Wednesday, February 13, 2019

The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley

 
An annual reunion of friends at a new location with the added beauty and terror of a huge snowstorm that cuts everyone off from the rest of the world is where THE HUNTING PARTY begins and where we meet the characters.

The reunion starts off with a long ride from the train station to the remote lodge with a scary gamekeeper as the driver, the juggling of who gets what cabin, the first-night dinner together, and finding out there is another couple in residence as well as the group of friends.

The group has been friends for a long time, but do they really know each other?  Are they jealous of each other? Why do they do this reunion every year?  They all seem to have secrets and pasts that the others don’t know about.

The first-night dinner brings many feelings about each other and frightening feelings about the couple from Iceland.  They are poorly dressed and seem most interested in the hunting party that has been arranged.

Along with the Lodge guests, we meet mysterious Heather. She seems all organized and put together on the outside, but she has her secrets and something in her past that she wants to forget.

THE HUNTING PARTY lets us get to know the guests very well. Actually a little too well...going into all the detail about their lives past and present got a bit too much, but I guess it was necessary for the reader to get the full impact of the reunion and events. 

We are taken from the festivities to Doug, the gamekeeper, finding a body and  showing Heather where he found it.  When Heather sees the body, she knows it wasn't an accident.

Waiting to find out which one of the friends was the victim and who the killer was kept the tension high.  The identity was not made known until the very end. The mystery was a well-kept secret.


Ms. Foley's writing is very descriptive and beautiful.  I could see every detail of the landscape and feel the emotions of each character.  


If you can describe writing as lush, that is how beautiful the sentences flowed and created a picture.

If you enjoy a mystery, antics of characters, learning that the characters really didn't show their true colors, and waiting for the “ball to drop,” THE HUNTING PARTY will be a book you will want to read.  


The story line was perfectly carried out and nothing was revealed until the very end.  It was an interesting study of personalities.  4/5

This book was given to me as an ARC by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

21 comments:

  1. ENJOY if you read this book, and thanks for stopping.

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  2. All that detail might get to me but I do like that style of mystery.

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    1. It was great detail....I don’t think you would be overwhelmed.

      Thanks for commenting, Kathy.

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  3. This is a wonderful review! It can be disappointing when a story line gets bogged down with details. Next time I'm looking for a suspense I'll have to pick this one up!

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    1. You won’t get bogged down with detail....it was very well done and added to the story line.

      Thanks for commenting, Dream Come True.

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  4. From your review, sounds like a book one can really get immersed in. I'll probably add to my never ending tbr stack. Thanks for great review

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    1. You are welcome, and thanks about my review.

      ENJOY when you read it, and thanks for commenting, Diane.

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  5. I'll keep your review in mind if I get the opportunity to read it. I liked detailed writing if it doesn't become too enhanced, you know?

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    1. It was the perfect amount of detail.

      ENJOY if you read the book, Mary, and thanks for commenting.

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  6. I've been noticing this book, and I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing!

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  7. I like the premise of this book. With the snow storms we have been having, I can relate to being housebound.

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    1. Oh yes....they were REALLY snowed in. :)

      Thanks for commenting, Nise.

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  8. Sounds extremely interesting! Great review!

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    1. Thanks, reeca.

      I think you would like the book.

      Thanks for commenting.

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  9. So many books that fall into this genre but lush writing isn't always included. Nice to have it when you can get it.

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  10. Reunions can be strange and awkward. Time does alter lots of situations!

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    1. Oh yes...time altered things for these friends. :)

      Thanks for commenting, Mystica.

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  11. not for me currently - maybe if I was not faced with a book mountain...

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    1. Oh yes...I hear you.

      I have a HUGE mountain.

      Thanks for commenting, Carole.

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