In this book we meet Lizzie who has just come back from being in rehab for 6 months. After she nearly killed her brother while driving the car under the influence of alcohol. The reason why Lizzie is addicted to alcohol is that her father committed suicide and since then she has learnt that he isn't the man that she thought he was. But now she is wanting to make another go of things. Not only to make things up to her mother and her brother. There's alot of bridges there that need to be mended. But also with her new stepdad and also herself.

Her mother met Lizzie's step father while Lizzie was in rehab and after a six months whirlwind romance they are about to get married and Lizzie her brother their mum and stepdad and their new stepsister are all going to have a wedding celebration in a secluded wooded area.

Just as the festivities are getting started Lizzie's dad appears. Shocks galore. He faked his own death and now his is back to try and win his family back around again. This obviously goes down like a led balloon. So much so that the next morning he is found dead. But this time for real and with noone else around then it had to be one of the other family members present. But who did it? And why? Next comes a race against time. Trying to figure out who the killer is, trying to get out of the wood, and trying to survive without being killed.

A really well paced book, with some twist and turns and enough to keep you guessed throughout.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced ARC in exchange for an honest review. This is the second book by this author I've read and I really love her writing style! I also love that the stories are set in Ireland. The setting for this book was vital to the plot and conflict development.

Lizzie Declan is just released from a six month stint in rehab after almost killing her brother while driving under the influence. Her addiction stems from the apparent suicide of her father and learning that he was not at all the man she thought he was. But, she's got a second chance now that she's out of rehab. Not just to try to make things up to her mom and her brother, but to try to make a go of things with her new stepdad. The same stepdad she's never met because her mom married him the morning Lizzie was released after a short whirlwind romance which all took place in the six months that Lizzie was away.

Lizzie is about to get to know him really well because all four of them are going to have a wedding celebration in the secluded woods where her new stepdad, George lives. And, she's got a new stepsister who just married an American, who is also meeting everyone for the first time, to get to know as well.

But, just as the party is starting, Lizzie's dad appears! Not only did he fake his death, but he's back to win his family back. This doesn't go over well at all. So much so, that come the next morning, he's found dead. Someone murdered him, but it had to be one of the six family members there. But, who did it, and why? And Lizzie knows that she's got to get her family out because no one is safe! However, getting out is impossible when they are in the middle of the desolate woods with no way to contact anyone or get help.

I really enjoyed this story and was guessing until the end. This was a great read and I look forward to more books by this author.

You thought your first husband was dead. But now you’re getting married again and he’s standing in front of you. Your blood turns to ice as he says it’s all a big misunderstanding. He’s back now, and he won’t ever let you go again…


What a ride. When the book started I was not sure what to think and what I was getting into. The twists that this book keeps taking defiantly left me on my toes and wanting to know what was going to happen next. At one point I thought I had it all figured out and then the rug was pulled out from under me.

I love when a book can keep me guessing and keep me up late at night wanting to know what is going to happen next. Sometimes I feel like all thrillers are alike and it is nice when one can surprise you.

I look forward to see what else the author has out there.

A remote country estate. A wedding party. Two broken families united because of the love of two people. A jolly atmosphere. An uninvited guest. A murder. 

This is how it all starts and the weekend that should be filled with love and laughter and feels like a new start slowly but surely turns into a nightmare... Who is the hunter and who is the prey and why?

It's funny how people feel safe when they have wifi or a cell phone. Well, when you are in a place surrounded by woods away form civilization, you are as lost as people were about 30 years ago and you have to rely on your own strength. 

Well, Georgie boy, I am glad I am not married to you, because if you would take me there on this mini honeymoon, I would divorce you straight away. ;) 

I loved how the dynamics between Claire and her children changed and how George was caught between a rock and a hard place but doing the right thing in the end.

My favorite character is Hudson because of the decision he makes at the end of the book.

An enjoyable story with some twists and revelations I did not see coming, but sometimes a bit too slow paced. 4 stars.

Thank you

I requested this one because it sounded really intriguing, but honestly it just sort of fell a bit flat for me.

The O'Shea family have had a tough time. Their father Declan died, Lizzie turned to drink and is just out of rehab and Liam is struggling. But they are moving on, the mother Claire has just gotten married again and they are all heading to her husbands house for a party and that is when the surprises keep coming!
I really enjoyed this, there are many twists and turns in the story which leads to a lot of tension. Some of the twists I saw coming but some came out of nowhere! This is the first I have read from Triona Walsh but I look forward to reading more.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for granting me an advance copy.

Wow, what a book! This was one twisty read! I could not put it down! Suspenseful, intriguing, an absolutely brilliant page turner. Loved it so much!

I did enjoy this book. Apologies, I read it too long ago to write a more detailed review. Thanks Netgalley for early access.

I enjoyed reading “The Party” and want to thank Bookouture for access to this ARC. I enjoyed the general storyline and occasional twists but wasn’t hooked from the beginning. It’s been a few weeks since I finished this book and just now got around to reviewing it - I had to look up the synopsis to remind myself of the plot. Overall not bad, but not super memorable either.

Lizzie and her family has been through so much since her Father's death 5 years ago. It pushed Lizzie into drugs and alcohol addictions that led to rehab when she drove under the influence with her brother in the car. So here she is fresh out of rehab and meeting her new step-father while also trying to convience her Mom and Brother that she isn't the same person she once was. They go on vacation together to her step-fathers country home and she meets his daughter as well as Son in law. Though it's the first dinner there when they discover that they have an unexpected guest, Lizzie's father. Come to find out he didn't die and was there to win back his family. Everyone made it very clear they didn't want him there but the next morning when he is found dead everyone is wondering what happened and what do they do from here? But this is just where the book starts there is so much more that plays out through the book your going back and forth on who did what.

The Party is a bit of a slow burner at the beginning but the pace soon picked up. There were enough twists and turns to keep me turning the pages and although I did work out who the killer was I still enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC.

Keeps you engaged right from the very first page. Walsh did an incredible job on this one, not a single page is boring or predictable.

When George said he hosted hunting parties, with the small prologue, my mind immediately went to people hunting parties. But no. What I got was just as bizarre and engaging.
I'm not a fan of prologues that show a scene from the book, especially with thrillers. I'd rather have it creep up on me.
Lizzie is a young woman who needs to regain her family's trust after becoming an addict after her father's death and the mountain of debt and shady dealings came to light. She got in deep and was sent to rehab after getting into an accident involving her brother, which is where we meet her. And her family is less than forgiving.
I hoped her mother would have a modicum of empathy for her, considering Lizzie's close relationship with her father and how his death affected her. But I understand why Claire and Liam were standoffish. Lizzie appears to be in control of herself and genuinely ready to make amends.
Her mother, Claire, picks her up from rehab with a new husband who she married minutes before collecting her daughter.
At first, everything seems to be going well. George, Claire, Lizzie, and Liam travel to George's family home which has no service. There they meet George's daughter, Freya, and her new husband Hudson.
Until Liam and Lizzie's 'dead' father, Declan, arrives at George's home, ready to win back his family.
And then Declan turns up dead. There are seven people at the home. George, Claire, Hudson, Freya, Lizzie, Liam, and the cook Mia. Everything unravels quickly after this with secrets and discoveries for everyone.
The entire book is a challenge to Lizzie's sobriety and it's one she rises to. I really liked Lizzie as a character.
There are enough twists and turns to keep you guessing and the revelation is surprising, but also not surprising.
I enjoyed reading this and read it in one afternoon.
I will definitely be checking out the author's other works.
I received a copy of this via NetGalley and all opinions are my own.

Having love this author’s previous novel, I was really excited to read The Party.

Admittedly it took some time for me to feel engaged or even like I was enjoying this book, but by the halfway point I was committed and needed to know what on earth was going on at this remote Irish country estate.

It’s full of family drama, and secrets, twists and turns. I can’t say that I really liked any of the characters and I don’t really understand the motives of one or two (they felt forced and not really fleshed out) but it was definitely a page Turner and hard to put down!

The Party is a slow burn thriller that kept me engaged from the beginning. Claire is getting remarried when her “dead” husband shows up and she finds out he’s not dead. Then other things happen and it keeps you guessing till the end. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release.

Although this starts off a little slow, it picked up nicely. Told from the point of view of the daughter, and her struggles with addiction and her paranoia of everyone at the house.

Was able to guess the killer, but kept the pages turning.

I've read several of Walsh's books via Bookouture and I've thoroughly enjoyed them all. The Party is set in a remote area of Ireland where there is no phone signal...the perfect setting for the perfect crime.

So, you're getting married and you've just come face to face with your ex-husband, the husband that's been dead for the five years! WTAF?

Told you it was good didn't I?

Although 'the party' doesn't happen, the plot is moderately paced, has a small cast of characters and manages to keep the reader entertained...which is what a good book is all about.

I enjoyed it and I would recommend to any thriller lovers.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of The Party by Triona Walsh. Lizzie and her family are reunited after her mother remarries and they all head out to her new husband’s mansion in the woods. . The author does a great job of describing the environment and making you feel like you are in the scary woods as well as the isolation of the estate. A closed room type murder and a great storyline make this a book you don’t want to put down! I loved Triona’s last book The Snowstorm. Looking forward to your next book!

I really did not like this book. The pacing was all over the place, and it felt like a chore to get through. None of the characters were likable, and I wasn’t sure if we were supposed to feel bad for Lizzie but I definitely didn’t. The book is in third person, so have of the time Lizzie’s mom is referred to as “Mam” and the other half of the time, she’s referred to as “Claire” and it was honestly so confusing. The book was slightly predictable, and the twists I didn’t predict were so out there that they weren’t good - so out of let field it made my eyes roll. The dialogue was choppy and hard to follow. I do not recommend this book.

Here’s a psych thriller you won’t want to miss!
Lizzie is with her mother, Claire and brother, Liam at Claire’s very new husband’s estate home. George has met and married Claire faster than a New York minute, and Lizzie has concerns.
Freya, George’s daughter and her husband are joining this party at the estate which is so remote there is no internet or wifi or even a phone.
Claire has hired Mia, a young cook, to serve them during the time that they are all there together at the house. A lovely surprise for George, she says.
The very first night, Claire’s presumably dead first husband turns up and claims he wants his family back. Then he turns up dead in the morning.
While all this is going on, about halfway in this whole story turns inside out and you realize nothing going on here is what it seems.
I did not see the twists coming, and I usually do so I tip my hat to Triona for this.
You’ll be hooked and riveted. Don’t be late for The Party.