The Night of the Party
- Downloads：7526
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-01-17 21:21:50
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Anna-Lou Weatherley
- ISBN：B09JCGTD83
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Natalie
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I enjoyed this story even though its book 5 in the series it can be read as a standalone。Evie and Tom are put through a lot during the whole book and it will keep you hooked until the end。Its full of suspense and tension。 There is also twists and turns that will keep you engaged。
Oh Yeah， I Read That
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Thrilling， fast-paced， and exciting best describe this book。 The twists， turns， and storytelling are fantastic。 This is a must-read！
Arvin Dhillon
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This was a good storyline with the reappearing detective Dan （who is the humblest being of all the MET - which is unreal in itself）。 I had high expectations of this book but they fell short， but that does not mean that book is not worth reading。
Sandy *The world could end while I was reading and I would never notice*
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EXCERPT: We continue in silence for a while。 The air is still and cold， so cold that it stings my eyes。 PC Singh， who is a little way ahead of us up front， stops abruptly。 He's shining his torch into the woodland， stepping into it。 'Sir！''You got something？' I call out to him。 'Sir， you need to come-'He drops his torch and begins to back away from the verge。 I quicken my pace to reach him， Davis close behind me。 The expression on the young PC's face sends my adrenalin into fifth gear。 Oh， no。 No EXCERPT: We continue in silence for a while。 The air is still and cold， so cold that it stings my eyes。 PC Singh， who is a little way ahead of us up front， stops abruptly。 He's shining his torch into the woodland， stepping into it。 'Sir！''You got something？' I call out to him。 'Sir， you need to come-'He drops his torch and begins to back away from the verge。 I quicken my pace to reach him， Davis close behind me。 The expression on the young PC's face sends my adrenalin into fifth gear。 Oh， no。 No， no， no， no， no。He lowers himself onto his knees and starts to cough and choke， an amplified sound that echoes through the stillness， alerting his fellow officers up ahead。 It's sticking out of the wooded area， to the side of the path。 In this light - or lack of it - it looks almost blue in colour， a pale translucent blue， like it's bathed in moonlight。 A sickening sensation drops down into my guts， the reserves of hope that I've been desperately holding onto evaporating like icy morning mist at sunrise。 I recognize it instantly: it's a human hand。 ABOUT 'THE NIGHT OF THE PARTY': Two Couples。 Three Secrets。 One Murder。In a beautiful house surrounded by woodland， the Drayton family and their dearest friends are enjoying dinner together。 The wine is flowing， the meal has been lovingly prepared， and it’s going to be an evening none of them will ever forget…A doting motherwith a manipulative daughter。A loving husbandlying to his family。A close friendkeeping a shocking secret。A beautiful girlwho will be dead by the end of the night。MY THOUGHTS: When I was 70% through， I posted "OMG！ This is one incredible read。 If you don't have a copy yet， get one now and clear your day！" Having just finished， I stand by what I said。 What a rollercoaster ride The Night of the Party is！ Let me back on， I want to do it all over again。 I am going to say nothing about the plot other than it's well crafted， fast paced and riveting。 I absolutely did not want to put this down。 There's a great mix of both likeable and unlikeable characters and characters that you will change your opinion of more than once。 Nothing and nobody is quite what they seem on the surface。 There are multitudes of secrets and lies， vulnerability， and masterful manipulations。 It just goes to show， no matter how long you've known someone， you may never really know them。 The story is told mainly from the points of view of the detective， Dan Riley; Evie Drayton， mother of the missing girl; and the missing girl herself， Libby Drayton。 Suspects and motives are plentiful as layer after layer of lies and deception are revealed。 I had no idea who was the perpetrator until it was revealed。 I loved this read and devoured it avidly。 The Night of the Party was very nearly a five star read for me。 I am going to be finding the earlier books in this series to read and will definitely be putting my hand up to read more from this author。 Although this is #5 in the Detective Dan Riley series， it works wonderfully as a stand-alone。 "Mums are like packed-lunch sandwiches。。。。everyone else's always looks so much better than your own。"⭐⭐⭐⭐。5#TheNightoftheParty #NetGalley I: @annalouwrites @bookouture T: @annaloulondon @Bookouture #contemporaryfiction #crime #familydrama #murdermystery #psychologicaldrama THE AUTHOR: Anna-Lou Weatherley was born in Hampshire and grew up in London where she still lives with her partner and two children。 DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Bookouture via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Night of the Party by Anna-Lou Weatherley for review。 All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions。 For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads。com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday。wordpress。com This review is also published on Twitter， Amazon， Instagram and my webpage 。。。more
Melanie’s reads
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Trust me to start a series on book 5。 Luckily it read really well as a standalone， but I’m looking forward to going back and reading from the start。 Especially as not only was it completely gripping I may have just a teeny weeny bit of a crush on Detective Dan。I’m always in awe of crime writers， the amount of planning that must have gone into this is insane。 It all starts fairly innocuously with a husband and wife holding a dinner party for their close friends， with Evie the mother cajoling her Trust me to start a series on book 5。 Luckily it read really well as a standalone， but I’m looking forward to going back and reading from the start。 Especially as not only was it completely gripping I may have just a teeny weeny bit of a crush on Detective Dan。I’m always in awe of crime writers， the amount of planning that must have gone into this is insane。 It all starts fairly innocuously with a husband and wife holding a dinner party for their close friends， with Evie the mother cajoling her daughter Libby into playing the piano for them。 Libby comes across as a dutiful daughter who is studious and sweet。 That is the first deception as she is anything but。 She is a master at manipulation and in a few hours she will be brutally murdered。From then on more and more comes to light and nobody is as innocent as they appear。 Imagine a small snowball as the first lie and as it starts rolling it collects even more until it becomes so big it will cause an avalanche and many lives will be destroyed。I loved all the characters in this， and the author has absolutely nailed narcissistic sociopaths。 Yes that’s plural as there is more than one and they are both as ghastly as each other。 Evie， although she made many mistakes in parenting， you can’t help but feel sorry for her as her eyes are opened to the truth。I did actually guess the culprit， which is very rare， but little did I know that a letter in the final pages would be the biggest twist for me。 This book was a genuinely nice surprise and I can’t wait to read more。 。。。more
Nicki Kendall
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Thanks to #netgalley and bookouture for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review。 This book was yet another great domestic thriller in the D。I Dan Reilly series- like all of the books so far in this series， they can be read as stand alones， but I should warn you， once you read one it will be hard to resist the temptation of reading the entire backlist of them， they are all that good！ This one centres around a perfect teen girl who goes out one night and ends up going missing。 We then del Thanks to #netgalley and bookouture for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review。 This book was yet another great domestic thriller in the D。I Dan Reilly series- like all of the books so far in this series， they can be read as stand alones， but I should warn you， once you read one it will be hard to resist the temptation of reading the entire backlist of them， they are all that good！ This one centres around a perfect teen girl who goes out one night and ends up going missing。 We then delve into many intricate webs of lies from both her and her family and family friends。。。。a mesmerising read。 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ #netgalley #bookouture #anna-louweatherley #thenightoftheparty #goodreads #amazonaustralia #amazonkindle #thestorygraph #litsy #bookqueen #bookstagram #domesticthriller 。。。more
Samsbookspot
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Two couples。 Three secrets。 One murder。The Drayton family look picture perfect from the outside。 But one evening while hosting a dinner party for their closest friends there picture perfect life is destroyed。The Drayton’s daughter Libby is brutally murdered and everyone has a something to hide。I did not realise that this book is book 5 in the Detective Dan Riley series， but I did not feel that I missed anything by not reading the series from the beginning。 This book had me hooked from the beginn Two couples。 Three secrets。 One murder。The Drayton family look picture perfect from the outside。 But one evening while hosting a dinner party for their closest friends there picture perfect life is destroyed。The Drayton’s daughter Libby is brutally murdered and everyone has a something to hide。I did not realise that this book is book 5 in the Detective Dan Riley series， but I did not feel that I missed anything by not reading the series from the beginning。 This book had me hooked from the beginning and I really had no idea who killed Libby。 I loved how all the characters played there part in the murder of Libby， from the lies and blackmail to Libby just manipulating them all to do what she wanted。I really liked Detective Dan Riley and I would have liked more on who he is as a person， maybe you get that in the other books。 Overall this was a solid domestic thriller。Thank you to Netgalley， Bookouture and the author for an advanced copy of this book for an honest review。 。。。more
Melanie Robertson-King
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This is the first time a book has grabbed me and pulled me in to the point where I read it in one sitting！ Secrets， lies， deception - this book has it all， oh yeah， and murder。 This is the first Anna-Lou Weatherley book I've read and it certainly won't be the last now that she's on my radar。 Her ability to pull you in and twist the plot is phenomenal。 You'll cheer and or sympathize with the characters， or in the case of the manipulative daughter， scream "you little bitch！" from time to time。Than This is the first time a book has grabbed me and pulled me in to the point where I read it in one sitting！ Secrets， lies， deception - this book has it all， oh yeah， and murder。 This is the first Anna-Lou Weatherley book I've read and it certainly won't be the last now that she's on my radar。 Her ability to pull you in and twist the plot is phenomenal。 You'll cheer and or sympathize with the characters， or in the case of the manipulative daughter， scream "you little bitch！" from time to time。Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Emma Star Crossed Reviews
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This review was originally posted on Star Crossed Reviews I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review。 Oh， what a book！ I don't even know where to start。I think I'll start with the lovely Detective Dan。 Oh， Dan Riley。 I have loved you since the very first book。 This man has that coppers gut。 He seems to just know when something isn't quite right。 It's quite a skill。 Dan has grown so much si This review was originally posted on Star Crossed Reviews I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review。 Oh， what a book！ I don't even know where to start。I think I'll start with the lovely Detective Dan。 Oh， Dan Riley。 I have loved you since the very first book。 This man has that coppers gut。 He seems to just know when something isn't quite right。 It's quite a skill。 Dan has grown so much since the first book but he's still the same man in his core。 If I ever needed a crime investigating he would be one of the top detectives on my list。This case had SO many secrets。 I couldn't tell who to trust and if I was coming or going。 Honestly。 Every time something was revealed it just gave more questions than answers。 I was totally hooked！I love Anna-Lou's writing style。 I love the different POVs and the way this book reads so differently from other police procedurals。 This one really gets into the psychology of it all。 I really do find it fascinating。I absolutely loved every page of this book and cannot wait for the next one。 。。。more
Renita D'Silva
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Wow。 Thrilling。 Packed with twists。 Just exquisite storytelling。 Fast paced。 Wonderful。 Very highly recommend this amazing book。
Vanessa
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WoW The Night of the Party by Anna-Lou Weatherley was another superb read。 I love the way Anna-Lou writes and how she draws you into the story， I was hooked within the first few pages， which was brilliant。。。。。。。。。just like her other books I have read。 This book is a great psychological thriller that had lots of brilliant twists and turns throughout。 All the characters within this book have lots of hidden secrets， that will lead to lies and betrayals and will have you sitting on the edge of your WoW The Night of the Party by Anna-Lou Weatherley was another superb read。 I love the way Anna-Lou writes and how she draws you into the story， I was hooked within the first few pages， which was brilliant。。。。。。。。。just like her other books I have read。 This book is a great psychological thriller that had lots of brilliant twists and turns throughout。 All the characters within this book have lots of hidden secrets， that will lead to lies and betrayals and will have you sitting on the edge of your seat！ So， who killed Libby she was only 17 years old and had all her life in front of her！？ I highly recommend all her books they are just brilliant！ Big Thank you。 to Bookouture through NetGalley for an advance copy。 。。。more
Sean Talbot
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An interesting book that had a lot of thrills and chills。 The story was wonderful and just kept me reading。 I think that this would make a great movie as it shows so many great and talented stylized writing。
Debra
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Two Couples。 Three Secrets。 One Murder。 This is one of those books where I think it is best to go in as blind as possible。 You know all you need to know from the synopsis。 Read that and dive in！ Seriously， you will thank me！This was a hard to put down， nicely paced and riveting psychological thriller。 The synopsis was intriguing。 A party， a missing girl， a gruesome discovery。。。This is all right up my alley！ I was glued to the pages and as the plot unfolded， more than one discovery was made！ Two Couples。 Three Secrets。 One Murder。 This is one of those books where I think it is best to go in as blind as possible。 You know all you need to know from the synopsis。 Read that and dive in！ Seriously， you will thank me！This was a hard to put down， nicely paced and riveting psychological thriller。 The synopsis was intriguing。 A party， a missing girl， a gruesome discovery。。。This is all right up my alley！ I was glued to the pages and as the plot unfolded， more than one discovery was made！ I enjoyed the twists and it had me thinking of the quote: 'Oh what a tangled web we weave/When first we practice to deceive'This had a little bit of everything that I enjoy - likeable and unlikable characters， twists， turns and reveals。 There are secrets， lies， hidden motivations， family， relationships， deception， loss， sacrifice and of course the dead girl。 This book also looks at how well you really know someone。 You may think you know everything about them， but do you？ This was a gripping and absorbing whodunit。 This book is part of a series but worked as a solid stand alone for me。 I didn't feel as if I was missing anything。This was my first book by the author， and I am hooked。 I will be reading more of her books in the future。 Gripping， riveting and well written。 Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 All the thoughts and opinions are my own。Read more of my reviews at www。openbookposts。com 。。。more
Nicole
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This book was really good and sucked me in from the first page！ Even though I kind of figured out who did it， there were tons of other twists that caught me by surprise。 Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review！
Sue Wallace
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The night of the party by Anna-Lou Weatherley。Two Couples。 Three Secrets。 One Murder。In a beautiful house surrounded by woodland， the Drayton family and their dearest friends are enjoying dinner together。 The wine is flowing， the meal has been lovingly prepared， and it’s going to be an evening none of them will ever forget…A doting motherwith a manipulative daughter。A loving husbandlying to his family。A close friendkeeping a shocking secret。A beautiful girlwho will be dead by the end of the nigh The night of the party by Anna-Lou Weatherley。Two Couples。 Three Secrets。 One Murder。In a beautiful house surrounded by woodland， the Drayton family and their dearest friends are enjoying dinner together。 The wine is flowing， the meal has been lovingly prepared， and it’s going to be an evening none of them will ever forget…A doting motherwith a manipulative daughter。A loving husbandlying to his family。A close friendkeeping a shocking secret。A beautiful girlwho will be dead by the end of the night。A very very good read。 Couldn't put it down。 I had many suspects but couldn't figure out who。 Full of suspence。 4*。 。。。more
Els
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Maybe， as a parent， you are biased。 Isn’t your child， the cutest， the best， the loveliest creature in the whole wide world？ Of course， they are。 Sometimes there is more to it than they eye can see。 But if is good or is it bad？The author really highlights how manipulative and deceptive people can be。 Is it nature’s fault or is a tragic event from the past the trigger？I was totally absorbed from the beginning。 My brain was doing overtime。 I was suspecting some people， but I was not convinced for 1 Maybe， as a parent， you are biased。 Isn’t your child， the cutest， the best， the loveliest creature in the whole wide world？ Of course， they are。 Sometimes there is more to it than they eye can see。 But if is good or is it bad？The author really highlights how manipulative and deceptive people can be。 Is it nature’s fault or is a tragic event from the past the trigger？I was totally absorbed from the beginning。 My brain was doing overtime。 I was suspecting some people， but I was not convinced for 100%。 It was a bit too obvious perhaps。 So back to the drawing board and trying to put 1 and 1 together。 Was my result 3 as it usually is or did I come up with 2 this time？ Well，… my grey matter did function very well this time。 Shocking 😉This is a great story that I enjoyed very， very much。 Secrets are coming out left， right and centre。 My jaw did not seem to leave the floor for a very long time。 😊Dan is a wonderful detective。 I think he is one of the gentlest ones I know。It’s truly terrible how one act can cause this string of events。 5 starsThank you， Anna-Lou Weatherley and Bookouture 。。。more
Lacie
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The Night of the Party drops the reader into an unfolding dinner party at Evie and Tom’s place。 Evie begs her talented seventeen-year-old daughter Libby to play piano for their guests Una and Jim before she rushes off to a concert with a friend。 Libby’s night out doesn’t go as planned。 Evie knows something is amiss when Libby doesn’t text or return when she’s supposed to。 The story spirals into a murder mystery while exposing a very different side of Libby。 Often with mysteries authors use sever The Night of the Party drops the reader into an unfolding dinner party at Evie and Tom’s place。 Evie begs her talented seventeen-year-old daughter Libby to play piano for their guests Una and Jim before she rushes off to a concert with a friend。 Libby’s night out doesn’t go as planned。 Evie knows something is amiss when Libby doesn’t text or return when she’s supposed to。 The story spirals into a murder mystery while exposing a very different side of Libby。 Often with mysteries authors use several writing devices to cleverly hide and reveal twists and turns。 In this book， a certain character was pointed out over and over as being creepy。 The heavy-handiness here didn’t leave any room for surprises。 So all along， you knew what was right around the corner。However， what happens when the detective discovered the real killer just isn’t reasonable at all。 If someone is capable of that much violence then that person should be handled according。 Therefore， the detective—and half of the story—instantly loses all credibility， trying to deliver a fulfilling and just ending to a wild story。 With the protective nod the author gives to the killer， I wish this book took a hard turn towards Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie。 The building blocks were all there and it would’ve been a much richer story。 The story provides the head trauma motive for a character’s shocking narcissistic and sociopathic behavior， yet the story wraps up just when the meaty plot point is introduced。 The actual killer’s motive was completely expected， making the book fall flat。Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC in exchange of my honest review。 。。。more
MeWriter
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A perfect family in a perfect home enjoying their friends and a perfect meal。 What could go wrong？ There are several here！ Twists abound as we progress through the story and the three POVs of the Drayton family。 A thrilling psychological tale！Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC！
Gabrielle
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A great psychological thriller that comes with unexpected twists， lies， betrayals and secrets that will leave you speechless！The plot is well crafted and well written。 The writing style with multiple POVs makes the story even easier to follow which makes this book was impossible for me to put down。 I finish this book in one day！ Most of the characters here are not as innocent as you think。 Especially Libby。 She's not the perfect golden child everybody think。 I was shocked about the revelation re A great psychological thriller that comes with unexpected twists， lies， betrayals and secrets that will leave you speechless！The plot is well crafted and well written。 The writing style with multiple POVs makes the story even easier to follow which makes this book was impossible for me to put down。 I finish this book in one day！ Most of the characters here are not as innocent as you think。 Especially Libby。 She's not the perfect golden child everybody think。 I was shocked about the revelation regarding Libby's real character。She's a skilled liar and very manipulative。 The way she used people to do her biddings and even the length she goes through to achieve it just gives me goosebumps。I feel sorry for Evie finding out the secrets that her child have been keeping from her all this time。 Her POV was heart breaking。 （view spoiler）[I don't know if the incident that happen when Libby was five actually messed up her brains and makes her acts like a sociopath or maybe it was something to do with genetic since her father is not exactly father of the year either。 Because Tom， Libby's father was just the same as his daughter。 The apple really didn't fall VERY FAR from the tree。 （hide spoiler）]。 To be honest， I didn't know that this story was a part of a series called Detective Daniel Rylie series。 Nonetheless， I was still able to enjoy this story as a standalone without reading the previous books on this series。There are some parts that manage to surprise me and some things I manage to guess。 Several characters in this story have secrets and the motive to kill Libby which makes it slightly more difficult to point out who actually did the killing that night。 Overall， this is a very quick and enjoyable read！ This book is such a page turner with every secret being revealed throughout the story！ I think I'll be reading the other books from this series in the future since I enjoy the detective POV in this book！Special thanks to Netgalley， Anna-Lou Weatherley and Bookouture for granting me this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review！ 。。。more
Lori L （She Treads Softly）
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The Night of the Party by Anna-Lou Weatherley is a highly recommended mystery/psychological thriller。Evie and Tom Drayton are having their best friends， Una and Jim Hemmings， over for a dinner party。 Doting mother Evie begs seventeen-year-old Libby Drayon to play the piano for the group before going out for a couple hours with a friend。 Tom's son， Brandon， shows up the night of the dinner too。 It's just another normal， pleasant evening among friends at Millbank House， until Libby doesn't text he The Night of the Party by Anna-Lou Weatherley is a highly recommended mystery/psychological thriller。Evie and Tom Drayton are having their best friends， Una and Jim Hemmings， over for a dinner party。 Doting mother Evie begs seventeen-year-old Libby Drayon to play the piano for the group before going out for a couple hours with a friend。 Tom's son， Brandon， shows up the night of the dinner too。 It's just another normal， pleasant evening among friends at Millbank House， until Libby doesn't text her mom as promised and Evie begins to worry。 Evie becomes frantic when Libby doesn't return home。 The police are called and DI Daniel Riley and his team begin to investigate。 When they retrace the path Libby would take through Windmill Woods， they find a body and the murder investigation begins。In this well-written mystery/procedural/thriller， everyone is hiding some major secrets， perhaps with the exception of Evie。 Libby is hiding the most secrets of all and is not the perfect， dutiful daughter she portrays to her mother。 The narrative follows the current investigation and reactions of Evie， with other chapters covering Libby's past actions。 All the characters are portrayed as unique individuals with flaws （many， many flaws） and are kept track of easily in the plot。The suspects are plentiful and Weatherley provides multiple characters that could have a motive。 Riley and his team begin to uncover all the secrets and in the process move from one suspect to another。 The investigation follows a logical path and clues are provided for those of us who like to try to solve the case while we read。 As the new revelations are disclosed， the information will keep you absorbed in the plot。 There is plenty of secrets， deception， and scheming to hold your attention throughout。 I didn't guess whodunit until I suspect I was supposed to and the final denouement was very satisfying。Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Bookouture。http://www。shetreadssoftly。com/2022/0。。。 。。。more
Paterson Loarn
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I was given a copy of The Night of the Party by Anna-Lou Weatherly in return for an honest review。 What I like most about this novel is the unexpected way the story develops。 At first sight it appears to be a conventional suburban whodunnit， but as one shocking piece of information after another is revealed， it becomes horribly clear that this is far from the case。 The personalities of Evie and Tom Drayton and their children and friends are well drawn in the first chapter， so the reader can expe I was given a copy of The Night of the Party by Anna-Lou Weatherly in return for an honest review。 What I like most about this novel is the unexpected way the story develops。 At first sight it appears to be a conventional suburban whodunnit， but as one shocking piece of information after another is revealed， it becomes horribly clear that this is far from the case。 The personalities of Evie and Tom Drayton and their children and friends are well drawn in the first chapter， so the reader can experience the dramatic events through their eyes。 Evie in particular is a character with whom it is easy to identify。 Her world crumbles a little more with every piece of evidence that the people she loves are not， and never have been， what they seem。 The twist at the end is the natural outcome of the way the characters interact， but this does not make it any easier to predict。 I did not see it coming。 #NetGalley 。。。more
Kimberly Sullivan
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Wow – I loved this book。 I enjoy thrillers， but sometimes I grow frustrated with writing that doesn’t engage me， or characters that feel paper thin， or each and every chapter ending with a cliff-hanger， whether it makes sense or not。 This novel， however， was pitch perfect and I loved the multi-layered characters and the careful peeling of the onion that revealed the complex facets of the lives of the main characters and secondary characters。In a quiet London suburb， beautiful， talented seventeen Wow – I loved this book。 I enjoy thrillers， but sometimes I grow frustrated with writing that doesn’t engage me， or characters that feel paper thin， or each and every chapter ending with a cliff-hanger， whether it makes sense or not。 This novel， however， was pitch perfect and I loved the multi-layered characters and the careful peeling of the onion that revealed the complex facets of the lives of the main characters and secondary characters。In a quiet London suburb， beautiful， talented seventeen-year-old Libby Drayton is found brutally murdered and DI Dan Riley is assigned the case。 The story unfolds through alternating perspectives – from Detective Riley， Libby’s doting mother， Evie， her stepbrother， Brandon， her Godfather， Jim， and finally， through flashbacks from Libby。As the investigation begins， it quickly becomes apparent that the image of the perfect daughter Evie is clinging to is far from the truth。 I enjoyed the structure and pacing of the novel and the slow reveals that provide us with a full picture of Libby’s life in the lead-up to her murder。 Although I guessed the killer， that in no way took away from my enjoyment of the story and wanting to learn all the details of the mystery。A fast-paced story that will keep you turning pages。 I look forward to reading other novels by Weatherley。Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this novel， in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Mrs V J Chamberlain
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Wow！ I loved this gripping， absolutely brilliantly plotted book and literally could not put it down until I'd finished。Part psychological thriller， part police procedural， a combination I felt worked really well， the story begins with a young girl， Libby， disappearing during a dinner party。 Libby's parents， Evie and Tom， are obviously completely distraught。 How could their beautiful， well behaved， intelligent daughter suddenly go missing？What sounds like a simple plot， begins to build and build， Wow！ I loved this gripping， absolutely brilliantly plotted book and literally could not put it down until I'd finished。Part psychological thriller， part police procedural， a combination I felt worked really well， the story begins with a young girl， Libby， disappearing during a dinner party。 Libby's parents， Evie and Tom， are obviously completely distraught。 How could their beautiful， well behaved， intelligent daughter suddenly go missing？What sounds like a simple plot， begins to build and build， secrets and lies are all of a sudden exposed and Evie and Tom are forced to face the devastating truth that Libby may not be the sweet， obedient， perfect daughter she appeared to be。 I felt the characters were cleverly written and whilst they weren't all likeable， they all had real depth and believability。 I especially felt for Evie and her desperate longing to discover the truth about what happened to Libby。 I also really warmed to the police characters， especially Dan and Lucy， and look forward to continue following their stories in the author's future novels。The twists and turns in this book kept coming and just as you think you have it figured out， the author throws in another curveball！ I did guess the final twist here， but it took nothing away from the story for me。All I can say is， you have to read this book！ Most definitely highly recommended。 I can't wait for Anna-Lou's next book。Thanks to author， Anna-Lou Weatherley， publishers Bookouture and Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Melissa
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Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review。 😊A friendly dinner turns into the nightmare of every parent。 But what secrets is everybody hiding in the meantime？ 🤔So， this book。。。 🤨I quite liked it in the beginning。 The intrigue， the drama， the secrets， all of it。 😏There were some things that I predicted， others I absolutely did not。 It was delicious and I was eating it up。 😎But the book lost me towards the end。 😞I had predicted the twist chap Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review。 😊A friendly dinner turns into the nightmare of every parent。 But what secrets is everybody hiding in the meantime？ 🤔So， this book。。。 🤨I quite liked it in the beginning。 The intrigue， the drama， the secrets， all of it。 😏There were some things that I predicted， others I absolutely did not。 It was delicious and I was eating it up。 😎But the book lost me towards the end。 😞I had predicted the twist chapters and chapters before it happened， and I was really hoping it would not go down that path。。。 But what a shame that it did。 😒It uses a twist of which I really thought we were beyond it in 2022， but oh well。 😬Th pacing was really good， because I did just want to keep reading until I got to the end。 So it is great for a fast thriller read。 😄I did not like the twist in this one， but definitely liked the writing style， so I might check out other works by this author。 。。。more
Katie Schmidt
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Thank you to Anna-Lou Weatherley， Bookouture， and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review。CW: suicide， murder， gore， vomit， infidelity What a dark， twisty， wild ride this took me on！ This book is not for the faint of heart。 It is very dark and heavy， so keep that in mind if you want to read this。 I did figure out early on who the murderer was， but the twists definitely had me second guessing myself！ You know it's a good story when it makes you question yourself。 😅 Thank you to Anna-Lou Weatherley， Bookouture， and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review。CW: suicide， murder， gore， vomit， infidelity What a dark， twisty， wild ride this took me on！ This book is not for the faint of heart。 It is very dark and heavy， so keep that in mind if you want to read this。 I did figure out early on who the murderer was， but the twists definitely had me second guessing myself！ You know it's a good story when it makes you question yourself。 😅 This was unputdownable！ 。。。more
Sophie Sheppard
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Be prepared to be instantly hooked on this book just as I was from start to finish。 Evie and her husband Tom were hosting a dinner party with their 2 closest friends Una and Jim。 After listening to Libby （Evie and toms 17 year old daughter） play piano Evie says she is off out with a friend and will be home by 10。30pm at the latest。 When Libby fails to keep in contact with her mother why she is out doubt about her daughters welfare soon creeps in and when 10。30 comes and no one has seen or heard Be prepared to be instantly hooked on this book just as I was from start to finish。 Evie and her husband Tom were hosting a dinner party with their 2 closest friends Una and Jim。 After listening to Libby （Evie and toms 17 year old daughter） play piano Evie says she is off out with a friend and will be home by 10。30pm at the latest。 When Libby fails to keep in contact with her mother why she is out doubt about her daughters welfare soon creeps in and when 10。30 comes and no one has seen or heard from Libby since Evie decides it’s time to call the police and report her daughter missing。 Soon detective Dan Riley and his team start searching for Libby and it takes next to no time for the team to discover her body。 As a missing persons investigation turns into a murder inquiry Dan begins to question everyone at the dinner party starting with Tom and Evie， followed by Una and Jim then finally Toms son （Evie’s stepson） Brandon。As the investigation proceeds it soon becomes clear that Libby wasn’t the good as gold golden girl her mother believed her to be。 With her hand in just about everything from drugs， teenage pregnancy， manipulation， lies， deceit there was so much more to Libby that met the eye。 Libby wasn’t the only one who had secrets。 As DI Riley talks to anyone who could be involved with Libby’s murder it soon becomes clear that everyone close to her had hidden secrets and a motive behind possibly wanting to hurt her making Dans investigation dam near impossible。 This thriller was a great who dun it throughout the whole book it could have been anyones game。 When I found out who the murderer was I was quite shocked and did pick up and work out the final twist in the book however I didn’t feel that it took anything away from it。 I also didn’t realise that there are other DI Dan Riley books and this is part of a series however I had absolutely no problem reading it as a stand alone thriller and will certainly be going back to the previous books in this series。Thank you to NetGalley， the publishers and the author for an advance copy of this book in exchange for this review。 It was a great read and I cannot wait to read some more of the DI Riley series！ 。。。more
Carey Baldwin
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Loved this book！ Read it in one sitting。 The first twist comes very early when we get the point of view of a certain character for the first time。 This character is not at all what I expected， and from that moment on， I couldn’t stop reading。 I truly enjoyed the writing with all the great dialogue that amped up an already break-neck pace and kept a complicated story from getting bogged down。 The author has skillfully woven the threads of this story into a cohesive， satisfying tapestry that chall Loved this book！ Read it in one sitting。 The first twist comes very early when we get the point of view of a certain character for the first time。 This character is not at all what I expected， and from that moment on， I couldn’t stop reading。 I truly enjoyed the writing with all the great dialogue that amped up an already break-neck pace and kept a complicated story from getting bogged down。 The author has skillfully woven the threads of this story into a cohesive， satisfying tapestry that challenges and ultimately satisfies the reader。 If you’re in the mood for a dark， gritty， twisted tale that’s perfectly written， this one’s for you。 。。。more
Crystal Ipock
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This was a fast paced suspenseful novel that will keep you reading until the very end。 There's so much deceipt & manipulation that it will keep your head spinning。 This starts off as an innocent dinner party that ends in devastation。 I do not want to spoil this， so I will just say that someone disappeared。 Who will it be？ Why？ What happened to them？ Who did it？ Read this to find all of this out。 Once you get to know these characters， you will see that there's definitely more than meets the eye。 This was a fast paced suspenseful novel that will keep you reading until the very end。 There's so much deceipt & manipulation that it will keep your head spinning。 This starts off as an innocent dinner party that ends in devastation。 I do not want to spoil this， so I will just say that someone disappeared。 Who will it be？ Why？ What happened to them？ Who did it？ Read this to find all of this out。 Once you get to know these characters， you will see that there's definitely more than meets the eye。 A person can completely deceive all those around them。 I definitely recommend this book。 My heart goes out to Evie。 Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Teresa Nikolic
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Tom & Evie Drayton are hosting a dinner party with their lifelong friends Jim and Una， the drinks are flowing and when seventeen year old Libby Drayton tells her mum she's going to meet her best friend Katie to go to a gig at the local church， her mum insists she play the piano for their friends before she goes out， Evie can't help showcasing her daughters talent at every opportunity， Libby is reluctant but does it anyway， then she's off into the night with her usual promise of 'I'll be home by Tom & Evie Drayton are hosting a dinner party with their lifelong friends Jim and Una， the drinks are flowing and when seventeen year old Libby Drayton tells her mum she's going to meet her best friend Katie to go to a gig at the local church， her mum insists she play the piano for their friends before she goes out， Evie can't help showcasing her daughters talent at every opportunity， Libby is reluctant but does it anyway， then she's off into the night with her usual promise of 'I'll be home by 10。30， I promise'。 When 10。30 rolls round and there's no sign of Libby， not even a text， Evie begins to panic， this isn't like Libby and she eventually calls the police， what they discover blows the Draytons world apart and that's only the start of it， because Evie is about to discover that her daughter isn't the angel she has always thought she was。 Dan Riley and his team are drafted into solve the murder， but what he uncovers affects more than just the Draytons and will have far reaching consequences for all involved。 The Night of the Party， narrated by Dan， Evie and Libby， is a fast paced thriller， so many of the characters had a secret to hide， which gave most of them a motive for her murder。 It's a great plot with so many unreliable characters， I had each of them banged to rights at some point in the proceedings， the twists when they come are unexpected although， I have to admit， I did guess the last one， but it didn't， in any way， spoil the story for me， in fact the reason behind it made it all the more poignant。 This story highlights that， however much you think you know someone that is close to you， you probably don't actually know them at all。 This is the fifth in the Dan Riley series， and the second one I've read， but they are easily read as standalone， if the others are as good as these two I will definitely read them at some point。 Weatherley is a very talented author and if you like a book that keeps you guessing throughout， this is one for you。I'd like to thank Bookouture and Netgalley for the auto approval， I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day。 。。。more
Ann
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