The Hunting Party - free sampler

by Lucy Foley

*FREE EBOOK EXTRACT, available to download*

EVERYONE’S INVITED.
EVERYONE’S A SUSPECT.

Bristling with tension, bitter rivalries, and toxic friendships, get ready for the most hotly-anticipated thriller of 2019.

In a remote hunting lodge, deep in the Scottish wilderness, old friends gather for New Year.

The beautiful one
The golden couple
The volatile one
The new parents
The quiet one
The city boy
The outsider

The victim.

Not an accident – a murder among friends.

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction

60 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 4, 2018

About the author

Hello and welcome to my Goodreads page! I’m the author of the murder mystery thrillers The Midnight Feast, The Paris Apartment, The Guest List and The Hunting Party — as well as the historical novels The Book of Lost and Found, The Invitation and Last Letter from Istanbul.

I came to writing through a love of reading — I previously worked with books as a fiction editor, a literary agent’s assistant, a bookseller and a literary scout!

Inspired by trips to the West Country and local folklore I began plotting my latest novel, The Midnight Feast. A midsummer heatwave, a setting with a past, a reunion that takes a dark turn. And so The Midnight Feast came to life.

Thanks to brilliant readers around the world, my novels have sold over five million copies, and been translated into multiple languages. I’m also a No 1 New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller. A life-long Agatha Christie fan, I also contributed to Marple, a collection of short stories featuring the legendary detective.

Follow me on social media at:

Instagram @lucyfoleyauthor
Facebook @LucyFoleyAuthor
Twitter/X @lucyfoleytweets

Reviews

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Hunting Party
By: Lucy Foley
🦌
A close-knit group of friends from their undergrad days @ Oxford get together at a remote lodge for the New Year’s holiday. What could possibly go wrong?
🦌
This group, including: Miranda; Julien; Mark; Emma; Katie; Nick; Bo; Samira & Giles, were interesting enough, but I found the secret pasts & lives of Doug & Heather to be even more so! Doug & Heather live full-time at the remote lodge, & peaks into their pasts are granted to the reader bit by bit.
🦌
I enjoyed the quick chapters, each narrated by the different main characters. There was a point in the book where I found myself somewhat less engaged & feeling like the storyline was quite similar to “In a Dark Dark Wood.” But then, the story’s trajectory changed, & I was captivated.
🦌
There are several twists & turns & surprises & secrets in this one. & Foley is a master storyteller. In the Acknowledgments, she refers to a transition of this one to film. It will surely be fantastic, & just think of all the beautiful young actors that will be cast!
🦌🦌🦌🦌

[Sacha Liu · Rating 2 out of 5]

The one thing I liked about this book is that you did not know who the victim was until the end of the book which was an original twist on the classic murder mystery format, however, the story was quite boring, not the page turner I was hoping for. I guess the author meant to give a background into each character and create a build up to finding out which one of them was murdered but I felt the pace was way too slow for my liking (my first guess early on in the book was correct, I'm sure I wasn't the only one to figure it our straight away). I didn't like any of the characters and found them very cliche.. I guess the clue was in the blurb; the beautiful one, the dowdy one, the outsider etc, nothing new here. I was disappointed as I had read great reviews about it and I love a good 'who dunnit' but I had to force myself to finish it to the end (which came very quick and felt rushed) I already bought 'The Guest List' by the same author before reading this so will give it a go, hopefully it will be more enjoyable.

[Ashley Gravel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy fun read as most of her books are!

[Lee George · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book and did not see the killer coming at the end! However, there was too many characters not needed in the story that served no purpose. Also found it odd how the Gamekeepers chapter was always in 3rd person but everyone elses was in 1st.

[kathryn potter · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was a solid thriller book. it was pretty boring at first and took a while to get into but then the last like quarter of the book kinda made up for that. good plot twists and i liked the characters. but the writing just wasn’t immaculate.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Different twist on a murder plot....you don’t know who the victim is until the end. Lots of psychological themes. Great read.

[Jolie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

Reading this book, I kinda realized it was mostly drama and the “main” part of the book- supposedly the plot line- didn’t really seem as much of a plot. It seemed more of a hazy supporting detail,or even a subplot. There was so much buildup on the mystery to what happened that the outcome seemed, honestly, disappointing. To some degree, I understand the rush at the end (there wasn’t much to work around) but that doesn’t make it much better. It was definitely a page-turner, with drama and a lot happening, but there didn’t seem like much of a point to the book until the disappointment of a conclusion. I guess that seems a bit harsh, and really it isn’t a bad book. Those are just my thoughts on how the book was set up and how it followed through with that.

On the other hand, there was a sense of satisfaction when I, as a reader, figured out who was killed, who did it, and what exactly happened. But it wasn’t much to make up for the disappointing ending. It wasn’t a bad book, I liked reading it, but again, just a bit sad for all that it seemed it was going to be.

I would still recommend this book, as long as you aren’t looking for a detailed plot line.

[Goosegirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't love this. It was not a bad book or story, and I think it was strong on tone and Foley creates a distinct 'energy' with the characters and scenes she crafts.

However, I was gripped by what is intended to be a thriller. The mystery is of course there, and I appreciated that the perpetrator is not obvious. I think it is just intriguing enough to have kept me reading, but I was on that cusp of actually not really caring, and almost abandoning.

That said Lucy Foley is a skilled author and I do find her style one I am interested to remain in. It is not a warm, and the characters are not likeable, and i struggle to continue with books un which i cannot connect with at least one person. But, I think there's enough in it, and the quality of writing makes it just about a 'good read' for me. That said, I am sure it is simply a taste thing. As I said it is on no way 'bad'. Just not one that enthralled me or moved me.

[Ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn’t expecting to like this as much as I did. LOVED it. My fav Lucy Foley thus far.

The best part about it was that I enjoyed reading it the entire time (vs wanting to get to the end). The characters were so fun to follow along with and I kept trying to guess the killer and I was very wrong.

I have a lot to say about the characters. I hated one in particular but don’t want to spoil anything in my review. This would be really fun for book club. It’s also fun for right now because it’s set New Year’s Eve and is snowy / winter vibes.

[Catie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A splendid thriller by Lucy Foley. A 'friendship group' of ambitious Londoners, loosely bound together by university links. A lot of resentment broods between them, and when stuck together for a holiday in a glamorous Scottish Lodge location, tensions erupt. I enjoyed this and 'the Guest List'. I'm looking forward to the release of 'The Paris Apartment', and must read Lucy Foley's first book 'The Book of Lost and Found' which I recently discovered she had written.

[Himani · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Hunting Party is a gripping and atmospheric thriller that kept me hooked from start to finish. The remote setting and the tension among friends created a perfect backdrop for a murder mystery.

The multiple perspectives added depth to the story, revealing secrets and building suspense. I enjoyed the twists and turns, and the ending was satisfyingly unpredictable. Overall, it's a well-crafted, engaging read that I highly recommend to fans of thrillers.

[Katerina · Rating 5 out of 5]

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I'VE EVER READ!!! the plot? the characters' developement? the secrets that i would never expect ? the ending that had me hooked? all of them were perfect. exactly what i need from a book. i couln't keep it done while i was reading it. it was truly awesome. i higly recommend this !!!!!

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of the 3 books I've read by this author, this is by far the best. Riveting (although sometimes unlikely) plot progression, with lots of twists for interest. Foley successfully created a cast of the most UNlikesble characters, making any one of them the potential killer in this multi-layered whodunnit.

[Kerry Scales · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a page turner, but a bit repetitive at times. "she was so beautiful", "it was so cold and isolated", " The ending was satisfying, and I liked that I didn't even know who died until later in the book. All-in-all a pretty good mystery.

[Leanne Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the novel was predictable. I like a thriller and suspense so that made this to my books to read list.

The characters were all so unlikeable and the repetitive descriptions of the scenery were unnecessary. I did enjoy getting to know these nasty friends!

[annabel · Rating 4 out of 5]

i love me a good murder mystery
i think that the pacing of this book started a bit slow but got faster and better
the drama was great
i love how lucy foley jumps between time and this made me also try to figure out the murder alongside the characters
the murderer was actually who i least expected

[Elisabeth Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Similar to The Guest List, this book is set in an extreme environment with very flawed characters. A super fun and riveting read where you never quite know what could happen next. Read this in about a day or so. Another very fun mystery thriller from Foley.

[Hugh Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. I thought it was original, well planned and well written. I liked that the author made the characters seem real, although they also seemed either fragile or obnoxious. The fact that you don’t get to know the victim or the murderer until the end worked really well for me.

[Cristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting - little slow.

[Amber Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a book with a twist ..really good read.!

[Corey Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much more enjoyed the guest list by the same author. I felt this was amore predictable.

[Justafiftysomethingsview · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read

[S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay. I guessed a lot of the twists. The Guest List is still my favorite Lucy Foley book

[Jennifer Huder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lucy Foley has a very compelling writing style and I’ll read something else by this writer. While I concur with a few of the comments, I still had to see for myself how it ended. Glad I did.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing memorable or exciting .. instantly forgetable read

[mary allison cates · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was rough. Very few likable characters.

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like 3.5. I liked it and it was a good twist but it took a long time to get there and then wrapped up quickly

[Olena Maleckyj · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great who done it book with twists and turns along the way and especially the fact of not knowing who did it and to whom. A very fast read also. I enjoyed it!

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did read this entire book, but I found it hard to complete. I understood the basic premise, but it quickly became quite confusing.