The Guest List

By: Lucy Foley

“And I’m not worried about it being haunted. I have my own ghosts. I carry them with me wherever I go.”

Lucy Foley, The Guest List

*This post contains spoilers for The Guest List

Overview:

A wedding celebration turns dark and deadly in this deliciously wicked and atmospheric thriller reminiscent of Agatha Christie from the New York Times bestselling author of The Hunting Party.

The bride – The plus one – The best man – The wedding planner – The bridesmaid – The body

On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed.

But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast.

And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?

The Guest List

My thoughts:

This was my first foray into audiobooks. How have I not listened to an audiobook in my 34 years of life? No idea.

I’m the kind of person that needs to be doing multiple things at once. Heck, right now as I am writing this I am also watching competition reality shows, clicking through an in-service for work and throwing my dogs toys as they bring them to me. The idea of completing a book while still accomplishing life tasks is highly appealing.

For it being my first audiobook, a Lucy Foley mystery is a good choice. The story is easy to follow but still keeps my interest.

I do also have to admit that I listened to it at 2.4x speed. That is the same way I listen to podcasts and my brain cannot work in the slow speed things are normally recorded in. Is this just me and my chaotic brain?

The Twists

I liked the twists in this story more than any other of Foley’s books. Not to say the other books are bad but I was pleasantly surprised to not be able to guess what was coming. It is a balance of surprising the reader but not making the twist so ridiculous that they are not believable.

When reading The Midnight Feast I did not guess most of the twist however, I felt there were too many and far fetched. The Guest List has reveals that fit the story well and keeps the reader guessing.

I was convinced that Olivia was not Jules’ sister but actually her and Charlie’s daughter. I got that idea in my head so early that I did not see the actual twist coming with Will.

I still think that would have been a great way to tie Olivia, Jules and their mother’s relationship together and to explain why their mother favors Olivia but this isn’t my story.

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Overall,

My favorite of Lucy Foley’s work so far. The character dynamics were actualized and believable throughout the entire story. Not a complicated or dense story but overall enjoyable.

Also, it is easy to like a story where everything is nicely wrapped up and the bad guys get their comeuppance.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars