I enjoyed The American Girl by Rachel English and was delighted to receive a copy of her new book The Night Of The Party.
Tom's parents throw a party every year in early January. Tom and his friends are enjoying themselves when a body is found on the premises and it looks like a murder. The incident has long reaching consequences for the friends and a secret that has to be kept. This story gives an insight into living in a small village in Ireland.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Hachette Books Ireland for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Noone write about the 80s in Ireland like Rachael English. Great memories, pitch perfect observations with an intriguing murder mystery thrown in. Highly recommended!

This is a story of 4 young teenage friends, Tom, Connor, Tess and Nina, living in small town Kilmitten, in County Clare in 1982, present at the annual party thrown by Tom's parents in January amidst the worst snow storms seen in Ireland for some time. By the end of the party, Father Leo Galvin is found dead in suspicious circumstances, whilst young Tom is burdened with a secret that is to weigh him down and haunt him through the years. This is less a crime novel, more a focus on 4 friends drawn closer by the events of that night and how Father Galvin's murder binds them and tears them apart through the years. Kilmitten in 1982 is a place where everyone knows everyone, where the Catholic Church dictates social norms, so single mothers are frowned upon and ostracised, and illegitimate children hounded as seen with the treatment of Ginny and Tess. Gossip, secrets, speculation and judgementalism flourish, people marry young, are expected to rigidly adhere to their social strata, fostering an atmosphere of claustrophobia, stress and pressure where many of its young folk wish to break free of the place, as indeed all 4 friends do, although only Tess settles in England.

The story follows the drama surrounding the friends through the years, their careers, marriages, children, as they return to Kilmitten intermittently, where surprisingly Tom settles down in later years. Nina, finds her life more difficult, succumbing to ill advised decisionmaking that risks the relationship she is in. She grew up with a privileged lifestyle, her good looks guaranteeing she was the centre of attention, so when Tess's unexpected career brings her global attention, success and money, she is jealous and envious, precipitating a desire in her for more glamour and excitement. Her conduct finds her forced to accept a period of ostracisation in Kilmitten and from her friends, especially Tess. Tom forges a path in politics from unlikely beginnings, and Connor walks in his father's footsteps by joining the police. Tess refuses to give up on finding out who her father is, only to be shocked when the truth comes out. Father Galvin's unsolved murder continues to attract attention, such as a documentary being made to mark 10 years, and Conor just cannot stay away from it, as he keeps delving into the mystery despite being constantly warned off. 35 years later, he has an inkling that Tom might be holding the missing piece of the puzzle, can he get him to open up?

Racheal English writes a compelling piece of contemporary fiction, revolving around the lives of friends through the years, how they support each other, fall out, and whilst there is a long period of estrangement with Nina, they do sustain their valued connections with each other. I was particularly drawn to forthright, take no nonsense Tess, and loved how she upturned everybody's low expectations through a piece of luck that results in her modelling career. Poor Tom pays for his loyalty by being psychologically troubled by what he saw as a 12 year old child. The author documents Ireland's cultural shifts such as the declining influence of the Catholic Church after its history of abuse, and the slow rise of women's rights in the country, progressive moves that are to be welcomed. This is a wonderful glimpse into Irish small town life revealed through the characters in the book, the dark secrets that lurk beneath so called respectable lives, and an examination of friendships that weather all the turbulent years. Highly enjoyable, entertaining and engaging read which I recommend highly. Many thanks to Hachette Books, Ireland for an ARC.