Like The Hunting Party, Lucy Foley's first psychological thriller, The Guest List is a gathering of old friends set in a remote location. This time, the inaccessible venue is an island off the west coast of Ireland.

Jules, a successful online magazine editor, is about to marry Will, the star of a TV outward bound programme called Survive the Night.

Aoife runs The Folly - where the wedding will take place - with her partner, the shy Freddie. She has come to live on the small island, known to her from her childhood holidays.

Jules and Will seem the perfect golden couple - attractive, successful, charismatic - but they haven't known each other long and cracks soon start to appear. Jules has received a note telling her not to marry Will - that he is not who he seems. When his old school friends arrive - the ushers - tension escalates. The men, now in their early thirties, are advancing in their careers - all except Johnno, who is a mess. It soon becomes clear that something happened at the school involving Johnno.

Meanwhile, Jules' bridesmaid, her half-sister, Olivia, is quietly falling apart. She too has a secret that is eating her from within.

Similarly, Charlie, Jules' best friend, and Hannah, his wife, are going through a rough patch. Charlie is wary of the ushers; though he was not at school with them and is less well-off than they are, he was invited to Will's stag do where, again, something happened. Hannah, too, feels alienated - she is not part of the wedding party, as Charlie is as a close friend of Jules, and barely sees him throughout the big day. The bride is somewhat dismissive of her, and she senses the ushers find her ridiculous and are laughing at her.

Tension slowly builds throughout the book as we are given insights into the mental states of all the protagonists. During the evening wedding party, the generator fails because of a storm and the lights go out. When the lights go back on a body is discovered and the tension escalates further. The young waitress who discovered the bloody corpse is too shocked to tell the others exactly where it was. By now we know some of the characters' secrets and more are revealed as the hunt for the body gets underway.

This is a gripping novel with well-developed characters - many of whom are unpleasant. The denouement is shocking but somehow inevitable. There are a few coincidences but truthfully these did not bother me. Very enjoyable.

Successful magazine editor Jules is marrying TV survivalist Will in a lavish wedding on a remote island off the west coast of Ireland. But throw in an unexpected storm, Will's boorish public schoolboy chums, the bride's fragile sister, and several tragedies in the pasts of those on the guest list, and you have a recipe for a page-turning thriller. The Guest List sticks to the formula that was so successful in Foley's previous novel, The Hunting Party: take a group of unlikeable posh people, stick them somewhere remote, hint at dark deeds in their pasts, and wait for the bodies to start piling up. And it's a very effective formula. I enjoyed the development of the plot, the narrative moving back and forward in time across the wedding weekend, dropping hints all the while. And if most twists were fairly predictable, it was nevertheless enjoyable to see them unfold.

Having enjoyed 'The Hunting Party', I was pleased to be given an advance copy of this book. The same ingredients are present here - a remote location, a cast of characters with questionable pasts, plus lashings of secrets and appalling behaviour...

This story takes place over the course of two days - the day before the wedding of Will Slater and Jules Keegan and the wedding day itself. As the guests assemble on the remote island location, the secrets of the past begin to surface. The actual stormclouds begin to gather and the plot builds to a murder, although who and why are elements saved for a dramatic denouement.

This is cleverly plotted, as with Foley's previous book, and the range of different perspectives allow the reader to see lots of different things over the course of the 2 days. My only issue is that the people are all pretty awful - a range of immature ex-public schoolboys, attention seekers and oddballs. When the murder comes, it works brilliantly, although I did kind of guess bits of the solution ahead of time.

A recommended read for people who like mysteries in the Agatha Christie vein - a limited list of suspects, clever plotting and lots of hidden secrets.

It was w fast paced book to read. Full of character. Suspense. Not knowing what would happen next. Interesting to read

A great modern-day whodunit with drip-fed revelations right up to the end. The story progression using the perspective of key characters works well as does the occasional time jump.
This will be a sure-fire bestseller.
I hadn’t got around to reading The Hunting Party yet, but it’s just shot up the to-be-read pile.

I enjoyed this book.

This story is really good. Family and friends go to a remote Island for Jules and Will wedding, the story will keep you turning the pages. It is a thrilling book. so many twists and turns some i expected some i didn't.

I am liking this authors style of writing and can't wait to read more of this authors books.

I very much enjoyed Lucy Foley's first book and I agreed to read an ARC of this one in exchange for a fair review. I have to admit that I was convinced it would be a bit same-y when measured against The Hunting Party because the plot outline seemed the same: remote location, old friends thrown together, hidden goals and deceptions....but I'm happy to say that is where the similarities stopped. Multiple character viewpoints and a complex story which was masterfully spun and unwound again - this book is an absolute triumph!

I could almost cut and paste my review for the Hunting Party here again.

Foley has cracked one of the codes to a really successful whodunnit. Her method includes the following elements: a remote place (previously the Scottish Highlands, this time an Island off the coast of Ireland); a big suspect list (or should that be guest list?); a timeline that moves from the day of the murder to the day immediately before the events take place - switching back and forward with ease. All of these elements work really well to create a satisfying and unputdownable read. It also means you can’t skip ahead to find out whodunnit because you don’t actually know what has happened until you’re three quarters of the way in!

Some of the coincidences near the conclusion are a little too convenient but did it bother me? Clearly not as I’m still giving this the full 5*s.

As happened with the release of The Hunting Party, I’m only sorry this book won’t be out in time for Christmas because I’d love to give it as a gift!

Many thanks to NetGalley, HarperFiction and Lucy Foley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a fabulous read, I loved it!
The book is superbly written. I especially like how the story develops in each chapter with everything coming together at the end. The characters are all strangely engaging.
I’d strongly recommend it, it’s a good one!

You are cordially invited to a wedding and well what a wedding this turned out to be !! Talk about secrets this story is chock full of them and little by little they emerge as the wedding progresses as we are drip fed snippets of clues. I loved the way this book was written each chapter by a different character it was so well crafted and a real page turner.
The characters and there was a lot of them were flawed, mostly obnoxious although not all but this just made the book for me and I thought they were all excellently written.
Set on a small remote island off the coast of Ireland and inhabited only by the wedding planner and her husband it is a very atmospheric setting, all seems good at first but then a storm hits and all hell breaks loose as it seems a body has been seen but who and then “the lights go out” !!
Well I’m afraid you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out more and you won’t be disappointed as this a fabulous read that I really loved.
A book I can highly recommend and I’m sure it’s going to be a big hit and many thanks to Lucy Foley.
My thanks also to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Possibly the best book I have read this year. Even better than The Hunting Party. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this and was impossible to put down. The characters were really well developed through the story. Information was drip fed and only really became apparent near the end.
Excellent.
Many Thanks for the opportunity to read and review

The Hunting Party was one of those books that, as I read it, I wished I'd written it myself, and so I had high hopes for The Guest List. Foley doesn't disappoint with her next novel, bringing back her ability to create enticing characters. Her way of writing is flawless, instantly engaging and utterly thrilling.

I have really enjoyed Lucy Foley’s previous work – both her epic historic novels (The Invitation and The Book of Lost and Found), and her last one, which was a crime thriller called The Hunting Party. So when I saw she had a new one out I’m not embarrassed to admit I kind of begged on Twitter for an ARC – and the publisher and Netgalley were kind enough to grant my wish!

Here is the blurb:

“On a remote island, guests gather for the wedding of the year – the marriage of Jules Keegan and Will Slater.

Old friends.
Past grudges.

Happy families.
Hidden jealousies.

Thirteen guests.
One body.

The wedding cake has barely been cut when one of the guests is found dead. And as a storm unleashes its fury on the island, everyone is trapped.
All have a secret. All have a motive.
One guest won’t leave this wedding alive . . .”

From the outset this book had a feel of The Hunting Party – both in terms of content (middle class people in a remote destination) and style (each chapter is told from a different character’s point of view – and it flicks between time periods, so some of it is in the build up to the wedding, and some is from when the body is found). But it is just as brilliant as Ms Foley’s previous book – so why mess with a format that was a best seller!?

This time the setting is a remote island off the Irish coast which is allegedly haunted – and as with all of the author’s previous work – the geographical descriptions are wonderful, along with the wild weather and both really evoke the feeling of being there.

There are huge twists and turns – and you’re never quite sure who you should be rooting for. For a long time any of the characters could have been the victim or the killer! I have to say that Hannah (who was the plus one of the bride’s male BFF) was my favourite character – possibly because she was a mother off the Mum leash for the wedding – something I can totally empathise with – and I also suffer horribly with sea sickness!

Some of the coincidences are a little far fetched – but I guess that often happens in whodunnits like this – and it didn’t spoil the book for me at all.

The chapters build in pace, seemingly getting faster and faster (although perhaps that was just my excited reading?!) – and very cleverly, the final line of a few of the chapters near the end is the same. So smart.

I don’t want to give any spoilers on the victim or the murderer – but it’s good!

As with all of Lucy Foley’s books it’s incredibly well written in terms of language, but also in terms of plot intricacies too, which I really enjoy – I don’t like being spoonfed a storyline. Well done to Ms Foley – and I suspect a fabulous editor – on ensuring no plot holes in something so complex.

I suspect this will be a big hit on the 2020 bestsellers list – so get in early and pre order a copy now ready for its release!

A gathering of friends for a Wedding on a remote island. There may be some there with ulterior motives. This story just bounces along with plot twists, turns and revelations from the past - predominantly the groom’s past.
It’s written with pace and atmosphere and I particularly enjoyed how each chapter was based on a different character in the story and flitted from time frame to time frame - before, during and after the event.
Totally enjoyable.
A must read, to curl up with by the fire; listening to the crashing waves and the howl of the sea - let your imagination run wild like the wind outside.

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher HarperCollins UK, Harper Fiction, for the ARC.
An un-put-downable read! An excellent 'whodunnit murder-mystery' in true Agatha Christie style.

A celebrity wedding is being held on a remote island off the coast of Ireland - accessible only by boat.

The story is told from various points of view -
Aoife who, with her husband, have restored The Folley - a large house with multiple bedrooms, amidst the peat bogs and semi-ruined chapel intended for weddings. The island has a macabre history. Aoife and her husband are hosting the wedding as servants of the bride and groom and their guests. Marquees are set up in the grounds but there is ever-present danger in stepping into the peat bogs or stepping too close to the cliff edge.

Hannah is the Plus One guest to Charlie who is master of ceremonies in the bridal party and she feels rather left=out of things.
Jules is the bride who is prepared to spend what it takes to make an impression.
Olivia is Jules's sister - unstable and unpredictable.
Johnno is the groom's (Will Slater) best man.

Will's mates all attending a disciplined boarding school, along with Johnno who was a scholarship boy.

Old=school shenanigans ensue, to the distaste of some.

Half-heard conversations, full revelations and accidental confrontations bring together the main players in this extremely well-written and atmospheric story. Someone has been murdered - but gradually we learn of all the people who had their own personal motives. Who did it?

Talk about twist and turns! Amazing!
Go get a copy - such a good read.

Jules and Will are the ultimate couple.

A cringe-fest with a cast of Bollinger swigging, coke sniffing hooray-Henries, ex public schoolboys and various partners. All attending the wedding of Will Slater and Julia (Jules) Keegan on a remote island off the Irish coast. Not a likeable character amongst them with the possible exceptions of Aoife, the Wedding Planner and Hannah, the Plus-One. The bride runs a successful, online magazine and the groom has his own "outward bound" TV series. Two high flyers and a load of skeletons in cupboards.

Told over a 48 hour period with plenty of jumping backwards and forwards across the timeline that at times left my head in a spin, the wedding party descends into the worst kind of hedonism and debauchery - and - a murder...

Having previously read The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley, which I thoroughly enjoyed, I regret that I did not like The Guest List, despite the fact that it is well written.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my ARC.

I now officially adore Lucy Foley's books. I read the blurb of this book and thought this is just like her last book, The Hunting Party, the plot sounds really similar. 'The Hunting Party', was a good book so thought I may as well give this one I go.
I was really surprised at how different the two stories are and I really enjoyed The Guest List, I was wrong in thinking the plot lines would be the same.
The plot centres around a wedding party, the main characters are explored and the twists and turns of how the characters lives had entwined before the wedding party is interesting and kept me reading long into the night. I finished this book within 24 hours as I just couldn't put it down.
The characters are a bunch of very flawed people, completely realistic and you feel like you know these people.
A well written book with a great cast of characters, a believable plot line and some twists and turns which you just do not expect.
A fantastic book and worthy of the five stars I have given it. This is a must read for 2020 and will be recommending this to everyone i know.
Many thanks to Net Galley for the chance to read and review this title.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The story is compelling, and I read it in a day as it was so hard to put down. The characters are all believable (even if most of them are appalling) and there is a great sense of place. I will definitely look out for more books by this author.

An excellent novel! The writer has a beautiful and seamlessly flowing narrating style and I literally could jot put the book down.

There’s some events you really would like to be on the invite list for. Lucy Foley’s literary events are one of them. You get to go to some really good places with ‘interesting’ people and if it gets too much you can close the book and have a break. You don’t have to lock yourself in the toilet or hide behind a plant. The guests at this wedding range from media types, botoxed types and ones with more baggage than an airport!

The thing is, I’m getting to like these parties I go to with Lucy. Locked room mysteries and great events with a character list LITERALLY to die for. I’ve only just recovered from that lodge in Scotland and for this novel I found myself being bobbed up and down in a small boat to a remote island. From the start, the setting sets the scene. Who would I met? Who would I like? Who would I get a feeling about that I should avoid?

An island wedding sounded amazing! From the start I was wide- eyed and excited to look around. Finding out about the island and its history really helped to up the sense of foreboding. That was before meeting the cast of misfits. The groom is a TV star and the couple have only known each other for a few months.

There’s some twisty moments in the book and it weaves and twists its way towards the end. The island is dark and foreboding, the weather…stormy, rainy and so awful for a wedding but absolutely for a murder mystery. A perfect storm you might say!

From the arrival on the island to the end of the wedding weekend, this is a literary event for which you need an invite, so get yourself on the Guest list right now!