Oh.my.gosh. Hannah Richell's new novel, The Search Party makes for absolutely riveting reading! I truly could not put it down.

Why? The premise for starters. A group of old friends and their children gather at a glamping site that one of the couples is starting. At first glance, all is well with the friends. But a closer look shows up the cracks in all of the relationships. Richell's characters are a mixed bunch. It was easy to pick favorites - and just as easy to identify the one I despised.

One person in the group goes missing. And so goes begins the search party.

But what hooked me is how the story is told. Richell uses one of my favorite methods - then and now. In this case it's before the 'event' and afterwards, as the police try to figure out what happened. There are many points of view. But who can we trust? The book brings to mind a 'locked room' mystery. I had my suspicions, but I was happily wrong! I appreciate being able to name the whodunit.

Richell is so very clever at how she manipulates the reader's perceptions. The pronoun they is used - making it impossible to know if it's a male or female character. As readers, we have information that the police don't. Will they deduce the perpetrator before it's too late? I'll let you discover this one yourself. An easy five stars and absolutely recommended.

College friends gather together for a long weekend at one couples new glamping site. Bringing together old friends, new partners and their children, bring secrets and feelings to the forefront, and when a storm strands them for a night, are they safe together?

Told between the weekend events and chatting with the police on Sunday evening, this story jumps right in. I found myself captivated. I wanted to keep reading to find out the juicy details of their secrets, along with what happened over the weekend. Fast paced and well written I had a hard time putting this one down.

I found it did jump right in, with minimal introduction to characters or situations at the start, and since there are so many characters it was hard for the first few chapters. As we learn who people are and their relationships it got easier to differentiate. There is a small introduction to characters at the start but that is simply family names and ages and wasn’t enough.

An idyllic weekend “glamping” getaway turns into a nightmarish experience for a group of friends and their families.

Okay so this is quite the novel, it starts off with a bang and then keeps rolling right along until the end. I read it in one sitting and didn’t find it predictable—although in hindsight I might have missed a few clues along the way. The red herrings thrown into the mix and the style of writing made for an entertaining and engaging read overall. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys suspense.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for providing me with an ARC of this novel. All of the opinions offered in this review are solely my own.

The Search Party, by Hannah Richell
Out now!

“Five old friends. One glamping weekend. A storm that will change everything.”

The Search Party had all the elements I love in a good suspense and popcorn thriller:
📚 A great pace
📕 Shorter chapters
📖 Psychological twists and turns that play on your emotions and have you second guessing
📚 Clear definition of characters and plot
📕 Atmospheric tension
📖 Great use of POV changes

This is my first book by Richelle and I was really impressed by her depth as a writer. The cast of characters was long and at the beginning I wondered how I would keep them sorted. That worry was soon lost as Richell made each voice distinct and vivid.
The plot and sub-plots were well crafted having me turn pages well into the night!

Thank you Simon and Schuster and Atria books and NetGalley for my digital copy.

I loved this engaging, action packed, and suspenseful read! The isolated setting and the storm really helped ratchet up the tension. All of the secrets, twists and lies really made this a fun read. This is one book that you won't want to miss.

Before starting The Search Party, I had thought I wasn’t really in the mood for a thriller. Oh, how silly of me! But perhaps we can forgive my mistake as I hadn’t read a book by @hannahrichell before, and so, I wasn’t aware of the incredible reading experience ahead of me.

I had such a great time reading this book! The first half I read in one sitting and I would have stayed put and read through to the end if it been within my power. And let me tell you, I resented every interruption while I was reading the intense second half!

A group of old university friends with partners and children in tow converge on a remote peninsula in Cornwall for what promises to be a weekend to remember. But with long-held secrets bursting to get out and tension bubbling below the surface, a figurative storm brews even as a literal one appears on the horizon and the group have no idea just how memorable this weekend is going to be.

Told from multiple perspectives, and jumping forward and back in time, this book is a propulsive read about how far the bonds of friendship will go before they break and how far parents will go to protect their children.

I will definitely be looking out for more of Hannah Richell’s books in future and I cannot wait for my husband to read this one. I know he will love it and I’m dying to talk about the ending with someone!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for providing me with a copy of this book through NetGalley It was such a treat to discover a new favourite suspense writer.

I love storylines that take place over two time periods, so you're trying to piece together the mystery in the past with the information that you know from the present. That can sometimes end up spoiling things, but Hannah Richell did a great job of avoiding too many spoilers.

We knew who had gone missing but not when or how. We get the mystery of what happened that night in the storm throughout the book, with bits of the mystery unveiled in the present day from the police investigations. It's written in a smart way to draw you in.

The characters are flawed, and I appreciate that. Some of them I didn't care too much about. In fact, I disliked them from the second we met them. I would have loved to learn more about Kira. She was my favorite.

Wow, this book was pretty great and I enjoyed it very much. I got instantly sucked in for sure. There is a roller coaster of emotions in this one. I loved how there's a lot of details and twists and turns that you don't expect. In this book there are a lot of characters pov which can get a little confusing also with the back stories. But they are so worth it. I really enjoyed the author's writing style and the setting for the story. The mystery is really kept till the end and so interesting. It will totally keep you on the edge of your seat and wanting more.

If you loved THE GUEST LIST by Lucy Foley, then you'll also love THE SEARCH PARTY by Hannah Richell. Stranded in a remote location due to a wicked storm, with no power and practically no running water, a group of 40-something friends + their children learn a LOT about each other. And that's putting it mildly. The drama that takes place in this book is messy and chaotic, but in the best way. Nothing felt farfetched, and mostly all of the encounters and conversations between the characters felt organic.

The author has you legitimately hooked from the very beginning, and you spend most of the book trying to put all the pieces together. I thought I had it figured out numerous times, and although I figured it out (basically at the same time we're told) I loved it. I loved having all the different POVs because you constantly knew what was going on, but at the same time you know nothing, if that makes sense!

I highly recommend this book if you're looking for a quick getaway into someone else's drama. You will struggle to put it down. I'd like to thank Simon & Schuster, as well as NetGalley, for optioning THE SEARCH PARTY as a 'Read Now' title!

A spellbinding locked-room mystery about a glamping trip gone horribly wrong when a powerful storm leaves the participants stranded and forced to confront long-held secrets and a shocking disappearance.

Alright - what a ride this one is. Max & Annie invite their friends of 20+ years to visit their new home in Cornwall where they have taken a disused farm and converted it into the perfect glamping experience. You can get back to nature, but also have a shower and relax in a hot tub. It's the perfect setting for college friends to get together with their respective families and have a fun long weekend together... or so you think.

The story starts at the end and works its way through as our detectives are trying to piece together the fateful events that happen as a large storm hits the coast. As we hear the story from everyone's perspective, we discover secrets coming to light, undisclosed feelings and lies between the oldest of friends and the realisation that maybe some friendships have an expiration date.

I loved that we don't quite have all the details and have to discover the clues as we move along in the timeline to figure out what has actually happened.

I felt the way that the character of Kip was managed was quite delicate, but still seemed to hinge on the fact that "quirky" kids must be prone to violence. We have a few other cliches, the typical stepmom with botox, the hippy mom with her yoga clothes and homemade breads and oats, the sullen teenage daughter trying to find cell phone service and the hot farmhand, helping everyone to survive the storm.

All in all it was a great thriller and a fun mystery - would recommend to anyone who likes Lucy Foley and Megan Miranda - similar vibes for sure.

I am always intrigued by stories that follow an adult friend group that is trying to stay connected. This group is getting together for a weekend in a more emote location for the weekend and things go expectedly poorly.

I found that it took me a long time to get into this one because there were so many POVs and I didn’t find the writing to be very clear between past and present. There was never a distinction and it all ran together as the story unfolded so I found it kept getting pulled out of the story as I was either trying to remember who the character the chapter was about or doing checking the timeline.

A lot of the twists were predictable but I also found by the end I was invested and quit enjoyed the story overall.

4.5 Stars! With a full cast of characters and a lot of POVs I was a little confused for the first bit of this novel but the author does a great job at giving everyone their own unique voices which set them apart. After the first quarter of the book, I was hooked! I enjoyed all the POVs (even the kids 😂), and was genuinely interested in their drama. I really liked the way you got to see the same events from multiple, very different perspectives. It gave me a sort of fly on the wall experience while still never being sure who was actually telling the truth.

The author utilizes two timelines in a really interesting way, with a past-present tense as characters are answering an investigators questions after the crazy events of the past weekend. I felt this added a lot to the slowly building suspense, as I knew (or thought I might know) the fate of some characters right from the get go. I was constantly wondering what was going to happen, making guesses along the way and reveling in the breakdown of the weekend getaway and the relationships within.

The writing was also really good as a whole. The setting was vivid and captivating and the relationships between our old college friends were well built and realistic.

While this is a locked room mystery, it doesn't follow all the typical plot points and pacing. It felt fresh and fun, with a good combination of mystery, suspense, and family drama. The author was able to do something different here that I greatly appreciated.


Thank you to Net Galley and Atria Books for providing me with this ARC.

I love a good reunion centered plot and this one is just that. However, because of the number of POVs and dual timelines, this one takes a lot of concentration to keep everything straight and that in turn slowed the pacing way down. Glad I read it but won’t be the first book I recommend

Intricate, ominous, and tight!

The Search Party is an engrossing, eerie thriller that delves into the complex bonds that exist between friends and family members and reminds us that behind all those happy, smiling faces often lies an abundance of escalating tension, simmering resentments, and devastating secrets.

The writing is taut and edgy. The characters are secretive, multilayered, and anxious. And the plot, told from alternating perspectives and using before and after timelines, is a sinister tale full of twists, turns, familial drama, secrets, lies, deception, infidelity, relationship dynamics, parenthood, reckless behaviour, swirling emotions, red herrings, vengeance, and murder.

Overall, The Search Party is a suspenseful, atmospheric, exceptionally clever tale by Richell that highlights everything is not always as it appears and is definitely one of the most gripping page-turners I’ve read in a while.

A closed circle mystery meets reunion mystery, as friends from college and their families get together on the Cornish coast on a glamping getaway, only to find themselves secluded and separated when the weather takes a turn.

When one of the party goes missing, secrets unfold and danger lurks behind every corner.

This book kept me entertained and I had no idea how it was going to end! Not my usual genre but couldn't put it down!

Thanks to Netgalley, Simon and Schuster and the Author for an E-Arc in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

Synopsis: Max and Annie Kingsley have given up their jobs in London and along with their twelve-year old adopted son Kip, have moved to Cornwall where they are opening a glamping business. To ensure a successful start to their new business, they hold a “trial run weekend” for three old university friends and their families but things don’t go according to plan. Kip, who they adopted when he was middle-school age, had been through tremendous trauma with his birth parents before he was taken into protective care and he is still suffering the effects. He has a hard time expressing emotions and words and doesn’t naturally fit in with other kids his own age. It doesn’t take long after all the parties arrive that the reader discovers that there are some that don’t want to be part of this reunion weekend, another has a secret that she has been keeping to herself, and Kip has an altercation with one of the guests. On top of that a violent storm cuts the power and one of the group disappears.

My thoughts:

I really enjoyed reading this. I was invested in the storyline and was interested hearing the story from the different points of view of the guests. Just like in every group, there has to be a jackass and there certainly was in this story but it added to the tension and uncertainty of how the story was going to unravel. I gave this book 4/5 stars – would certainly recommend picking this one up.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for a review copy of this book. I will post on social media and Amazon on the publication date.

I really liked this one! It was about a group of friends staying at a "glamping " site out in the middle of nowhere surrounded by water and cliffs. Throw in a horrible storm and what could possibly go wrong? Not to mention that there is a large cast of characters who, even though they are friends, all seem to have something to hide. Everything is certainly not as peachy as it seems and with a group of adults and all of their children, it's basically a recipe for disaster. When one of the children goes missing, the stress of the situation brings things to light and there's a lot going on in the story.

It took me a while to figure out the characters at first, just because there were so many. But once the story got going, it was easier to keep track. I read this one pretty quickly because of the fast pace. There was a twist near the end but it wasn't mind blowing. I found the story really entertaining, but at the same time, it wasn't unique. Overall though, a great read that I would recommend. Thanks to the author, publisher and netgalley for my review copy. Pub date is January 16th.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

This is a sold 3.5 rating, really having a hard time rounding down, but I don’t think it’s quite a 4.

Five old friends and their kids. One glamping weekend. And a storm that will change everything.

There are a lot of characters in this book. But I’m glad the author had a list at the beginning to help sort them out, it definitely helped. And I also enjoyed the map of the property.

There are secrets amongst the friends, drama between the couples and you have no idea who is coming out alive.

I felt like this booking was missing something. I can’t quite put my finger on it though. It did have some suspense, and the twists, however I think it needed something more to make me love it.




Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for a DRC. The Search Party is available January 16.

Glamping is the perfect experience for folks who want to experience the great outdoors without actually, you know, experiencing the great outdoors. It’s a sort of a great-outdoors-lite experience.

Max, Annie, and their 12-year-old son left London for Cornwall. They are preparing to open a glamping site, the Wildernest. This is the perfect time to invite their long-time friends for a reunion.

What’s the worst that could happen?

A lot, actually. A storm sets in. Someone goes missing. Tensions rise and eventually explode.

Some friendships are held together by the thinnest of threads. These are the friendships that probably shouldn’t be put out in the woods to be tested. Then again, maybe these are exactly the type of friendships that need to be tested.

Everyone has secrets. How these secrets interact with or include others can be recipes for disaster. This reunion in the beautiful great-outdoors-lite is nothing short of disastrous. What should have been a fun and relaxing get-together has resulted in the other two of our three timelines in the novel.

We weave between the “what happened” timeline, where we follow the events of the should-have-been-great reunion. Then, the hospital room where we try to piece together events in the aftermath. And finally, the police investigation that leaves us with more questions than answers.

There is a whodunnit atmosphere enveloping this thriller. But before we know whodunnit the reader has to learn what was done and who it was done to.

With characters that are familiar or relatable enough to either be us or be someone we know, we are teased along these three narratives at just the right place to keep us wanting more.

So, dear reader, our glamping bag is packed and ready to go. Its contents include secrets, big and small, a missing person, someone in the hospital, police asking vague or uncomfortable questions, a body found at the bottom of a cliff, and an almost magical singing sound that can be heard coming from the water.

Be sure to bring your friends on this relaxing getaway, what's the worst that could happen?

This book contained some of my favorite tropes: a remote location, extreme weather, and a locked room mystery full of unexpected twists!

I had a really great time joining the six old friends that reunited on a bank holiday for a weekend of "glamping". Each family unit had their own set of issues and no character was without flaw. When one of the children go missing and a surprise storm descends upon them, it causes each of them to reach their breaking points.

The author did a fantastic job of weaving between past and present and the I loved how the pacing steadily increased with the approaching storm.. This was my first read by Hannah Richell and I will definitely be checking out her backlist!

***Electronic ARC received with thanks from NetGalley and the publisher***