Foley does this and then some in The Hunting Party, but also introduces a new dynamic with not even the identity of the victim being revealed until the finale. I give way to any genre experts to say this format isn’t nearly as quirky as I’m making it out to be, but it worked really well as a way of fleshing out the characters and their relationships, as well as sprinkling in another layer of mystery for readers to grapple with.Īs mentioned, the number one goal of a whodunnit is to create a sense of mystery and cast suspicion on as many of the potential suspects as possible.

In fact, it’s become part of the Lucy Foley special, with the British author also making use of multiple perspectives in her 2020 book The Guest List and 2022 book The Paris Apartment. Foley switches between times with each chapter, with the three friends, usually recounting the events that happened during the night of the crime, and the two reserve workers running through the events happening ‘now’.

Off the bat, The Hunting Party differs from other whodunnits I’ve seen by dedicating a large portion of the book to the 24 hours or so before one of the friends is killed. The story is largely told through the perspectives of three of those friends: Emma, Jules and Katie, with two of the estate’s workers, Heather and Doug, also having their own parts. The Hunting Party is a classic whodunnit tale following nine university friends reuniting for a weekend away in a first-class retreat in the Scottish Highlands. With its atmospheric setting, a deep arsenal of characters and shocking revelations hiding behind every chapter, it’s no wonder Lucy Foley has become one of the crime fiction world’s most acclaimed authors. Read on for our full The Hunting Party book review at What We Reading.

The Hunting Party is one of the most gripping and addictive titles I’ve read this year. But, having picked up and devoured Lucy Foley’s The Hunting Party, that might be about to change.

Never personally had much of a disdain for them per se, but they were a bit like a cough drop to me – not offensive, but never found much need for them. I’ve never been much of a ‘ whodunnit’ reader. “Some people, given just the right amount of pressure, taken out of their usual, comfortable environments, don’t need much encouragement at all to become monsters.”

The hunting party lucy foley