There has been a huge buzz around Lucy Foley that I simply couldn’t ignore. As a collector of Agatha Christie the comparisons within many reviews also made me keen to find out more and I wasn’t disappointed, because the nods to Christie’s genius are there but The Guest List is a modern, clever and engrossing murder mystery all of its own.

The cast of characters begin to gather on a remote island off the Atlantic coast of Ireland. Various of them have stories to tell and begin to reveal a bit of themselves as they alternate the narration. They have come for the wedding of Jules and Will, an online publisher and a TV celebrity survivalist, but under the surface it isn’t the happy event that the couple were hoping for.

Foley plays with the timeline creatively using the different narrators. In the present the wedding is in full swing when it is interrupted by a scream and one of the young waitresses appears in distress having found a body in the growing storm outside. The chapters switch between the developing search, perhaps for a murder, the build up to the wedding day as special guests arrive the day before and teasing hints of their various back stories and secrets that encourage speculation.

Who is dead? How did they die? Was anyone else involved? Is one of them a killer? A remote island and a trapped cohort of revellers all carrying their own ghosts and guilt sets up a race through the chapters of reflection and revelation to a brutal conclusion. The more we learn about the different protagonists the more the hypotheses pile up. Who has the motive, the opportunity and the capacity to murder and who is it that is lying dead in the storm?

Foley lives up to her hype by delivering a modern update to the classic “closed room” entertainment in the mould of the great Christie herself. In the absence of a sleuth to guide you through an investigation it’s up to you to work through the clues as they unfold and catch a killer. Curl up in your chair, with your favourite brew or tipple to hand, and enjoy.

I enjoy the writing and the characters and the plot was good, but her debut was so strong I couldn't help comparisons. Style wise thought, you can see an evolution and I look forward to watching Lucy's writing career as I can only imagine how good she's going to get the more titles she has published....

As I started to read this I thought it was beginning to remind me of The Hunting Party but the plot just got thicker and thicker. By 70% it was unputdownable. Before that I was trying to guess who would be the body. So many people found out bad things about this character that there were some shocks along the way.

Absolutely brilliant

Thank you to Netgalley, Lucy Foley and Harper Collins UK for my arc of The Guest List in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: It's the day they've all been waiting for. A special wedding day in a special location. Aoife the wedding planner has her first booking on the island she and husband Freddy are planning to market as an exclusive wedding venue despite its macabre past. Jules the bride is ready for everyone to be watching as she marries the man of her dreams and finally puts the seal on the future she knows she deserves. Hannah is just happy her husband's best female friend with whom he's always had an uncomfortably close relationship is finally getting married, Johnno the best man is just hoping to hold it together and Olivia the bridesmaid and sister of the bride just does not want to be there. As the guests tuck in to the delicious food, the boutique whiskey, the lavish cake and admire the expensive outfits, everything seems to be going well, until somebody turns up dead.

I really enjoyed The Hunting Party I read it last year so I was really looking forward to Lucy Foley's new book The Guest List and it's didn't disappoint! Lucy has a skill with writing gripping thrillers that focus on groups of people and the secrets and lies which hold them together even when you think they have nothing in common at all. It's impressive to say the least. The story keeps you guessing whilst making you believe you know what will happen next only to surprise you all over again! Looking forward to the next one from this fantastic author!

GOSH, what an absolutely brilliant whodunit
devoured it, with completely compelling characters
and exceptional writing
you are guessing who is the victim and who is the killer

This is a must read for 2020

Thank you netgalley, Lucy Foley and HarperCollins UK for allowing me to read and review this book.

Readers are in for a treat with this one. Kept my interest right up with each page turned and I couldn't wait to devour it. The atmosphere within the book made me feel every chill and gust while being able to enjoy the scene setting. I'd say this is my best read this year.

I was absolutely hooked by this book and devoured it in a couple of days. The characters had depth and intrigue, and the story kept me guessing.

It's going to be the celebrity wedding of the year!

Fashion magazine proprietor Jules Keegan is marrying television survival expert Will Slater and anybody who is anybody would like an invitation to the spectacle, which will be taking place in a romantic folly on an island off the west coast of Ireland.

The guests attending this function may have a few axes to grind, and secrets they would prefer stayed hidden, but inevitably, past resentments rise to the surface once the festivities get under way - helped along by a liberal sprinkling of alcohol and the wildness of the storm that breaks during the ceremony.

One of these guests will not be leaving the island alive....

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I absolutely loved Lucy Foley's debut murder mystery, The Hunting Party, with its wonderful modern take on Agatha Christie vibes, so could not wait to get my hands on a copy of her second novel, The Guest List.

If anything, The Guest List has even more of an Agatha Christie feel to it than The Hunting Party - being set on an island with the guests trapped there during a storm - and this makes for a wonderful setting for the murderous festivities to begin. It helps that the island has a dark past with plenty of ghosts lurking at the edge of your vision too!

Once again, our characters have dirty little secrets that they want to keep hidden. Being forced together in an unusual environment makes them behave in unguarded ways that cause their lies to be called into question and suspicion to arise.

The whole story is so beautifully choreographed, like some sort of wild Irish dance that starts ever so slowly, but then builds in pace to an absolute frenzy at the climax - and this is reflected ever so cleverly in the weather, with the storm building all the time in the background.

Although you know that one of the guests gets murdered at the very beginning, you don't become aware of who the victim actually is until very near the end, as the story goes back and forth in time - exposing the past and ever so slowly revealing the circumstances around the murder on the wedding day. This is delicious, because all our main players have so much to hide that it is impossible to guess who has been killed and who might have struck the killing blow until the wonderful twisty ending. There are red herrings and motives galore in these pages!

It is hard to say much more about this corker of a book without giving away spoliers, but suffice to say that The Guest List is even better than the brilliant The Hunting Party and I absolutely loved every suspenseful second of it. Lucy Foley is rapidly becoming one of my favourite authors and I cannot wait to see what she comes up with next!

Flipping perspectives and short chapters aside, this is a tense and gripping thriller and is one where I didn't put the pieces together until the author unwrapped her final reveal. There are several different threads of tales that come together here and most of them work well and intertwine naturally. One of them where only hints are given was a little more strange and felt somewhat shoehorned in; we had little to no connection with the girl that is being referenced and it makes it difficult to care about past events. The same cannot be said about the events of the past that the groom and his party of ushers. There is a reasonable about of reminiscing and flashback memories which bring you into the events, even though they occurred many years previously.

Characters wise, Foley has created a set of twisted, arrogant and insufferable individuals and you are spoiled for choice as to who you would prefer to slap first. Many of them, particularly the ushers, are over-privileged and clearly have far more money than sense. You get the distinct impression that they never really grew up. There are a few relatable characters, but they tend to be background rather than front and central to the events. It's certainly shaped up to be a guest list from hell and as secrets and old guilt comes to the surface, it is clear that the vast majority of these characters have a reason to kill. It is therefore difficult to pinpoint who actually committed the deed.

This isn't the fastest moving thriller in the world, but it is well written with an atmospheric build up on a wild and windy island in the middle of nowhere. The format works well, although I would have preferred the 'now' chapters to be a little longer or more frequent. They break the build up of the novel up and yet feel more like an unsatisfying tease most of the time as there really isn't a lot there until the final chapters. The characters are a generally unlikeable bunch with a few exceptions, but that is clearly deliberate and you certainly get a sense of their personalities. All in all, an enjoyable thriller that managed to keep me guessing.

Many thanks to NetGalley for my ARC copy of this novel for review purposes.

This has the same premise as 'The Hunting Party' in that you do not know who the victim is until the very end. This style is different to every other murder mystery I have read and keeps me on my toes, trying to work out motives, who would be capable of killing someone etc etc. Having said that I felt the first half or so of this was a bit slow as it's just setting the scene where the characters are introduced and most of them I didn't like!
However by the midway section I couldn't put it down! I guessed a few of the motives but not quite 100% and I did not see the finale coming at all! I found it to be very cleverly written.
If you like your murder mysteries without any graphic details and like to get the brain cells working then this is the book for you!

Really enjoyed all the twists in this book, and the questions over who it could be. Lucy Foley even keeps you guessing as to who the victim is going to be.

A book you really can't put down!

A party of guests arrive on a remote island in the Irish Atlantic to celebrate the wedding of TV adventurer Will and entrepreneur Julia. But there are layers of deception and secrets between them and the wedding night ends in a murder...

I enjoyed this thriller from Lucy Foley. It was perhaps a little slow in the initial stages but did pick up the pace gradually. I enjoyed the multiple narrative voices, particularly the characters of Olivia and Hannah. There were a number of good plot twists although the final twist I felt was a little rushed, and this characters arc could have been explored more fully.

There are a few clumsy narrative errors which I did notice - Charlie, who is a geography teacher, becomes a deputy head suddenly towards the end of the novel. And the storm which abates to enable the discovery of the body, mysteriously returns in the next chapter. Not major issues but a little sloppy. Nevertheless a fairly gripping read and I would certainly return to this author.

Phenomenal - I loved the locked-room island setting and the complex characters with their secrets. Books with several narrators can sometimes be repetitive but I really enjoyed the multiple viewpoints in this story as each one gave a greater insight into the character and their motives. The tension ratchets up beautifully and the twist at the end took me by surprise. I’m looking forward to reading more by this author

I have heard great things about Lucy Foley, this is the first book of hers I have read and I will certainly be reading everything available after reading The Guest List.

We follow a group of people on a remote Irish island as they prepare for and attend the wedding of Will and Julia. Each chapter is told from a different character's point of view which I enjoyed and I was really intrigued by each of the characters and their history.

Due to this book being set over a period of two days it was really quick paced and I read it in two sittings desperate to find out the mystery at the end. While I guessed a couple of the twists I really didnt see the last couple of reveals coming. Definite 5 star read for me.

An Agatha Christie inspired premise that will have you gripped from start to finish, despite its pretty predictable ending.

Cleverly plotted with a cast of unforgettably eccentric characters and a deep-seated tension that you could cut with a knife, The Guest List is an inviting tale of secrets, deception and murderous revenge.

Will definitely read Foley’s The Hunting Party next!

The wedding of the year: Jules Keegan, a successful online magazine publisher, and Will Slater, TV celebrity, are tying the knot on a remote island off the west coast of Ireland. Everyone is in attendance to celebrate the big day: family and old friends but also past grudges. After the wedding cake has been cut, a body has been found and, in a remote island with everyone trapped, who is holding the biggest secret and motive?
I just could not put this book down. I have read it all in the same day and I couldn’t read it fast enough!
What I really find brilliant is how the author feeds the reader some pieces of the puzzle. You start thinking you got it all figured and then a twist comes that makes you second guess what you think you know.
This book is intriguing and suspenseful and even though I started puzzling some parts of it earlier on I kept second guessing all I thought I knew.
It is narrated by different characters but really easy to follow. They are all credible with some being quite relatable. Which is one of the things I’ve really enjoyed about this book. The characters are flawed, they have real problems that they are dealing with which makes it so easy to feel so involved in the story. Without wanting to give much away I really loved Hannah and Olivia and had massive hatred for the ushers. The author is fantastic at creating such different and vivid personalities that create strong feelings towards them and made the book even more compelling.
It was the perfect pace with hints given along the book, such interesting stories from the different characters with everything intertwining and culminating in a fantastic ending.
With flawless and atmospheric descriptions that grip you inside the story and with such compelling writing this is one of my favourite psychological thrillers. The perfect set, intriguing characters with plenty to hide, suspense galore and a crime. What more could I ask for? Well, probably that I don’t have to wait too long for Lucy Foley’s next thriller!
I would like to thank @netgalley @lucyfoley and @harpercollinsuk @harpercollinspr for the opportunity to read #theguestlist prior to its publishing date on 20.02.20 in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book, although it's not the usual writing style I go for. It is a very atmospheric murder mystery, with some dark secrets

Wow! Absolutely gripping! Loved this book - well written, complex characters who share the narrative in the past and present which could have been confusing but worked very well for me to build the tension and keep the reader in suspense. The plot had many twists and turns, so many possible suspects, the ending was one of several that all would have been perfectly believable. I couldn’t put this one down, highly recommended!

"And the lights went out."

Ann's with those words, Foley takes you on a haunting and thrilling journey that will have you on the edge of your seat and not wanting you to put this book down. I figuratively felt my heart leap out of chest from every turned page and every mystery uncovered. Foley had me guessing until the very end and I loved every minute of it. We have an Agatha Christie for the 21st century! If you loved The Hunting Party, then you will love this one!

This book has echoes of And Then There Were None before you even start, a remote island and invitations to certain people to stay on the island.

The event which you everyone wants to be on the guest list for is the wedding of Jules and Will.

Jules is a celebrated magazine publisher.

Will is a rising star in television on a 'survival' type programme.

This is all about doing it in style to make everyone else envious if not completely jealous.

The guests they are invite are the ones as well as Jules and Will that tell the story of how everyone came to be on this island, invited to the wedding.

Olivia, Jules half sister and someone who does not want to be there. She is harbouring a secret, a secret that if she reveals it will upset everyone. No one knows. But she has to put on a brave face and forget her past and be the bridesmaid her sister is expecting her to be.

Hannah is the plus one, she is in fact Charlie, Jules best friend wife and she is very much feeling more than a spare part than a plus one. Charlie is to be the master of ceremonies at the wedding, leaving Hannah to very much disappear into the background but by doing so she learns some devastating information from her past.

Johnno is the best man - but not the man you would expect a well known face like Will to have. Him and Johnno have a past and with that is secrets which need to remain hidden. Trouble is the other ushers are all old school friends of both Will and Johnno and it seems that some rituals still need to be reenacted in adulthood as they did in childhood.

Then there is Aoife, the outsider to all of the people on the island. It is her island, it is her house, she is in fact the wedding planner and is there to facilitate anything that Jules and Will want as this is her chance to make a name for herself. Though Jules and Will are completely unaware of the name she actually wants to make for herself.

Having only recently read The Hunting Party, I was immediately hooked by the way Foley crafts her novels. As we go from character to character they all in turn fill in information and build a picture of not just themselves but each other. The secondary characters are also somehow cleverly well rounded and developed as well, as they do play an important part in this story.

There are plenty of people to dislike, in fact probably more than to like and empathise with which means they get under your skin, they make you keep turning the page.

As the wedding proceeds, events taken their own turn. As the island batters a storm, a storm is gathering in the wedding party and there might not be any survivors from either storm.

Completely addictive and keeps you guessing right from the beginning. 

A good follow up to The Hunting Party and I personally hope for more the same from the author.