The Guest List by Lucy Foley

 

The Guest List by Lucy Foley has been a book in my to be read pile for quite a while. I was initially attracted to this novel because of its setting on a remote island and that it was a mystery with an intriguing storyline. In some ways, the setting for The Guest List and how the guests came together reminded of Agatha Christie's novel, And Then there Were None... But that's where the similarities between both novels end.

I feel that Lucy Foley does a fantastic job of creating suspense. The Guest List is a very atmospheric read and you can feel the tension building as you continue reading this novel. The best part of The Guest List for me is how the story is told through the eyes of several of the main characters in alternating chapters throughout the novel. 

The wedding night is not told in one continuous chapter, but is broken up into sections and scattered throughout the novel with the various main characters sharing their perspective of the wedding  events, how they know the bride or groom and tidbits about their personal lives. It becomes apparent who will be murdered, but by whom, when, and how the murder will happen is quite a different matter as quite a few people had an issue with the murder victim.

I did not like most of the characters in The Guest List. Most of them seemed shallow, immature, or rowdy frat boys as in the case of the best man and groomsmen. The best man and groomsmen were so over the top immature and the groom himself so slick... I couldn't stand them. The bride was no angel herself either and was callous/stuck up. Essentially, I was turned off by many of the characters/bad actors in this novel that it overshadowed the good parts of The Guest List for me.

Below is the plot summary for The Guest List by Lucy Foley from Chirp's website:

On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed.

But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast.

And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?

I'm giving The Guest List by Lucy Foley a rating of 2 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!