To me, Lucy Foley is the epitome of mid-range thriller writers – decent thrillers that keep you reading late into the night, but leave you with a meh feeling once you are done – kind of a similar feeling to when you eat too much junk food.
She and some other writers (examples: Riley Sager, Holly Jackson, and Ruth Ware) take it to the extreme with their twists and turns and take things to such an unbelievable level that it’s impossible to take them seriously.
So, I knew what I was getting into when I embarked on The Midnight Feast. I still went into it just because the phrase evoked a kind of nostalgia in me—a throwback to school days and times when late-night midnight feasts were a daring, secret endeavor.
About The Midnight Feast
It’s the opening night of The Manor, and no expense, small or large, has been spared. The infinity pool sparkles; crystal pouches for guests’ healing have been placed in the Seaside Cottages and Woodland Hutches; the Manor Mule cocktail (grapefruit, ginger, vodka, and a dash of CBD oil) is being poured with a heavy hand. Everyone is wearing linen.
But under the burning midsummer sun, darkness stirs. Old friends and enemies circulate among the guests. Just outside the Manor’s immaculately kept grounds, an ancient forest bristles with secrets. And the Sunday morning of opening weekend, the local police are called. Something’s not right with the guests. There’s been a fire. A body’s been discovered.
~ Synopsis from GoodReads
My Review
This book felt very similar to The Hunting Party. Different incidents occur in different time frames and all come together toward the end of the book. The most satisfying part of her writing is that everything fits toward the end like a jigsaw puzzle. One addition was the weird, somewhat eerie birds and the local folklore that added atmosphere to the story.
I especially like the description of the location. I thought I could picture it perfectly. I do wish that Foley made her antagonists a little more well-rounded. Francesca’s character was so obnoxious with the crystals and the healing that I couldn’t sympathize with her even a little bit. I also couldn’t understand the reasoning behind some of her actions in the first place. Have you ever read a book only to find out that the villain made things more difficult for themselves? If they had just confessed to the original crime and said a few white lies, none of this needed to happen. But of course, there would be no story then 😂.
Overall, it’s not a bad book. I liked it as much as her other thrillers. The wins for me were the incredible atmosphere, the twists, and the impossibility of guessing what happened.
