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ecclescake 's review for:
A Death at the Party
by Amy Stuart
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The story begins with the narrator, Nadine, feeling for a pulse as the victim lies dying. There is no clue as to who the victim might be, except that the person is male. By about a third of the way through I had already identified four men as the possible victim. I then started to doubt whether Nadine had in fact murdered someone, or did she just discover the person? The possibilities were almost endless.
The present day action takes place on a single day, the day of the party. Nadine is throwing a 60th birthday party at her home for her mother, a famous author. But there’s a lot of backstory to be told, both from Nadine’s childhood, her more recent history, and stuff going on in her two teenage children’s lives.
Nadine is a complex character, a bit unstable mentally, and she has a suspicious nature. I started to become as suspicious as her as secrets and partial secrets are revealed. I came up with some weird and wonderful theories, as the morsels of secrets are drip-fed to us along the way. A few red herrings, too, I feel. I was thoroughly gripped, while at the same time cogitating my own theories.
Despite my overactive imagination trying to work out the final revelation, I failed to get it right!