Old uni friends get together every year to catch up, reconnect and reflect on the adventures of their youth. This year it's in a remote resort in picturesque Scotland. Suddenly the weather turns, cutting them off from civilisation, and tempers flair hotly. A number of deeply buried secrets are revealed and someone will lose his or her life. But which one?!?!?

The Hunting Party was a refreshing read. We take each chapter in turn being from the perspective of one of the old friends or the two people managing the resort during their stay. We get the inside scoop on each character, a lot of gossip from their shared bygone days and what they honestly think of one another. This was a perfect bedtime read as it kept me interested while the drama gradually built to dangerous consequences. There are some great twists. Had I been sharper I would have guessed a few of them but I like the element of surprise too much to spoil it.

This is a cleverly written book that not just delves into the structure of the relationship between these friends but exposes issues as they pertain to the two caretakers. They've got a story all their own to tell as well and it helps drive the plot forward. A good read, especially if you are a member of a tight-knit group of friends.

I have to start by saying that this was a superb book to read and kept me on my toes throughout.the beginning is slow as Lucy is setting the stage by describing the characters and their interrelationships in great detail, but at 5he same time she is using alternate chapters to describe past and present. Gradually the story became unputdownable and I loved it in all its details.
The group of people met at Oxford university and have always arranged an annual get together at New Year. This years event was in an isolated Highland lodge in Scotland and all their plans go awry when one of them is murdered. Lucy has managed to tell the reader about the murder but not who was murdered and the story details all the troubles involving the characters thus keeping the reader on the edge and not sure of who has been murdered or why.the build up was gradual and I really felt that I knew and understood the characters well. The story closes well by clearing up all the false trails and bringing an end to the suspense.

Summary

Every year, for New Year’s, a group of friends go away together. They are old friends, from university, although there are a few extras who have joined the group as they’ve entered relationships, had children. This year is no different. Emma, a fairly new member to the group, has arranged a break in a secluded lodge somewhere in Scotland. It isn’t long, however, before they get snowed in, tensions rise and a body is found. Someone at the lodge is a killer.

Plot

The book is told in two timelines. One timeline follows the group of friends in the run up to the body being found. The second follows the manager and gamekeeper at the lodge following the discovery. This added an extra level of intensity to the novel, especially as the identity of the victim is not revealed until towards the end. The dual dynamic of past and future brought the various threads together, revealing clues while still leaving you guessing. It is also told through multiple perspectives, meaning that you see different sides to events but not necessarily at the same time. While there were some parts which were a little predictable, this pacing and structure of the plot led to a satisfying ending.

Characters

While there are a number of POV characters, there aren’t actually that many characters in The Hunting Party. This means that Foley is able to give each one enough attention and truly bring them to life. While the most intriguing characters are those with their own perspectives being told, who have the most to gain and the most to lose, each of the other characters have their own secrets and mysteries, all of which is revealed throughout the book. Indeed, there is only one primary character who comes across as a little flat – Samira, the new mother whose interesting characteristics (as mentioned by other characters) are wiped away by the birth of her child. Aside from her, I enjoyed reading about each of the other characters and discovering what flaws and weaknesses they have been hiding.

World/Setting

The setting of this novel is a lodge with large grounds in the Scottish Highlands, around New Year’s Day, where snowfall has cut it off from the world. This setting plays into the themes of the book, heightening the sense of isolation and the strained dynamics of the characters. It forces the characters together and brings to light memories of the past, as well as perhaps less-welcomed characteristics, that all contribute to the over-arching plot. The setting helps tie everything together: the characters, the mystery, the various threads, into one concise story.

Final Thoughts

Overall, this was a thrilling mystery. There as certainly a hint of Agatha Christie in the pages, but the author successfully managed to put her own spin on things. The claustrophobic atmosphere brought on by location and the small cast really contributed to suspense in the story, especially as things started to unravel. While it was slow in places, the gradual build up did work to the book’s favour and it was still an enjoyable read. This is an author I will likely read again.

Escaping to the wild and wonderful Scottish Highlands seems like the ideal venue for a New Year's celebration, but what if everyone has a secret? Their university days are long gone, but the pecking order and rivalries are intensified. The cracks in the party atmosphere begin on the train journey north.

This story begins with the tragedy and uses a series of chronological multi-point of view chapters to illuminate the current situation. The characters are complex and realistic, and in most cases not likeable. Everyone has something to hide but how far will they go to keep it under wraps? The setting and inclement weather makes this an atmospheric read that compels you to turn the pages to see what happens next.

This is more of a murder mystery than a psychological thriller because the story is told through the eyes of several characters, both in the group of friends and the two people who work at the venue where they are staying, rather than an individual unreliable protagonist.

The plot is convoluted and sinister, there are multiple suspects and the identity of the victim remains hidden until the final chapters.

The remote party setting and the toxicity of the relationships has parallels with Sue Fortin's The Birthday Girl, which I also enjoyed. Perfect holiday reading.

I received a copy of this book from Harper Collins - Harper Fiction via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I could kiss Lucy Foley- she is quite simply a wonderful writer with a real talent for creating tension and suspense. She plots so cleverly and with this ‘and then there where none’ vibe of a group of friends cut off from the world by a blizzard in the Scottish highland, one is dead and one of them is a killer. Edge of your seat stuff- I read this in one day on a train between Prague and Vienna. It’s evocative, clever and is a top rated crime thriller.

I am never going into the highland in winter again- I was looking over my shoulder on the train in summer. Really effective dialogue and atmospheric tension. It’s a must read.

I really enjoyed this book, with its beautifully drawn, flawed characters. The bleakness of the Scottish highlands is a perfect metaphor for the empty lives of the main characters. The murder mystery part of the book is very well done, you don't even know the identity of the victim until nearly the end of the book. The identity of the murderer came as a shock to me, there were as many suspects as a Christie novel. This is a book that I had to tear myself away from every time life got in the way of reading. Fabulous.

It is impossible to read this book without thinking of Agatha Christie. A group of people, each with their own personality and agenda, gathered together in a remote location when things start to go downhill. In this instance it is a group of friends who attended Oxford who gather each New Year’s Eve and this year it is in a remote Scottish region. The plot is revealed through the point of view of various characters: Emma, Katie, Miranda, Heather and Doug and is split between before the murder and after. Each chapter reveals a little more of the personalities involved and their motivation and secrets. Even the staff at the lodge has their own secrets and the author cleverly conceals the identity of the victim for much of the book.

So, with a nod to the Golden Age of Detective Fiction, this is well-worth a read but it is no way an old-fashioned book and if you like a less gruesome who dunnit, this is for you.

Thank you to the author, publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

Some things are done because they have always been done and well the yearly get together of Oxford University besties was one of those things. Some of the group had been accepted at Oxford on the ‘it is who you know rather than what you know’, sort of right of passage, while the others were a quite gifted bunch. The group had hired cabins at an exclusive Lodge in Scottish Highlands, as a Hunting Party for New Year celebrations, with the understanding that they would be the only ones there, along with the Employees Doug, Iain and Heather but another couple from Iceland, had also booked in. This still made the group feel invaded, even in the fifty thousand acres they were in.
The weather was pretty bleak and the news of a Jack the Ripper kind of bloke on the loose in the area was flying round the news stations. When a body is discovered by Doug, the story drops back in time to when the group first arrives. The now thirty somethings are partying again like freshmen, with a lot of booze, a few drugs, a lot of nostalgia and a little the hunting of deer. The story is told through the different characters and the hierarchy soon falls into place where people slot in.
It seems that everyone has secrets, including the employees and this is the perfect hideout if you want to stay out of the limelight. Once this very brittle house of cards begins to crumble it goes big style with after shocks that are just as jaw dropping. I loved getting to know these often spineless, unlikable characters as they did make for excellent entertainment. A brilliant whodunit style book that sits up there with the best of them. Loved it!
I wish to thank NetGalley for an e-copy of this book which I have truthfully reviewed.

This has all the ingredients of a good book. A vast range of characters, each with their secrets (and mostly unlikeable), multiple perspectives on the same events which layer nicely, a dark and brooding landscape, unreliable narrators as supporting characters, and a pervading sense of doom...

somehow, it falls short and although it builds suspense nicely, it feels far longer a book than it actually is. I really wanted to know who/what/how so carried on reading... a great outcome but I wouldn't rush to read it again. Others have raved about it, so maybe I missed something.

3*

Friends in a remote location with secrets and longings dating back to their student days. Entertaining but somewhat predictable version of a well worn formula. The plot will not tax your detective powers and too often the plot twists are signposted long before they appear, as if the author could not wait to reveal her imaginative skills. However, the characters are well crafted and the narrative carries the tale forward at a pace.

A group of friends meet for a reunion. They all have secrets including the employees of the resort. This was an enthralling read as the secrets were slowly revealed. I kept changing my mind as to who would be the victim and who was the murderer. This will keep you reading until the end. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Hunting Party is a brilliant whodunnit, well-written, atmospheric, with intriguing plot and well-developed, memorable characters. I liked the structure of the book, with different POVs and two separate timelines, which gave a real insight into the characters. From the beginning we know that a murder had been committed, however until almost the very end it's unclear who the victim is and the possible motives for the murder are gradually revealed as the story unfolds, which masterfully increases the suspense.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Hunting Party and will be on a lookout for more books by Lucy Foley.
Many thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins Publishers for the ARC.

As other reviewers have mentioned this has all the hallmarks of an old fashioned murder mystery with a limited cast of characters & one of them is the murderer.

A group of friends from uni their partners get together every new year. Each year a different person chooses the location & plans the trip. This year the 'planner' is Emma- a bit of an outsider as she is the partner of one of the uni crowd, although she had been with Mark, her partner for a number of years. Instead of a country house we have a hunting lodge in the Scottish Highlands & the characters become trapped due to snow. The tale is told from a couple of timescales & couple of points of view.

Fairly early on we know someone had died. We don't know who it is though, which is an interesting twist. I kept being sure I knew who was the victim & changing my mind.

This was a very enjoyable 'whodunnit' (& to who!!) Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

I enjoyed reading this book. Different premise from the norm which is refreshing and intriguing. Plenty of twists and turns to keep me guessing until the end. Would definitely recommend this this novel and look forward to her next book. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

Trust nobody!! Not even those you consider friends! That's what I got from reading this enjoyable and creepy thriller that keeps you guessing right to the end!

A group of friends hire a Scottish Lodge for a New Year break/party and before they even get there, old tensions between some of them begin to rumble and you're left wondering why some of them are even still friends! They had all changed so much since their University days, and even back then it seems that their friendships often didn't run smoothly!

Things don't improve when they're all settled in their rooms and taking part in a hunt and enjoying the festivities put on by those in charge of the hunting lodge. The gamekeeper and manager - Doug and Heather - are used to a variety of guests by now but even they are shocked by some of the behaviour and notice simmering arguments begin to bubble up and do their best to stay away as much as they can.

And then one of the party goes missing - the action then flits between the discovery of the body and them waiting for the police to arrive, to back when they first arrived a few days before and the build up to the grim discovery.

It wasn't easy to like many of the characters as they do come across as quite spoiled, privileged and unhinged!, and with so many grudges and 'pasts' between them there are many suspects and motives to be acted upon. There's also interesting glimpses into the pasts of both Doug and Heather which really does add something extra to the mix and it isn't revealed until quite late who has actually been killed which was another clever aspect! I even felt like murdering a couple of the characters to be honest!!

Overall I found this to be a fast paced and gripping story that kept me on the edge of my seat while I was reading!

Absolutely loved this book from start to finish. A fantastically atmospheric tale perfect for a winters evening. The story teases with clues along the way but you can't guess the murderer if you don't even know who the victim is! Very cleverly written, a definite book club candidate.

A group of friends are snowed in at a hunting lodge over new year. It’s a tradition they started years ago and this year they’ve picked an isolated estate in the Scottish highlands. As the snow falls, murder and mayhem set in and it appears one of them is a killer.

The book goes between the days leading up to new year and the days shortly afterwards. The book is likened to a traditional Agatha Christie novel and it works well. The atmosphere of a deserted lodge with just the guests and a couple of staff surrounded by snow that has cut them off from the outside world all adds to the suspense. It’s a book you can really get your teeth into with some complex characters that will have you questioning ‘who done it!’

Brilliantly written, I would give this book 4.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins UK and the author for the chance to review.

Claustrophobic, Christie-like story about a group of (so called) friends going to a distant, inaccessible lodge in Scotland for a Hogmanay weekend where they get snowed in.... And of course, there is a murrrda.

A motley crew of middle class, almost middle aged, former Oxfordonians trying to revisit a brief period of friendship during their time in academia..... So glad my life took a different route! Painting the picture of life in the distant and recent past, the story is told from the perspective of various characters. Held my interest to the end but not a book I would read again.

This was an awesome story with an old school mystery kind of feel we don’t get enough these days. I was hooked until the end and the payoff was superb! So well written!

From the start of the book we know that a murder has taken place in a quiet, idyllic part of Scotland. A group of close friends have gone to spend New Year’s Eve together and somehow one dies.

We learn what has happened through a series of flashbacks and present day dialogue told from different characters’ points of view. And we don’tearn until much later who has actually died. We also learn how many secrets are being kept by guests and staff alone

A fantastic read and highly recommended