The Midnight Feast by Lucy Foley Narrator: Joe Eyre, Sarah Slimani, Roly Botha, Laurence Dobiesz, Tuppence Middleton
Published by William Morrow on June 18, 2024
Source: Library
Genres: Thriller
Length: 10 hrs 20 mins
Pages: 368
Format: Audiobook
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Secrets. Lies. Murder. Let the festivities begin...
It’s the opening night of The Manor, and no expense, small or large, has been spared. The infinity pool sparkles; crystal pouches for guests’ healing have been placed in the Seaside Cottages and Woodland Hutches; the “Manor Mule” cocktail (grapefruit, ginger, vodka, and a dash of CBD oil) is being poured with a heavy hand. Everyone is wearing linen.
But under the burning midsummer sun, darkness stirs. Old friends and enemies circulate among the guests. Just outside the Manor’s immaculately kept grounds, an ancient forest bristles with secrets. And the Sunday morning of opening weekend, the local police are called. Something’s not right with the guests. There’s been a fire. A body’s been discovered.
THE FOUNDER * THE HUSBAND * THE MYSTERY GUEST * THE KITCHEN HELP
It all began with a secret, fifteen years ago. Now the past has crashed the party. And it’ll end in murder at… The Midnight Feast.
Foley has a formula that works. Take a fabulous setting – this time the Manor, add an event of some kind – opening weekend/ solstice celebration. Give us a dead body, but don’t tell us who it is until the last few chapters. We’ve got multiple points of view. Francesca is the owner and grew up spending summers there. Her husband is the architect. Bella is a guest. Eddie is the dishwasher, one of the few locals on staff. DI Walker, a specialist in cold cases, is on the team investigating the events of the weekend. They all have secrets and connections.
The setting was fabulous. The Manor is trendy, extravagant, and, in theory, relaxing. The woods surrounding it were appropriately looming and mysterious, The local legend of the Birds added a nice, if easy to predict, touch.
I listened to the full cast audio which made the characters come alive and made me care more about some of the characters than I might otherwise have. There were parts I didn’t love and the ending tied up almost too neatly, but overall I enjoyed it. I don’t know that Foley will ever be one of my favorite writers, but her books tend to be worth picking up.
About Lucy Foley
Lucy Foley is the author of the murder mystery thrillers The Midnight Feast, The Paris Apartment, The Guest List and The Hunting Party — as well as the historical novels The Book of Lost and Found, The Invitation and Last Letter from Istanbul.
She came to writing through a love of reading — she previously worked with books as a fiction editor, a literary agent’s assistant, a bookseller and a literary scout!
Her novels have sold over five million copies, and been translated into multiple languages. She’s also a No 1 New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller. A life-long Agatha Christie fan, she also contributed to Marple, a collection of short stories featuring the legendary detective.
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