Lucy Foley | THE HUNTING PARTY

Plot (via Goodreads):

During the languid days of the Christmas break, a group of thirty-something friends from Oxford meet to welcome in the New Year together, a tradition they began as students ten years ago. For this vacation, they’ve chosen an idyllic and isolated estate in the Scottish Highlands—the perfect place to get away and unwind by themselves.

They arrive on December 30th, just before a historic blizzard seals the lodge off from the outside world.

Two days later, on New Year’s Day, one of them is dead.

The trip began innocently enough: admiring the stunning if foreboding scenery, champagne in front of a crackling fire, and reminiscences about the past. But after a decade, the weight of secret resentments has grown too heavy for the group’s tenuous nostalgia to bear. Amid the boisterous revelry of New Year’s Eve, the cord holding them together snaps.

Now one of them is dead . . . and another of them did it.

Keep your friends close, the old adage goes. But just how close is too close? 

Review:

The Hunting Party is a prime example of a novel that made me totally geek out when I read the synopsis. An eerie and claustrophobic setting, Agatha Christie-esque plot, and characters that were so real you feel as though you could pinch - or in some cases punch - them. It was the perfect combination as to what I could only hope was the perfect thriller. As the reviews came pouring in on Instagram, Goodreads, and the other blogs I follow, my anticipation and expectations of this novel were almost palpable. I tried my hardest to not get to overly excited for this one as I didn't want to not enjoy it and build myself up for a colossal letdown, but all of that self control flew out the window the minute my copy came. It was time for takeout sushi, a hot bath, and to ultimately unplug from the real world. And that is exactly what I did. And no, I was not disappointed in the least bit. 

This is how meticulous I am with my reading; I started this novel on a Sunday because in my world there are weekend reads and workweek reads. Weekend reads are the kinds of novels that you are so excited for - so eager to start - that you have to dedicate a day or two to fully invest your time into the story at hand. Workweek reads are usually one title that I am excited to read, but won't be too devastated to put down when I have to stretch them out between three to five days throughout the week. The Hunting Party was definitely a weekend read. I was almost immobile when I began this novel and was automatically disconnected from the real world and immersed into the plot to this novel when Foley began this twisted tale with a dead body and a glimmering atmospherically chilly setting that was almost real enough to touch. The suspense that was built in the first chapter made my heart race and I was blown away with her ability to create such dazzling imagery so early on. After reading about 150 pages, I was so invested in the story, the setting, and the characters that I was high on this book. And then, I checked the weather. That's right, the very next evening a snow storm was going to be hitting my small town. So, I mustered up all of my willpower and decided to hold off on the rest of the novel to really let my reality intertwine with this phenomenal read and I'm not sure whether my (what I would consider) stroke of genius is what paid off or if it just was 100% Foley's writing, but before I knew it 24 hours had passed, a storm was brewing - both in real life and in the novel - and I was immersed in this read as much as I was in the bubble bath I was enjoying. 

You get the idea - the imagery with this novel and the plot was exceeding my expectations and the different character perspectives were not only complimentary to my enjoyment of this story, but kicked the pacing up even more and really solidified this as a top-notch read for me. I was a man obsessed. Now, the characters in this one could have been about as one dimensional as a blank sheet of paper and this would have still been one thrilling ride, but the deeper I got into the novel and the more I got to know these people, that thrilling ride quickly turned into a dangerous roller-coaster. I am talking flawed, realistic, and emotionally charged characters whose words and actions at times could cause my breath to catch in my throat. Miranda was by far one of the best characters I've ever read and while I enjoyed this entire book, the contrast between her, Katie, Emma, and Heather was astonishing. While Miranda is the kind of bad-ass femme fatale who took no instructions from anyone, and I honestly believe she made my backbone a little stronger. Emma and Katie were down to Earth, wholesome, and at times as much under Miranda's spell as I was, while Heather was just the ultimate outsider with some secrets desperate to escape and a real ingenue that made me want to immediately root for her to just put all of the pieces of the puzzle together. My only drawback was that as strong as the female characters were written as well as a few of the males, there was one male character that I just felt kind of faded into the background and I couldn't get a good read on him until the book was nearing it's ending. Looking back on this, I think this wasn't necessarily a negative as sometimes - especially with a group like this - you might have one or two people who do fade into the background, especially when the drama hits. And boy, did the drama ever hit the fan like a tornado. I'm not supernatural by any means, but I will say I did hold my breath for majority of the finale that was incredibly syncopated with the storm brewing in the story that I wanted to run to each and every cottage to spy on all of these characters to try to get to the bottom of what really happened. I felt that the reveal was very well executed even if I did guess early on who had died, but that was not by any means something negative. While I thought I had who had died figured out early on, the revelation of who murdered said character was not only jaw dropping but shockingly effective. It was the perfect ending to the perfect novel that featured the perfect storm. Lucy Foley - you are a genius with an impeccable writing style that just grasped me right from the beginning and tightened your grip with every single written word. I cannot wait to follow your career for many years to come.

Special thanks to William Morrow for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 5/5