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reads_eats_explores 's review for:
A Death at the Party
by Amy Stuart
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A Death at the Party is a domestic thriller, a fast-paced read that covers the usual arc: affairs, long-held family secrets, and of course, murder.
The story opens at the party (no surprise given the title) with Nadine, the hostess with the mostest, watching life ebb away from a man on the floor of her bathroom. He’s begging her to help him, but she refuses, walks away, and rejoins the party upstairs. But who is this man?
Next, we are taken back to the morning of that same day; Nadine wants tonight’s birthday party for her mother, Marilyn, to go perfectly and has a huge task list for all friends and family members.
Marilyn is turning 60, and she’s a famous murder mystery novelist who struck it big when Nadine was a teenager. They continue to live close to each other, but on a personal level, they're perhaps not as close as the picture-perfect picture portrays - secrets linger aplenty. Particularly concerning to Nadine is the death of Marilyn’s younger sister Colleen many years ago. There's nothing as tangled in webs of lies as families, right?
But they're not the only ones with secrets; in fact, Nadine's alone are considerable, and many men around her are potentially out to hurt her in some way, but as the day progresses and the party plans come together, we determine who the night’s murder victim is going to be.
With short tantalising chapters, A Death at the Party is easy to binge-read and would make an excellent poolside pick, but it felt too stereotyped, too predictable and overall fell a little flat for me.
Fans of B.A Paris, Lucy Foley and books of that style are bound to devour this one. 3⭐
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this advance review copy in return for an, as always, honest review.
The story opens at the party (no surprise given the title) with Nadine, the hostess with the mostest, watching life ebb away from a man on the floor of her bathroom. He’s begging her to help him, but she refuses, walks away, and rejoins the party upstairs. But who is this man?
Next, we are taken back to the morning of that same day; Nadine wants tonight’s birthday party for her mother, Marilyn, to go perfectly and has a huge task list for all friends and family members.
Marilyn is turning 60, and she’s a famous murder mystery novelist who struck it big when Nadine was a teenager. They continue to live close to each other, but on a personal level, they're perhaps not as close as the picture-perfect picture portrays - secrets linger aplenty. Particularly concerning to Nadine is the death of Marilyn’s younger sister Colleen many years ago. There's nothing as tangled in webs of lies as families, right?
But they're not the only ones with secrets; in fact, Nadine's alone are considerable, and many men around her are potentially out to hurt her in some way, but as the day progresses and the party plans come together, we determine who the night’s murder victim is going to be.
With short tantalising chapters, A Death at the Party is easy to binge-read and would make an excellent poolside pick, but it felt too stereotyped, too predictable and overall fell a little flat for me.
Fans of B.A Paris, Lucy Foley and books of that style are bound to devour this one. 3⭐
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this advance review copy in return for an, as always, honest review.