In this modern take of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express, Lucy Foley creates a guest list that no one will want to be on.
On an eerie remote island off the coast of Ireland, the family and friends of Jules and Will gather for their wedding. Jules is a beautiful and successful magazine publisher and Will is a handsome and charming reality TV star. Their wedding will be magazine-worthy: designer gown, boutique liquor, private remote location, majestic marquees, exquisite cake, Irish band, and personalized luxe favours for the guests. Expertly planned with meticulous detail, the festivities will be overseen by Aoife, the wedding planner, and her chef husband, Freddy. The stakes are high for the couple since it is their first wedding on the island.
With the celebrations underway, things begin to unravel with the help of too much champagne and the surfacing resentments and jealousies circulating amongst the guests. And then someone turns up dead.
The Guest List is a classic whodunit told from several different characters' perspectives—each with a different secret—from the days before the wedding and from the present wedding scene, with a few scattered flash flashbacks dispersed throughout.
Foley expertly builds tension through brilliant pacing, a creepy setting, and from an eclectic and vibrant cast of characters who are fuelled by the festivities, their motives, and alcohol. Resentments are building, as are lies, and motives to kill. There is also a literal storm brewing, as well as a figurative one, in which the island becomes even more isolated and threatening.
Foley gives just enough away and then pulls back the curtain for the stunning conclusion of this wicked and atmospheric thriller. The Guest List is completely enthralling, completely sublime, and completely addictive.
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LUCY FOLEY studied English literature at Durham University and University College London and worked for several years as a fiction editor in the publishing industry. She is the author of The Book of Lost and Found, The Invitation, and The Hunting Party.
Foley lives in London.
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