Dinner party took place 40yrs ago, baby Megan was missing and up to this day not found. Set in 2 separate timelines which made an interesting jigsaw puzzle with Ruby's podcast of the events of the night.

Very twisty storyline with lots of interesting characters, however quite slow paced for
me, hence only 4 stars

Shocking and surprising I didn’t expect, but definitely a very good read

Thank you to Netgalley

Decades ago, during a familial dinner party, baby Meghan Callaghan vanished without a trace. Fast forward to the present, and Ruby Costa, alongside her team, have embarked on a podcast mission to unearth the buried truth of that fateful night. However, the narrative takes a twist when a woman steps forth, claiming to be the lost Meghan. Billie, Meghan's niece, is thrust into a whirlwind of emotions. Her mother, Meghan's sibling, has been deceived by past impersonators, leaving scars. This newcomer, who identifies as Meghan, is shrouded in enigmas, yet these pale in comparison to the covert truths the family harbors.

"The Dinner Party" enthralled me. Contrary to some reviews that labeled it a 'slow burn', my journey was adrenaline-fueled, keeping me perched on tenterhooks, eager for the climax.

Highlights:

The narrative transported me into the world of a gripping true crime podcast.
The pacing was brisk and invigorating.
I'm a sucker for tales riddled with clandestine familial truths.
The characters, especially Billie, were brilliantly crafted.
The duality of identities added layers of intrigue.
The investigatory arcs were masterfully interwoven.
However, a minor gripe:
The climax left me craving more clarity regarding the fate of a particular antagonist. I yearn for closure and wished that segment was more comprehensive. But, all in all, a phenomenal read!

Kudos to NetGalley and Aries for this electronic advanced reader copy. This was my first foray into this author's work, and now, I'm eager to delve into her entire repertoire!

It’s just before Christmas in 1979. A group of like minded neighbours gather together for an impromptu dinner party. Usually a well planned event amongst those who “enjoy” each other’s company, but on this summer’s evening there is another reason for them to get together and try something a little different. As usual, it being a quiet cul de sac, children are left at home in bed, with one or other of the men folk popping in to check on them throughout the evening. On this particular night, a father discovers a broken window and that his four month old daughter is missing. This is the start of the endless search for Megan Callaghan.

Forty years later, Ruby Costa, the granddaughter of one of the party goers, is in charge of a podcast and all the old information is gone over to see if anything was missed, making quite a name for herself as a amateur detective. The all abiding defence of all the couples is that it was acceptable in those days to leave children alone in the house when the parents were so near. Of course this would never happen today!!!

With startling similarities to true events, this was a book that really captured the imagination and made interesting reading. Although not a complete surprise, the outcome was well handled. I liked the author’s style of writing and enjoyed the podcast chapters, a clever idea. Lots of characters that you need to get straight with the multiple generations and marriages, but well written, though I really disliked Amanda. There’s obsession, but this was a disregard for her immediate family that was cold and disrespectful. Great that an author can get me to dislike a character so much, well done!

Though a good plot and well received, I do have a list of questions, as there were a few loose ends without giving way to spoilers.

A good 3.5*.

Thank you NetGalley.

This was a great twisty thriller it was bit of a slow burner but when it got going it definitely did. There is lots of characters but the writing style made it easy to follow the story and not get confused with all the characters. I will definitely be recommending this very good thriller. Thanks to netgallery and the publisher for my advanced copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Aria and Aries for the opportunity to read this ARC!

40 years later, the mystery still hasn’t been solved in what happened that summer night when baby Megan went missing. There’s a podcast revisiting the disappearance of Megan and we slowly see the truth rise to the surface!

This story was good, the premise very intriguing but definitely a slow burn for me! I enjoyed it but it did take me a while to get through as it wasn’t a complete page turner for me! The ending definitely gave us closure so that is a plus.

Set in the late nineteen seventies, The Dinner Party is one thrown by neighbors who enjoy each other's company. On this evening a parent goes up to check on his children and his baby girl is gone. Noone at the party saw anything at all

Decades later a young woman shows up at her family's doorstep, claiming to be the long lost daughter. It is hard to determine whether she really is but she is carrying the blanket she was taken with as a baby.

The search to discover where she has been, who had her, and how she has come back now begins.

A fast paced thriller that kept me just off kilter as a good book should.

What a fun fast paced modern thriller! I loved the plot bouncing between the current day drama of the missing Callaghan sister, the podcast revealing the “truth” and the past on the night of the Dinner party. What a great thriller!

I loved the format of this book, and aspect of the podcast dialogue. There were a lot of characters within the plot and this kept me guessing the entire time I was reading. Great twisty storyline, and a satisfying conclusion.

I liked the format of this with the podcast episodes interspersed throughout. There was a lot going on with quite a few characters to keep track of between two different timelines. The story was a sad mystery involving a missing baby from forty years prior. And while forty years is a long time, the surviving family members, old and new, remain so deeply haunted by this unsolved tragedy and continue to search for answers. Between the podcasts, the present, and the past point of views, this kept its hold on me as the pages turned. The ending needed a bit more, I felt like there were some unanswered questions and explanations as well as the outcome of a few particular characters. Overall this was a solid read and I give it three and a half stars.

Thank you Netgalley and Aria & Aries for this ARC.

A twisty twisty story that will lead you down a several paths before you decide what actually happened!

In 1979 during a dinner party 4 month old Megan disappears and is never found again. Older sister Amanda has never given up and she and her children run a foundation to aid others who have lost a child without resolution.
While a podcast begins to dig deeper into the events of 1979 a mysterious woman appears and claims to be long lost Megan.

Amanda's daughters are sceptical and try to determine who Megan really is..but what if she really is Megan?
Great plot! #Thedinnerparty #REbeccaHeath

Rebecca Heath is inviting us to another party from hell (“The Summer Party” was her debut book last year), and it’s time to consider the new invitation to “The Dinner Party”.

In 1979, before ubiquitous home security cameras and hi-res baby monitors, three couples left their homes for a potluck dinner party at the neighbors’ and left their children asleep in their beds a few hundred feet from the festivities. A designated dad would periodically check on the kids. When Frank checked on his 4 month old Megan, there was an empty crib.

Forty years later, Ruby Costa is featuring the disappearance on her “The Callaghan Baby Podcast,” renewing interest in the case. Ruby’s major source is Amanda, baby Megan’s ten year old sister, now fifty and with two daughters and grandchildren of her own. On the anniversary of Megan’s disappearance, a stranger appears at Amanda’s home, with a “proof” that she’s her sister. But Amanda has been devastatingly fooled before by imposters and her daughters Billie and Eve are very protective. If this is really Megan, what happened 4 decades ago? And if it’s not Megan, why is this woman (Donna) trying to worm her way into their lives?

Ms. Heath’s narrative moves between the podcast that establishes the 1979 timeline and what’s happening with Amanda, Billie, Eve, and the latest Megan. The tension builds since Amanda’s oldest daughter, Billie, does not trust Donna’s story. This is a domestic thriller with a lot of tension and suspicion and it’s also a story about sisters and their complicated relationship with their mother. 5 stars!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES Nathan has green eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO I did learn that a wattle is another name for an acacia.

Thank you to Head of Zeus and NetGalley for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

While i did predict the twists present in the book, i still had a great time reading it. I especially appreciated the author's writing and her social commentary present in the book.

I liked the abundance of formats in this book: different points of view, interview-style script, podcast, etc. There are lots of characters to keep up with, so I had to really focus. All in all I enjoyed it.

Forty years ago, a baby went missing at a dinner party, held amongst family and friends. Now, Ruby Costa and her team are hosting a podcast to explore what really happened to Meghan Callaghan all those years ago. When a woman shows up claiming to be Meghan, her niece (Billie) is not quite sure what to make of the situation. Billie's mother, Meghan's sister, has been hurt before by imposters pretending to be her long lost sister. Billie's mother is very vulnerable and just wants to believe that Meghan/Donna is who she says she is. As the plot develops, it becomes clear that this new woman claiming to be Meghan has some big secrets, but nothing compares to the ones that Billie's family is keeping...

I loved The Dinner Party. Before I read it, I saw some of the reviews describe it as a slow burn, but I most definitely did not experience it that way. I felt like I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, just racing to the end!

Things I loved:
- I felt like I was listening to a true crime podcast
- It felt fast paced to me
- I love stories with hidden family secrets
- The characters were really good. I enjoyed Billie's character a lot.
- The double identities of some of the characters kept me guessing
- The build up and investigation sides to the story were awesome

What I didn't like:
I just wish the ending had explained just a teeny bit more about what happened to one of the villains. I don't want to spoil anything, but I wanted that to be a little more fleshed out. Nevertheless, I loved the book!

Thank you to the publishers at NetGalley and Aries for sending me an e-ARC! This was a very enjoyable thriller by a new author I haven't read before. Off to read the rest of her books!

3.5 rounded up

9th December, 1979 - Ridgefield, Australia

It’s a beautiful summers evening and four couples, friends, as well as neighbours, gather for their weekly dinner party, the children left at home, tucked up in bed – after all this is a safe neighbourhood. Except that later in the evening, when Frank Callahan goes to check on his daughters, 10-year-old Amanda and four-month-old, Megan, the latter is missing.

Forty years on, podcaster Ruby Costa and her team are investigating the unsolved case which continues to fascinate Australians while Amanda continues to live in hope that one day her sister will be found. What happened to Megan? After all this time, can we, will we, ever know for sure?

This is a slow burner, psychological and domestic thriller which is may be a bit too slow for me at times. However, the desire to hopefully know what happens to Megan and the building suspicions keep me reading on and ultimately I do thoroughly enjoy it.

I really like Ruby’s podcast which is well presented, giving us the bigger picture surrounding the events of forty years ago and in the present day. It introduces suspects, includes details about the police investigation, the inquest and interviews with as many people as possible, who have recollections of the events of 1979. You do wonder if it’s objective as the truth always depends upon who is telling the story and why, but it does raise many anomalies, deepening the mystery and suspicions.

The perspectives of Amanda and her daughter, Billie are especially interesting so much of what Amanda does is a puzzle, especially to Billie, a character that I really like. Her gut instincts prove to be very good as she navigates a truckload of secrets and lies. The building unease of forty years ago and in the present day is palpable, as it
becomes clear that things are definitely not what they seem with several good twists revealing themselves.

Overall, it’s a good read once I get used to the variable pace and get a handle on the many characters that you have to keep track of.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Aria and Aries for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

This thriller has tons of characters that it felt a little hard to keep track of. I did however love the podcast as a narration and context provider. I definitely guessed the plot twists midway through which was frustrating because the book felt so long for me to just be waiting for confirmation. I appreciated the relationships between characters though, I just wish there were fewer to keep track of.

Well well well. This was a pretty slow burn, domestic thriller, which is usually not my style (I like past paced, straight into the action) but I really enjoyed this book.

A dinner party years ago, a baby missing, two seperate timelines.

The only thing I will say is that there was so many characters to think about, at times I found myself more confused than anything and it did leave a lot to think about.

However, the story was one I haven’t read before and I liked the format of the story and how it was told - there was interview style transcripts, multiple past POVs, multiple timelines.

I highly recommend this thriller.

Great story line with well written characters. I was desperate to find out what was going on and for once i didn't guess the who done it. This story has giant twists and turns. The one negative for me was the podcast which popped up constantly. Overall an enjoyable five star read. My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

This book was full of twist and turns. I really enjoyed this and it kept me hooked, I wanted to keep reading until I'd solved it!

A missing child. A dinner party. Secrets and red herrings. Realistic characters. These all keep this novel moving quickly. Trying to discern the ending is difficult. This whodunit of intrigue is written by a talented author. I did have trouble with the format. So many voices and time periods. Also the podcast was not easy. Thanks Netgalley