I’m at a loss how to describe the plot of 'The Midnight Feast,' the latest mystery suspense story by Lucy Foley, without giving away anything critical. It is dark, it is gothic, there is West Country paganism, teenage friendship, spite and a bit of romance set at an ultra-glamorous cliff-top hotel in Dorset which opens at midsummer.
Told in three timelines. In 2025 as The Manor, described as ‘Soho Farmhouse meets Daylesford Organics,’ opens its doors to guests. At the same location fifteen years earlier when the house was occupied by a retired Government chief whip and his wife. And again in 2025, the day after the opening night party, billed as a midnight feast with mystery musical guests, art in the gardens and a 'Midsommar' theme inspired by the folk horror film.
This is a clever thriller juggling timelines and character arcs, at the heart of which is a them v us dynamic between the house and the locals. People are not who they claim to be, the fun is working out who is who. Untangling the true identities of Francesca Meadows, hotel owner, her guest, staff and villagers is a continuing puzzle as I tried to connect the 2025 and 2010 storylines together. There are a lot of characters to keep track of.
During the summer solstice of 2010, a teenage girl on holiday with her family at a caravan park in Dorset meets a rich girl who is cooler and more confident than her and wants to be her friend. The events of that summer, romance, manipulation, bullying, drugs and death have repercussions on everyone there. The bird theme is a creepy folklore thing attributed to the local villagers, a kind of vigilante group who dress up in black bird costumes to impose justice on wrongdoers. On midsummer night, the birds come into their own.
Francesca the hotelier is a control-freak Goop-influenced woman who sells a lie; locally grown organic produce, for example, that is bought-in from London not grown locally or on the hotel’s organic veg plot. Her husband Owen is a fitness-obsessed architect responsible for developing the woodland retreat lodges, set in the hotel grounds. She doesn’t know he’s installed a tracker on her mobile phone, he doesn’t know she commissioned hidden cameras throughout the hotel. There are loads of secrets, over-the-top opulence, silliness and eerie things happening in the woods. And there is murder.
The hotel’s setting next to ancient woodland adds a gothic darkness to this thriller that is a welcome relief from the champagne, meditation and crystals. I found it a little slow at the beginning but once the guests arrive and the midnight feast approaches, the pace takes off.
An entertaining thriller which kept me guessing, it’s not just a whodunnit but who-was-it-done-to.
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I always enjoy this author's books and look forward to a new release. I love how the story is told from all the different characters slowly building to a crescendo!

I adore Lucy Foley books - she never lets the reader down!
A delicious locked room murder mystery, written from various character's PsOV. It's a book you can't put down but one you are disappointed to finish as it's so good you want to keep reading! Fantastic, a really good read, well written with such a sharp storyline.

Im usually a big fan of Lucy Foley but #TheMidnightFeast didn't quite grab me as the others did.
I enjoyed the plot but felt it could have been so much better. The duel timeline is something I'm on board with but the sheer volume of characters (especially when they had different names when they were kids) got quite confusing, I'm sure the story could've been better with a few less people. Sadly, another dislike was the potential supernatural aspect, not a fan and didn't feel like it was needed.
A solid 3 stars as the plot was good but not quite great, it hadn't put me off future books from this author as they are usually spot on. Thanks to #NetGalley for the arc

Lucy Foley loves a twisty, turny who-done-it style book. The Guest List and The Hunting Party were both excellent examples of this. The Midnight Feast is her next foray into murder mystery. Whilst I flew through it to find out who was killed and who was responsible, I found that I struggled to care about the characters in the same way as with her previous novels. It was a fast paced book that keeps you hooked but I didn't find myself as invested with the characters as usual.

I really love a Lucy Fowley read you know you are getting a good twist!
I kept reading thinking I knew what was coming and then boom just like that it changed.
I really didn’t like Francesca and you just got the vibe that her character was going to show her true colours soon enough.
It was great how all the characters interlinked together. The ending tied up so well!
This is a great read I read this in one day.

Midnight Feast - Lucy Foley

“She has a pretty face, nice normal eyebrows. Loads of scary eyebrows about these days. My ex-girlfriend Delilah went through a stage of drawing hers on with a Sharpie.”

Too sloooooooow, stopped reading at 26%

wtf? 🤷‍♀️ Cannot be bothered with it.

Absolutely loved this book! A deliciously dark read which kept me on the edge of my seat throughout
Can't wait to read what comes next,

A must read for any mystery fans ! I can’t wait for the next book by foley , she truly is a powerhouse

I’ve read and enjoyed a couple of Lucy Foley’s mystery thrillers now, but this one really got me hooked!

You get a classic murder mystery set-up – a select gathering of people with secrets to hide in an isolated location, in this case provided by a cultish wellness influencer and her entourage of staff-slaves and adoring wealthy fans at the opening of her new elite wellness-themed hotel – but with the added bonus of creepy Midsommar-style folk-horror vibes to really add to the already-oppressive atmosphere.

Somehow, despite the story being told from multiple characters’ points of view, the author still manages to keep the twists and turns secret, and without it feeling like cheating or too forced! I was able to guess little bits of what was happening and what had happened in the past (there is something of a dual timeline effect thanks to excerpts from a teen diary), but the whole picture successfully eluded me.

And that, combined with the creepy Night Birds folklore, had me reading on the edge of my seat right to the end.

This was a real up-all-nighter of a read for me and one I would heartily recommend to other murder mystery fans who like a bit of folklore fun on the side.

The latest from Foley combines a lot of her useful ingredients - a group of mysterious subjects, an event that allows for a vacillating timeline, and plenty of twists and turns, leading to a final product that is familiar, yes, but none of the less satisfying.

If you love glamorous drama with a dark twist, The Midnight Feast is so your vibe. Set at a luxury coastal resort’s opening weekend, this story serves secrets, scandals, and a murder mystery that’ll keep you flipping pages like mad. 👀🍷

Think: flowing dresses, stormy beach nights, and everyone hiding something. Lucy Foley gives us multiple POVs, lots of tension, and that addictive “who can you trust?” energy.

Perfect for a weekend binge with a glass of wine and a face mask. 💅📚

Lucy Foley’s The Midnight Feast is an atmospheric, cleverly woven thriller that draws you in from the first page. Set at a luxurious coastal retreat, it’s full of tension, a cast of unlikeable characters, layered secrets from years gone by and as expected from Foley, multiple points of view. The setting is vividly drawn, and the pacing keeps the suspense building without being rushed. I found it really clever that the chapters got shorter, which increased the pace as we reached the big reveal.

While I enjoyed it, I didn't find it the most likely of scenarios - but then I ALWAYS want my thrillers to be completely logical which kind of defies the creative licence of fiction, so that's a me problem 😂

Finally, I have to commend the excellent full cast of narrators as I chose to audio it - highly recommend consuming it this way!

A really well written thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed.

The way it is written means that it’s fast paced and I couldn’t stop reading once I’d started.

I love when authors use a setting, in this case a house, as almost an extra character.

The tone is ominous from early on and I enjoyed the ride.

The Midnight Feast was atmospheric and well-written but a little slow for my liking. There was loads of great imagery and a fascinating setting but ultimately I found there to be too many characters and coincidences.

As a long-time reader of Lucy Foley’s novels, The Midnight Feast did not disappoint. True to form, Foley delivers a moody and atmospheric mystery filled with tension and layered perspectives. The setting was particularly vivid in this book, creating a sense of claustrophobia and unease, and the rotating viewpoints kept the pace engaging throughout.

I enjoyed the slow build and how the different strands of the story gradually came together. I felt the resolution could have been slightly stronger, but overall it was a satisfying read. Foley’s signature style is very much present, with shifting timelines, complex characters, and simmering suspense.

This is an easy recommendation for fans of her earlier titles such as The Guest List and The Hunting Party. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this novel. Apologies for the very delayed feedback.

While this one wasn't as good as previous books from the author, I appreciated the skilled writing, as always. Other readers may find much to enjoy here, so don't give it a miss.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This writer knows what she is writing for her audience, Lucy Foley doesn't disappoint. The twists and the turns were easy to follow. Definitely one to add to the bookshelf

Lucy Foley needs no introduction, her writing never misses. I devoured this (pardon the pun). I was worried it might feel samey having read an earlier work of Foley’s fairly recently but didn’t find this at all. For me the twists worked really well and I found the setting extremely enjoyable to be placed in (I find this to be almost an additional character!) a new favourite.!

To be honest this wasn't my cup of tea. The beginning was good and exciting but after 30% of the novel I felt it dragged a lot, also too much usage of the word BIRDS . I almost fell in slump but decided to finish the story. Didn't feel any connection to the characters. I thank net galley for eARC copy