The Party by Natasha Preston

ARE YOU INVITED?

In the heart of the English countryside, Bessie and her closest friends gather at a remote castle for a secret party destined to make this the best spring break ever. But when one of them dies, the party takes a lethal turn . . .

Trapped inside as a deadly storm rages, it soon becomes clear Bessie and her friends are being stalked by a killer. As the body count rises, and secrets about the past unravel, Bessie begins to suspect that she doesn't know her friends quite as well as she thought.

But as the party turns into a hunt, can Bessie make it out alive?

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The Party is an unputdownable mix of suspense, secrets and survival. Bessie and her friends are heading to a real, empty English castle, moat and all, for the best spring break party ever. But as a storm cuts them off from the outside world, one of their group turns up dead, and they realise that all is not what it seems.

Natasha is one of the best authors around for creating tension and terror. The storm keeping the teens confined to their castle is an effective way of creating a locked room mystery, and the castle itself means that they never know where everyone is or if there’s anyone hiding somewhere they don’t know about. It’s an amazing situation and helps to drive home the feeling that maybe the danger is in Bessie’s friends, not in an outsider. As with several of these books, there are a lot of people to keep track off, but I quickly got to grips with who was who.

As the body count rises, the surviving teens have to reckon with long forgotten secrets to understand what’s threatening them now. This was the only part of the story that I didn’t like; Bessie and a couple of the others frequently make reference to the incident, but we don’t find out anything about it until we’re well into the story. It frustrated me as it was clearly important but we didn’t know what it was.

Twists come quickly and surprises are around every corner of the corridors of the castle. There are still new revelations coming even on the very last page, and I promise you won’t guess all of them! This is the kind of book you stay up late to read.

Recommendations:

• Book: The Guest List by Lucy Foley is an excellent match for fans of The Party. It also features a remote location, a deadly gathering, and a storm that traps characters with secrets waiting to unravel.

• Movie/TV Show: And Then There Were None (2015) is a fantastic choice. This BBC adaptation of Agatha Christie's classic novel follows a group of strangers invited to an island, only to realize they’re being targeted by an unseen killer. The atmospheric tension and layered mysteries are perfect for fans of The Party.

The Party publishes on the 2nd January, 2024. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.