The Midnight Feast

Well I devoured this book - couldn't put it down! Loved the intrigue, the story and the setting. Perfect summer read!

‘I do hate it when people let me down’
This is the refrain of one of the main characters in The Midnight Feast, luckily Lucy Foley once again does not let me down. This book is a hauntingly atmospheric dark thriller which incorporates horror and folklore elements. The writing is well paced and intelligent, the reader is often left to infer what is happening rather than being spoon-fed. Set at a newly opened, highly exclusive wellness retreat, this story is told through multiple POVs many of which are unlikeable or morally grey. Nuanced and believable depictions of the ‘class divide’ add yet another layer to the plot, people are not always who we think they are. I really enjoyed the addition of the journal entries and felt this added to the intrigue. The creepiness of the setting and the pagan folklore really kept me wanting to pick this book up and with references to Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds’, a solstice celebration reminiscent of ‘Midsommar’ and more than a hint of ‘Wickerman’ vibes this story is not just your standard thriller. As Long buried secrets from the past begin to emerge, there are twists and turns aplenty, some of which are signposted, some of which come as a real surprise and all of which are satisfying and (mostly) plausible. At times this story is dark and cynical but it also has a sense of nostalgia and at times is actually quite heartwarming.
I do think the ending may be quite divisive, in some ways it seems a little too neatly tied up although this didn't affect my enjoyment one bit

Thanks to the author, HarperCollins UK and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this intriguing book in exchange for an honest review

With many thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for this free arc and I am leaving this unbiased review voluntarily

I do love a Lucy Foley book, she’s always bang on the money with the ‘locked room’ type story. Set in a luxury manor resort with Lucy’s trademark multi POV we get an array of intriguing characters as the author spins her web of mystery. A touch of the supernaturals with the Birds gives the story an eerie feel as does the descriptive narrative. The inclusion of the diary entries entwined with the present day is brilliantly done and adds to the intrigue. Wonderfully written with some good twists along the way. Another winner from this talented author

Wow! Talk about a fiendish, sharp, wicked read - a real feast of motives and surprises with compelling characters everywhere you looked!
I cannot praise this book enough, it was everything, so well written with a plot which was woven so skillfully to take the reader to an explosive end.
A wild ride which started in youth leading to the present day and crimes to be answered for with the veneer of respectability torn away to reveal a vindictive character at the center of things.
An the end few lines in the pub! I cant.....
Brilliant!!!

Thank you to Netgallery and the publisher for this ARC. The publication date is the 6th June. I loved the premise and the setting of this book. Whilst reading the book it was evident and portrayed mystery lurks around every corner which made it even more gripping!

This book shifts between past and present which I liked and Eddie as a character I thought he was sincere. I’d give this book 5 stars! 🌟 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Something Wicked…
Midsummer arrives on the Dorset coast. A gathering at a luxurious spa retreat, formerly a Manor House, surrounded by ancient woodlands - the opening weekend, glamorous, serene and elegant and peopled by the elite - but secrets are stirring in the undergrowth as something wicked this way comes. A deliciously atmospheric mystery laced with a gothic edge and with a sultry, slow burn plot peopled with a keenly observed and well crafted cast of characters and a narrative of many threads and voices, past and present, which merge perfectly. Compelling, intriguing and wholly engaging.

As soon as I was approved to read this, I abandoned the rest of my TBR. I'm so glad I did as this is possibly one of the best books I've read, ever.

The writing style was so lovely and immersive, and the characters felt real. I loved the dark tone to the book, it was so atmospheric. I enjoyed the multiple perspectives, Eddie's was probably my favourite but it was nice that they all felt so distinct from one another - a lot of books fail to do that.

The story itself was so interesting to read, and even though it was a bit of a slow burn I didn't feel like a single page was wasted. There were plenty of twists to keep me entertained and everything came together so perfectly in the end.

I don't think I can rave about this book enough, 100% recommended and definitely my favourite book of the year at this point.

The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley is a dark thriller with her trademark twists and turns and,this time,more than a touch of "The Wicker Man" ......being set in an area of Dorset where pagan beliefs are still rife behind closed doors.

Francesca has turned her inherited ancestral home into a New Age retreat called simply,"The Manor". Catering for the affluent the planned highlight of the Midsummer opening is a solstice supper,the unplanned highlights turn out to be far more deadly.
With murder and mayhem all around Francesca discovers that many of those around her are not who say they are and they have scores to settle from 15 years earlier and events she hoped were long buried coming back to haunt her.

This is a very entertaining read,some of the twists are really audacious and in the hands of a lesser author would just be outright unbelievable but Lucy Foley knows exactly how far she can go and with the 2 timelines 15 years apart it's great fun trying to work out who is who as the story unfolds and new identities and motivations are revealed.

Something a little different from Lucy Foley,highly recommended.

I love Lucy Foley so I was super excited to read this and knew my Friday plans had to change to read this immediately and I am so glad I did because I couldn't put it down. I was hooked and I love the twists and suspense, really well done.

This felt like Saltburn meets The White Lotus and I absolutely tore through it. I've read all of Foley's books and largely enjoyed them, but this book brought together all the best elements of her previous works and was truly excellent. It was gripping from the outset and incredibly well paced with some great twists. I liked that there was a smaller cast of characters from whose perspective the story is narrated and characterisation itself was really well done. The allusion to pagan folklore and the book's presentation of privilege and wealth was interesting and nuanced. 100% recommend - a perfect thriller for the summer.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

‘The Midnight Feast’ by Lucy Foley is a dark, twisty, eerie tale set on the opening weekend of a luxury deconstructed hotel with glamorous accommodations dotted around the natural Dorset coastal landscape surrounding a grand romantic Manor House… While the setting sounds idyllic, a midsummer heatwave, unhappy locals, mysterious characters and old grudges mean that the midnight feast at the culmination of the celebrations is set to be anything but perfect!

As the book begins, we are introduced to a number of intriguing characters - lone traveller Bella who was drawn to The Manor like a moth to a flame, visionary Francesca who has turned her inheritance into what she hopes is tourism gold, architect Owen who designed the dreamy buildings for his dream woman and dishwasher Eddie who is torn between town loyalty and his paycheck. Soon flames of tension burst from the pages and old secrets are spilled like fresh blood.

The multiple perspectives make this novel compelling, and the shifting timelines from the solstice night revelry to the police investigation the morning after and the reminiscence of a pivotal summer long ago mean that the reader is drip-fed information and connections until the clever tapestry of the story weaves together. I admire how Foley gave distinct voices to her narrators and gave us deep insight into our motivations, and how she used the sweltering heat to ratchet up the stakes. The book also has a taste of the supernatural, with local legends merging with contemporary revenge to great effect.

This was a five star read for me - even though it started a little slow, I was totally gripped by about 40% and binged the rest, eager to piece everything together and hopefully see just desserts served. I’d highly recommend to fans of Lucy Foley’s previous works, Charlotte Vassell’s savage takedowns of the privileged and Catherine Cooper’s addictive destination thrillers.

I received an advance Digital Review Copy of this book from the publisher Harper Collins UK via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Lucy Foley just gets better and better and this is by far her best book yet. Completely gripping from the first page, right up until the end. A dark sinister story full of mystery, thrill and fear.

Foley’s dramatic scene setting is something a reader can rely on. Diving straight into something that feels sinister, or malevolent, the story begins at the inauspicious opening of The Manor, a luxury spa complex.

What I liked about this book is the constant juxtapositions of the polarised aspects. The elegant Manor against the sinister woods. The angelic host versus the malevolent birds. The beautiful “state of the art” crowd and the crass, ever so slightly messy locals. These things constantly butt up against each other throughout the story. The moral to this tale is the danger of being unauthentic, hiding your true self, your true nature. Your secrets.

The story culminates in a thrilling well designed, well staged, Midnight Feast. Foley’s description is vivid, visceral. Will it all go off happily for the guests?

This is an utterly compelling story. By the last page I was crying and laughing. Absolutely brilliant ending. I think this is her best work so far.

I highly recommend The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley.

I have read all of Lucy Foley's books and I was delighted to read this one. I couldn't put it down and read late into the night. I think this book is back to her best as I didn't enjoy the Paris Apartment book. The multiple narration, the cliff top setting, the violent death, the creepy bird mythology all combined to draw the reader in to this story. I recommend it to fans of Foley and others who like to work out "who dunnit" and all the other layers and relationships that make her work a gloriously satisfying read.

Iv read all of Lucy Foleys books and iv loved them all, she is definitely one of my auto buy authors, this one did not disappoint. Dark and earie at times, with the creepy woods and bird storyline, it had me gripped until the end. A def whodunnit with interesting characters in a hot summer setting, what’s not to like. Thank you very much to the publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this early copy, it will def be buying it for my book shelf.

A dark and atmospheric read. Bit of a slow burner but it soon became a storyline that sucked me in.
Well written characters and once again Lucy Foley did it again.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

For whatever reason, I received two copies of this book, so I am going to be reading the other one and providing feedback on it.

This is the type of party you will be scared to miss! Lucy Foley turns up the heat, and the suspense, with this closed room mystery, taking place in a secluded manor when some well hidden secrets threaten to destroy everything the guests hold dear. A spectacular read!

Well Lucy has done it again! The way she pulls you into a mystery is sublime. The storyline keeps you guessing until the end and I loved that little sucker punch twist - I wasn’t expecting that at all. Thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Lucy is a go to author for me - I don’t even need to read the blurb to want to read.

The Midnight Feast Lucy Foley

5 stars
The past will always catch up with you

This is the second book that I have read by this author and I really enjoyed both of them.

It revolves around a new luxurious wellness centre, The Manor, owned by Francesca Meadows and her new husband Owen Dacre. It is coming up to Midsummer and the highlight of the opening is The Midnight Feast which will establish The Manor as the place to come.

However the village and the locals are not happy with this, what they consider as an intrusion, in their lives. Folklore abounds in the village and there are rumours of spooky birds who live in the woods.

One of the guests, Bella Springfield, not her real name, arrives as a guest but she is hiding a secret. Fifteen years ago she had been friends with Francesca and is intent on revenge for what had happened then. When a death takes place, the police are called in to investigate the incident. Is Bella responsible or is it the birds?

The story jumps between the events of 15 years ago and the current day and we gradually learn what happened all those years ago and also how many people are not who they claimed to be.

This was a very interesting story which I thoroughly enjoyed. I will look out for any further books by Lucy Foley...



Karen Deborah
Reviewer for Net galley

Oh my goodness! I didn’t think it possible, but Lucy Foley’s storytelling just get better and better, The Midnight Feast sucked me straight in and threw me out, almost spinning, at the other end. This is such a clever story. Right from the outset, it’s creepy with hints of darkness. A group of people arrive for the opening of a wellness centre. But all is not as it seems and the reader is thrown into the centre of this maelstrom with a narrative that’s fast moving and from multiple viewpoints. A whole mix of characters; the real good, the bad and the downright ugly from a broad social spectrum.

This is so atmospheric and steeped in a mix of mystery, folklore and imagination. Loved it.

Blurb: Midsummer, the Dorset coast
In the shadows of an ancient wood, guests gather for the opening weekend of The Manor: a beautiful new countryside retreat.
But under the burning midsummer sun, darkness stirs. Old friends and enemies circulate among the guests. And the candles have barely been lit for a solstice supper when the body is found.
It all began with a secret, fifteen years ago. Now the past has crashed the party. And it’ll end in murder at…
THE MIDNIGHT FEAST

I love a good thriller and The Midnight Feast has it all- suspense, tension, crazy protagonists, folklore and a spooky vibe. Having read so many thrillers, it’s hard to find one that is original in terms of the storyline but Foley delivers just that in this book.

Told from several points of view and different timelines, Foley creates a fast-paced story with the most dysfunctional cast of characters I’ve come across in a while. Frankie/Francesca is one crazy lady and reminded me of Nicole Kidman’s Masha from the Nine Perfect Strangers series.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for the arc. 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley
⭐⭐⭐⭐⚡4.5/5

⚠️Pub date : 6th June 2024

💥 KABOOM!🧨🧨🎇🎇🎆... This book was like a big ass box of firecrackers!!!! 💥💥...
So much entertainment in one story! Spooky, twisted and shocking! An absolutely brilliant ride!

Essentially this is a time hopping story of revenge, featuring a plethora of main characters all who have buried secrets just waiting to be exposed.

I love a good thriller and this was refreshingly different to any others I've read recently. Including suspenseful and impossible to guess outcomes and reveals, this was a tale far-fetched enough to highly entertain without bordering on the ridiculous.

Go on, grab a copy and dive in....I dare you!

Well, this book took me round the houses and back again as I eventually gave up trying to second guess what was going on and just sat back and allowed the book to take me.
We start with the opening of "The Manor" a very posh new resort with no expense spared, the creation of Francesca Woodland, and the height of luxury. Designed to be an "escape" for the extremely privileged, with woodland and seaside huts. The majority which have been finished. A kind of wellness retreat.
Obviously, the locals are up in arms against the endeavour and there have been ructions between staff and locals. Throw in some mysterious folklore regarding the woods and the Night Birds and you have the starting of what will soon become a tragedy...
As we follow the events of the present, the run up to the first main event of the opening weekend, a "Midnight Feast" held on the solstice, we also go way back to when Francesca was a youth and what happened between her and some of the locals, the same locals who are pretty against what she is up to in the present. And then we also fast forward to the day after the event, after the fire, when the body is found...
And that's all I am saying as it all gets a bit convoluted and interconnects as masks start to come off, true identities are revealed and secrets come out.
Ooo I absolutely loved this book. I do love a healthy dollop of dysfunctional behaviour and definitely got more than my fair share of that herein. And with three timelines and a pretty big cast list, with some pretty clever obfuscation around who is who from each timeline, the author definitely kept me on my toes throughout. But, that said, I did guess a few connections and did a wee celebration when I got one right. She also delivered a few jaw-drop moments with some of the reveals that I never saw coming. All cleverly done and without giving me the feeling of being duped. The pace escalates as the end of the book neared and I had to rein myself in a bit as shock after twist were revealed, culminating in an ending which I found to be wholly satisfying.
So yeah, another winner from another favourite author whose back catalogue I can also heartily recommend. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Thank you to Harper Collins UK Harper Fiction and Netgalley for arc of The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley.

Once again Lucy doesn't fail to impress it is remarkable! And I could not put this down I read this so quickly and got me hooked right in highly recommend to all to read if you read Lucy's other books then I'm sure you'll love this as I did!!

5 stars!! (If I could give more than 5 I would!!)