Once you pick up The Night of the Party, you wont be able to put it down. I finished this book in one day. It is a dark thriller with lots of big reveals and a cast of seriously flawed characters.

The story centres around two couples who have been friends since university and appear to be lovely successful people. However, when a tragic murder takes place during a dinner party, the facade of each character begins to disintegrate. Almost every person connected to the dinner party has a deep dark secret, but how far would a person go to keep theirs hidden?

I won’t reveal much more because I don’t want to spoil it, but this is my first book by Weatherley and I will definitely read more of her work. The execution of the plot was impeccable, there were just enough hints and foreshadowing to make each reveal believable, but not so many that the twists were too obvious.

My only gripe with the book was the ending dragged out. After having trouble putting down the book all day, I was struggle to stay awake through the last two chapters.

I deducted half a star for that reason and because some ideas are never fully developed or resolved (but hey, that happens with so many side stories). Finally, I think some readers will struggle with the execution of some topics in the book (I don’t want to reveal too much but the plot is dismissive of some serious issues that arise with young Libby). Personally, when I read a thriller I am reading for the thrill and not social correctness, but I feel Weatherley was aware of the tightrope she was walking and makes an effort to humanize all the characters in the book.

Overall, a great read that I will be recommending to my friends. Now I’m off to see how many Weatherley books I can find on my Libby App!

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for a free digital copy in exchange for a fair review

The cover is wonderful. The premise is promising and I have heard that the twists and turns are remarkable. However, I hated the writing style. It made reading this book a burden and gave me a migraine.

Fabulous book! My first by this Author but not my last. The two characters I liked best were Evie and Sara. Evie is devastated when her daughter goes missing and is found murdered. Sara makes the most unselfish but understandable decision at the end of the book. Everyone has secrets, some totally deplorable. I highly recommend reading this book. Thanks to NetGalley, Bookoutre and the Author for allowing me to read and review this book.

Two couples, three secrets, one murder.

The Hemmings - Una and Jim are enjoying a dinner party at the home of their very good friends, the Draytons, Evie and Tom. Libby Drayton - 17 years old, beautiful, clever, popular and such a good girl is on her way out to meet her friend Katie to see a band and promises to be home by 10:30. Tom’s older son Brandon, half brother to Libby follows her out the door shortly after.

By midnight Libby is still not home and is not answering her phone. Evie rings Katie’s mum only to learn that Katie is spending the weekend with her nanna, their was no gig. The police are called. Before long the body is inevitably found and it is brutal. Libby’s face has been obliterated!

DI Daniel Riley and DS Lucy Davis start to dig into the lives of these families and soon learn that there are some unpleasant secrets and that Libby is not the nice girl her parents thought she was. Suspects are dangled in front of us. The lives of the families are examined under a microscope and a rather ugly picture emerges.

Libby turns out to have been a manipulative, nasty piece of work. But she was not the only nasty piece of work in this story. In fact most of the cast of characters had secrets to be ashamed of. A number of people could have had a reason to kill Libby but who did the actual deed? This story had many layers and many secrets and a rather sad and poignant ending. It was a quick and enjoyable read that had me turning the pages with a flourish. I finished it in a day. Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

Thanks to the publishers for sharing this one. It was a pretty quick read. Quite gruesome. Very British. My full review appears on Weekend Notes.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review!
Loved this book, what an exciting ride! No one is who they seem, including the victim. As the story unfolds you learn more about the victim, the many suspects and how their lives intersect. Such a page turner!

I debated between 2-3 stars for this book. I can see that I am in the minority here but I struggled with this book. I kept getting confused and then bored. For me, it was too much dialogue and I struggled to keep the characters straight. I did give it a 3 because it did have some twists and I enjoyed the ending.

I will try another book from this writer though because everyone seems to enjoy her stories. I will give one of her other books a chance.

Talk about a story that completely unravels every character’s life in every possible way. As I read this book I kept thinking throughout it…remember at the beginning when they were simply enjoying a fun dinner party? This one keeps you on your toes for sure! I loved how things continued to escalate throughout the entire story. Once you get on this ride, you better buckle up and keep your arms and legs in the car!

Weatherley has quickly become a favorite of mine, as has her flawed but hard-working detective Dan Riley. This is another winner that draws you in from the first page. Well written and absorbing. Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for the advanced copy.

I have been a reading slump and this was the perfect story to get me out of it! This is a fast-paced story about a young woman who has been murdered. As the police investigate, many lies are discovered among all the people connected around her. I thoroughly enjoyed this story from start to finish!

Evie Drayton is incredibly proud of her 17-year-old daughter Libby, who is always well-behaved and intelligent. On the night of the party, when Evie and her husband Tom are hosting their friends Jim and Una for dinner, Libby performs on the piano for the dining guests. Libby leaves the house, claiming to be going to see a play with a friend. Evie fails to connect with her and Libby is afterward discovered dead, having been ruthlessly murdered. Libby lied about going out with a friend, who claims she was never supposed to meet her.

Brandon is Libby’s step-brother, and the two have a strained relationship. Evie considers Brandon to be a tough step-son, despite her best efforts to get along with him.

Evie’s world is turned upside down after learning of her daughter’s murder. She must not only come to terms with the fact that she has lost her daughter, but she must also confront the shocking reality that everyone in her life has been lying to her.

Libby was not the precious baby her mother had imagined her to be. Instead, she became cold, devious, and manipulative. She turns out to be the reason behind the destruction of so many other lives.
Tom isn’t the loyal and loving husband everyone thinks he is.
Una is struggling with shame over the huge secrets she keeps from her best friend.
Jim has a secret as well, which has the potential to destroy him and his career.
Brandon may not be the same person like he pretends to be.

Nothing is as simple as it seems.

The case is handled by Detective Dan Riley. The character is a part of many other books by the author, hence making this book a part of the Dan Riley Series. BUT, it can definitely be read as a stand-alone.

The story is told from several POVs, with Dan’s voice in the first POV and the rest in the third POV.

The book is a good thriller with a fast-paced plot. It, on the other hand, has nothing unique or unusual to offer. The twists were simple to predict, especially for a thriller reader.
The plot became monotonous near the conclusion due to the lack of action.

I’ll recommend this to the readers who are beginners in this genre. You will enjoy this.

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....

Filled with secrets, revelations and twists, this book will keep you guessing throughout. It's action packed and full of suspects, you won't know what person to pick. Everyone at the party has secrets. The pace is fast in this well written and gripping read. The story is told from Dan's perspective. Although the book is part of the DI Dan Riley series, it can be read as a standalone. This is an intriguing whodunit.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #Bookouture and the author #AnnaLouWeatherly for my ARC of #TheNightOfTheParty in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, Wow, Wow…what a read!
This book romps along at pace from start to the surprising ending. I could not put this book down.
The dinner party begins with four people, three of them have a secret, a person is murdered and the powerful storyline rolls along at breakneck pace with lots of twists and turns until we finally get the answer.
I devoured every word, every page and every chapter. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

If you had peered through the window of Millbank House the night of the party, you would have seen two families, the Draytons and the Hemmings, sitting around the table enjoying dinner. Your first thought would have been that everything looked perfect - the house, the people, the food,....but as Lady Gaga sings, “it’s a perfect illusion.” Before the night is over, they were all wishing they could go back to a simpler time. A time when they were all blissfully unaware, ignorant, in denial and happy.

Sweet and dutiful Libby Drayton, 17, agrees to play the piano for the guests before heading off to meet up with a friend for a few hours. Unfortunately, she never makes it through Windmill Woods and her murder opens up a Pandora's box stuffed with secrets.

Detective Inspector Daniel Riley and the team diligently work to find clues and solve this murder. Unfortunately, the more they dig, the more suspects they find. I loved second guessing everyone’s intentions. DI Riley gives just enough information for the reader to be convinced of one suspect before he pivots to another, making readers doubt their suspect and take a closer look at someone else! Who is Libby Drayton? Why was she brutally murdered? Who would want to do this to her?

We are all just one single choice away from a different life. Just ask Evie, Tom, Jim and Una. Author Weatherley explores how the past influences our future decisions and asks us to question how well we really know those we love.

Although I didn’t feel comfortable with some of the content, the characters were great, the plot was well planned and twisty, and the author wrote a compelling mystery that I was unable to figure out.

You’ll want to add this dark, domestic, twisty psychological thriller to your reading list. It’s stuffed with tons of intrigue, secrets, deceit and then topped off with a double twist.

I was gifted this advance copy by Anna-Lou Weatherley, Bookouture and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

I'm not sure what there isn't to love about this book? Imagery - great. Suspense - biting my nails. Plot - fast paced and obsessive. Twists - shocking.
I loved the narrators- mother, investigator, victim, suspects. So well done - very creative, great insights into the victim.
Dan is pulled from his bed to investigate the disappearance of 17 year old Libby. She had left home earlier to meet up with long time bestie, Katie, to see a show at a local venue.
Her parents and their closest friends, Una and Jim, had been over for a small dinner party. But Evie couldn't help checking her phone - no messages from Libby.
Highly recommend.

A real cannot put down book, I needed to know what had happened to Libby. Lots of suspects and doubts to keep you guessing. Was the victim as innocent as first appears a great concept and opinions change towards the characters as the book moves on.
I will definitely be looking out for more from this Author and series.
#netgallery #TheNightOfTheParty

This was my first Anna-Lou Weatherley book and I can't wait to read more. I really liked the book and the writing style. Full of twists and surprises, characters who are all liars and are hiding secrets, and betrayal. Libby left her parents' dinner party to meet a friend and never came back. What happened? Everyone is a suspect. There are so many red herrings. I didn't like a single character, including the victim, and yet I really liked the book and couldn't put it down! Such a nice surprise!

Thanks. to Bookouture through NetGalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on January 12, 2022.

You think you know your daughter until she is found dead then you soon realise that you didn't really know her at all. Libby comes across as a dutiful daughter but unbeknown to her family she led a double life one which would result in her death. Who could have had so much anger in them to do what they did to her. She was hated by a lot of people and some were closer to home.
I really enjoyed this book and loved the ending.

Whoa! Anna-Lou Weatherley knows how to keep her readers' attention with tension that does not stop. Loved this book and was completely mesmerized from Page One until the end.

This is the second book I have read by this author and I absolutely loved it. I really liked the main detective and look forward to reading the others in the series. I read this book in two sittings as it was very easy to read and kept me hooked from start to finish. An intense book with good twits and turns.