I enjoyed this book.
It starts with a death of an unnamed male and then takes you through the day's events so the reader is aware of the build up and the reasons behind the death.
We see everything from the POV of Nadine, the hostess of the party but the descriptions of the other characters in the book brings them to life alongside her.
The author keeps the reader guessing throughout and secrets are slowly revealed that builds a clearer picture of the interactions of the main characters.
A well paced worthy read.

A day in the life of Nadine Walsh. And a day that will end with a dead body. But who is the victim? And more importantly why?

As she organises a birthday party of her famous author mother, Nadine has so many things on her mind. The date has other connotations for her and her family, and those memories are always peeking through. As she looks back over the events of the day, other events from the past can’t be forgotten. 

I liked that way the author started at the end and rewound to how it all began. There was a feeling of foreboding. Of carrying a heavy burden. The story was tense and surprising and kept me guessing. I wasn’t sure if I liked Nadine. She was a hard character to get a grip on, but by the end I was rooting for her. I found the last few chapters very enlightening and couldn’t stop reading.

My review:⭐⭐⭐⭐

Well, this was a ride! It starts with the death, and then you go through the day of the party to understand what happened.

This was a really enjoyable read, even if it did make me anxious, I kept turning the pages!

The characters are vibrant with depth. The story is told from the point of view of Nadine, the hostess of the party, and the daughter of the person whose birthday they are celebrating.

I enjoyed seeing it all from Nadine's point of view. There is guilt, anger and lots of secrets!

This is a gripping tale, where you are forever grasping at straws as to what happened, until the author tells you!

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Penguin Random House

A fairly predictable domestic mystery. Nadine is organising a party for her mother’s birthday, thirty years after another party where her mother’s younger sister died and was discovered by the then 10-year old Nadine. The setting and the story feel very familiar - rich Americans conspiring to cover up secrets and protect their own. It is well written and there is a good balance between the past and present storylines - it just felt like something I had read before.

This book wasn't for me and I felt myself speed reading the last 25% just to finish it. Not one that I would recomend.

Set over the period of one day, it is an interesting read in that we know who the killer is from the start just not who the victim is and why. There are flash backs to earlier events , all of which play a relevant part in the death at the party and are gradually fed to the reader making them almost hesitant to pick a guilty person!! Good read and an interesting plot.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC to review

I enjoyed this book, the first I've read by this author.
It's fast paced and all takes place over a single day. One of those days which turns into a nightmare. Nadine finds a body in her basement and spends the rest of the day juggling body, family relationships and the secret of the body. The day is that of her mothers 60th birthday party which Nadine is hosting.
The book reveals its secrets as you progress and the identity of the victim isn't revealed to the end .
It's a quick read and held my attention well.
Thanks to NetGalley for an advance readers copy. Recommended.

Death At The Party

Thank you Netgalley, Michael Joeseph, Penguin Random House for a copy of this in exchange for an honest review!

Nadine organises a 60th birthday party for her mother, a successful crime writer. It is also the 30th anniversary of something more sinister. Along with organising the event, she has to contend with her daughters best friend being in hospital from an overdose and keep her past affair hidden from her husband.

2023 seems to be the year of rich people behaving badly and I am so here for it! The books starts off with a death which immediately grips you. It’s a very enjoyable read which doesn’t require too much brainpower.

Nadine is giving a 60th party for her famous, author mother, Marilyn. Marilyn brought up Nadine, a young, single mum striving for a living, in a dark basement flat. Then Marilyn finds success as an author.
Nadine remembers her mother’s 30th party, she was 10 and her aunt was 15. Next morning Colleen was found dead. The book starts with a death, but we don’t know who or why. Nadine reminisces backwards and forwards through the book, which follows the day of her mother’s 60th party. The lot twists and turns and there’s a twist at the end that I didn’t see coming.
Loved the style of writing, very cleverly written. Page turner.

A gripping read. The story is told over a day - a day of a party. It starts with a dead body and goes back over the day. A really good story with twists and dark secrets.

This all takes place during the day of the party, with flashbacks as to what had happened before. Nadine was the main character and organiser of the party for her author, mother. I couldn’t really take to Nadine and I couldn’t understand why she didn’t talk to her mother or why she wanted to reveal family secrets in a public way. Her mother was a strong, independent woman and capable of solving her own problems. Cheating is also a no no for me. There are a number of possible victims and it did keep me guessing until the end. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A dinner party for a family birthday - what could possibly go wrong?

Nadine Walsh has planned a very special party for her mother's birthday. It's no ordinary birthday; her mother, a well-known author, will be turning sixty. Relying on the weather to be fine, Nadine has planned for dinner in the garden and we follow her through the day's preparations, learning about her life, her family and the importance of this party going off well. It's just a shame that there's going to be a dead body . . .

Beginning with the discovery of the body, this piqued my interest from the start. We then return to the start of the day, learning all about the guests including the neighbours, work colleagues etc. - along with a few secrets. Naturally, I was on high alert deciding almost everyone was the deceased but, of course, they couldn't all be! An intricately plotted novel, riveting to the very last and one I'm happy to recommend. For me, 4.5*.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

Nadine is throwing an extravagant party for her family and friends. By the end of the night she has murdered one of her guests - but who and why?

A Death at the Party is a brilliant read full of shocks and surprises.

I love that you start off knowing that Nadine killed someone, but you don't know who or why. It really digs into what could drive someone to murder.

I found the family secrets to be very intriguing because there was so much more to the story than you first realise. The variety of characters worked well because they all brought something different to the plot.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend if you love a murder mystery with a twist.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Really slow and did not capture my attention unfortunately. So I DNF this

Formatting in the ebook ARC I received was really disjointed.

For example the first letter of a word would be on one line with the rest of the word on the line underneath.

I appreciate these are ARCs but I’ve had ARCS from other services and the formatting is not like this.

Family secrets, loyalties and a party.
A party at which long overdue justice will be delivered.
A good read that keeps you guessing

Nadine is hosting a party for her famous mother's 60th birthday. The book starts with the discovery of a body, and the story then returns to the start of the day., detailing events leading up to the death. Who is the dead person, and who killed them?

The book is very cleverly written, as the reader is introduced to multiple dislikable characters, all of whom could be the body for many reasons. Definitely and interesting premise, and very readable - I couldn't put it down as I had to know who, and why!

Nadine is happily married to Paul, a lawyer, has 2 children and is planning a large 60th birthday party for her mother, the acclaimed author, Marilyn Millway. The date coincides with the 30th anniversary of the death of Colleen, Nadine's elder cousin with whom she enjoyed playing in summers when she and her mother stayed on her grandparents farmstead. It was Nadine , then aged 10, who found Colleen's body but over the years Nadine's mother has been increasingly reluctant to talk about Colleen. Why?.
The book opens with Nadine in a basement bathroom with a guest who is obviously dying. She does not seek help but simply returns to the Party upstairs where there are 100 plus guests , many from the literary world, ;local; neighbours coupled with a wide circle of friends of Nadine and/or Paul, many of whom go back to school days etc
A more detailed picture of backgrounds and interrelationships emerges coupled with facets of Nadine's own personality, demons and relationship with her mother. But what has this got to do with the body in the bathroom? Well you will realise that any number of these could be the deceased or the killer, if there was one. And why did Nadine not raise the alarm. Was it simply not to spoil her mother's party?
A DEATH AT THE PARTY. is a well written thriller which made me not want to put the book down..
Recommended

A Death At The Party takes place over just one day as Nadine prepares for the 60th Birthday party she has been planning for her mother who just so happens to be a famous author. I love that! I love that Nadine wants to honour her mother. I love the relationship they share. It was just the two of them against the world for a long time.
I really wanted to like Nadine, but she makes it difficult. I felt a bit sorry for her husband if I’m honest. She has had some rough times though, so certain aspects of her behaviour are understandable.
This book had my attention pretty much from the start and held it throughout. The tension and suspense increased slowly, adding to my curiosity. I was completely invested! I knew something big was coming but I was still gobsmacked when it all kicked off.
Quite the ending!
**Many thanks to the author and publisher for my review copy via NetGalley**

The planning took months, the murder just moments.
The book opens with Nadine standing over a body.
It then rewinds to the start of the day, where Nadine is in the kitchen organising last minute preparations for mum’s 60th birthday party.
Who died at the party and why?
Nadine and the family are hiding lots of secrets from the past and present.
Some great characters and felt more like a family drama than a twisty thriller
A bit of a slow burner with a fantastic ending
Perfect for poolside reading on summer hols.
Thanks @amystuart @michaeljbooks & @netgalley for the eARC

I wasn't a fan of this story: I found it very slow and a bit confusing. I assume it's me not the book.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine