The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley

The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley

Grade: C

Rating: Adult

Synopsis:
During the languid days of the Christmas break, a group of thirtysomething friends from Oxford meet to welcome in the New Year together, a tradition they began as students ten years ago. For this vacation, they’ve chosen an idyllic and isolated estate in the Scottish Highlands—the perfect place to get away and unwind by themselves.

The trip begins innocently enough: admiring the stunning if foreboding scenery, champagne in front of a crackling fire, and reminiscences about the past. But after a decade, the weight of secret resentments has grown too heavy for the group’s tenuous nostalgia to bear. Amid the boisterous revelry of New Year’s Eve, the cord holding them together snaps, just as a historic blizzard seals the lodge off from the outside world.

Two days later, on New Year’s Day, one of them is dead. . . and another of them did it.

Keep your friends close, the old adage says. But how close is too close?


My Thoughts: 
This was my first Lucy Foley novel. I want to start off by saying that the story was interesting enough. It kept me reading for the most part and I did want to know what was going to happen next. This was one where I really didn't know how it would end until we actually got there. That in itself gives me reason to try another one of Lucy's books down the road.

 Another thing this novel did have going for it was the setting. The setting was described in such a way that I truly felt that I was there. The hairs on the back of my neck were constantly standing up while I read and I felt on edge. I felt isolated. Like I was in the middle of nowhere, with no escape. The setting was so vivid that I felt like I was there watching this unfold. All great qualities in a thriller. 

The above paragraphs are probably confusing given the "C" rating I gave this book. My explanation for that is the characters. The development was lacking and I honestly didn't like a single one. I didn't care what happened to them. Some even irked me.  As a reader who is very character driven, someone who wants to connect with them, it was impossible for me to see past that.

If you are someone who can just enjoy a good thriller for the story and doesn't need to feel a relationship between the characters and the reader, this is likely a book you will love. If you find yourself needing to connect, this probably isn't the book for you.