A REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES BEST THRILLERS OF 2020
“I loved this book. It gave me the same waves of happiness I get from curling up with a classic Christie…The alternating points of view keep you guessing, and guessing wrong.” — Alex Michaelides, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Silent Patient
“Evok[es] the great Agatha … wrong.” — Alex Michaelides, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Silent Patient
“Evok[es] the great Agatha Christie classics…Pay close attention to seemingly throwaway details about the characters’ pasts. They are all clues.” — New York Times Book Review
A wedding celebration turns dark and deadly in this deliciously wicked and atmospheric thriller reminiscent of Agatha Christie from the New York Times bestselling author of The Hunting Party.
The bride – The plus one – The best man – The wedding planner – The bridesmaid – The body
On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed.
But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast.
And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?
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I LOVED listening to The Guest List. I couldn’t wait to reach the end, yet was sorry the adventure was over. I think the audio version was especially wonderful because I got to hear the various voices of several members of a wedding party that takes place on an island. We find out what these characters think, feel, and their impact on one other as the tension builds and builds. Brilliant plotting; well-drawn characters; original.
I LOVED listening to The Guest List. I couldn’t wait to reach the end, yet was sorry the adventure was over. I think the audio version was especially wonderful because I got to hear the various voices of several members of a wedding party that takes place on an island. We find out what these characters think, feel, and their impact on one other as the tension builds and builds. Brilliant plotting; well-drawn characters; original.
Excellent mystery!
I listened to the audiobook, which features different narrators for the multiple point-of-view characters. The narrators were terrific and truly brought the story alive. Although the pov character was announced at the beginning of each chapter, along with who they were (‘bride,’ ‘best man,’ ‘wedding planner,’ etc.), after a while they need no introduction because you can tell who it is from their distinctive voice.
The book was very well-written, particularly the dialogue. The story is wonderfully twisty and kept me glued to my headphones. The characters felt like real people, with positive characteristics balanced by all-too-human flaws.
I’m a sucker for stories like this, set on a remote island with cliffs, bogs, graveyards, and extreme weather conditions all mixed in. This was one of the best I’ve read. If you love a well-done Christie-like mystery with plenty of atmosphere, you will no doubt love this book as I did.
I love great characterization coupled with a solid mystery, and this book delivers both. I totally recommend it to those who are offended by having their stories sugarcoated. Basically, the characters, their story, the setting are what they are, divinely interwoven. Now deal with it.
“If I can’t move heaven, than I shall raise hell.”
Let me tell you, hell was indeed raised throughout The Guest List. Many, many times.
And with that, allow me to introduce my second 5-star stunner of 2020!
This is my first Lucy Foley novel, and I’m now convinced the girl is a phenom. I’ve had The Hunting Party on my Kindle for probably a year now, and haven’t made time to dive in…what was I thinking?
This story is told over a 48-hour period by several narrators. The chapters are short and precise, making for a very quick, engrossing read. The characters are superbly fleshed out and real. The setting is so creepy and atmospheric, it’s practically a character in it’s own right. But the very best thing about this novel? The red herrings.
Foley doesn’t reveal the killer or the victim until the conclusion. While the victim is fairly easy to guess, the killer most certainly isn’t. I’d constructed an elaborate ending in my head, one I was sure was right, only to find out I was completely and thoroughly wrong.
I can’t tell you how ecstatic I was to be dead wrong!
It’s the reason I’ve elected to give this book 5 clever stars!
If I’ve caught your interest with this review, I highly suggest you get a copy and lose yourself in the genius that is this story.
My heartfelt thanks to the publisher for my review copy.
He did it! No, No she did it! Nope that one right there did it! Wait a minute what is happening!! No wayy!! Literally my reaction reading this. I’m still in shock.
To say I thoroughly enjoyed this book would be an understatement. Foley had me hooked from the first chapter! There’s mystery, intrigue and oh so much foreshadowing. I found myself making mental notes about each character and their history with the bridal couple. By the last several chapters I had myself convinced that I knew not only who dies, but who done it. Boy, was I wrong! I loved the weaving together of all the characters, their back stories and subtle hints that maybe they weren’t quite who they claimed to be. This book was so well written, captivating and truly enjoyable.
Each chapter in this book is from the viewpoint of a guest at a wedding, providing clues and insight into a murder mystery. But it’s not until the end of the story that you discover who the victim is in this coincidental story, which lacks the intrigue I was hoping for during my late night read.
The Guest List keeps you guessing who did it the entire book through. Such a good read!
Jules and Will seem like the perfect couple-beautiful and glamorous and seemingly very much in love. The guests are gathering for the wedding of this couple, but many of the guests have a secret.
Olivia-Jules’s younger half-sister, who had a very bad breakup from a recent boyfriend, and is now self-harming
Johnno-Will’s best mate from boarding school who can’t move beyond something that happened back then
Hannah-the “plus-one”, married to Jules’s best friend and crush from high school summers, Charlie
Aoife-the wedding planner whose property holds fond memories of family outings
Jules-the creative mind behind a magazine-but with a terrible temper and a bit of insecurity.
Jules is trying to create the perfect wedding experience but when there is a murder on the island, the wedding celebration is over!
This novel had a lot of tension building until the crimes and deceit began to crumble the perfect facade. I loved how the author carefully crafted the plot. I did suspect a lot of what was revealed-but not the ultimate twist.
Well done!
#TheGuestList #LucyFoley
I loved the Guest List by Lucy Foley. It was fast paced with so many twists and interesting, well-rounded characters. I relate so much better to characters that aren’t perfect, that have obvious flaws but also have redeeming traits as well. Usually I can figure out who dunnits right away, but this one surprised me! I hope it’s turned into a movie soon because I’d love to watch it!
and excellent scary read.
Great mystery. Keeps you guessing.
Entertaining
Lucy Foley has built up the suspense in this epic tale of secrets and murder! One of the things that really resonated with me in THE GUEST LIST is the slow building tension. Normally, I love a fast-paced thriller that keeps my on my toes from beginning to end, and I shy away from books with slow pacing. That was NOT the case here though and I felt the sluggish buildup was perfect for the story. From the beginning we know SOMEONE has been murdered, but we don’t know WHO or WHY. Within each chapter were given small breadcrumbs that literally carry us through the story until the twisted and quite frankly EPIC ENDING. Did I suspect the killer was the person who did it? NOPE! I was SHOCKED and clapped with glee because it was extremely surprising to me. It made sense too, after we find out WHY it came to be. I absolutely LOVED it.
Lucey Foley is clearly a pro at writing thriller that will shock her readers, and it’s proven through this book. I won’t sit here and type up the plot because it would be a major spoiler for the book but I will say that this had an awesome ending that I didn’t see coming and a set of excellent characters, and setting. The big castle on an island with no inhabitants besides the two people who live there, the creepy bog that can pull you under in a second, and the dangerous cliffs that prove hazardous to those who don’t know where they are going. All of this lends to the spooky atmosphere in this amazing novel and I honestly cannot wait for more!
I highly recommend this one.
PS: This book is told in multiple POV’s and while some may think it could cause confusion, I am here to tell you that it doesn’t! I had no trouble following the story and think the multiple POV’s lends to the climatic ending!
The ending seemed rushed.
I enjoyed the setup of this book with it being told from several perspectives along with the different time frames. The victim and the killer were quite a shock. I did enjoy the way it all came together and how it was resolved.
There was quite a bit of language. That made my rating slightly lower.
It kept me riveted!
All over the place, hard to follow. Dark and boring for pages at a time.