The guest list: You'd kill to be on it

Lucy Foley is a British author of thrillers and historical fiction. The guest list is one of two of her novels that has made the New York Times Best Sellers List. Foley studied English literature at University College London and was formerly an editor with two different publishing companies before taking up writing full time. Here's my review of The guest list. You can also check out my review of The Paris apartment, another locked room mystery by the same author.

The guest list | Published February 2020 | Read August 2024

The guest list has all the elements of a cracking thriller, fashioned in the style of a locked room Agatha Christie novel. Guests gather for the extravagant wedding of a handsome and charming television star, Will, to a beautiful, clever and successful magazine publisher, Jules. It's a dream wedding on paper: glamorous couple, designer dress, stunning location, and a loads of money to splash around on all the trimmings.

The cast of characters is completely on brand but they feel genuine, and Foley expertly navigates the line between authenticity and stereotype. Sure, they're a little over the top, but I was totally on board because they fit with the vibe of the book. Jules is a bridezilla with anger management and control issues. Will is arrogant and flirtatious, banking on his good looks to get by (embodying the "pretty people don't have to be good people" shtick). The groom's friends are a bunch of immature twats who don't seem to have moved from the boys' club mentality of their adolescence. Hannah is married to Jules's oldest and dearest male friend, Charlie, who just might be in love with Jules.

Bridesmaid Olivia is Jules's 19-year-old half-sister with a secret that is affecting her physical and mental health. Hannah and Olivia connect on the island and it looks like Olivia may confide in her new friend (herself nursing past traumas.) Best man, Johnno, is a bit all at sea (see what I did there?) with a complex relationship with Will that seems only held together by a shared secret. Finally, there's Aoife the wedding planner, tirelessly on the go to ensure the wedding goes off without a hitch, partly so she can build her new event venue business.

The other character in the novel is the dark and creepy wedding venue - a remote island off the coast of Ireland with patchy WiFi and phone reception - and a storm on the night of the wedding. The whole island seems better suited to a horror movie than a wedding venue. Love it!

The intricate wedding plans start to unravel as the wedding party and their guests reveal their resentments, jealousies, and their histories and past mistakes. The guest list is a slow burn but the pay off is totally worth it. The book keeps you on your toes as it's told from multiple points of view. I loved the larger-than-life cast of players and their over-the-top characterisation. I didn't care that most of them were unlikeable, although I was rooting for Olivia and Hannah. I had no idea how it would all end up (so much foreshadowing!) and the twists and turns are cleverly plotted and revealed without becoming nonsensical.

Take the Agatha Christie-type approach and run with it and you'll enjoy The guest list. I did!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐