What would happen if you were at a dinner party and you had to write your darkest secret on paper? In The Dinner Party by R.J. Parker the guests at Ted and Juliette’s dinner party play a game that changes each of their lives. Some of their lives end and the ones that live are forever changed.
This book was a page turner from the start. The way the characters relationships were interwoven with complexity kept me turning the pages to find out what happened to each of them. Thus making this book a quick read. I rate this 4/5 stars and was given this ARC courtesy of netgalley and the publisher in return for my honest feedback.

A decent thriller. Not up there with of the best ever but a nice and easy read all the same. A good writer x

Really great, intense, twisty, turny, can't-put-it-down book! Loved this! Reads really fast with short chapters (ala James Patterson). I will definitely be looking for more books by RJ Parker! Can't wait to introduce my book club to it, they will love it!

The Dinner Party is a classic domestic mystery novel. For readers expecting the psychological thriller that is advertised, you may be disappointed. While the premise of the plot is intriguing, the pace is a bit slow and foreshadows any trepidation set by the author. The characterization is well-developed for the main character who is also the narrator of the story but all other character development fails to reach any further than surface depth. All in all, a mediocre read. Recommended for those just getting started in this genre. 3 stars.

Thank you to #NetGalley for this ARC, which I read and reviewed voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I found this book a slow starter and it took me a while to get into it but I'm glad I kept going. It had some really good twists I didnt see coming which is always a brill thing to happen.
I will be looking out for more by this writer as once the book did pick ip I really enjoyed it

A compelling thriller, brilliant narration, had me doubting everyone and everything and kept me reading until the end. Thoroughly enjoyed this one although I felt I was missing something at the end.

Three couples play at a game at a dinner party. Each individual must place a secret in a sealed envelope. Their spouse, in an act of trust, must forgive them for whatever is in the envelope and then burn it without reading it. But when the guests have returned home, and one of them calls the host, panicked, saying that her husband has gone berserk, it seems the real game has only just begun. Someone is protecting a secret. And they’ll do anything to make sure it doesn’t see the light of day...

So while I loved the premise for this book, there were problems from the off. The characters are untrustworthy and unlikeable across the board (I didn’t even like the kid), and the chapters ended in really strange places - it felt like midway through a scene sometimes. And then the next chapter would just pick up where the last one left off, making the chapter break pointless - there was no question, no cliffhanger, just a sentence, then a new chapter...and another sentence that picked up from where the last one left off. Very jarring.

I found the plot very unbelievable too - the decisions the characters made were completely off the wall, the police were incompetent at best, and I found the whole thing both and messy and infuriating. It wasn’t well paced at all, the tension barely rose (except for the scene right at the end), and I just felt like it was a whole lot of wading through treacle. I was hoping the would be redeemed by a really tight ending, but...well, it wasn’t. It’s not often I feel wholly disappointed in a book, but I truly disliked this one.

Thank you to NetGalley who provided me with a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A whodunit in a domestic setting? I'm in! This sounded like a thriller fan's wet dream (or rather, mine) because I was under the (wrong) impression that this would be an Agatha Christie-like whodunit where everyone is stranded in a single location as they slowly get killed off one by one. But no matter, I loved the premise and couldn't put this book down.

Alas, despite the promising storyline and many characters, this whodunit did not have the desired impact. I thought the reason/explanation behind the game was silly, trivial and unbelievable, especially seeing how it was the game that sparked off all the tension and murder and pretty much the entire book. Great build-up (secrets! lies! shady characters!), but weak delivery.

I did not feel surprised or mind-blown by the "reveal", though I didn't dislike it either. It was just... meh. The ending, while I wouldn't call it rushed or abrupt, left quite a bit to be desired. I guess I just wanted an emotional punch, though it didn't come since I didn't care for any of the characters or what happened to them. As the entire story is from Ted's POV, it was hard feeling for the other characters, thin as they already were.

A relatively quick read full of promise, but ultimately bland and lacking heart and soul.

The Dinner Party by RJ Parker was not what I was expecting at all. While I did enjoy it I found it very hard to believe the characters and the plot. The ending was a mess and completely out there. I was disappointed as I was expecting it to be better than it was. None of the characters were at all likeable and I found it hard to believe that any of it could be happening.

4 couples reunite for a dinner party. After the meal they are talked into playing a truth game and that is when the trouble begins. They have all consumed a lot of alcohol tensions rise. Early the next morning one of them is dead and it look so like they were murdered by their partner. It goes on from there, with secrets and lies doing nothing to make life easy for this group of people.

Thanks to Harper Impulse, Killer Reads and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased

I have to go with the general consensus on this one: it's a solid three stars.

On the positive side, it's a quick read and the short chapters make it easy to keep turning pages.

On the negative side, the entire plot is thoroughly implausible and the writing is flat. The only vivid descriptions are the gory scenes; I was left none the wiser about any of the characters or their motivations.

I'd find it hard to recommend this as a purchase to anyone, but you might want to borrow it from the library if you have time to kill.

Thank you to Harper Impulse and Killer Reads, and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of this book sounded intriguing, and I really wanted to like this book. Spoiler: I hated it. It was a long slog through lots of strange and stilted dialogue and inexplicable actions from flat and one-dimensional characters. The plot could have been the basis for a good solid thriller, but there was - at least for me - nothing that helped me engage with any part of this story.

Goodreads review here (direct link not possible): https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2974601619

What a brilliant book, easy reading, short chapters and a story line that I got into from the very first page.

This is my first read from this author and I thoroughly enjoyed this well developed story with good characters.

Well done R.J. Parker I hope to read more from you in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Impulse Killers Reads for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

HE'S BACK.....R.J.Parker (aka Richard Parker) one of the masters of the ordinary guy finding himself thrust into situations that are out of his control stories returns with another gripping stand-alone thriller.

Four couples who are apparently life long friends get together at one of the couple's houses for one of their regular dinner parties. It all appears to start off ok although even from the beginning the reader gets the feeling that these people are not as close as they pretend to be. There is tension in the air and the atmosphere gets worse after one of the women suggests that they play a game called the truth game.

What starts off as an innocent dinner party swiftly descends into.a twisty tale of murder,lies,deception,secrets and betrayals that hooks the reader in from the first page,keeps you guessing and frantically turning the pages.

The story is narrated entirely by Ted who was the host of the dinner party along with his partner Juliette. We follow him as he tries to discover what the hell is going on,why his friends are being killed and by whom,why it appears that Juliette is keeping things from him. Why his life is suddenly falling apart because of one stupid party game and why don't Juliette and their friends what him to tell the police about the game. Out of all the realistic characters,apart from Ted's son Georgie who was a wonderful character, Ted was my favourite character and I found myself routing for him as his life unravelled around him,he found himself in danger and not knowing who he could trust. I can't honestly say that I liked Juliette or any of the other friends for various reasons and I wasn't very impressed with DI Renton either.

I really really love Richard Parker's thrillers and The Dinner Party was no exception. Fast paced,packed full of twists and turns,vivid characters and intense hero in danger moments. The chapters are short and snappy and give the reader a very bad case of Just one more chapter syndrome. As always this is a extremely well written thriller and is worth far more than five stars. I think this very talented author deserves far more recognition. Very very highly recommended

This book was actually better than I thought it was going to be. Reading the description, I thought the entire book was going to take place at the dinner party. I thought it was going to be like all the other books where friends get together and someone is a killer. It wasn't! Easy read. Quick read for me, but an ending I never would have guessed.

Party games and alcohol do not mix well. What starts as a lovely evening amoung friends, ends in tension and secrets. Hours later and someone is dead, What secrets were worth killing over?
Really enjoyed this tale. Ted is a little clueless but his drive to find the truth is what spurs the book forwards. I would get to the end of a chapter and have no choice but to carry on. This book was consumed in a day. I didn't predict the ending which is unusual for me. I loved how the book started with a bloody scene, a teaser of what was to come. Whose leg was Ted holding onto?
The only critique I have is I would have liked to see more from some of the other characters. They were all crucial to the story but I felt some of them didn't have enough back story to help us understand their motives - Orla in particular.
Can't wait to read more of this authors tales.
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC, this is my honest review.

I enjoyed this novel very much. The characters were extremely well drawn and sympathetic, and the story line was seamless. Highly reccomend this excellent book.

The Dinner Party by  R. J. Parker is an easy interesting read. At times this story is like a comedy of errors, with the reader shaking their head, wondering what else could possibly go wrong.  I was given an early copy to review.

The Dinner Party
By R.J. Parker ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Publication Date: October 18, 2019
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⭐️This story starts out fast paced and never lets up. It’s riveting from the very beginning. It does not give you a breather which I really enjoyed. I would recommend this book as a read for someone who is new to thrillers or is very versed. I would also recommend this as a quick vacation read.
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⭐️The characters are well developed and stand on their own. Each of the characters has their own distinct voice and part that they lend to the story.
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⭐️ The premise of the storyline, which I won’t spoil because I think it gives too much away, gives the book such a tense atmosphere. The whole way through you have a feeling of angst and anticipation. It’s just incredible!
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⭐️ I felt the story unraveled very well. It revealed information in just the right way. Not too much at once, just enough to leave you anticipating the next reveal.
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The premise of this book sounded really goo, unfortunately, the actual plot and writing did not live up to this. I found it difficult to connect to any of the characters and the couple kept blurring into one. I couldn't remember who was who and what their back stories were. The initial few chapters did have some pace but I found myself wanting to skip chapters, which is unusual for me. The ending appeared to happen quicklyand whilst it was certainly dramatic I don't think it was enough to rescue the book.

A beautifully written thriller with believable and interesting characters. Would recommend

Many thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for an ARC of this book.