Oh dear. Secrets, lies, intrigue, all very drawn out and unlikely, with far too many gruesome deaths, and a disappointingly inconclusive ending. Not for me.

4 Stars from me

What a great read - would make for a fab film - think along the lines of Shallow Grave!

The Dinner Party jogged along nicely to start with and then you find yourself on a bit of a roller coaster ride as the story gathers pace. Both dangerous and silly in equal measures and definitely a book to be devoured in two sittings.

Ok so none of the characters were overly likeable, except maybe Ted, maybe, but that just means you don't get attached to them which is good for a standalone. 

I don't think I've read anything by R J Parker before but I will certainly look out for his books now!

I loved the setup of The Dinner Party. Close friends get together and what starts as a fun game leads to mounting tension between everyone who thought they knew each other so well and had previously felt secure in their relationships. The novel is well-written and I was quickly engrossed in the story. Unfortunately, he ending felt rushed and did not do justice to the first 3/4 of the book. There were too many ignorant decisions made by too many characters and it became implausible. However, overall this is a talented writer and I expect great future novels.

Thank you a Netgalley and publisher for this book.
Read this in 3 days which is quick for me when working full time. A good story, which moves at a good pace and keeps you interested, but for me the ending was a let down and didn’t finish the story properly.

I want to like the story, but the ending and characters are the hindrances to it. I love the way it was written, though. I also love how the mystery was supposed to be solved, but as I said, I didn't like the novel because of its ending. I am partly unsatisfied with how it was wrapped in the end. I guess other readers who like reading suspense would love this than me because I had high expectations of this. Overall, this was an okay read for me.

Addictive from the beginning to the end
Four marriages couple gather for a dinner and one of them decides to play the trust game. Game’s goal is good, wipe the slate clean to have a fresh start for everyone, however game’s consequences are disastrous.
The most I like is the story happens in a short time of three days. So, the reading gets a speed pace that doesn’t let you put the book down.
It’s a psychological thriller very different from the ones I have read so far, highly recommended

A group of old friends gather for a dinner party..
They are all looking forward to a night of food, wine, and catching up. One of the friends has been ill, so it has been awhile since they have all gotten together.

Four couples, each with secrets that will test their marriages, and the groups friendships.
They deicde to play a game,, that should facilitate trust and forgiveness. Instead it appears to give fuel to feelings that have been under the surface.

I enjoyed the premise of the book, and it's always interesting to see human nature be tested,, and how that can all play out in relationships. It's a little unsettling to see ordinary couples, and all we don't know that is underneath the surface, or how those relationships are behind closed doors.

The novel goes from what should be a fun night, to a suspenseful mystery where you don't know who to trust. I found myself questioning each character's decisions, and choices. Wondering why they would make certain choices, and who was hiding what? It was disturbing to see this group of friend's, and how little
they really knew about each other. And how each choice really added ro a domino effect, carching them all up in it, and spiraling to a tragic conclusion.

This book was okay to me. It did drag a little and seemed long. I definitely didn’t predict the outcome so that was nice.

Never never have I ever.. adult edition! A group of old friends meet for a diff er party. They start to play a game of secrets... it starts to strain friendships and marriages, the next day.. 2 people are found dead. Is the killer among them? Did they know something... loved this book, I love a classic who done it!

Suspenseful, yes. Plot twists, yes. Lots of characters - some you like, some not so much, yes. A dinner part that has an interesting twist - the couples each put a secret in a sealed envelope, and their partner must say "I forgive you" then burn it - no peeking.
This causes havoc to ensue, people die, secrets get revealed and things are ruined.
I enjoyed the premise of this book, it was a little messy at times, but it was a good, solid quick read that kept me guessing. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

A dinner party between friends turns deadly, but is it related to the game that was played? Ted and Juliette bring their friends together, but after an uncomfortable game of secrets and supposed forgiveness, one of their patrons ends up dead. Through a series of unlikely events, Ted tries to uncover what happened to Evie..::and Jakob.....and Connor..... As the characters paths intertwine, the secrets keep unraveling the friendships, and marriages, of all the attendees of the dinner party.

I started this book at 1 AM on Thanksgiving morning, couldn't put it down, and read until around 4 when my Kindle finally died.

It should be a super fun turkey day for my tired, premenstrual ass. Eh, I don't like turkey much anyway.

Moving on...

Truly, the first three quarters of this book is totally engrossing. It's quick, well-written, and pulls you right into the lives of these four (odd) couples. I genuinely couldn't figure out where the story was going, or why, and I was invested, friends. I really was.

Unfortunately, this book suffers from the, "no idea how to end this, so I'll just go crazy and throw everything...including the kitchen sink at you" syndrome. I hate to say it, but the ending was stupid. I loathe that word, but even with a thesaurus, it's the best way I can think to describe what I read. It went so far into implausible territory, with ignorant decisions made by one and all, that I may have done more than the occasional eye-rolling.

Despite the ending, however, I still think this one is worth reading. This author was on to something, and I foresee better work in the future.

**Many thanks to the publisher for the advance copy, in exchange for my unbiased review.

This was a fine thriller - but nothing ground breaking. The story took a while to work up to what was happening, but then resolved a little too quickly for my liking and I felt like there were a few unresolved questions at the end.

This was a great read! Had some unexpected twists and turns, which is always a nice surprise! First book that I've read by this author but it won't be the last.

#TheDinnerParty #NetGalley
R J Parker is the king of creating tension and making you shiver.
Eight friends. Eight secrets. One killer.
A group of old friends gather in a peaceful suburban street for a dinner party.
They are expecting a fun evening of wine, food and pleasant company. But then they start to play the game... What happened next? Read this book to know more.
All characters are awesome and drag you in the story from the first page. If you're planning to read a thriller that actually thrills you then this one is for you.
Thanks to NetGalley and One More Chapter for providing me an advance copy of this book.
A good read.

Ted and Juliette host a dinner party for 3 other couples. Although close friends at one point, the couples have grown apart as they've become wrapped up in their own lives and Ted sees this evening as an opportunity to reconnect. Instead, the party becomes awkward after the group decides to play a trust game. The game is intense but surely no one expected it to lead to murder--or did they?

Within hours, one guest is dead and another is suspected of murder. Ted is baffled and as he tries to figure out what has happened, he begins to realize that he doesn't really know his closest friends.

This book will appeal to readers who like domestic thrillers.

I absolutely loved the premise of this book! And immediately wanted to read it!
Unfortunately it just didn’t live up to my expectations. It became a struggle to finish and I skimmed to the end rather than not finishing.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Impulse and Killer Reads for an ARC to read and review.

It takes a lot for me to give five stars, but I LOVED this book. I could not put it down from page 1 , it had me at the edge of my seat. I am pretty good at having an idea of who the murderer is when I read a thriller but this one had my guessing to the last few pages. I highly recommend!

This was a decent pyschothriller, but not a great one.
The book starts with a dinner party with 4 couples. They end up playing a game of truth, writing a secret they have kept from their spouse on a piece of paper and then the spouse burns it, thereby forgiving them without knowing what the secret was. Due to this game the night ends with everyone feeling not all too happy. By the next morning one of the guests is dead and they all start wondering did it have something to do with the game and the secrets and were any of the other dinner guests involved.

The book was fast paced enough and not dull, but I didn't ❤️any of the characters so I didn't 💗 the book.

3 for neutral, will update if able to finally get into book enough to finish. Could be my moodiness, but seemed a bit slow and wasn’t grabbing my attention. If I’m able to get into and enjoy it later, will make sure this review is updated.