Olivia – Jules half sister, she’s very fragile, the total opposite of ballsy, confident Jules. Charlie and Hannah – Charlie is Jules best friend, they grew up together. Hannah is Charlie’s wife and feels left out – she’s the plus one. And then there’s the ushers – Duncan, Peter, Femi and Angus – A mixed bag of Will’s school friends. And then theres Johnno – Will’s Best Man – who also went to Trevallans School – Will’s Dad was the Head Master – Johnno got in on a scholarship and he’s never been allowed to forget it.
Add in to this the brides and grooms Parents and step parents, and various guests plus Aoife – the wedding planner and Freddy, her husband, chef and islands owners.
The wedding party arrived the night before the other guests and the stags start drinking games and talking about old times, becoming rather tribal and childish. Hannah and Olivia seem to hit it off, better than others. Jules and her Mother have words and it seems to spiral from there for Jules. The plan for her big day is beginning to shatter in front of her eyes. And she has to regain control of it.
The next day brings further numbers of guests to the island, but also a storm is on the horizon that creates power cuts and black outs in the marquee. It’s become clear that something happened on the stag do and it seems there’s tension between nearly everyone there now. Drinks are flowing , guests get caught out, secrets are being spilled and overheard by others, people are becoming clumsy. A body is found, confusion and blame are rife. Someone is responsible and the conclusion is reaching its crescendo.
Lucy has the great knack of characterisation – we have met someone a bit like every character at the wedding, they are people you have encountered and may or may not have liked. I really enjoyed Lucy’s previous book – The Hunting Party for the very same reason. Although scenery and place are mentioned and described beautifully, its her characters that for me, make her books so very enjoyable. Because, we don’t like everyone all the time, its just not possible and we all know someone a little like Will, Jules or Miranda, larger than life characters that stand out, for not always the best reasons, but they are there and they make impacts on all of us.
To buy The Guest List – https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Lucy-Foley/The-Guest-List/23868286
@lucyfoleytweets @HarperCollinsUK @annecater #TheGuestList
I had the pleasure of meeting Lucy Foley at Waterstones in Oxford, during one of their Crime and Wine events, they hold them monthly and have some great authors attend, check on their website for more information. https://www.waterstones.com/events
