This is the second book I’ve read by Lucy Foley. In my opinion it’s very similar to The Guest List in that there are many characters to remember and suspense builds throughout. It’s worth reading of you’re a fan of thrillers. I was excited to read it but I don’t think Lucy Foley’s writing us quite my cup of tea. Nonetheless, I’m very grateful to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK to have been given the opportunity to read and review The Hunting Party.

I didn't manage to finish this book. I struggled a short way in, but found there to be no redeeming qualities to any of the cast - main or supporting. Upon discovering the body of one of the guests, I didn't continue far enough to find out who it was. This, I realise now, is because I didn't care. I found each of the main characters to be self absorbed and narcissistic - unpleasant, and fully unlikeable. The supporting cast were no better, with the other guests portrayed as weird, the two staff as damaged loners with a dark past. When I cannot connect with the characters from the start, it leaves my chances of finishing the book in tatters.

The Hunting Party is a brilliantly gripping book with a lot of suspense and perfect pace. I would highly recommend.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Lucy Foley's novel, The Hunting Party, is a thrilling murder mystery that keeps readers engaged from start to finish. The story is set in a remote hunting lodge in the Scottish Highlands, where a group of friends reunites for a New Year's Eve celebration. As the snow falls and tensions rise, a murder takes place, and everyone becomes a suspect.

Foley's writing style is descriptive, and she captures the beauty and isolation of the Scottish wilderness with vivid detail. The characters are well-developed, and their flaws and secrets add to the suspense of the plot. The alternating perspectives of the characters allow readers to see the events from multiple angles, keeping them guessing until the very end.

However, some readers may find the pacing of the book slow in places, and the plot twists predictable. Additionally, the number of characters introduced at the beginning of the novel may be overwhelming for some.

Overall, The Hunting Party is a solid murder mystery with well-drawn characters and an atmospheric setting. While it may not be groundbreaking in terms of plot or pacing, it is an enjoyable read for fans of the genre.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a brilliant read. As soon as I started reading this book I just knew I was going to love it. Highly recommended

The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley is a suspenseful and gripping thriller set in the remote and secluded Scottish Highlands. It's the turn of the year and nine old friends reunite in celebration and the catching up of old stories. Little do they know what horror awaits them. A sudden blizzard descends and leaves them trapped with a dead body. The friends realise it's no accident; a murder has occurred. They must work together to unravel the truth, no matter how devastating it may be, before the blizzard subsides. Lucy Foley is a masterful storyteller and her writing style really draws the reader in, making The Hunting Party an exhilarating, edge-of-your-seat read. Fans of murder mysteries and suspense novels won't want to miss this. Highly recommended!

Stunning book! Had me gripped from the start. Loved it. Well written, brilliant characters, and totally thrilling.

I love Lucy Foley and everything that she writes, and this is an incredible debut. Tense, captivating and unpredictable!

*Huge thanks to ‘HarperCollins’ and ‘Netgalley’ for providing me with an ebook for Review*

The Hunting party is very much a ‘whodunnit’. It follows a large cast of characters, a murder occurs, and they are all under suspicion. It's skillfully written with multiple POVs that fit together like a jigsaw.

I enjoyed the twists and turns and the overall mystery of the book.

My issues came with the characters and the setting. I didn’t connect with the characters at all. They seemed too far removed from my experience. I also did not like how the book was set in a hunting lodge and the hunting scene, although tastefully done, goes against my beliefs. Animals shouldn’t be hunted for fun.
Overall it’s a good thriller that will work for other people, but for me, the author has written better books.

3.5stars

My review can be found on Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/26094184-cadguycad

I really enjoyed this book. It did take me a little while to get into and found some of the characters hard to connect with but would definitely read more by this author. Thank you Netgalley for giving me an opportunity to read this book

Give me a book with an isolated, snowy setting and a group of friends who can't decide if they truly like one another and I'm on board straight away. Lucy Foley cleverly weaves a story of toxic friendships into a murder mystery that had me guessing until the very end. I loved the atmosphere created by the stark highland setting and the luxurious lifestyles of the guests. I found the writing compelling and I constantly wanted to know more. What let it down for me were just how detestable the character's were. I usually don't mind not liking the character's in a book but they were just so vile I really didn't care for their safety, in fact I thought a few more of them could have been knocked off and I would have been more than happy about it. A really good debut novel though, I'll look forward to more from this author.

A group of friends visit a remote area with no access to the outside world when celebrating New Year’s Eve. What could possibly go wrong? Well, a lot really. I don’t think I really warmed or cared about the characters completely. But to be honest, I don’t think you have to. The story is so riveting that anything could happen to any of them and you may revel in it!

I did love the isolation and whodunnit feel of this book. Full disclosure I guessed fairly on who had been killed but not why or who by. And I guessed another little side storyline of the stalker. However, it added to the thrill of just enjoying the story and not playing detective because some of the time I couldn’t figure how it would link together.

I loved watching the story unravel and the friendship group at the same time, with the different perspectives too, with alternating points of view, adding that extra element of suspicion and excitement to the story. I just had to know what happened. Because not only did we have different points of view, we had different time lines.

Each and every element of the above just drove me further into the book. I was dying to know what was going on in the future but at the same time I was itching to get back to the build-up of it all. What the heck happened?!!!!

I had a small gripe with one of the couples that brought their baby on the holiday. No problem with that, but it’s when the baby was mentioned as being left on its own in their cabin I wasn’t impressed with it. Just asking for trouble. Ignoring that, I was hooked. Hooked from the get-go by these “friends”. Learning their history and their present and their future.

And who doesn’t love a humdinger of a twist? There are a couple here!!

I would definitely read another book by Foley. She knows how to set a scene, amp up isolation and stick the knife in when she needs to. Even though we have quite a few characters, I never once felt lost with who was who. They were all distinctive with their little traits. The audiobook added to this, with the different voices. The characters were brought to life and it was like we were sitting there having a conversation about the group. I just loved that aspect.

DNF after a about 100 pages. The setting was beautiful, the writing was okay but my biggest problem with this book was I just found the characters completely unlikable. I found myself not caring about what happened to any of them and it was getting longer And longer between reading sessions and came to the conclusion I had no interest in reading anymore. So called it quits. Not for me.

A great setting of the Scottish Highlands in the middle of winter, there is a large cast of interesting characters for us to try and work out whodunnit (and indeed who they dunnit to for the most part!).

The freezing, isolated setting makes for a great, creepy atmosphere ad I enjoyed finding out more about the group of old friends as the book progressed.

A good, quick thriller!

Had heard rave reviews of this one but it fell flat for me. Very slow and found it boring. Read til the end but wish I had stopped it earlier.

An enjoyable and fun murder mystery, set in the Scottish Highlands, The Hunting Party follows a group of friends and the owners of the lodge as the past collides with the present, leaving blood in the water. Fast-paced and intriguing, this is a great addition to Foley's work.

Read April 2021.

9 friends go on a New Year's vacation to a hunting lodge in the Scottish Highlands but not all of them will leave alive. A body has been found and everyone is snowed in... with the killer!

This book is told in dual timeline - leading up to the murder, and after the body is found - and has 5 points of view/narrators. I struggled at times to separate the voices and would have to use context clues to identify them. The blurb implied that everyone in the group had massive secrets to cover up but actually only a few did. Several of the characters seemed pointless in their inclusion, so little time was focused on them. The secrets we did find out took a little too long to be revealed and one in particular was a bit too cliche and a letdown.

By the end the author seemed confused by her own timeline. In the "now" chapters an unidentified guest was described as missing yet as the "before" chapters got closer to that time no-one was declared as missing. I did quite enjoy the fact that we didn't know who the victim or perpetrator were until the very moment of occurence.

The ending was a little abrupt and there was also a random extra side plot shoe-horned in which had little relevance to the rest of the novel.

This had the one thing I love in a murder mystery a great isolated winter setting but in the end it fell short for me.

Great setting, great idea, but ultimately in the end I didn't really care whodunit or who the dead body was, not a great feeling to have by the end of a book. The main characters are all pretty unlikable which doesn't bother me but i ended up caring more about 2 side characters who are not the central focus although I did like their little wrap up.

A average murder mystery but one I know lots of people have enjoyed just wasn't quite for me.

Thank you so much to netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review

3.5 stars.
I did enjoy the setting and the chapters being from a different POV and flicking between a 'before' and 'during/after' timeline but I didn't like the characters. Like at all. BUT this also made it an entertaining read as I didn't really care for any of them but at the same time, I wanted to keep reading just to see what the next bit of drama was going to be. There was some good plot twists as well, some more predictable than others but still enjoyable.

I definitely feel like the epilogue came a bit too soon, maybe another chapter or so would've tied it all together a bit more for me.