The Hunting Party

A remote location. A group of old friends. Murder. Secrets.

This compelling thriller from Lucy Foley takes place in an extremely remote location in the Scottish Highlands at New Years. A group of long time friends meet up , and it seems almost everyone has a secret. Everyone would have some kind of motive (or at least, the majority of the characters)... depending on who the victim is.

The Hunting Party goes back and forth between the time after the murder to the couple of days prior, building the plot and the suspense. Lucy Foley doesn't actually disclose who the victim is until about 3/4 of the way through this book (though I feel like you've got to know who it is after reading and getting a feel for some of these characters). While I found this book pretty well written, it is again a book where I didn't feel any particular tie to any of the characters. None of them are truly like able; perhaps because they seem either self absorbed, distant, somewhat pathetic or (let's be honest) assholes. I'm not attempting to criticize here.. I feel Foley did this with the intention of keeping you guessing. Which she does quite well.

Some of the secrets that are exposed I had a feeling about. Others were not quite as bad as anticipated. The ones I had a feeling about were pretty awful secrets to keep. I could easily imagine the betrayal each of the characters felt as these came to light. Foley wraps up this novel quite well.. the ending threw out a couple of plot twists, which was refreshing. (Because who needs one plot twist? You sort of see that coming now if you read enough thrillers; am I right?)

The imagery is compelling in itself. The idea of ringing in the new year near a Loch in the Scottish Highlands (for me at least) is one I could only dream of at this point in my life. I could easily picture myself hiking through the pines, enjoying that crisp air. Or looking out of the modern lodge watching the snow that traps them on the estate falls.

Though I am left with no desire to join an actual Hunting Party, this book does leave me to wonder how Foley's other works stack up. (I have already checked, and she has a few novels under her belt already, which is great.) I was entertained through this book; definitely one I am happy to have randomly found in the stacks at the library, as I waited for my requested books to make there way to me.