The plot is based on a group of friends and the consequences of their mistakes and the detective who is investigating one of their group going missing and is written from each of the main characters’ perspective. It took a few chapters to get into it but then keeps you hooked, wanting to know what has happened. Some of it is a bit unplauseable but could be excused because it’s the main characters’, who are children, reactions to the situation they find themselves in. An enjoyable read but not sure how old the children were.

This is a crime story that uses the technique of drip feeding the key information. This is a well used format which works well if used sparingly. However every significant moment or critical piece of information is told in this way, which is irritating. I found myself not really caring by about half way through, which is a shame as I’ve always enjoyed Simon Lelic’s books in the past but this format wasn’t my cup of tea. However other readers may feel differently.

Sadie Saunders is missing - presumed dead - and her five best friends are determined to find out the truth.

Her boyfriend, her best friends, her brother and her boyfriend's best friend are convinced that the cops are looking in the wrong place. They form a search party and set off into the woods, keen to find out the truth.

However, each of the teens is hiding a secret of their own - and they know more about Sadie's past than they're caring to admit. And it isn't long until the cops are called - and the police discover a body. One that isn't Sadie's.

The kind of thriller that you won't be able to put down, the book is primarily told from the perspectives of the cops investigating the case and the five teenagers. It alternates between uncovering what happened in the woods and the present day, adding another layer to the whodunnit aspect of the thriller.

The tension and paranoia increases with each turn of the page, leading everything to come to a head with a wait-did-that-really-just-happen reveal and an ending that will keep the reader guessing.

I really enjoyed this book. I had to hide from my kids so I could finish it. The book starts slowly but the final third is nerve shattering. I must admit that if I had been reading a hard copy I would have flicked to the end to see what happened so I wouldn't be tempted to rush through it (I can't be the only person who does that). I'm glad I didn't. The ending is great. I found the characters to be a little one dimensional - especially the teenagers but Rob Fleet, the main police character is great. Likable, not too tragic or alcoholic. The story is well paced. I think the multiple narratives helps to keep it all moving along, especially towards the end when the pace and nerves really pick up. The setting is atmospheric and yet familiar and the characters all have their own distinctive voices. The teenagers are annoying but i think anyone could recognise their younger self in one of them. We've all been to a town like this and known kids like these. Perhaps thats why this tale is so unnerving - it could be happening right down the road from you.
I was able to read an ARC thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Publishing.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Unpredictable but entertaining, it kept me gripped right to the ending which I didn’t see coming.

I was looking for a book like Lucy Foley's The Hunting Party and this provided it - excellent fun, good characters, moody atmosphere. The ideal lockdown read.

This was an easy to read thriller that kept my attention all the way through! Lots of twists and surprises I didn't see coming. Very good, would recommend...definitely worth a read

A group of teenagers arrange a search party to look for their missing friend....but, they are not just friends, also, suspects.
I really liked the premise for this book but unfortunately not the execution. I found it plodding and just ok.

It was difficult to connect to the characters and I found the dialogue unbelievable, but, that could be a generational issue.

Overall, I struggled to finish it so a 2* ok read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to preview.

I have read both The Liars Room and The House so was excited to be given The Search Party to review .Somehow this book was not so enjoyable.The story is mainly told through each of the teenagers but their seems to be no interaction with a Police presence so it seemed a bit strange .I did like Fleet the Policeman given the task of finding the missing girl.The last half of the book was very good with a surprising twist . Many thanks to the Publisher the Author and NetGalley for my review copy in return for an honest review .

Wow, what a page turner!! There aren't many books that I have to keep reading and can't turn away from. Very well written and had me hooked all the way through

Wow. I actually really enjoyed this.

A missing girl; her teenage friends the obvious suspects; small town claustrophobia and prejudices; a search party that does not end in the spirit that it set out; obfuscation and misdirection (and not just on the part of the author!); clever use of the one sided interview to reveal the story from the perspective of the group - what more could a reader want!

The Search Party by Simon Lelic is like a 2000-piece puzzle with no edges.

It is told from 5 different perspectives and until you get to know the characters more intimately, it is confusing. I loved the premise: 5 friends form a search party to find their missing friend – only 4 return. I imagined the twists and turns coming from 5 unreliable narratives, but it did not turn out that way.

I found all the characters to be irritating brats and it’s difficult to connect with a novel when you have no emotional attachment to any of its characters.

The progression of the search and their reactions to events that happened also did not make sense and I just cannot imagine people acting the way they did even under those circumstances. The dialogue of the police interviews was also unrealistic.

Overall, not a satisfying read for me.

#netgalley #thesearchparty #simonlelic #penguinbooks

So the premise of this book is a group of teenagers set themselves up as a search party for their missing friend. The book is written as a one sided script as the teenagers are being interviewed by the police. Interjected with the police side of the investigation, Lots of secrets, lots of I intrigue and a few scooby doors moments.

Overall a good read, and I think it would work well as an audio book.

#TheSearchParty #NetGalley This was a very difficult book to get into and it did not have me eager to pick it up at all. It is told from different perspectives mainly from the teens involved in the search party and in a one sided interview style that I found thoroughly confusing at o which teen it was. The pace was slow and dragged and I found myself skimming great parts of the dialogue eager for action which did not happen. The story line was an interesting one and I was really looking forward to reading bud sadly this did not work at all well for me.

A dark physiological thriller with complex characters, any of whom may be responsible for the disappearance of Sadie. Her friends, an assorted group of teenagers, frustrated with the lack of progress being made by the police, set out as a search party to try and find her. Their journey takes them into dark woods, with food and drink scarce and tiredness taking its toll, fear is heightened as they are spooked by noises and strange events. An underlying element of mistrust surfaces between the group as they each wonder if one of the others is to blame. Meanwhile DI Rob Fleet is under pressure to resolve the case once the group are back and giving their version of events. Atmospheric and creepy, this book delivers in spades and will have the reader turning the pages long into the night to discover the shocking truth that gradually unfolds.

16 year old Sadie Saunders has gone missing without a trace. While the police are searching the river and edge of the woods, her friends become convinced they’re looking in the wrong spot. They form their own search party, and head off deeper into the woods. After a couple of nights, the police receive a desperate call from the group of friends. When they reach them, there is a dead body... but it isn’t Sadie. ⁣
⁣
With rumours circulating wildly about Sadie in the lead up to her disappearance, the web of secrets and lies amongst the teenagers, and tensions simmering just below the surface... who can be trusted? ⁣
⁣
This book is told from multiple points of view, which in the beginning was a little confusing - but once I had worked out who was who and got used to the format, the pace picked up. This had me guessing right until the end, there were just so many lies that you could never believe what you were reading. I formed a couple of theories towards the end, and only one turned out to be half right. The writing was very atmospheric, I felt just as creeped out as the teens when odd things started happening in the woods. If you like twisty crime dramas, give this a go!⁣
Pub date is August 2020, thanks @netgalley and @vikingbooks for the ARC 😍⁣

This book is written in a different way to most and I found that added to my enjoyment of it.
You get the police and personal perspective of DI Fleet interspersed with the narrative from the teenagers in the search party. Gradually the relationships and the events are disclosed along with the baggage from Fleet's past.
i loved the way the truth was revealed over time, like an archaeologist uncovering a mosaic or a jigsaw puzzle where you can begin to see the whole picture. Although the ending is not quite the picture you were anticipating.
I would like to read more from this author.

Having thoroughly enjoyed Lelic’s The House, I was overjoyed when I was given the opportunity to read his new novel, The Search party, and I wasn’t disappointed! The novel is plotted with skill, the writing is rich yet clear and the twists are ‘twisty’ yet also believable. I think that’s where Lelic shines: he has a great ability to write realistic stories, which feel as though they could happen in the house or town next door.

At first, it took me a little while to get used to the teenagers’ POVs, as these chapters read more like a stream of consciousness than a ‘normal’ narrative, and I was worried they would go on for too long and I would get bored of the format, but I’m pleased to report that after the first few pages I really got into it. I have rated it a 4 star instead of 5 purely because sometimes I felt that the teenagers’ narratives were a little too ‘self-aware’ and occasionally slipped out of story-telling mode and into 'authorial' mode.

That being said, I really enjoy mysteries with many possible suspects, and this is a great example of such a narrative. Would recommend!

‘The truth lay buried in their stories somewhere, Fleet remained convinced.’

Teenager Sadie Saunders has been missing for six days. The entire town thinks she is dead: murdered. And they think they knew who did it. But her friends are not sure. They are aware that they are suspects. Abi, Mason, Cora, Fash and Luke (Sadie’s twin brother) form a search party to look for her, but only four of them return.

The group has headed off for the woods where Sadie was last seen. Each of them has a secret, all of them knows more than they will admit.

In a series of one-sided interviews with the teenagers we learn of the events leading to the death on the search party. We view the police investigation through the eyes of DI Robin Fleet, who has his own links through a personal tragedy to the town where Sadie disappeared.

It took me a while to adjust to the one-sided conversations as a means of obtaining information, but it works well. Each of the teenagers has a perspective, each conversation adds to our knowledge of events. Each conversation adds to the tension. The more information we have, the more possibilities appear.

What happened to Sadie? And which teenager died?

This is a novel which rewards concentration. Yes, there are twists and turns, but there are some subtle clues along the way.

While I enjoyed this novel, it was the characters of DI Robin Fleet and his offsider DS Nicola Collins who really held my attention.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Books (UK) for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

The Search Party is a great read for those who enjoy police based thrillers. It is exciting and twisty, dark and scary, thrilling and tense. It also has characters who aren’t likeable but I didn’t feel this detracted from my enjoyment. It is written from several different characters perspectives.

It deals with teenagers, crime, and their life in a fairly run down seaside town. There is also a side sorry with the lead policeman which isn’t fully explored. Hence I feel there may be a bit of a police crime series to follow on.

A gritty read, and recommended. The last section in particular was very enthralling!
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for this honest review.