BookMark: Lucy Foley’s “Guest List” is a thriller full of surprises
“The guest list” by Lucy Foley is a traditional detective novel in the writing style of Agatha Christie. Recently, the Joseph & Elizabeth Shaw Public Library rated this book as a monthly selection for the book club. The author is a fan favorite of the club having read a previous book by her titled “The Hunting Party. “
“The guest list” is filled with twists and surprises. The author allows you to be the detective in the sense that the victim and the perpetrator of the murder are not released until the very end. The story takes place on a remote island off the west of Ireland believed to be haunted. The guests arrive a few days before the wedding of Will Slater and Jules Keegan. Will is the famous host of a survival reality show and Jules is the editor of an online magazine. They seem to have it all, but do they really do it?
The author weaves the plot with the introduction of the characters by jumping in time. The author is known to include a long list of characters that allow you to take notes on each of them. The reader is introduced to the wedding party which consists of Will’s best man and four groomsmen who attended boarding school with the groom. And then there’s Olivia, Jules’s half-sister. She reveals secrets to Hannah, the wife of Jules’ best friend, Charlie. Is there more than it looks? What other secrets will be revealed?
Jules received a disturbing warning three weeks before the wedding that Will is not the man she thinks he is. She refuses to let this affect the marriage and is determined to enjoy the festivities. The island, known as “The Folly”, is owned by a couple who want to make it a popular wedding destination. They hope the high-profile wedding will promote the island, which has a haunted past. Aoife serves as the wedding planner and Freddy is the chef.
The day before the wedding, a terrible storm cut the power. When the power returns, a waitress screams that she has found a corpse. Since most of the guests are drunk, who is the victim? And who is the killer? Be the detective. Can you guess who committed the crime and why?