Even though I disliked my previous experience with Lucy Foley, I thought I’d give her another shot, as the book blurb of The Hunting Party seemed interesting.
A group of old friends gathers for a New Year’s Eve celebration, but as the snow falls heavily and the alcohol flows freely, tensions rise, and secrets are revealed. When a murder occurs, the group is cut off from the outside world and must confront the killer among them.
Now, who wouldn’t be intrigued by a description like that? I definitely was.
Review of The Hunting Party
Here’s what I liked about The Hunting Party.
The setting. The remote Scottish highlands were an inspired setting for a book like this. The descriptions of the resort fired my desire to visit this place while simultaneously creeping me out because of the isolation. The sense of claustrophobia and isolation was brought out beautifully.
The cast of characters. Most unpleasant characters, but I liked the theme of how you outgrow college friendships, and it’s toxic to carry on a friendship beyond a certain point, especially if you’ve grown in completely different directions. This theme particularly resonated with me as I often struggle to relate with old school and college friends. Most of my friend circle is now colleagues and ex-colleagues and working mothers.
Here’s what I disliked about The Hunting Party.
The plot is predictable. It took just a few pages for me to guess who would be the victim and the killer. This IS NOT a good mystery. And that should not be the expectation for the reader.
It’s an overall good story, well-written and fast-paced. However, go into it with the expectation that there are no plot twists. What you see and guess is pretty much what you get.
