The Guest List

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Pub Date 20 Feb 2020 | Archive Date 1 Apr 2022

Description

Another murder. Another mystery.

 
The brand new thriller from the No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling author of The Hunting Party.

On a remote island, guests gather for the wedding of the year – the marriage of Jules Keegan and Will Slater.
 
Old friends.
Past grudges.
 
Happy families.
Hidden jealousies.
 
Thirteen guests.
One body.
 
The wedding cake has barely been cut when one of the guests is found dead. And as a storm unleashes its fury on the island, everyone is trapped.

All have a secret. All have a motive.
One guest won’t leave this wedding alive . . .

Another murder. Another mystery.

 
The brand new thriller from the No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling author of The Hunting Party.

On a remote island, guests gather for the wedding of the year – the...


Available Editions

EDITION Ebook
ISBN 9780008297183
PRICE £2.99 (GBP)
PAGES 400

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Average rating from 624 members


Featured Reviews

The Guest List by Lucy Foley
Thanks @netgalley @lucyfoleyauthor and @harpercollinsuk for my arc
Publication date 20th February 2020
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On an island off the coast of Ireland the wedding of the year is taking place. And then someone turns up dead. Everyone on the island is a suspect.
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This book was absolutely fantastic. I literally couldn’t put it down. Dark and creepy and atmospheric. It was an amazing murder mystery whodunnit, reminiscent of an Agatha Christie book. I feel I should I mention this book had so much more though. The characters were very well written and well rounded and each added their own story. Loved it. Highly recommended xxxxx

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Lucy Foley is like a modern day Agatha Christie!

She includes:
1. An unexplained death.
2. A cast of characters - and any one of them might be the perpetrator.
3. A remote location.
4. Action and dialogue in equal measure.

With Lucy Foley's murder mysteries the best thing is that you don't even know who is dead until the latter part of the book, so you are not only guessing who did it but who was the victim. It's like cluedo!

Lucy Foley focuses on developing her characters, and their back story, and as a result they feel authentic and you really get involved in their lives.

Like The Hunting Party, I was left guessing (and second guessing myself!) right up until the end. The plot is detailed and well thought out.

This book is only just being published but already I cannot wait for the next!!

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The boat trip out to Inis Amploir, off the Irish coast, might have been enough to put some guests off, but it was the wedding of the year. Will Slater (television personality, if not yet a celebrity) was to marry Jules Keegan, online magazine publisher, in the ruined chapel on the island. The bride's sister, Olivia, would be her only bridesmaid and the wedding planner and chef are Aoife and her husband, Freddy. They gave a huge discount to get the couple to the island, but surely it would be worth it for the publicity?

The Master of Ceremonies is Charlie, best friend of the bride. Charlie's wife, Hannah, is just a mite suspicious about the closeness of Jules and Charlie, but she's honest enough to admit (if only to herself) that she's just a little bit smitten with Will. Once she's over her seasickness she's determined to enjoy herself even if she does realise that she and Charlie (he's a geography teacher) are perhaps not in the same financial bracket as the rest of the guests. Most of the guests seem to be from Will's schooldays: he was at Trevellyans, a minor public school which put me in mind of Gordonstoun. Boys would be made into men, no matter what the cost.

Will's father, who's at the wedding, was the headmaster of Trevellyans and he's suspicious of Will's best man, Johnno Briggs, whom he suspects of being a bad influence on his son. Johnno never really recovered from what happened whilst he was at Trevellyans and he's one of the few guests who hasn't made much of his life. He's also conscious that he virtually had to force himself on Will as his best man. It didn't help him to remember to bring his suit though.

I first encountered Lucy Foley when I read The Hunting Party: was that really a year ago? It still seems so fresh in my mind, but if The Guest List was to be anything like The Hunting Party then I was in for a treat. At first, I thought I might be in for much the same sort of treat: the settings might be dramatically different, but it's still 'a locked room' mystery, with a group of mismatched people cut off in a remote location, but I needn't have worried. Foley takes her wayward party guests off in a different direction and delivers a cracking story.

The characters are exceptional. They come off the page and worry you. There's a feeling of hidden menace in the group of Will's old school friends who are to be his ushers, which leaves you nervous. They might all have good jobs (Femi's a surgeon) but there's a pack mentality and a lack of social conscience which frightens. It certainly frightened poor Charlie when he went on the stag do: he's still not prepared to talk about what went on.

I'd planned on reading the book over four days: in the event, it only just crept into the second day, by dint of being finished at five in the morning. I had to find out what happened! I really didn't see the ending coming, but all the clues were there: I just didn't spot them. It was a really good read and Lucy Foley is now firmly on my 'must read everything by' list. I'd like to thank the publishers for letting Bookbag have a review copy.

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Another fantastic book from Lucy Foley. The action takes place over a few days on a small island just off the west coast of Ireland - very Agatha Christie. Initially this is not just a case of who done it, but also who was the victim and why. It becomes clear during the narrative from some half dozen of the characters that there is one particular person who has hurt a number of them, thus we can deduce the identity of the victim. However, the way in which the story unfolds is gripping and the perpetrator of the murder does come as a surprise. The rights and wrongs of private education are questioned, especially the gang mentality which is just as marked as in other parts of society. A real page turner.

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Fantastically woven thriller that keeps you guessing until the very end. Engaging characters, secrets in abundance. A brilliant story that had me racing through the pages as I devoured it with relish.

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To say that Jules Keegan and Will Slater's wedding didn't go as planned is a bit of an under-statement. The happy couple are both successful people,, Jules runs a popular online magazine while Will is the star of a TV show. and their wedding take place on an island off the coast of Ireland. Old friends and close family are invited, what could possibly go wrong?

The Guest List by Lucy Foley is great fun that stretches credulity more than a little with coincidence after coincidence playing a part in the tale but it's entertaining and the tale could go any one of several ways right up until the end. The story is told from the point of view of several characters and flits backwards and forwards in time, I had no problem with this but I know from reading reviews of similar books it does annoy or confuse others. Most of the characters in the book are flawed in some way,in some cases deeply flawed, but they're interesting and well drawn.. As secrets are uncovered and people at the wedding loosen up under the influence of drink and other recreational substances what should be the happiest day of the Golden Couple's lives rapidly unravels as events begin to spiral out of control leading ultimately to murder.
An enjoyable,if not always believable, book, an easy read and very entertaining.

Thanks to Lucy Foley, Harper Collins and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

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I really enjoyed The Hunting Party and sold vast quantities of the paperback over Christmas. The Guest List is even better.

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I absolutely loved this book. I was reading and enjoying the Hunting Party when I spotted The Guest List on. Netgalley, so requested it straight away and thankfully was accepted and read it straight afterwards, so thank you publishers.

Another excellent Agatha Christie style whodunnit novel with great characters and some twists and turns along the way. I don’t want to give anything away, The scene is set brilliantly with a wedding on a slightly sinister and spooky island off the coast of Ireland of a well known Bear Grylls style survivalist and wife who runs “The Download”. The guests start to arrive for the wedding, the Best man, the ushers, the sister of the bride- the bridesmaid along with many others. It takes a while to find out who is going to die and how and who did it, but it’s worth the wait, with great introductions and gradual character build up along the way. Throughly recommended.

I look forward to reading more from the author and hope we don’t have to wait too long for the next book:

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I love her first novel and equally enjoyed reading this one too! I like how the book has a few characters and you don’t know till the end whom it is! Loved every minute of it!

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‘The Guest List’ is the second crime novel by Lucy Foley and I was delighted to receive an ARC from NetGalley to review after reading ‘The Hunting Party’. If possible, this is even better and I couldn’t put it down. My kindle pages were fizzing by.

Will, an actor from a star television series ‘Survival’ is marrying Julie, a high flyer with her own magazine. The beautiful couple choose a desolate island off the Irish coast for their wedding, which is has just been bought by Aoile and Freddie who are determined to make a success of their purchase despite the reputation of the island. This is their first wedding.

The story is told from different viewpoints and, as the story progresses, it soon becomes clear that all is not as it seems with Will and his past, although there are several not very likeable characters. A case in point are his ushers and best man who all went to school together at a ‘posh’ boarding school (the headmaster being Will’s father) which used to play a game called ‘survival’.

This is a true ‘whodunnit’ along the lines of Agatha Christie with many twists, turns, dark characters and deep hatred.

Many thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and Lucy Foley for my ARC in return for my honest review.

Superb read and highly recommended.

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The Guest List
Lucy Foley
Publisher: HarperCollins UK
Publication Date 20/2/20

Great twisty psychological thriller set on a remote island off Connemara. The narrative shifts to the lead up to the wedding and the wedding night itself when it becomes obvious a crime has been committed. Told from several different characters perspectives you don’t know who is the victim and who is the perpetrator. Kept me riveted on my holiday.

I’d like to thank the author, publisher and netgalley for providing me with this advance digital copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased review

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I have seen so much hype about this author and when i was granted access to this book early on netgalley i was so excited. I can tell you now, there is a reason there is so much hype, because it was brilliant.

On a remote island, the first wedding at a new venue is taking place - with hand picked guests, luxe whiskey, and designer dresses - this is a wedding for a magazine. Well Jules owns the online magazine. So as the festivities get under way, the weather changes and then someone is found dead. Alot of people on the remote island have alot of grudges and complicated problems so really - it could be anyone and even the island is holding its own secrets.

Told over different times leading to the wedding itself and told from multiple perspectives this is a slow burner of a read that is well worth the pay off because you really need to keep going until the very end. I didnt see any of this coming, and i think the author played the narrative out very well, letting us discover everyones troubles.

The characters were all flawed and equally as good as making their feelings. I really enjoyed getting to know them all, this was a dark read that was multi layered and held so much depth to the story where nothing was as it seems. This was a gripping and thrilling reading experience and i urge every one to pick this read up.


*post ing review on release date*

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I agree with other reviews, this author reminds me of Agatha Christie.
A modern day Whodunnit.
Multiple well faceted characters, any one of whom could be the murderer. Plenty to keep you guessing.
A chilling mystery that makes you want to keep reading.
I've finished this and moved straight on to this authors other book.
I'm looking forward to more from Lucy Foley

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A wedding, a bully, a murder and lots of drink all go to create a good suspense on a wonderful island out to the Wild West of Ireland. The book is great storytelling and keeps the reader on their toes.
Enjoyed it many thanks.

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I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Anyone should has ever felt out of place at a wedding will empathise with Hannah, the plus one, and Olivia, the single sister bridesmaid. The book has a good sense of place, on a lonely, wind swept island, with its own ghosts, and a good set of characters. It is impossible to know not only who did it, but who was murdered until the end. A great book.

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My thanks to Lucy Foley, Harper Collins and NetGalley for the ARC of The Guest List.
Gosh, was there ever a wedding like this? Superbly taut with enough twists and turns to keep me guessing. What a surprise at the end. And about three quarters of the way through a real gasp moment. I just didn't see it coming. Brilliant, dark, tense writing with believable characterisation. 5 super shiny stars!

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On a wild and isolated Irish island , a wedding is about to take place. The guests are gathering and the champagne is flowing but something isn't quite right. Everything continues as planned, albeit with a few hitches and a few unexpected occurrences, and it's certainly a day to remember for the Bride and Groom. Towards the end of the night though a body is discovered - who has met their untimely end amid the celebrations and which of the party-goers helped them on their way?

I really love a murder mystery and Lucy Foley's latest effort didn't disappoint! The harsh setting of the rugged island provided the perfect backdrop for the story as it crept along, twisting at every turn. The tension was created expertly throughout and I was amazed at how many twists spiralled in and changed things as everything built to a crescendo. Some twists you could see coming but others not so much; I don't think I've ever had more WHAAAAT moments as I did when reading this.

Though at first glance it seems that like Foley's 'The Hunting Party' we are presented again with a basic cast of self-obsessed rich people, as the novel progresses and the characters are developed and it becomes clear that all is not as it seems. The majority of the characters in this are actually quite different, they're easier to empathise with, and by the end I was rooting for most of them to have been the culprit just so that they could get their revenge (whilst getting away with it somehow too of course!).

All in all it's another great read from Lucy Foley, definitely one of my favourites this year, and I'd recommend it to anyone who loves a good mystery,

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Many thanks to Netgalley, Harper Collins UK and Lucy Foley for my copy of this book. I loved The Hunting Party so was excited to read this one and was not disappointed. It's similar in style to The Hunting Party in terms of setting the scene, building the tension between characters, and heading towards the extremely dramatic finale which I really loved. A great twist which I didn't see coming. Despite reading it in August, this book would be a perfect murder mystery read for a chilly winter weekend. I very much enjoyed this book.

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