Book Review So Far-The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley

Alright- so I haven't finished this book yet... but I think I'm about halfway through it and I thought that was a good enough time for a Spoiler Free Review. Since I don't know how the story ends yet- I can't reveal all that much about the book so far... so this is pretty spoiler free.

This book is about a group of friends- most of who all graduated from Oxford and have been friends since college. For New Year's Eve they go to a luxury Hunting Grounds in a very remote location in Scotland during a terrible snowstorm. Someone ends up dead- and it's pretty clear right away that it is not an accident.

So I thought that by now-the book would reveal who died and then we'd be able to figure it out from there... but apparently the book does not reveal who the victim is until the end of the story. At this point I can pretty much narrow it down to 4 people that it could be- they do eventually mention whether the person is a man or a woman so... I think I know who it is but... I could be wrong.

The characters are all very detailed and each chapter follows a different character. Heather- the manager of the place they're staying at, Doug- the Gamekeeper with a troubled and mysterious past (his side of the story is interestingly the only one that isn't told from a first person POV), Emma the newcomer to the group that's only seen as the girlfriend of one of the group members who organized the event, Miranda the beautiful "It Girl" of the group that has to put on a brave face for everyone, and Katie- the quiet one who has been absent from Miranda's friendship the whole trip.

We also know about Julien and Miranda's relationship and their struggle to have a baby. Plus Miranda's former stalker and her fear that the stalker may still be around. Katie's struggle fitting in with the rest of the group and her always being seen as Miranda's "project" more than a best friend. We also know of Mark- Emma's Boyfriend... who has always had a crush on Miranda and he has a very violent side that he feels guilty about... but it has come up often with the group's notice. Heather also has a very sad backstory... and we don't know much of Doug's past... but we know it's dark.

I feel like there might be more than one guilty person in this party. I don't think Doug is the killer in this story- but I feel like he is possibly a killer. There's a pretty famous killer on the loose that has been in the area... and I think that very well could be Doug. And I feel like maybe Doug will get blamed for the murder... but I'm thinking he didn't actually do it.

It's also VERY shady that Emma decided to bring everyone to this very remote hunting ground in the middle of nowhere during an intense blizzard. It is luxurious- sure but... none of the group is particularly interested in hunting or sports... so it doesn't make much sense that this is what she just HAD to book if she didn't have... more of a reason for getting close to someone in this remote wilderness. I also feel like it's hinted at pretty much as soon as Miranda brings it up that Emma is the stalker. I don't think this is a spoiler because... again I'm not really sure of it but... the clues add up to her being the stalker... possibly the killer- or the victim.

Miranda... I feel like is most likely the victim. I think that her or Katie are the saddest possible options and I think that's the direction they're going for. Miranda is beautiful, she's having trouble having a baby and I feel like this trip has been really hard for her because... her life isn't going the way she had hoped. Katie's life is going rather well... but she's also having a rough time on the trip. She's slightly disconnected from everyone to begin with... and she doesn't really talk to anyone that much during the trip. Nick and his boyfriend are also kind of outsiders and they're only really close to Katie out of the group... so I feel like Katie and all of them might have more to the story that could change my mind about them... but overall right now I don't find them interesting enough to be the victim or the murderer. I think that could change maybe... but right now... those are kind of my feelings. I think Katie is in the story more to be the reader's eyes to how everyone in the group is... rather than to have anything deeper or more suspicious.

Anyway so far- I thought the book started out a little slow... but now I'm very into it... I really want to find out how it ends but... I just don't sit and read the whole thing... at least not yet.

I will probably do more of these book reviews before I finish the book because... I feel like it's good to see the clues and to see where everything is going and to make some predictions. I'll do this with mystery books I think.

Bye!

-Shannon