Let me start out by saying that I am so upset with myself that it took me as long as it did to pick up this book. Had I known I would never be the same after reading this chilling novel, I would have dropped it all to pick this up.

Boy oh boy are you all in for a treat with this one.

Anna Lou Weatherley, is literary gold. Her talent to tell a story, is undeniable. I picked this book up around 4pm yesterday and finished before 11pm . No, I did not put it down. No, I did not take a bathroom break. This book was amazing. I can not put into words the shock I am still recovering from.

This story is narrated from multiple points of view and almost a dual time line as it does flash back a bit. I love when the story is narrated this way as I am able to observe the whole picture. This also gives you answers to any questions you may have. The character? Oh boy, were they ugly, and I am talking about on the inside. These are characters you will love to hate and it was just so well done.

When secrets begin to be exposed, true colors are revealed.

The twists that take place are ones that you will not be able to foresee . I was kept completely in the dark and loved every minute of it. This is a book I will forever recommend to others and I can not wait to see what Weatherley, comes out with next! She has made a true fan out of me!

I couldn’t put down “The Night of the Party”! We meet a family and their friends having a dinner party who of course have secrets. Add in a murder and you have a great thriller! I had a few suspicions as to “who did it” and it was fun trying to figure it out.
This was my first book by Anna-Lou Weatherley and I look forward to reading more by her. This is a must read book of 2022!
I would like to thank Bookouture and Netgalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

An absolutely brilliant yet scary domestic thriller showing just how dangerous and almost unknown those closest to us can be. Loved every second of this police procedural!

I was honestly frustrated with this book for about the first 1/3. I was convinced I knew "whodunnit" from page 3, and so I spent the better part of the first chunk of the novel angry that I had guessed the killer so easily. Turns out I was totally wrong, and was so happy with how the rest of the book turned out. A good reminder to me that I love a solid mystery that makes me think I have it all figured out, which this one did in spades. Great writing for sure, and I would definitely recommend to others!

I was pleasantly surprised by this one! Requested on a whim, I enjoyed the writing and the narrative between the characters. For someone who reads a lot of thrillers, I did not see the twists coming. Very fast paced and I was engaged throughout. I would consider reading more by this author!

Thank you Bookouture and Netgalley for access to this ARC in exchange for a honest review. I would recommend to anyone that enjoys a -whodunit- type thriller filled with secrets and betrayal.

DNF. I tried really hard to get into this story but it kept losing me. I found the use of single quotation marks really distracting and I eventually just had to stop trying to get into the night of the party. I really thought I'd like this novel more.


I received an advanced copy through netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

I really enjoyed this one and will look into this author more. I enjoyed with twists and the flow of the story. The writing was well done and kept my interest throughout. I will be recommending this one to friends.

The Night of the Party was enjoyable to read. It was perfect for me right now because it didn't require a lot out of me. I could just follow it as it lead to it's ending. I was pretty sure I had some ideas from the very beginning. Some were right and some were wrong. That's a good sign.

The party in question begins the book with awkward and forced feeling get-together with people who are supposed to be the oldest of friends. Of course, there are secrets. No one is who they seem to be. What fun would it be if they didn't have secrets?

The story moved along at a decent pace. The ending seemed to be rushed. Just a sudden-boom. I'm not sure if I liked it or not. I'm still deciding.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. My first by this author but it won’t be my last. It’s also one of a series but can easily be read as a standalone book. Good premise, well written and plenty of twists and turns. I enjoyed this and would recommend!

Evie & Tom are hosting a dinner party for their oldest friends. Before she leaves to meet her friend they persuade their beautiful seventeen year old daughter Libby to play a piano piece. Libby is a loving daughter. Bright ,kind & reliable. She leaves promising to be home by 10.30 so when there is no sign of her by eleven Evie is beside herself- this is so unlike Libby. Detective Dan Riley comes to get the details & before long a body is found. Who would want to murder such a wonderful girl? Dan discovers that she maybe wasn't this paragon she has been painted. As the search for her killer goes on the reader sees that there are a lot of secrets being kept & nobody is quite what they seem.

Although this is quite far along in the series I had no problem getting involved wit this one. It was cleverly written with some really dark characters. I felt sorry for poor Evie! For a change I guessed 'whodunit'! Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book- I'll be looking out for the next in the series!

i loved this story with so many twists and secrets unravelled was a great face paced read. It is very cleverly written giving you snippets here and there until eventually the story unfolds.

A great thriller which i would have no problem recommending

The story begins during a dinner party, where good friends are catching up over a delicious meal and several bottles of wine. Evie and Tom's daughter Libby plays the piano for her parents, godparents Una and Jim and her half-brother Brandon before she sets off for a night out.
It's only when Evie realises that seventeen-year-old Libby hasn't messaged to say she has safely arrived at her destination that anything seems amiss. Soon, everything Evie has ever known begins to unravel. Nothing is as it seemed.
That night, they all had their secrets.
The Night of the Party is a tale about love and lies and the thread they weave between relationships.
I did guess the twists fairly early on, but I suspect that may well have been pure luck as there were certainly enough red herrings along the way. Even though I had my suspicions, I was still gripped until the very end. Everything linked up perfectly and I couldn't put the book down.
What I loved is that it wasn't a straight-up-and-down story. There is a lot going on, told from multiple viewpoints. The reader has insight into what is happening while the characters are still figuring it out. It showcases that it's difficult for anyone to really know a person. All we know is versions of the truth, from the perspectives we are told.
I only discovered after reading this book that it is book five of a series, but it reads perfectly well as a standalone novel. I love binge-watching a good British crime drama so, even though I'll know the ending of this particular episode, I'd love to watch this one some day.

Evie and Tom are having their friends Jim and Una over for dinner. Evie and Tom are parents to teenager, Libby, whom they adore. She is a good student and a talented pianist. They also have Brandon, Tom’s son from a previous marriage. Jim is a physician and Una is a homemaker. They have all been friends since college.

Libby tells her parents she is going to her friend, Katie, and will be home before too long. But she doesn’t return.

Detective Inspector Daniel plus his sidekicks, Lucy and Parker respond to Evie and Tom when they report Libby missing. Before long, Libby is found having been brutally beaten to death.

The story switches back and forth among various characters and the police as they investigate Libby’s murder. We see a side of Libby that was unknown to Evie who is grieving terribly. We see lies, manipulation, drugs, alcohol, suicide and the ultimate of love. Some of the characters are written so well that they tug at the heartstrings of readers. Yet some make one want to kick them. I really liked the book. Well done.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

My first book by this author, but I will definitely read more. Plenty of twists and turns, keeping you turning the pages late into the night. Great characters, great story. Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Evie Drayton is hosting a dinner party with her husband for close friends Una and Jim when their 17-year-old daughter Libby goes missing. Frantic, Evie calls the police and Dan Riley is the detective who attends, along with DS Lucy Davis and Dc Alistair Parker. It soon becomes clear that Libby is not where she said she was going to be which was watching a band with her best friend, Katie at St Saviour's Hall...
Anna-Lou Weatherley writes a cracking novel brimming with tension in the fifth instalment of her Detective Dan Riley series, set in London. I started this series at book three and I hoped that this book, The Night of the Party would prove to be just as good and I was not disappointed!
This one worked well as an individual read. With its excellent plot and rapid pacing, this is an addictive read and I relished every moment. Dan Riley is a very well-drawn and likeable detective and relationships and drama are perfectly interlaced with the storyline. There’s betrayal, blame, deceit, selfishness and heartbreak. With a smashing ending, I really enjoyed reading The Night of the Party.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Bookouture via NetGalley at my request and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

SO. MANY. TWISTS. AND. TURNS. Everyone’s a suspect.
I was constantly guessing and totally reeled into this “totally jaw-dropping psychological thriller!”
Highly recommend!

This was my first book by author Anna-Lou Weatherley, but if this is her usual style, it certainly won't be my last!

Two couples, old friends, are having dinner at the host's house. Daughter Libby Drayton performs a flawless piano recital per her Mom's request before going out the door to meet a friend. When she doesn't return home by 10:30 as promised, her Mother has a very bad feeling, because she and her daughter are so close, and Libby never lies to her.

I went into this book without reading any of the blurbs and I'm so glad I did. There was surprise after surprise. The dominoes kept falling. I'm so glad I didn't know much about the book so I was able to experience all the surprises. Therefore I will not talk at all about the plot. Suffice it to say, this is a clever story that keeps the reader engaged with shock upon shock. I flew through this book! If you want a fast and exciting read full of tension, pick this up!

I give this a strong 4 stars. It was five stars, so far as being a fun and engaging. Thank you to NetGalley, author Anna-Lou Weatherley, and Bookouture for allowing me to read this ARC.

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

Thrilling, fast-paced, and exciting best describe this book. The twists, turns, and storytelling are fantastic. This is a must-read!

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 mother
with a manipulative daughter.

A loving husband
lying to his family.

A close friend
keeping a shocking secret.

A beautiful girl
who 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

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