My Five Word TL:DR Review : I Absolutely Loved This One

I’ve read a few of Lucy Foley’s books now and really enjoy her writing and imagination and I think she has absolutely nailed the whole Agatha Christie, whodunnit, plenty of red herrings, leading you a merry old dance type of vibe.  This is my favourite by her so far.

I don’t want to over elaborate on the plot because wild horses can’t drag any spoilers from me.  Nope.  But, I will say, this revolves around the grand opening of a lush vacation/spa/hotel known as the Manor.  No expense has been spared for the opening weekend, the guestlist has been vetted, the food is going to be sumptuous, the wine and cocktails will flow, the infinity pool will be infinite and the verdant lawns will terminate in a view of the sparkling ocean beyond.  Even the weather is playing ball, well, it’s probably a little too hot if anything.  What could possible go wrong?

Well, firstly, the locals are not necessarily happy with this new project.  People are getting pushed out of business, footpaths have been fenced off and even the beach, now only accessible via a path on the hotel’s land, has been sequestered, although the locals can still reach it by boat.

Secondly, hugging the grounds is an old forest that practically bristles with superstitious lore.  This is the sort of forest with ancient trees and plenty of dark secrets.  Do not offend the Birds.

The owners, the staff and some of the guests have secrets and hidden agendas.

On top of this, we have a journal, written over summer 15 years earlier.   This definitely makes for very interesting reading.

What did I love about this one.  In a nutshell, this worked for me on every level.  We have a strange mix of unlikable and likable characters and a number of narrators to tell the story.  Eddie, who works at the Manor washing pots.  Francesca, the owner of the estate who inherited everything from her grandparents.  Bella, a guest staying in one of the woodland hutches, Owen, the architect and husband of the owner.  And, of course, the journal.  Which I won’t say more about.

The pacing is really good.  Foley really cranks up the pressure for everyone.  The staff are running around like headless chickens, Francesca is trying to maintain a sense of inner serenity that isn’t really working, Owen is sneaking about, following his wife or trying to slope off for some alone time to surf and Bella is having second thoughts and feeling very anxious about being at the Manor.  Meanwhile the Journal is telling us a darker story belonging to the Manor and slowly revealing the events that took place towards the end of a long lazy summer.  It’s all leading up to something.

I loved the story.  The author totally fooled me and I hold my hands up and readily admit that I had things wrong.  And, I love that.

And, the midnight feast – this is when everything goes to hell in a handcart.  What a satisfying conclusion.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this, it was so enjoyable in fact I finished it in a day and a half and I will say I now have regrets because I’m sorry that the read has ended.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks.  The above is my own opinion.

My rating 5 of 5 stars