What do you think?
Rate this book
The Dinner Party: The most addictive, twisty, psychological thriller of 2020
Eight friends. Eight secrets. One killer. A group of old friends gather in a peaceful suburban street for a dinner party. They are expecting a fun evening of wine, food and pleasant company. But then they start to play the game… It’s about trust and dark secrets – it tests marriage to its limits – and none of them can begin to imagine its consequences. Because the next day, two guests are dead and the others are trapped in a nightmare…
320 pages, Paperback
First published October 18, 2019
412 people are currently reading
2712 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 328 reviews
October 8, 2019
The Dinner Party, a suspense book, was a solid 3 stars.
The book centers around four couples that reunite at a dinner party. Things are going great until the couples engage in a game of trust and truth, that unfortunately has the party ending with hard feelings. The next morning, one of these 8 people is found dead and the others wonder if the game had anything to do with it.
I found the Dinner Party to be an interesting book, however, with a lack of likable characters and an unsatisfying ending, the book was a decent read rather than a great one. Recommended to readers that enjoy suspense and mystery books. Thank you NetGalley for proving me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
The book centers around four couples that reunite at a dinner party. Things are going great until the couples engage in a game of trust and truth, that unfortunately has the party ending with hard feelings. The next morning, one of these 8 people is found dead and the others wonder if the game had anything to do with it.
I found the Dinner Party to be an interesting book, however, with a lack of likable characters and an unsatisfying ending, the book was a decent read rather than a great one. Recommended to readers that enjoy suspense and mystery books. Thank you NetGalley for proving me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
May 20, 2020
What seemed like a bit of light hearted fun to add some excitement between friends at a dinner party, soon becomes a deadly game of secrets and consequences.
As eight friends decided to write down their biggest secret in a sealed envelope, it's up to their partners to burn the note as a trust exercise. With any wrongdoing during their relationship has been cleared.
A simple case of wiping the slate clean?
But imagine having that chance in your hand to find out a possible relationship effecting secret, all gone up in a puff of smoke...
Tension soon rises throughout the course of the evening and alarmingly comes to a head when one of the party members is found murdered.
How bad was someone's secret and who would go to such lengths to make sure its kept hidden?
This absorbing thriller really races along as the stakes continue to grow, while none of the couples really stood out for me - it was interesting to see how the game soon escalated.
Highly addictive!
As eight friends decided to write down their biggest secret in a sealed envelope, it's up to their partners to burn the note as a trust exercise. With any wrongdoing during their relationship has been cleared.
A simple case of wiping the slate clean?
But imagine having that chance in your hand to find out a possible relationship effecting secret, all gone up in a puff of smoke...
Tension soon rises throughout the course of the evening and alarmingly comes to a head when one of the party members is found murdered.
How bad was someone's secret and who would go to such lengths to make sure its kept hidden?
This absorbing thriller really races along as the stakes continue to grow, while none of the couples really stood out for me - it was interesting to see how the game soon escalated.
Highly addictive!
September 22, 2019
The Dinner Party by RJ Parker was not what I was expecting at all. While I did enjoy it I found it very hard to believe the characters and the plot. The ending was a mess and completely out there. I was disappointed as I was expecting it to be better than it was. None of the characters were at all likeable and I found it hard to believe that any of it could be happening.
4 couples reunite for a dinner party. After the meal they are talked into playing a truth game and that is when the trouble begins. They have all consumed a lot of alcohol tensions rise. Early the next morning one of them is dead and it look so like they were murdered by their partner. It goes on from there, with secrets and lies doing nothing to make life easy for this group of people.
Thanks to Harper Impulse, Killer Reads and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased
4 couples reunite for a dinner party. After the meal they are talked into playing a truth game and that is when the trouble begins. They have all consumed a lot of alcohol tensions rise. Early the next morning one of them is dead and it look so like they were murdered by their partner. It goes on from there, with secrets and lies doing nothing to make life easy for this group of people.
Thanks to Harper Impulse, Killer Reads and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased
I enjoyed this one. It didn't blow me away or anything, and it was quite far-fetched, but it kept me entertained throughout. 👍
October 18, 2019
Crikey! Richard Parker's latest standalone thriller is addictive as books come. I must warn potential readers to only pick this up when you have the time to finish the whole story in a single sitting as once you pick it up there's no prying it out of your hands. It's well written, pacey and full of twisty surprises and an ending that you will not see coming; it left me astonished. Mr Parker creates such a tense atmosphere that you are always on the edge of your seat just waiting for something chilling to happen and happen it did. I was a little concerned because I have read other books with a similar premise, but let me assure you no-one does it better than this author. A cracking page-turner that is a must-read for all crime fiction fans.
November 28, 2019
I started this book at 1 AM on Thanksgiving morning, couldn't put it down, and read until around 4 when my Kindle finally died.
It should be a super fun turkey day for my tired, premenstrual ass. Eh, I don't like turkey much anyway.
Moving on...
Truly, the first three quarters of this book is totally engrossing. It's quick, well-written, and pulls you right into the lives of these four (odd) couples. I genuinely couldn't figure out where the story was going, or why, and I was invested, friends. I really was.
Unfortunately, this book suffers from the, "no idea how to end this, so I'll just go crazy and throw everything...including the kitchen sink at you" syndrome. I hate to say it, but the ending was stupid. I loathe that word, but even with a thesaurus, it's the best way I can think to describe what I read. It went so far into implausible territory, with ignorant decisions made by one and all, that I may have done more than the occasional eye-rolling.
Despite the ending, however, I still think this one is worth reading. This author was on to something, and I foresee better work in the future.
**Many thanks to the publisher for the advance copy, in exchange for my unbiased review.
It should be a super fun turkey day for my tired, premenstrual ass. Eh, I don't like turkey much anyway.
Moving on...
Truly, the first three quarters of this book is totally engrossing. It's quick, well-written, and pulls you right into the lives of these four (odd) couples. I genuinely couldn't figure out where the story was going, or why, and I was invested, friends. I really was.
Unfortunately, this book suffers from the, "no idea how to end this, so I'll just go crazy and throw everything...including the kitchen sink at you" syndrome. I hate to say it, but the ending was stupid. I loathe that word, but even with a thesaurus, it's the best way I can think to describe what I read. It went so far into implausible territory, with ignorant decisions made by one and all, that I may have done more than the occasional eye-rolling.
Despite the ending, however, I still think this one is worth reading. This author was on to something, and I foresee better work in the future.
**Many thanks to the publisher for the advance copy, in exchange for my unbiased review.
October 17, 2019
For full review - The Limit of Books Does Not Exist
I really like the concept of The Dinner Party. Everything seems normal, you are hosting a dinner party with your closest friends. You decided to play a couples game and things turn tense very quickly. Then the plot turns unrealistic in the second half and I struggled to keep up with all of the moving parts.
I really didn’t like the characters and I found it hard to tell them apart. There are 4 couples, including our narrator and his wife, and I keep forgetting who was married to who and what made them different from the other couples. I understand that the author wanted to throw the readers off by who the killer was by adding more characters, but for me it didn’t work. They just blended together.
And then there was the ending. Even after reading the last chapters twice, I’m still fuzzy on what happened. I was hoping for some sort of shocker, but it’s hard to be shocked when you are only left with a limited number of characters after most have died.
Interesting concept that fell apart with unlikeable characters and unrealistic storylines.
Thank you to Netgallery and Harper Impulse and Killer Reads for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I really like the concept of The Dinner Party. Everything seems normal, you are hosting a dinner party with your closest friends. You decided to play a couples game and things turn tense very quickly. Then the plot turns unrealistic in the second half and I struggled to keep up with all of the moving parts.
I really didn’t like the characters and I found it hard to tell them apart. There are 4 couples, including our narrator and his wife, and I keep forgetting who was married to who and what made them different from the other couples. I understand that the author wanted to throw the readers off by who the killer was by adding more characters, but for me it didn’t work. They just blended together.
And then there was the ending. Even after reading the last chapters twice, I’m still fuzzy on what happened. I was hoping for some sort of shocker, but it’s hard to be shocked when you are only left with a limited number of characters after most have died.
Interesting concept that fell apart with unlikeable characters and unrealistic storylines.
Thank you to Netgallery and Harper Impulse and Killer Reads for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
October 18, 2019
They are a group of eight friends ... all married ... all have been friends for at least 10 years. Ted and Juliette are hosting a dinner party at their house. They are expecting a wonderful evening of fun, good food, laughter, great company, and wine.
But one of the others suggests a parlor game .... a game that no one should ever play. These eight friends cannot foresee just how dangerous this is.
By tomorrow, two of these people will be dead ...and everyone else will be living a nightmare.
There are secrets and lies aplenty ... add suicides, possible homicides, drugs, alcohol and well hidden pasts that are slowly being revealed, and the suspense is palpable. I found the first half riveting, but them it kind of fizzled toward the end. The story was all wrapped up, but some of it didn't rise to the level of tension I had expected.
Many thanks to the author / Harper Collins UK / Killer Reads / One More Chapter / Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
But one of the others suggests a parlor game .... a game that no one should ever play. These eight friends cannot foresee just how dangerous this is.
By tomorrow, two of these people will be dead ...and everyone else will be living a nightmare.
There are secrets and lies aplenty ... add suicides, possible homicides, drugs, alcohol and well hidden pasts that are slowly being revealed, and the suspense is palpable. I found the first half riveting, but them it kind of fizzled toward the end. The story was all wrapped up, but some of it didn't rise to the level of tension I had expected.
Many thanks to the author / Harper Collins UK / Killer Reads / One More Chapter / Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
November 6, 2019
How can a simple dinner party with a group of good friends go so terribly wrong?
Ted and Juliette are having a dinner party with three other couples at their house. As the wine begins to flow, one guest has an idea for a game. The game consists of a truth and a forgiveness. The couples must write down a secret they are keeping from their partner. Without knowing what the secret is the other spouse must forgive them and burn the paper without ever knowing its content. Although most of them feel uncomfortable playing this party game, they reluctantly go along with it. What really could go wrong?
When two of the guests are found dead the next morning, the others are left with unimaginable guilt for many reasons. Could the game have caused a terrible fight which lead to murder? Do they tell the investigators about this crazy game they played?
As Ted and Juliette begin to try and piece the puzzle together, Ted begins to question everyone's motives...even his wife's. Then another death occurs!
What secrets are being hidden and why does Ted feel as is Juliette is not being honest with him? Could this silly game have had anything to do with what is happening to all of them? As marriages and friendships are being tested will anyone survive?
This fast paced psychological thriller hooks you from the very first sentence. The story so well told I gave up trying to figure out who did it and just enjoyed the twists and turns and surprises with an I did not see that coming ending which will make you think...wait what?? Wow!
I will say this...at the next dinner party I attend, when someone suggests playing a game...that is going to be my cue to leave!
Thank you to #NetGalley #HarperCollinsPublishers #R.J.Parker #TheDinnerParty for the advanced copy.
Ted and Juliette are having a dinner party with three other couples at their house. As the wine begins to flow, one guest has an idea for a game. The game consists of a truth and a forgiveness. The couples must write down a secret they are keeping from their partner. Without knowing what the secret is the other spouse must forgive them and burn the paper without ever knowing its content. Although most of them feel uncomfortable playing this party game, they reluctantly go along with it. What really could go wrong?
When two of the guests are found dead the next morning, the others are left with unimaginable guilt for many reasons. Could the game have caused a terrible fight which lead to murder? Do they tell the investigators about this crazy game they played?
As Ted and Juliette begin to try and piece the puzzle together, Ted begins to question everyone's motives...even his wife's. Then another death occurs!
What secrets are being hidden and why does Ted feel as is Juliette is not being honest with him? Could this silly game have had anything to do with what is happening to all of them? As marriages and friendships are being tested will anyone survive?
This fast paced psychological thriller hooks you from the very first sentence. The story so well told I gave up trying to figure out who did it and just enjoyed the twists and turns and surprises with an I did not see that coming ending which will make you think...wait what?? Wow!
I will say this...at the next dinner party I attend, when someone suggests playing a game...that is going to be my cue to leave!
Thank you to #NetGalley #HarperCollinsPublishers #R.J.Parker #TheDinnerParty for the advanced copy.
September 18, 2019
HE'S BACK.....R.J.Parker (aka Richard Parker) one of the masters of the ordinary guy finding himself thrust into situations that are out of his control stories returns with another gripping stand-alone thriller.
Four couples who are apparently life long friends get together at one of the couple's houses for one of their regular dinner parties. It all appears to start off ok although even from the beginning the reader gets the feeling that these people are not as close as they pretend to be. There is tension in the air and the atmosphere gets worse after one of the women suggests that they play a game called the truth game.
What starts off as an innocent dinner party swiftly descends into.a twisty tale of murder,lies,deception,secrets and betrayals that hooks the reader in from the first page,keeps you guessing and frantically turning the pages.
The story is narrated entirely by Ted who was the host of the dinner party along with his partner Juliette. We follow him as he tries to discover what the hell is going on,why his friends are being killed and by whom,why it appears that Juliette is keeping things from him. Why his life is suddenly falling apart because of one stupid party game and why don't Juliette and their friends what him to tell the police about the game. Out of all the realistic characters,apart from Ted's son Georgie who was a wonderful character, Ted was my favourite character and I found myself routing for him as his life unravelled around him,he found himself in danger and not knowing who he could trust. I can't honestly say that I liked Juliette or any of the other friends for various reasons and I wasn't very impressed with DI Renton either.
I really really love Richard Parker's thrillers and The Dinner Party was no exception. Fast paced,packed full of twists and turns,vivid characters and intense hero in danger moments. The chapters are short and snappy and give the reader a very bad case of Just one more chapter syndrome. As always this is a extremely well written thriller and is worth far more than five stars. I think this very talented author deserves far more recognition. Very very highly recommended
Many thanks to Harper Collins UK,Killer Reads,One More Chapter and Richard Parker for a arc of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Four couples who are apparently life long friends get together at one of the couple's houses for one of their regular dinner parties. It all appears to start off ok although even from the beginning the reader gets the feeling that these people are not as close as they pretend to be. There is tension in the air and the atmosphere gets worse after one of the women suggests that they play a game called the truth game.
What starts off as an innocent dinner party swiftly descends into.a twisty tale of murder,lies,deception,secrets and betrayals that hooks the reader in from the first page,keeps you guessing and frantically turning the pages.
The story is narrated entirely by Ted who was the host of the dinner party along with his partner Juliette. We follow him as he tries to discover what the hell is going on,why his friends are being killed and by whom,why it appears that Juliette is keeping things from him. Why his life is suddenly falling apart because of one stupid party game and why don't Juliette and their friends what him to tell the police about the game. Out of all the realistic characters,apart from Ted's son Georgie who was a wonderful character, Ted was my favourite character and I found myself routing for him as his life unravelled around him,he found himself in danger and not knowing who he could trust. I can't honestly say that I liked Juliette or any of the other friends for various reasons and I wasn't very impressed with DI Renton either.
I really really love Richard Parker's thrillers and The Dinner Party was no exception. Fast paced,packed full of twists and turns,vivid characters and intense hero in danger moments. The chapters are short and snappy and give the reader a very bad case of Just one more chapter syndrome. As always this is a extremely well written thriller and is worth far more than five stars. I think this very talented author deserves far more recognition. Very very highly recommended
Many thanks to Harper Collins UK,Killer Reads,One More Chapter and Richard Parker for a arc of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
October 5, 2019
Woah! If I can give you one bit of advice before starting this book, it would be to make sure you have time set aside to read it, as believe me, once you pick it up you will NOT want to put it down!
I started this just before going to bed. Huge Mistake! The shocking start to the story had me hooked and with each chapter, I was left desperate for more. This is one of those books that I devoured as I was enjoying it so much.
I don’t want to say to much about the story as the less you know the better, it does make you question though how well you truly know your friends. The events that happen after a simple get together were shocking yet oh so addictive. I had to keep reminding myself to breath as I was so absorbed by what I was reading. The suspense and tension that the author creates as we get further into the story was electrifying.
The Dinner Party is a story that will definitely get the adrenaline going and I could feel my heart racing by the end. It is pure nail biting, edge of your seat reading at it’s finest. Psychological thriller fans are soooo going to love this book. I sure did. Brilliant!
My thanks to NetGalley and Killer Reads for an advanced readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.
I started this just before going to bed. Huge Mistake! The shocking start to the story had me hooked and with each chapter, I was left desperate for more. This is one of those books that I devoured as I was enjoying it so much.
I don’t want to say to much about the story as the less you know the better, it does make you question though how well you truly know your friends. The events that happen after a simple get together were shocking yet oh so addictive. I had to keep reminding myself to breath as I was so absorbed by what I was reading. The suspense and tension that the author creates as we get further into the story was electrifying.
The Dinner Party is a story that will definitely get the adrenaline going and I could feel my heart racing by the end. It is pure nail biting, edge of your seat reading at it’s finest. Psychological thriller fans are soooo going to love this book. I sure did. Brilliant!
My thanks to NetGalley and Killer Reads for an advanced readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.
May 15, 2022
The Dinner Party is a dish best served cold. Mr. Parker, what on earth have you created? The opening chapter ensures that the reader isn’t going anywhere. Make sure you have cleared your schedule because you won’t do anything else whilst you are reading this book. No hoovering, no baking, no husbands asking where clean socks are lurking…this is a story to be consumed whole, with no breaks but plenty of tea and biscuits.
So THAT first chapter – it sets up the story immediately, it has that hook that embeds in your mouth like a prized salmon. You may try and look away but one word, one yank of that line, and your right back there, in the mercy of the author’s expert hands.
The opening leaves the readers guessing – it’s the scene of a bloodbath. Ted the protagonist is on the floor clutching at someone’s leg. He appears to have been stabbed with a sharp, prong-like implement, a cooking temperature gauge seems most likely. The reader will need to wait some time for this to be revealed, but when it is…it is so worth it!
The Dinner Party is held by married couple Ted and Juliette. They are parents to six-year-old, Georgie. They are being joined by their friends, Jakob and Evie, Orla and Connor, and Kathryn and Rhys. The wine is flowing, they enjoy a beautiful meal and then Evie suggests that they play a game. It is a game of trust. Each person must write down a secret that their partner doesn’t know and seal it in an envelope. They will then pass it to their significant other and they burn it and give them forgiveness without ever reading it. NOW… I don’t know about you but that would fester inside my mind. You know that your partner is hiding something from you, but you have no idea what and have already forgiven them for it so how can you bring it up without a massive argument?
The protagonist, Ted is a multidimensional character. He’s kind, conscientious, and a good father and husband. He reminds me of a therapist. I could imagine him talking you out of a bad situation. A warm voice that can be a support.
The next day two guests are dead and suddenly the accusing finger is pointing at the remainder of the dinner guests. Was it something to do with the trust game they played the previous evening? Did they have financial worries that just became too much? It was enthralling to delve into the guest’s secrets. Each chapter brought me a little closer to the edge of the precipice. The closer we got; Ted found himself swimming further away from the life he knew. Just as I thought I had it figured out, it kept slipping through my fingers.
The Dinner Party is the concoction of a twisted mind. He keeps company with some of the best mind-bending writers. Crackles with toxic relationships, dark desires and turns that have you questioning why you took them in the first place.
So THAT first chapter – it sets up the story immediately, it has that hook that embeds in your mouth like a prized salmon. You may try and look away but one word, one yank of that line, and your right back there, in the mercy of the author’s expert hands.
The opening leaves the readers guessing – it’s the scene of a bloodbath. Ted the protagonist is on the floor clutching at someone’s leg. He appears to have been stabbed with a sharp, prong-like implement, a cooking temperature gauge seems most likely. The reader will need to wait some time for this to be revealed, but when it is…it is so worth it!
The Dinner Party is held by married couple Ted and Juliette. They are parents to six-year-old, Georgie. They are being joined by their friends, Jakob and Evie, Orla and Connor, and Kathryn and Rhys. The wine is flowing, they enjoy a beautiful meal and then Evie suggests that they play a game. It is a game of trust. Each person must write down a secret that their partner doesn’t know and seal it in an envelope. They will then pass it to their significant other and they burn it and give them forgiveness without ever reading it. NOW… I don’t know about you but that would fester inside my mind. You know that your partner is hiding something from you, but you have no idea what and have already forgiven them for it so how can you bring it up without a massive argument?
The protagonist, Ted is a multidimensional character. He’s kind, conscientious, and a good father and husband. He reminds me of a therapist. I could imagine him talking you out of a bad situation. A warm voice that can be a support.
The next day two guests are dead and suddenly the accusing finger is pointing at the remainder of the dinner guests. Was it something to do with the trust game they played the previous evening? Did they have financial worries that just became too much? It was enthralling to delve into the guest’s secrets. Each chapter brought me a little closer to the edge of the precipice. The closer we got; Ted found himself swimming further away from the life he knew. Just as I thought I had it figured out, it kept slipping through my fingers.
The Dinner Party is the concoction of a twisted mind. He keeps company with some of the best mind-bending writers. Crackles with toxic relationships, dark desires and turns that have you questioning why you took them in the first place.
April 12, 2020
What a fantastic opening. Ted's on the kitchen floor, writhing and bloody with a barbeque fork in his back. He's wondering if he's going to survive and he's still trying to fight. I was immediately all in and the story takes us back a few days to The Dinner Party. From there it was a propulsive read as I felt like I was in the same race as Ted to piece together the clues and the culprit. I was kept up late into the night reading and couldn't wait to get back to it the next day.
That's not to say there weren't some problem areas. To begin with, the couples (and sadly the individuals who comprise them) are a bit bland and nearly indistinguishable. There's a beard on one, a Mallen streak on another, a childless couple amongst those with various enumerations of progeny, one who gets combative after a few drinks... and yet, there's little more to make any of them a true standout (with the exception of Ted because of the way he's introduced). None of them will be terribly memorable and I've honestly forgotten the names of quite a few and I'm only just over 24 hours our from finishing the book. The secrets didn't feel that big in the final analysis and the ending felt flat (and what the heck was the deal with the sitter). Perhaps it was crushed under the weight of this reader's expectations.
So it's a 2.5 read for me overall. I really wanted to like it more but your mileage may vary. Neutral on recommend.
That's not to say there weren't some problem areas. To begin with, the couples (and sadly the individuals who comprise them) are a bit bland and nearly indistinguishable. There's a beard on one, a Mallen streak on another, a childless couple amongst those with various enumerations of progeny, one who gets combative after a few drinks... and yet, there's little more to make any of them a true standout (with the exception of Ted because of the way he's introduced). None of them will be terribly memorable and I've honestly forgotten the names of quite a few and I'm only just over 24 hours our from finishing the book. The secrets didn't feel that big in the final analysis and the ending felt flat (and what the heck was the deal with the sitter). Perhaps it was crushed under the weight of this reader's expectations.
So it's a 2.5 read for me overall. I really wanted to like it more but your mileage may vary. Neutral on recommend.
September 30, 2019
I really enjoyed The Dinner Party, fast paced, twisty as you like, with some love to hate to love characters all up to various levels of nefarious activities.
It starts with a dinner party, a fairly innocuous event and ends with blood and horror- the story fairly rocks along as events unfold through the eyes of one of the friends. His slow burning realisation that he hardly knows anyone around him despite being so close to them for years is a perfect central anchor to the wider story
It is a bit mad but never strays into unbelievable and it is wildly entertaining with a great ending.
Overall a really good read. Recommended.
It starts with a dinner party, a fairly innocuous event and ends with blood and horror- the story fairly rocks along as events unfold through the eyes of one of the friends. His slow burning realisation that he hardly knows anyone around him despite being so close to them for years is a perfect central anchor to the wider story
It is a bit mad but never strays into unbelievable and it is wildly entertaining with a great ending.
Overall a really good read. Recommended.
November 7, 2019
'I've been married. I know what a loaded word "fine" is.'
Well, well, well... remind me never to attend a dinner party with Richard J. Parker. His party games start with lies, add in a little betrayal, how about MURDER, followed by suicide, and you know, maybe some more MURDER.
In The Dinner Party four married couples are brought together for a dinner party that leaves them all full; full of doubt, suspicion, and mistrust. No one could have known just exactly how an innocent game of truth would lead to such tragedy.
The narrative hook Richard J. Parker delivers, well, it's not unlike any of his other novels, it sucks you right in, they don't call it a "hook" for nothing folks. I'm not going to lie, I took a picture of the first page on my Kindle and sent it to a friend and said "Oh, this is going to be good!" That's how hooked I was... at first... but at some point it started to get confusing, but not in the suspenseful mystery 'what's going to happen' kind of way. I think for me personally, it came down to the characterization. The biggest issue, there were too many characters, with too little development. I won't get into detail as to what starts happening to these characters, but because there is little personal development with them, I'm left feeling disjointed when moments are meant to offer more impact. Which in the end is why I went with 4 stars rather than 5.
If you're looking for suspense, then look no further, this book certainly delivers. It offers the reader an atmospheric read with short chapters that will leave you saying "Okay, just one more chapter!"
NOW! For the most important part of my review! I want to thank Richard J. Parker for not only allowing me the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for my review, but I also want to thank him for taking the time to personally acknowledge ME (let's not be silly... and others) in his Acknowledgements. I have to say, I've read A LOT of author Acknowledgements, and I have never seen an author thank his readers and reviewers in a more heartwarming way. I can now tell my friends... my FULL name is in a book! What's cooler than that?
I also want to thank NetGalley and Harper Impulse and Killer Reads for also allowing me the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for my review.
Well, well, well... remind me never to attend a dinner party with Richard J. Parker. His party games start with lies, add in a little betrayal, how about MURDER, followed by suicide, and you know, maybe some more MURDER.
In The Dinner Party four married couples are brought together for a dinner party that leaves them all full; full of doubt, suspicion, and mistrust. No one could have known just exactly how an innocent game of truth would lead to such tragedy.
The narrative hook Richard J. Parker delivers, well, it's not unlike any of his other novels, it sucks you right in, they don't call it a "hook" for nothing folks. I'm not going to lie, I took a picture of the first page on my Kindle and sent it to a friend and said "Oh, this is going to be good!" That's how hooked I was... at first... but at some point it started to get confusing, but not in the suspenseful mystery 'what's going to happen' kind of way. I think for me personally, it came down to the characterization. The biggest issue, there were too many characters, with too little development. I won't get into detail as to what starts happening to these characters, but because there is little personal development with them, I'm left feeling disjointed when moments are meant to offer more impact. Which in the end is why I went with 4 stars rather than 5.
If you're looking for suspense, then look no further, this book certainly delivers. It offers the reader an atmospheric read with short chapters that will leave you saying "Okay, just one more chapter!"
NOW! For the most important part of my review! I want to thank Richard J. Parker for not only allowing me the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for my review, but I also want to thank him for taking the time to personally acknowledge ME (let's not be silly... and others) in his Acknowledgements. I have to say, I've read A LOT of author Acknowledgements, and I have never seen an author thank his readers and reviewers in a more heartwarming way. I can now tell my friends... my FULL name is in a book! What's cooler than that?
I also want to thank NetGalley and Harper Impulse and Killer Reads for also allowing me the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for my review.
September 30, 2019
This was a fun little book.
It’s not life changing, but it’s extremely entertaining.
I really wasn’t sure at first, but as soon as they played a little dinner party game (a game that no couple should ever, ever play!), I was in.
Some of the reasons behind everything were a touch unbelievable, but it’s a popcorn book and I kept munching that popcorn until the end.
I enjoyed this read and would happily try something else by our author!
*ARC Provided via Net Galley
October 22, 2019
Any book advertised as "the most addictive, twisted, psychological thriller" is usually not any of those things and this one was no exception. The Dinner Party had such an interesting premise but ended up being a typical formulaic thriller with no thrill.
We start off at a dinner party with a bunch of couples who are having a school reunion type of thing. One of the ladies, Evie, recommends them play a game of 'burn their deepest darkest secrets' which ends up with one of them dead.
The biggest issue I had with this book was the people...there was about 13 different people to remember the names of. 8 of those were in a couple so not only did you have to remember their name, you had to remember who they were married to as well. This was hella confusing even 65% the way through.
Then, there was the lacklustre ending. This was supposed to be a 'who dunnit' situation but 1) I gathered who it was about 15% through the book and 2) you didn't have much of a selection because most of them were either injured or, for the few really unlucky ones, ended up dead.
Don't even get me started on the very last chapter. Unrealistic. Unrealistic. Unrealistic.
Most of his books look to be True Crime so this may be his first dip into the Fiction - Crime/Thriller pool but I didn't like it.
We start off at a dinner party with a bunch of couples who are having a school reunion type of thing. One of the ladies, Evie, recommends them play a game of 'burn their deepest darkest secrets' which ends up with one of them dead.
The biggest issue I had with this book was the people...there was about 13 different people to remember the names of. 8 of those were in a couple so not only did you have to remember their name, you had to remember who they were married to as well. This was hella confusing even 65% the way through.
Then, there was the lacklustre ending. This was supposed to be a 'who dunnit' situation but 1) I gathered who it was about 15% through the book and 2) you didn't have much of a selection because most of them were either injured or, for the few really unlucky ones, ended up dead.
Don't even get me started on the very last chapter. Unrealistic. Unrealistic. Unrealistic.
Most of his books look to be True Crime so this may be his first dip into the Fiction - Crime/Thriller pool but I didn't like it.
October 29, 2019
Oh I did love The Dinner Party! In fact I’ve always enjoyed a good dinner party myself (fabulous food, fantastic friends…what’s not to love?!) but strangely enough since reading this book I may accept invitations with a little more trepidation than normal in the future. I have to say though that with any future invites, I’m quite happy to stick to my own favourite dinner party game of Scrabble with a few glasses of Drambuie! And to be honest I’m thinking that the characters in R.J. Parker’s book are probably wishing in hindsight that they had done the same!
When a group of friends gather together for a dinner party, we are aware from the very start of the preparations for the night that there are undercurrents bubbling alongside the main course for the evening. But when a seemingly fun but thought provoking post dinner game is suggested by one of the guests, little do they realise that it is going to be the catalyst for a series of shocking events that will leave none of them untouched by the next morning.
I’ve read and loved Richard Parker’s books before so was looking forward to The Dinner Party which is written under his alter ego of R.J. Parker. Although to be honest, I had actually preordered The Dinner Party before I had even connected the dots and realised who it had actually been written by! It was the description of the plot that had me completely intrigued as I’ve always been fascinated by how seemingly innocuous occasions can be the spark to light the flames of undeclared resentments that have been simmering beneath that surface of suburban harmony. And R.J. Parker has delivered a gruesome and intense storyline that will keep you guessing until the final, frantically flourished finish. To think that a dinner party between friends who have supported each other through years of marriage and family issues can lead to being trapped in a nightmare that it is impossible to escape, is such a fascinating premise and I don’t think anyone else could have fulfilled the brief as well as has been implemented here.
The Dinner Party is a fast paced, creative and exciting read that will grab you from the very first page. I couldn’t put it down and it fulfilled all my expectations and more! Highly recommended by me! Especially as I had absolutely no idea where the plot was heading until it slapped me in the face! Nice one!
When a group of friends gather together for a dinner party, we are aware from the very start of the preparations for the night that there are undercurrents bubbling alongside the main course for the evening. But when a seemingly fun but thought provoking post dinner game is suggested by one of the guests, little do they realise that it is going to be the catalyst for a series of shocking events that will leave none of them untouched by the next morning.
I’ve read and loved Richard Parker’s books before so was looking forward to The Dinner Party which is written under his alter ego of R.J. Parker. Although to be honest, I had actually preordered The Dinner Party before I had even connected the dots and realised who it had actually been written by! It was the description of the plot that had me completely intrigued as I’ve always been fascinated by how seemingly innocuous occasions can be the spark to light the flames of undeclared resentments that have been simmering beneath that surface of suburban harmony. And R.J. Parker has delivered a gruesome and intense storyline that will keep you guessing until the final, frantically flourished finish. To think that a dinner party between friends who have supported each other through years of marriage and family issues can lead to being trapped in a nightmare that it is impossible to escape, is such a fascinating premise and I don’t think anyone else could have fulfilled the brief as well as has been implemented here.
The Dinner Party is a fast paced, creative and exciting read that will grab you from the very first page. I couldn’t put it down and it fulfilled all my expectations and more! Highly recommended by me! Especially as I had absolutely no idea where the plot was heading until it slapped me in the face! Nice one!
September 26, 2019
Eight friends. Eight secrets. One killer.
A group of friends gather for a peaceful dinner party but a game about trust and dark secrets results in two guests dead...
The premise sounded really good with an Agatha Christie-like whodunit scenario, but the execution of this novel left much desired. The first part was great- I was swept into the murder case but then as I neared the second part, that attention and intrigue quickly disappeared. The pacing was wicked slow and the characters (while quite developed) were not very likable or relatable. The chapters end at odd times and the writing style does very little to enhance the plot and add intrigue. The sheer amount of disbelief I have to suspend for the plot from the incompetent police procedural to the murder motives is incredibly high and I wasn't very satisfied by the end. This was a decent thriller but not as exciting or thrilling as I'd hoped.
*Thank you to NetGalley and One More Chapter publishers for providing a free ARC
A group of friends gather for a peaceful dinner party but a game about trust and dark secrets results in two guests dead...
The premise sounded really good with an Agatha Christie-like whodunit scenario, but the execution of this novel left much desired. The first part was great- I was swept into the murder case but then as I neared the second part, that attention and intrigue quickly disappeared. The pacing was wicked slow and the characters (while quite developed) were not very likable or relatable. The chapters end at odd times and the writing style does very little to enhance the plot and add intrigue. The sheer amount of disbelief I have to suspend for the plot from the incompetent police procedural to the murder motives is incredibly high and I wasn't very satisfied by the end. This was a decent thriller but not as exciting or thrilling as I'd hoped.
*Thank you to NetGalley and One More Chapter publishers for providing a free ARC
December 9, 2022
For my full review, visit me at https://mrsbrownsbooks.wordpress.com/...
I was expecting a page-turning thriller with this book from Parker. Whilst it was page-turning (for not the right reasons), I thought the plot verged on being ludicrous and unbelievable.
I was expecting a page-turning thriller with this book from Parker. Whilst it was page-turning (for not the right reasons), I thought the plot verged on being ludicrous and unbelievable.
August 16, 2020
Tags: #murdermystery #secrets #couplestherapy #dinnerpartiesgonewrong #howdiditgosowrong #secretsbetweencouples
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 Stars
Characters:
Ted Middleton- Host of the dinner party.Juliette’s Husband, Foster Home Care Compliance Officer
Juliette Middleton- Host of the dinner party.Ted’s wife, Traffic Pollution Samples
Georgie - Ted and Juliette’s 6 year old son.
Zoe Cabot - next door neighbour. Single mom in her mid-twenties
Detective Inspector Renton
Detective Sergeant Patterson
Evie Eriksson (Deceased)- Jakob’s wife, Teacher, Death due to head trauma as a result of being struck on the head by a blunt object.
Jakob Eriksson (Deceased) - Evie’s husband, Teacher, Hanged himself. Apart from alcohol, autopsy report showed he had Rohypnol in his blood. Evie drugged him with Rohypnol and he had a bad reaction to it by becoming violent. He ended up strangling his wife Evie to death in the back lawn.
Brit Olsen - Jakob’s older sister
Grant Tulles - Evie’s ex boyfriend. Drug user.
Orla Lowney (Deceased) - Connor’s wife, Described as Skinny and tall, pale and beautiful. Mother of two girls. Committed suicide by jumping off a bridge/platform. Sexually assaulted by Steve North which started the whole ball rolling for revenge
Connor Lowney- Orla’s husband. Described as wiry, sweaty and harried. Two Girls. Investment banker. Fell off the bridge trying to save his wife. Survived the fall.
Kathryn Driscoll (Deceased) - Rhys’ wife. Most recent couple to join the group of friends (2017). Recruitment consultant. Been having an affair with her husband Rhys’ brother. When he pressed, she liked and told him that she was having an affair with Ted instead. Killed her husband Rhys, attempted to kill Ted by stabbing him and hitting him behind the head, hit Jakob with a garden ornament. Killed by Juliette with a knife to the throat.
Rhys Driscoll (Deceased)- Kathryn’s husband . Most recent couple to join the group of friends (2017). Works for a Petrochemical company. Parents of Twins via IVF. Killed by his wife accidentally when they were fighting.
Plot:
The Trust Game
• Suggested by Evie.
• For couples who have been married seven years or more.
• Each person writes a deep secret that they hid from their spouse since they got married and place it in an envelope. They exchange it and each person tells their partner that they forgive them and burns it without reading the secret.
Murdered/Injured :
• Jakob Eriksson - hit on the back of the head with a garden ornament by Kathryn Driscoll
• Evie Eriksson - murdered by blunt force trauma with a garden ornament by Kathryn Driscoll. Originally thought to be murdered by her own husband Jakob.
• Rhys Driscoll - hit with a glass jug by his wife Kathryn Driscoll.
• Kathryn Driscoll - killed by Juliette Middleton with a knife to the throat.
• Juliette Middleton - Kathryn tried to strangle her to death.
• Ted Middleton - Kathryn tried to stab him to death with a knife and meat thermometer.
• Orla Lowney - committed suicide by jumping off a bridge on the path of an oncoming train.
Survivors:
• Ted Middleton
• Juliette Middleton
• Connor Lowney
The night after the dinner party and playing the trust game, Ted and Juliette received a call from Evie at around 4 am. Evie sounded frantic. Ted and Juliette headed to their home to find them both missing but with blood smears all around the house. They heard someone running out of the house but can’t be certain who it is in the dark. Then, they found Evie dead in the lawn and Jakob, her husband missing. Jakob contacted Ted asking to meet with him. Ted agreed and tried to convince Jakob to turn himself to the police. When Jakob refused, Ted tried to stop him but Jakob punched him. When Ted arrived back at home, he found the rest of the couples from the dinner party at home. Detective Renton arrives and made a few inquires. Later that day, the detective phoned Ted to tell him that Jakob has been found hanging on a tree. Ted went to identify his body. Back at home, Ted learned from his son Georgie that Evie had been over their house when he was out having drinks with colleagues. He wondered why Juliette lied to him and claimed that they haven’t seen Evie or Jakob for 8 months while Evie was undergoing cancer treatment. When Ted confronted Juliette about Evie being at their home, Juliette revealed that Evie told her that Jakob attempted suicide by swallowing pills and vodka two weeks ago. However, when Ted spoke to Jakob’s sister who flew in to arrange Jakob’s funeral, she told them that Jakob spoke to her on the same day that Evie confided that he committed suicide. The next day, Ted took a day off but received a call from Detective Renton. The Detective informed him that they found the date-rape drug Rohypnol in Jakob’s blood. Ted phoned Juliette at work but she was in a meeting. Connor swung by for a few minutes and Ted told him. The next door neighbour, Zoe, then appears out of nowhere and made Ted uncomfortable so to get rid of her he told her that he was just leaving the house. Ted decided to drive to Rhys and Kathryn’s house only to find Juliette’s car parked in their driveway. When he rang the door bell and no one answered, he went to the back and spied on Juliette having a heated argument with Kathryn. When he was discovered, he demanded to know what was happening only to be hit behind the head by an enraged Rhys. It turned out Kathryn was having an affair with Rhys’ brother but she lied and told him she was instead having an affair with Ted. Rhys stormed out to cool off and Kathryn revealed that Detective Renton wanted to interview her and Rhys again at the police station. Ted and Juliette drove her and was headed home when Juliette received an urgent call from Connor. Orla is on a rail bridge threatening to jump. When they got to the train station, Ted, Juliette and Connor all tried to prevent Orla from jumping but failed. In the process of trying to save Orla, Connor also fell off and was badly injured. After speaking briefly with Connor in the ICU, Ted received a message from Grant Tulles, a drug dealer and Evie’s ex. They met at a pub and Grant revealed that he saw Evie two weeks ago and sold her Rohypnol. Grant also revealed that Juliette was with Evie when they bought the date rape drug. When Ted tried to reach Juliette at home, Zoe, the next door neighbour babysitting Georgie told him Juliette is not at home. Ted headed back to Rhys and Kathryn’s house, slipped in through the back door to find Juliette on the second floor with Rhys’ dead body. Kathryn also appeared and tried to convince Ted to leave the house while they clean up and burn the house down with Rhys’ body to get rid of the evidence. When Ted refused, Kathryn tried to convince both Ted and Juliette to leave the house and let her deal with her mess. As Ted was leaving, Kathryn stabbed him with a knife and an altercation ensued ending with Ted stabbed twice, Ted stabbing Kathryn in the back of the head, Kathryn attempted to strangle Juliette and ultimately, Juliette killing Kathryn with a knife to the throat.
What Happened:
Connor and Orla were having marital problems. Connor have been unfaithful and working a lot. At a bar, Orla met Steve North. While drunk, she was drugged and raped. Evie, Juliette and Orla hatched a plan to avenge Orla. They bought Rohypnol from Grant Tully and went back to bar to find Steve. Evie drugged him and took him out behind the bar and Orla went too far in exacting her revenge. Things started to unravel after playing the trust game due to guilty conscience and the need to constantly come up with lies after lies and consequences that they hadn’t anticipated. For example, when Evie slipped the remaining Rohypnol into Jakob’s drink after the dinner party because she started to tell him what the 4 women did and panicked., he reacted to the drug by becoming violent. Evie called Kathryn and Juliette to help. When Kathryn arrived first, she found Jakob strangling Evie on the back lawn. She hit him behind the head with a garden ornament but it was too late, Evie died. Jakob, under the influence of Rohypnol couldn’t remember what happened and he later committed suicide by hanging himself. Kathryn then needed Rhys to lie and corroborate her story of what happened to at Evie and Jakob, but Rhys wanted to go to the police and confess instead. It turned into a fight and Kathryn ended up accidentally killing Rhys by hitting him with a glass jug. When Ted arrived at the house, Kathryn and Juliette pretended that Rhys was still alive and upset about the fake affair that Kathryn concocted to make Rhys appear to be alive. Her plan was to have Ted and Juliette corroborate that Rhys was upset, left the house and disappeared.
Impression: Secrets is served as the main course for four couples at a dinner party. One of them suggested that they play the Trust game. The game involve each person writing down a deep secret they have never shared with their partner. The envelope containing the secret is exchanged and each person forgive their partner for the secret is and the envelope is burned. Dessert turned into a banquet of tangled secrets, lies and murder. The next time you host a dinner party, ask yourself: “How well do you really know your closest friends?”
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 Stars
Characters:
Ted Middleton- Host of the dinner party.Juliette’s Husband, Foster Home Care Compliance Officer
Juliette Middleton- Host of the dinner party.Ted’s wife, Traffic Pollution Samples
Georgie - Ted and Juliette’s 6 year old son.
Zoe Cabot - next door neighbour. Single mom in her mid-twenties
Detective Inspector Renton
Detective Sergeant Patterson
Evie Eriksson (Deceased)- Jakob’s wife, Teacher, Death due to head trauma as a result of being struck on the head by a blunt object.
Jakob Eriksson (Deceased) - Evie’s husband, Teacher, Hanged himself. Apart from alcohol, autopsy report showed he had Rohypnol in his blood. Evie drugged him with Rohypnol and he had a bad reaction to it by becoming violent. He ended up strangling his wife Evie to death in the back lawn.
Brit Olsen - Jakob’s older sister
Grant Tulles - Evie’s ex boyfriend. Drug user.
Orla Lowney (Deceased) - Connor’s wife, Described as Skinny and tall, pale and beautiful. Mother of two girls. Committed suicide by jumping off a bridge/platform. Sexually assaulted by Steve North which started the whole ball rolling for revenge
Connor Lowney- Orla’s husband. Described as wiry, sweaty and harried. Two Girls. Investment banker. Fell off the bridge trying to save his wife. Survived the fall.
Kathryn Driscoll (Deceased) - Rhys’ wife. Most recent couple to join the group of friends (2017). Recruitment consultant. Been having an affair with her husband Rhys’ brother. When he pressed, she liked and told him that she was having an affair with Ted instead. Killed her husband Rhys, attempted to kill Ted by stabbing him and hitting him behind the head, hit Jakob with a garden ornament. Killed by Juliette with a knife to the throat.
Rhys Driscoll (Deceased)- Kathryn’s husband . Most recent couple to join the group of friends (2017). Works for a Petrochemical company. Parents of Twins via IVF. Killed by his wife accidentally when they were fighting.
Plot:
The Trust Game
• Suggested by Evie.
• For couples who have been married seven years or more.
• Each person writes a deep secret that they hid from their spouse since they got married and place it in an envelope. They exchange it and each person tells their partner that they forgive them and burns it without reading the secret.
Murdered/Injured :
• Jakob Eriksson - hit on the back of the head with a garden ornament by Kathryn Driscoll
• Evie Eriksson - murdered by blunt force trauma with a garden ornament by Kathryn Driscoll. Originally thought to be murdered by her own husband Jakob.
• Rhys Driscoll - hit with a glass jug by his wife Kathryn Driscoll.
• Kathryn Driscoll - killed by Juliette Middleton with a knife to the throat.
• Juliette Middleton - Kathryn tried to strangle her to death.
• Ted Middleton - Kathryn tried to stab him to death with a knife and meat thermometer.
• Orla Lowney - committed suicide by jumping off a bridge on the path of an oncoming train.
Survivors:
• Ted Middleton
• Juliette Middleton
• Connor Lowney
The night after the dinner party and playing the trust game, Ted and Juliette received a call from Evie at around 4 am. Evie sounded frantic. Ted and Juliette headed to their home to find them both missing but with blood smears all around the house. They heard someone running out of the house but can’t be certain who it is in the dark. Then, they found Evie dead in the lawn and Jakob, her husband missing. Jakob contacted Ted asking to meet with him. Ted agreed and tried to convince Jakob to turn himself to the police. When Jakob refused, Ted tried to stop him but Jakob punched him. When Ted arrived back at home, he found the rest of the couples from the dinner party at home. Detective Renton arrives and made a few inquires. Later that day, the detective phoned Ted to tell him that Jakob has been found hanging on a tree. Ted went to identify his body. Back at home, Ted learned from his son Georgie that Evie had been over their house when he was out having drinks with colleagues. He wondered why Juliette lied to him and claimed that they haven’t seen Evie or Jakob for 8 months while Evie was undergoing cancer treatment. When Ted confronted Juliette about Evie being at their home, Juliette revealed that Evie told her that Jakob attempted suicide by swallowing pills and vodka two weeks ago. However, when Ted spoke to Jakob’s sister who flew in to arrange Jakob’s funeral, she told them that Jakob spoke to her on the same day that Evie confided that he committed suicide. The next day, Ted took a day off but received a call from Detective Renton. The Detective informed him that they found the date-rape drug Rohypnol in Jakob’s blood. Ted phoned Juliette at work but she was in a meeting. Connor swung by for a few minutes and Ted told him. The next door neighbour, Zoe, then appears out of nowhere and made Ted uncomfortable so to get rid of her he told her that he was just leaving the house. Ted decided to drive to Rhys and Kathryn’s house only to find Juliette’s car parked in their driveway. When he rang the door bell and no one answered, he went to the back and spied on Juliette having a heated argument with Kathryn. When he was discovered, he demanded to know what was happening only to be hit behind the head by an enraged Rhys. It turned out Kathryn was having an affair with Rhys’ brother but she lied and told him she was instead having an affair with Ted. Rhys stormed out to cool off and Kathryn revealed that Detective Renton wanted to interview her and Rhys again at the police station. Ted and Juliette drove her and was headed home when Juliette received an urgent call from Connor. Orla is on a rail bridge threatening to jump. When they got to the train station, Ted, Juliette and Connor all tried to prevent Orla from jumping but failed. In the process of trying to save Orla, Connor also fell off and was badly injured. After speaking briefly with Connor in the ICU, Ted received a message from Grant Tulles, a drug dealer and Evie’s ex. They met at a pub and Grant revealed that he saw Evie two weeks ago and sold her Rohypnol. Grant also revealed that Juliette was with Evie when they bought the date rape drug. When Ted tried to reach Juliette at home, Zoe, the next door neighbour babysitting Georgie told him Juliette is not at home. Ted headed back to Rhys and Kathryn’s house, slipped in through the back door to find Juliette on the second floor with Rhys’ dead body. Kathryn also appeared and tried to convince Ted to leave the house while they clean up and burn the house down with Rhys’ body to get rid of the evidence. When Ted refused, Kathryn tried to convince both Ted and Juliette to leave the house and let her deal with her mess. As Ted was leaving, Kathryn stabbed him with a knife and an altercation ensued ending with Ted stabbed twice, Ted stabbing Kathryn in the back of the head, Kathryn attempted to strangle Juliette and ultimately, Juliette killing Kathryn with a knife to the throat.
What Happened:
Connor and Orla were having marital problems. Connor have been unfaithful and working a lot. At a bar, Orla met Steve North. While drunk, she was drugged and raped. Evie, Juliette and Orla hatched a plan to avenge Orla. They bought Rohypnol from Grant Tully and went back to bar to find Steve. Evie drugged him and took him out behind the bar and Orla went too far in exacting her revenge. Things started to unravel after playing the trust game due to guilty conscience and the need to constantly come up with lies after lies and consequences that they hadn’t anticipated. For example, when Evie slipped the remaining Rohypnol into Jakob’s drink after the dinner party because she started to tell him what the 4 women did and panicked., he reacted to the drug by becoming violent. Evie called Kathryn and Juliette to help. When Kathryn arrived first, she found Jakob strangling Evie on the back lawn. She hit him behind the head with a garden ornament but it was too late, Evie died. Jakob, under the influence of Rohypnol couldn’t remember what happened and he later committed suicide by hanging himself. Kathryn then needed Rhys to lie and corroborate her story of what happened to at Evie and Jakob, but Rhys wanted to go to the police and confess instead. It turned into a fight and Kathryn ended up accidentally killing Rhys by hitting him with a glass jug. When Ted arrived at the house, Kathryn and Juliette pretended that Rhys was still alive and upset about the fake affair that Kathryn concocted to make Rhys appear to be alive. Her plan was to have Ted and Juliette corroborate that Rhys was upset, left the house and disappeared.
Impression: Secrets is served as the main course for four couples at a dinner party. One of them suggested that they play the Trust game. The game involve each person writing down a deep secret they have never shared with their partner. The envelope containing the secret is exchanged and each person forgive their partner for the secret is and the envelope is burned. Dessert turned into a banquet of tangled secrets, lies and murder. The next time you host a dinner party, ask yourself: “How well do you really know your closest friends?”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 12, 2020
5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ for this book.
Eight friends. Eight secrets. One killer
A group of old friends gather in a peaceful suburban street for a dinner party.
They are expecting a fun evening of wine, food and pleasant company. But then they start to play the game...
It's about trust and dark secrets- it rests marriage to the limits- and none of them can begin to imagine it consequences.
Because the next day, two guests are dead and the others are trapped in a nightmare.
The book hit the floor running and hooked me from the start. Twists and turns throughout the book always left you second guessing yourself when it came to deciphering who had done what to whom.
The ending came rushing over me and the pages flashed by as I devoured the story to the conclusion.
Highly recommended if you like a good thriller.
Eight friends. Eight secrets. One killer
A group of old friends gather in a peaceful suburban street for a dinner party.
They are expecting a fun evening of wine, food and pleasant company. But then they start to play the game...
It's about trust and dark secrets- it rests marriage to the limits- and none of them can begin to imagine it consequences.
Because the next day, two guests are dead and the others are trapped in a nightmare.
The book hit the floor running and hooked me from the start. Twists and turns throughout the book always left you second guessing yourself when it came to deciphering who had done what to whom.
The ending came rushing over me and the pages flashed by as I devoured the story to the conclusion.
Highly recommended if you like a good thriller.
October 1, 2019
This looked so promising but ended up disappointing me. 2.5 stars.
I loved the promise of this book. A dinner party between friends where a game of trust is played, and the friends start turning up dead... sounds exciting and like it would have an amazing twist, right?
Unfortunately, the ending of this book and the twists just weren't done well. The characters were literally ALL unlikeable and I found myself not even caring what happened to any of them. To top it off, the 'twist' was really bad. I was hoping for it to work out in a spectacular way and it really could have but it was seriously anti-climactic and just... blah.
Such a shame. I would read other books from this author - I noticed he writes mostly true crime though, and I only read fiction.
Would recommend for: I would not recommend this book, but would love to hear your recommendations for books where the characters play a deadly game - I love the concept.
August 6, 2020
Dark secrets, unreserved trust and lifelong friendships are unraveled and left crumbled after an unexpected dangerous game with murderous consequence.
October 8, 2019
Finished reading: October 7th 2019
"Ted felt as if everything was slowing down. He was on the verge of sliding back into unconsciousness."
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Harper Impulse and Killer Reads in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
P.S. Find more of my reviews here.
July 1, 2020
It was a good read but not excellent. It did grip me at the beginning and I was fully engaged. I started it before going to bed and thought I could just read through some chapters. Instead I read the first quarter in one sitting and had to go to bed because of work and continued the next day.
That’s when the book started stalling, there were so many moving pieces but at the same time it felt like nothing was happening. I felt myself wanting to skim through so I could finish and that’s never a good sign when I start doing that. But this is one of those books you can’t because the details are so important, I found myself having to go back to skipped pages. Which is why it took me 3 days to finish a book I could have finished in a day and made for a bit of a frustrating read but that was a problem I created for myself. Then the characters were problematic, I disliked all characters even Ted the narrator, but what changed it from a potential 2 to 3 star read was the plot twist towards the end which to the authors credit I did not catch on to. I’m normally really good with “ who done it scenarios” and it was written in a way you suspected one of the couples from the beginning but not at all the way it played out.
I didn’t like the ending, but then in a sense it was too be expected and deserved. Which made it more realistic as certain aspects were becoming a bit “out there”. It’s hard to summarise the book without any spoilers but I do recommend it for a lazy Saturday where you have no plans and nothing on your TBR list.
That’s when the book started stalling, there were so many moving pieces but at the same time it felt like nothing was happening. I felt myself wanting to skim through so I could finish and that’s never a good sign when I start doing that. But this is one of those books you can’t because the details are so important, I found myself having to go back to skipped pages. Which is why it took me 3 days to finish a book I could have finished in a day and made for a bit of a frustrating read but that was a problem I created for myself. Then the characters were problematic, I disliked all characters even Ted the narrator, but what changed it from a potential 2 to 3 star read was the plot twist towards the end which to the authors credit I did not catch on to. I’m normally really good with “ who done it scenarios” and it was written in a way you suspected one of the couples from the beginning but not at all the way it played out.
I didn’t like the ending, but then in a sense it was too be expected and deserved. Which made it more realistic as certain aspects were becoming a bit “out there”. It’s hard to summarise the book without any spoilers but I do recommend it for a lazy Saturday where you have no plans and nothing on your TBR list.
June 14, 2020
Fantastic read. It had me hooked right from the beginning. I’d bought the book at the supermarket and when I scanned on here the reviews put me off. But I’m glad I went for it. It was exciting and fast paced from the off. It had a great plot. Just couldn’t see how things were going to play out like a lot of books. Every new chapter caught my breath not quite believing what I was reading. Very well written.
October 16, 2019
Wow... what an amazing book. This is a complete page turner. I couldn’t put it down as I just needed to know the next twist in the story
This book is fast paced and filled with twists and turns. The ending was a surprise and I could never have guessed what would happen. The chapters are short and snappy.
This is an extremely well written thriller which is full of suspense.
This book is fast paced and filled with twists and turns. The ending was a surprise and I could never have guessed what would happen. The chapters are short and snappy.
This is an extremely well written thriller which is full of suspense.
January 8, 2020
This was as good as any thriller gets for me! Superbly written, brilliant pacing and characters who were all keeping secrets. Most books I can guess the ending and who is responsible. This one kept me turning the pages and kept me guessing until all was revealed. HIGHLY recommended!
February 16, 2020
8 friends gather for a neighborhood dinner and two die the next day. What secret was revealed that someone had to kill to protect them-self. Lots of action and twists to keep you turning the pages. This is my first read by R.J. Parker and I see many of his books are murder and psychological thrillers. The cast of characters were a little bland and I didn't like the ending. I think it needed one more chapter. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 328 reviews