What a terrible disappointment this book is. I read The Hunting Party, even buying it for my husband so was looking forward to reading another Lucy Foley book. She just altered book 1’s location from Scotland to Ireland and altered a group staying in a remote hunting lodge for a group going to a remote island for a wedding but basically the story is identical. I will not be buying anymore of her books but expect that book 3 will be set in deepest Wales with a group of fishermen/women who are gripped by one of them coming to a sticky end

I thoroughly enjoyed this clever, twisty, crime book. It kept me thinking and guessing the whole way through – firstly trying to work out who the victim was going to be (which I did manage to get before the reveal) and secondly who the murderer was (which I didn’t manage to work out).

The book was so clever, letting us have glimpses into the current and past lives of several key characters in alternating parts. Just when you thought you had a handle on someone you learnt something else that made you re-assess them again.

Very few of the people we got to spend time with in this book were genuinely nice. But somehow that didn’t matter. They were all very human, very rounded characters with messy back stories and human failings. They weren’t so unlikable as to put you off reading and indeed there were several who you just felt genuine sadness for.

The author deals with a few difficult themes in the course of the story too. Suicide, abortion, drug use, infidelity and childhood trauma all are raised at some point, they are important parts of the character arcs and written well but if you’re uncomfortable with any of these topics then this probably isn’t the book for you.

A brilliant crime novel and I’ll certainly be looking out for the authors next book.

This book had everything that you want from a thriller. Its claustrophobic nature, intriguing characters and twisty plot keeps you guessing until the end. Set on a remote island where a murder has taken place at a wedding, you get to delve into the lives of the guests while they are trapped during a storm. I didn't think it could live up to her debut novel The Hunting Party but it surpassed it. Her writing just keeps getting better.

Brilliant!!!
I loved all the secrets and twists absolutely brilliant.
The author knows how to keep you hooked that's for sure!!

Devoured this story! I love a murder mystery but this story had all the delicious twists and turns and character elements which made it hard to put down. I loved that it was set over a wedding, seeing the fallibility of people and the classic drunken group behaviour mixed with uncertainty and twisted characters was really well laid out. The landscape descriptions felt real, I was there on those blustery craggy rocks looking out to sea! Outstanding!

A bit of a slow burner for me but overall an enjoyable whodunit with some great twists. Will be sure to read The Hunting Party having enjoyed this one by Lucy Foley and look forward to her next book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

The windswept Cormorant Island situated off the coast of Ireland is where successful magazine editor Jules and TV star Will have decided is the perfect place for their wedding. How romantic, to be able to bring people to such a place. The story is told by various members of the Wedding Party- the wedding planner, the bride & Groom, best man, bridesmaid & a plus one. It is also told from different time frames. This was a very good way of seeing the event from multiple sides. From quite early on we know that someone has been murdered but not who & that keeps the reader guessing.

Having really enjoyed the Hunting party I was excited to read another book by Lucy Foley& I was not disappointed. This was a fast paced read with some very dislikable characters. I couldn't put it down. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

It was an excellent read with the right level of suspence and a great cast of characters.
The author is an excellent storyteller and I loved this story that reminds me of a Golden Era novel.
It's a gripping and entertaining read, highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I didn’t read the hunting party as sounded like so many ,however the reviews were good for that one so I got a kind invite to the wedding from netgalley and the publishers so ty .
I met the guests ,I couldn’t work out who would die though was a likely suspect in some ways .hidden secrets ,betrayed and loyalties stretched all the ingredients right there .
The atmosphere good and only given more kudos due to the setting which I could really visualise . The stormy seas surrounding an old building .
Did I guess .....I narrowed it down to two and was right on one of them but didn’t call it exact,y as had two I thought cd have done it .i didn’t get why but the thread is there throughout and u do pick up in a few clues along the way .
Clearly a lover of Agatha and still enjoyable even if similar .
Frustrating I found it not knowing who dies as harder to guess who but actually quite unique in that as only a couple where I have not only wondered who did but who died
Ty ....I was pleased and would read another in time .if read them one after another they may feel similar but now and again between other novels it’s a good casual murder mystery with good plotting of clues

The perfect society wedding on a storm lashed, remote, most probably haunted, Irish island. A guest list full of guilty secrets, bitter resentments and hidden motives - what could possibly go right?

As in Ms Foley’s previous book, ‘The Hunting Party’, we start with a crime being discovered and then travel back to the circumstances leading to it; the big guessing point is not ‘who is the murderer?’ but ‘who gets murdered, and by whom?’ And there is plenty of scope for both roles in this highly readable thriller.

A delicious holiday read, whether it be on a poolside sun lounger or, like myself, in a log cabin next to a frozen Icelandic fjord.

Great fun.

If you’re a fan of Agatha Christie then this will be right up your street.

It’s supposed to be the coming together of two families, the celebration of a joyous occasion the wedding of Jules and Wills but the jubilant atmosphere is soon replaced with terror as a body is found.

The story is told from the perspective of the different guests to the wedding in the various chapters. We go back and forward in time too which sets the context and the scene of all the secrets and drama which climaxes in the final chapters.

Will appears to be this perfect, handsome, charming and successful man. He is the star of a survival tv show (similar to Bear Grylls) and the groom. Is he really as perfect as he comes across?

Jules is the bride - successful, beautiful, perhaps a little bit of a control freak? She wants her wedding day to be perfect with a nod to her Irish roots which is why she chose this remote island off the coast of Ireland for the nuptials with an exclusive guest list.

Olivia is the troubled half sister of Jules and the one and only bridesmaid.

Then there’s the ushers and best man - all school pals of Wills from his boarding school days. These lot are definitely a handful and come across as very privileged, posh and not very nice. Johnno the best man won a scholarship so he hasn’t got that chip on his shoulder but he doesn’t come without his own issues.

Charlie is best friends with Jules and is accompanied by his wife Hannah. Hannah isn’t overly enamoured with the bride and has her suspicious about their long friendship.

Then of course there’s Aiofe and Freddy - the couple hosting this wedding at their home on the island.

We’re taken through the wedding weekend and events leading up to the waitress screaming in the marquee full of guests that there’s a body.

There’s a whole lot of drama going on with these people - Charlie and Hannah are having martial problems, Olivia is battling her own demons following a problematic breakup, Jules has some anger issues (she likes to throw and break things), Johnno seems like life is passing him by, the other ushers seem like jumped up privileged little man boys and Wills is a little too slick will his mask slip?

Aiofe the wedding planner seems to have everything planned for the big day but is she hiding secrets of her own?

I found it a little slow to start with a lot of scene setting but once we were firmly settled on the island the drama started to unfold.

It all stems from the Trevs school days and one big secret from the past.

Will is the centre of a lot of drama and is a character I really dislike which intensified as the story unfolds.

You’re not told till quite near the end the identity of the body and not everything is boxed off in a neat little parcel which I quite liked.

The last third of the book I raced through.

There’s plenty of Easter eggs throughout the early chapters that I pieced together.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. I’m a big fan of murder mysteries and this didn’t disappoint. I won’t go into any more detail otherwise it will reveal spoilers.

I requested this after really enjoying The Hunting Party, this did not disappoint! Definitely an author to watch!

Gripping from the start, the characters, the storyline, and location were fabulously executed constantly increasing the tension and sense of foreboding. Especially as I didn't like any of the characters, in fact, they were all quite deplorable but I couldn't stop reading about them which is the hallmark of a great writer for me, creating unlikeable characters in a way you still won't want to stop reading about them.

I loved the five intertwined points of view in the beginning but by the middle, it was getting a bit tedious reading the same events five times it felt like we weren't really getting anywhere. Of course, I'm sure that is the point to increase the suspense and draw out the whodunit for as long as possible. The reveal also pushes the boundaries of believability with one too many coincidences.

Overall a compulsive entertaining read, that will keep you guessing till the very end. If you loved the Hunting Party you'll be sure to love this too it is very similar to an isolated setting, old friends, booze and a dead body... get your detective hats on bookworms!

Thank-you Harper Collins & Netgalley for sending me a copy in exchange for an open & honest review.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

With thanks to Harper Collins and NetGalley for the ARC.

Lucy Foley can create atmosphere, suspense and a brilliant cast of characters.
She then blends all these elements into excellent storytelling with apparent ease.

The Guest list refers to the wedding of society girl Julia Keegan and rising TV survivalist star Will Slater.
The celebrity wedding of the year is taking place on Cormorant Island, an isolated island off the West coast of Ireland.
A storm closes in, cutting the island off from the mainland and then a body is found.

All the characters have extensive back stories, sprinkled well throughout the book and by the time of the murder it's apparent that there are several people who would have reason to kill the victim.

Foley is a brilliant storyteller, I was immersed in the story from start to finish, the pace was excellent throughout and you are kept guessing all the way to the end.
Excellent read.

What a tangled web! Brilliant - right up to the end I had no idea what was about to evolve. An atmospheric setting helped immensely.

This is better than The Hunting Party! I raced through the book, totally immersed in the story, and the characters are really well described. A very well written mystery/thriller, cleverly told in the past and the present, so you read what happened, then you go backwards and read what lead up to it. Everyone has a past and everyone has a reason. I didn't see the twist coming. Clever book! I'll definitely be recommending this to my book club next month.

A thrilling read from start to finish, I thoroughly enjoyed this and am excited to read more of this authors work!

3.5/4*

Another gripping thriller by Lucy Foley, filled to the brim with a cast of imperfect characters with plenty of murder motives for each of them. The remote island off the coast of Ireland was the perfect setting for the fallout from these characters & Foley kept me turning the pages with something revealed in each chapter,

I look forward to reading her next book!

I loved The Hunting Party and The Guest List didn't disappoint either! A wedding set on a remote Irish Island which all goes horribly wrong when a body is found. Lucy Foley is great at creating characters, some I liked and some I didn't!

Set on a remote Irish island, a celebrity wedding that sees the past coming back to haunt the wedding guests and it ends with one of them being murdered. Bit of a classic whodunit, although there is no detective involved, instead the events are related from some of the key guests/characters.

To be honest I didn't feel much empathy with any of the characters, as the majority are self-centred and have more skeletons in the closet than most. That said, their various pasts make you want to keep reading to find out more about them and how it affects the dynamic at the wedding. The remote location works well as it builds the impending sense of doom nicely.

The book goes at a fair pace and although you can maybe guess some of the plot twists, it is a very good read and certainly lives up to the positive reviews the book has been getting.