Whilst the plot wasn't bad, the pacing was too slow for me. There's a lot of characters and two timelines and I felt sometimes it gets a little muddy as it blends from present to past. I didn't hate it, it just didn't excite me.
2.5 stars rounded up to 3.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc ebook.

The opening of the book has you drawn in from the start.
Who doesn't love a murder in the basement of the house where the host is throwing a party!
The book centres around Nadine and her family and close friends. Nadine's husband Paul their two teenage children Damien 15, Isobel 17 and her very famous mother author Marilyn Millay.
Nadine is hosting her mothers 60th birthday at her home but this is the first time in 30 years that Marilyn has had a birthday party because 30 years ago when Nadine was 10 years old tragedy struck and she discovered her 15 year old niece Colleen dead at her grandparents barn.
The memory of that night still haunts Nadine to this day and having to recover from a fall a few months previous Nadine is determined to make this party a very special night for her mum.
But things start with a sinister turn in the book when Isobel's best friend River has overdosed and Isobel is the one to find her.
There are some fantastic red herrings in the book and a wonderful plot twist at the end.

This book starts with Nadine standing over a body at the titular party. Then we go back to the start of the day and follow her around tracing the events that lead up to this opening scene.
I did find it interesting figuring out the Who (is the body), How (was it an accident, natural or a murder) and Why (were they dead at a party). The oddest thing for me was discovering that this wasn't the first time this had happened because as a child, Nadine had discovered a body after another of her Mother's Birthday Parties!
I found this to be quite moderately paced and thought most of the characters we were introduced to were believable within their rolls. The story itself twisted and turned giving us many options about who might become the body and reasons behind that for each one which all lead to a very satisfying ending.

The story starts with a body and then goes back to the beginning of the day. Told from the POV of Nadine, who is throwing a party to celebrate her famous mother’s 60th birthday, this is a slow burn that gradually reveals secrets and reasons why the body could belong to any number of the men in Nadine’s life.

A quick and enjoyable read, although it didn’t totally grip me in the way I felt it could have done and I can’t put my finger on why.

I will definitely read more by this author.

3⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Amy Stuart and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for an ARC in return for an honest review.

“By the end of the night, Nadine will be standing over a dead body in the basement.”

In fact, that’s how the book begins; with Nadine standing over a body in the basement, preparing herself to return to the party she is throwing to celebrate her mother’s sixtieth birthday. The last time a big party was thrown for her mother’s birthday was thirty years ago when Nadine was 10. That party also ended with a body. That time the victim was Nadine’s 15-year-old aunt. This time, the identity of the dead body remains a secret until the end of the book.

This book is not a ‘whodunnit’, that much is clear right from the start. The mysteries in this book are ‘whogotdunnin’ and ‘whydunnit’. All the reader knows is that the dead body is male, that Nadine isn’t sorry he has died, and that she has no intention of dialling 911. Instead, she makes sure her lipstick is perfect before she returns to the party as if nothing has happened.

After this vivid and intriguing opening, the story jumps back to the start of the day as we follow Nadine while she prepares for the party. Over the course of the day, we learn a lot about Nadine and the people around her. Especially, we discover that there are quite a few men in her life who irritate her enough to explain her (lack of) action in the opening chapter. There are numerous secrets in this story, just as there are hidden connections between people and past events. Both are revealed slowly over the course of the story and as we learn more, the tension increases. The fact that Nadine appears to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown only adds to the suspense.

This is a very clever story. The plotting is immaculate, giving the reader enough information to make them think they know what’s going on while keeping the truth hidden almost in plain sight. The characters in this book are realistic in that none of them are particularly likeable but all the more intriguing for it. The writing flows so smoothly that it’s almost as if the book reads itself. I was hooked by the end of that first opening chapter and found it all but impossible to put the book down until I reached the final paragraph and knew what had happened and why.

As for that ending, it’s somewhat abrupt and some may say that it wasn’t really a resolution, but I liked it. In fact, I would go so far as to say that any other ending would have lessened this story. To put it differently, if you like a suspenseful story that will keep you guessing and on the edge of your seat, you need to read A Death at the Party.

Nadine Walsh's summer garden party is in full swing. The neighbours all have cocktails, the catered food is exquisite - everything is going according to plan. But Nadine - devoted wife, loving mother, and doting daughter - finds herself standing over a dead body in her basement while her guests clink glasses upstairs. What happened? How did it come to this?

Someone had been murdered the night a large party was being held. We learn of the events that took place from the morning of the party through to the murder. Nadine's mother Marilyn is a famous author and it's her sixtieth birthday. Marilyn's younger sister Coleen was found dead at her mother's thirtieth birthday party.

The premise to this story was quite interesting. The story begins with the death at the party, then we return to the beginning of the day and the preparations that were taking place. The story takes place over one day. The characters are unreliable and secretive. It's filled with twists, resentments and surprises.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #MichaelJoseph #PenguinRandomHouse and the author #AmyStuart for my ARC of #ADeathAtTheParty in exchange for an honest review.

This thriller is told from the POV of Nadine Walsh over the course of one day as she is preparing for a 60th birthday party, with more than 100 guests, for her mother. The book opens with Nadine standing over a body and deciding whether to call for help or not. Then we go back to the start of the day and the events leading up to this…

Briefly, there to help prepare for the party are husband Paul, teenage children Damien and Isabel and her niece Margot, although they are not much help! During the day we learn about the tragedy of Nadine’s aunt Colleen who died 30 years before to the day and Isabel’s best friend River who is in a coma following an overdose. It is clear that this family is hiding a lot of secrets and quite early on we discover Nadine’s secret. But what other secrets are waiting to be revealed? Most importantly we know from the title that somebody dies at the party but who, how and why?

This is a slow burning mystery thriller with a few twists but thinking logically it was clear who would be the most likely victim, but who was the killer? Not so easy! As the pace increased so did the suspense and I was engrossed in the book. A good tense read.

4.5 ⭐️

As A Death At The Party opens Nadine is standing over the dead body of a man in her basement. Overhead, the 60th birthday party for her successful author mother continues, with music, dancing and wonderful food and drink. How has this happened? And who is the dead man?
The novel is set over the course of the day and night of the party. As Nadine makes preparations she thinks back to the unsolved murder of her 15 year old aunt 30 years before, particularly as a journalist is bothering her and her mother with suggestions that he knows things about the murder that they don’t want to come to light. As she goes about her day it becomes clear that he is not the only man who Nadine has serious issues with.
A Death At The Party is clever, very readable and is full of well drawn characters that really flesh out the novel, particularly Nadine’s family. I genuinely didn’t know who was dead until close the end, and the twists in the last few chapters were very well done. Accomplished and a throughly satisfying read.

A tense and almost claustrophobic thriller. The story of Nadine’s day and events leading up to it wrap around you in a slightly suffocating way- how she unravels a little more as more of the story is revealed. The suspense build up was great - the community knowing everyone’s business and day to day family issues were entwined and really ramped up towards the end as Nadine started to become more agitated as the party became closer. I really enjoyed the short chapters which meant the story flowed really well and kept me gripped til the reveal at the end.

A birthday garden party that goes awry.. I'm in! Every party has that one moment when everything goes wrong.

This suspenseful novel is set over the course of the day with our main character having flashbacks to her past. From her memories tidbits are revealed that are all relevant to the present day and are vital into the connection revealed at the end.

Although a good story, I did feel it was a little bit long-winded and it took some time actually getting to the nitty gritty of the story.

I did enjoy the whodunnit, all the secrets and trying to decipher each character and the reasons behind their potential motives. It was one that definitely got me thinking.

Overall I would recommend it for a quick mystery fix.

Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for the gifted copy.

Nadine is determined to be the hostess with the mostest at her mother’s 60th birthday party. But we meet as she stands over a dead body. She’s a murderess but who is the victim and what is the reason? Above them the party is in full swing as guests mingle unknowingly. This is a birthday present that no one knows about except Nadine….
She and her mother, Marilyn came up from the bottom. Marilyn was a single mother with a talent for writing and her mom did it the hard way. Now she is a huge success and a local celebrity.
Nadine is married to Paul and is on the cusp of 40. They have two teenage children: Damien aged 15 and Isobel, aged 17. The reader follows Nadine in flashback in the weeks leading up to the party as she invites guests, wishes she didn’t have to invite Lionel her ex-lover and his new younger wife and all the party preparations.
But there is something from both Nadine and Marilyn’s past that continues to haunt them. It’s the death of Marilyn’s younger sister, Collene, 30 years ago to the day of the party. It was Nadine who found Colleen dead in the barn on her grand parents farm. No one has ever been held to account for it.
And if that wasn’t enough, Nadine is being blackmailed by an unscrupulous researcher who claims to have new and damaging information on her mother’s younger life. Will all be revealed at the party?
I have to say that this book didn’t really work for me. But it is a good example of domestic noir with plenty of red herrings and subplots to keep a crime fan happy.
But part of the problem for me was that I didn’t warm to Nadine. She seemed unlikable and self absorbed living in her comfortable suburban bubble where she knew everyone and their old friends that they had known since college. And of course, their lodger next door. There also seemed to be a lot of coincidences and I found myself thinking several times ‘oh that’s been put there to reappear later.’
The story began dramatically with the murder which immediately piqued my interest but there was so much in between with the minutiae leading up to the party that by the time I had gotten to the solving of the mystery it had lost its shock value. I would have preferred more pace to it. A story can have an unlikeable character but you have to care about them.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.

Found this really hard to read as the story line was so slow to progress. The ending was a relief rather than a revelation.

Nadine Walsh has organised a birthday bash for her mum, Marilyn who is going to be sixty and she is determined that this one will be a success because the last party the best selling novelist had when she was thirty ended in tragedy, but events throughout the day lead to another death at this party and this time Nadine is responsible, but who has she murdered and why?

A Death at the Party is a domestic thriller which is told from Nadine's perspective across the hours leading up to her mother's birthday party, it begins at the end of that night with Nadine standing over someone who is close to death and begging for help, but who is it and why won't she help them. We then rewind to the beginning of the day where she is getting everything ready for the party that evening and throughout the day you can see there's a lot weighing heavily on her mind, having discovered secrets, some of which have been buried for thirty years. The prologue drew me in and the plot kept me hooked, with not a clue who the victim was until it was revealed. It's a great story with some interesting, yet not particularly likeable, characters from an author whose books I've never read before but will be looking out for in the future.

I'd like to thank Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House and Netgalley for the approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

★.·´¯`·.·★ A R C Review ★·.·`¯´·.★
✨ #ADeathAtTheParty by #AmyStuart ✨
🗓 Pub Date: August 3, 2023
💭 ⭐️⭐️⭐️/ 5 💭

“Sometimes the world feels really small. It's miraculous, really. The tentacles of fate and coincidence”

°•*⁀➷

First of all, thank you #NetGalley, Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House and Amy Stuart for an ARC of this mystery thriller.

You know, I've got mixed feelings about this book. It didn't quite win me over, but I wouldn't say I hated it either.

There were moments when the story felt a bit too long and predictable, and some scenes seemed unnecessary, making me wonder if the plot could have been tighter.
One of my main gripes was with the characters. I couldn't find a single one I liked or related to. They all came across as insufferable, which made it hard for me to connect with their struggles and emotions.

On the flip side, I did appreciate the whodunit theme, the beautiful cover, and the clever reverse plot style. The mystery kept me engaged, and I must admit, there were a few unexpected twists that piqued my interest.

Yet, the slow pacing, though I can appreciate it in some cases, felt a bit off here. It might have worked better with a different execution. Moreover, the vague ending left me feeling unsatisfied, and the way cheating was brushed off didn't sit well with me.

Despite my reservations, I won't write off the author entirely. I think the book might still appeal to hardcore thriller fans who enjoy a wild ride filled with secrets and chaos.

So, if you're into the whodunit thrillers and don't mind some flawed characters, maybe give this garden shindig a chance. Who knows, it might just be the party you've been looking for! You can go grab a copy on the 3rd of August 2023!

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This starts with Nadine standing over a dead body at her mothers 60th birthday party and from there on you wonder why she killed the man in her basement. I found this a bit of a slow burner but after a few pages really was intrigued to find out why and how it would end.
A different way of telling a story beginning with a murder but I enjoyed it and would recommend.
Thanks to NetGalley & Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House, for a ARC for a honest review,

A bit of a marmite book this one for me. Starts off with a bang but then you seem to spend the next 90% of the book filling in time/space and its not until that last 10% of the book that it gets better again and reminds you that you are reading a good book.

What a great read. I thoroughly enjoyed @ADeathAtTheParty.
A tense, engrossing suspense thriller set over a single day with the story told from Nadine’s POV as she prepares to throw a party for her mother’s birthday.
I liked the short chapters making it an easy and quick read. There are some great twists and it keeps you guessing till the end. The characters are interesting and well written.
Such an enjoyable read. I was completely engaged with the story. A total page turner. Definitely recommend.
I look forward to reading more from @AmyStuart.
Thanks to #NetGallery @MichaelJoseph @PenguinRandomHouse for an arc in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own.
Book publishes 3 August 2023.

We open with Nadine checking a man for a pulse, trying to decide whether to call 911 and deciding against it.
We then go back to earlier in the day when she is getting reading to through her famous author mother a party for her 60th birthday. During the day Nadine takes the reader back to her childhood when they were dirt poor and her memories of Colleen, her mother's sister who died at the age of 15. Nadine had found the body as a 10 year old.
More recently her daughter's friend is in a coma in hospital after overdosing and it is touch and go if she will survive. We also learn the circumstances as to why Nadine was checking the man for a pulse, why she let him die.
This started slowly but started to snowball about halfway and I felt compelled to keep going at that point.

I thought this book was about a death at a party but it's about a party with a death. It did make the difference for me as i kept waiting for something to happen.
It was a decent enough story but nothing special.

After just arranging my own Birthday party I enjoyed reading about someone else planning one and wanting it to be the best!

Luckily no dead body turned up at mine.!

Twists and turns trying to find out what had happened and solve the crime..

Enjoyable