A really unique premise and an original storyline. I found it less of a thriller and more just a gen fiction. It's a really slow burn and the podcast element didn't make it more engaging for me personally. I love mystery podcasts but this just felt a bit boring at times. I still read through to the end and there were a couple of twists thst I didn't see coming so it was still quite a good read, maybe just not as engaging as I'd been hoping for

In 1979 a group of neighbors have a dinner party, leaving their children asleep in their beds at home. The husbands periodically check on the kids, but when Frank went to check on his 4 month old Megan, he found the window smashed and an empty crib.

Fast forward 40 years and there is a new podcast revisiting the details of the case. The current time period focuses on Amanda, Megan’s older sister, and Amanda’s daughter Billie. A stranger appears at their house one evening claiming to be Megan which leads to many questions as to who this woman really is and what actually happened that evening of the dinner party.

This was more of a slow burn, but I felt that it paid off at the end when everything was finally revealed. The podcast format of this was really interesting, as we got to hear different POVs from all parties who had a connection to the family. I also loved the flashbacks to the night of the dinner party as it felt like a little bit more was revealed every time and you soon find that not everything is as it seems from the outside. While it did take me a little while to get into it, I was constantly guessing what could have happened and was very intrigued as to how it would end!

Overall, this was a pretty good book. It wasn't super gripping, but still interesting. It had some little twists and turns at the end that made for a good ending.

I really enjoyed this book and appreciate the opportunity to read an advanced copy. It did not end the way I expected which was a good surprise. I find so many books so predictable, so I really loved this this one caught me off guard with the twists that were in the book. While it wasn't fast paced, I found myself really getting into the story line and trying to unravel exactly what happened to baby Meghan myself. I liked the characters and thought the point of views from the night of the dinner party were really interesting. I loved the podcast commentary as well, that brought an element of true crime into the story which I love. I thought everything came together well at the end. However, I do wish we found out more about the punishment that the villain had to endure at the end. I felt we deserved more of an explanation then what we got. Overall, I loved the book and would love to read more by this author!

This was a fantastic book. 40 years ago, baby Megan disappeared from her bedroom while her parents were at a dinner party with three other couples from the neighborhood. In the present day, we follow the daughter (Billie) of Megan’s older sister Amanda. She has a husband and young baby that she juggles while being support for her mother as well. On a night where they are commemorating Megan, a stranger appears at the door and claims she is Megan. In the midst of all of this, we get excerpts from a podcast dedicated to the disappearance as well as flashbacks to the night in question.

I found the plot to be intriguing and couldn’t stop guessing where it would all lead to. Definitely recommend it for mystery/thriller fans.

Thanks as always to NetGalley for the ARC.

The Dinner Party by Rebecca Heath is another dark and twisty domestic thriller.
There's a sense of danger, the setting seems to be the perfect background.
A solid and tightly knitted plot that flows and a cast of fleshed out characters.
I was on the edge till the end and the twists always surprised me.
The story is well written and executed perfectly.
I was intrigued from the beginning and was taken for a fun ride.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Aria & Aries for the opportunity to read this ahead of its publication date in return for my honest review.

Meghan disappears from her cot in 1979 whilst her parents are at a party with neighbours locally. She has been checked on, along with her elder sister, sporadically throughout the evening. The only clue is a broken window in the nursery.
Forty years later a woman appears claiming to be Meghan. Her appearance dredges up secrets which have been buried, setting off a chain of events which change lives forever.
I really enjoyed this story. Some chapters are dedicated to podcasts in present day, which I found unusual but a really interesting way to tell parts of the story. Some chapters are told from the past which gives us clues as to what actually happened. Billie, Meghan’s niece is central to the storyline and she is a fantastic character. Full of relatable flaws and battling new motherhood.
A solid story with definite movie potential!

DNF at 20%, I was too bored and the format of the book didn’t help. The podcast seemed like it would be an interesting addition, but it wasn’t. Also the characters were 1 dimensional

Dove into the pages of "The Dinner Party" by Rebecca Heath & got swept into the summer of '79 in Ridgefield.

Four couples, one weekly dinner party amidst a heat wave, but this ordinary evening turns into a nightmare when baby Megan vanishes into thin air.

Fast forward forty years, a knock on the door reopens old wounds and untangles hidden secrets as a stranger claims to be the long-lost Megan, holding the very blanket she had as a baby.

Heath weaves a dark, twisty narrative through the eyes of three distinct viewpoints - Billie [the main character], a podcast host, and a guest from that fated dinner party.

Every page holds a new twist, with Billie being a character you can't help but root for.

Though the numerous characters had me keeping a close tab on who's who, the unraveling mystery kept me hooked.

This tale is a reminder of how the past can knock on your door when least expected, and makes you question how well you really know those around you.

A thrilling ride from start to finish!

Thanks for the advanced reader copy from Zeus Book & NetGalley.

The story bounces between two types of perspectives - Episodes of a “cold cases” podcast and the families living in the small neighborhood.

A small, safe neighborhood has 4 families that live on it. The families are friendly with each other and often have “adult-only” dinner parties. The kids stay home and a few times during the evening, one or two of the husbands will roam home to home to check in on all of the kids. Until one night, one of the children (a 6 month old baby), Megan, is found not in her crib and her sister Amanda (sleeping in the other room) has no recollection as to her disappearance.

The disappearance of Megan is a cold case that is 40 years old when the story starts with the podcast. The “kids” from the event are grown up and are adults and the original dinner party adults are now elderly.

One day, a woman arrives on the doorstep of one of the families homes claiming to be Megan. She has a believable story and a DNA test is ordered.

Is this woman the actual Megan? Is she linked to the family and the disappearance in any way or is she just attention-seeking?

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.

Billie has grown up knowing that her auntie Megan disappeared 40 years ago when she was just a baby. Her parents, Billie’s grandparents, were at a neighbourhood party with other couples they were friends with. The children were all left at home, and the adults took turns checking up on them. Now grown Billie’s mum Amanda has spent her life looking for her little sister. When a stranger turns up at Amanda’s door claiming to be Megan, Billie is suspicious. Is the long lost Megan returning, and what were the circumstances of her disappearance.

I enjoyed this book. It was told from three points of view. From Billie living in the present. There is also a podcast, where Ruby is investigating and remembering interviews and inquest. Ruby is the daughter of one of the couples present that night. Also from Trish, giving her story of what happened on that night. I liked this way of story telling. It allowed the author to eek out the suspense revealing tiny bits of the story at a time. However I did really want to get to the big ending, and I’m not sure we did.

Definitely a good read though!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I found this more of a family drama rather than a thriller. I found it a bit disjointed with the chapters with Billie being the main bulk of the story. interspersed with transcripts from the podcast and chapters from the night of the disappearance. I don't think the podcast transcript or the flashbacks to the night of the baby being taken added much to the story. I liked the characters and the writing style but just felt the story didn't flow well.

I admit I was drawn to the cover of this book as it’s purple and that’s one of my favourite colours. I had a quick look at the synopsis but didn’t know much about the book before I started reading it.

The story follows the Callaghan family. Amanda is now in a grandmother but when she was a girl her baby sister went missing and has never been found. Forty years on from the disappearance, a successful podcast has brought the cold case back into the spotlight. A woman turns up at Amanda’s door claiming to be Megan. She has the same birthmark Megan had and readily agrees to a DNA test, so why is Amanda’s daughter Billie so suspicious?

Initially, I was intrigued by the story but I felt the pacing was off. It often dragged for me and I found it a bit boring at times. Towards the end it picked up a bit and there were other parts that were a bit more exciting but I think it could have been condensed a bit. Some things that were mentioned weren’t brought up again so I’m not sure if they were meant to be red herrings or were just forgotten about.

The format is mixed with most of it in the present day, from Billie’s point of view, as well as excerpts from the podcast. There are also flashbacks to the night of the disappearance, from various members of the community. This was ok but it felt a bit disjointed at times and I’m not sure it quite worked for me.

Quite early on I had a couple of theories and one of them was totally correct, I spotted it a mile off which was a bit disappointing. The other part I got half right, so the ‘big reveal’ wasn’t totally unexpected.

I didn’t like any of the characters in this book much, I felt like I couldn’t connect to them.

Overall, the book was OK but it dragged too much for my liking and there wasn’t the big twist I had hoped for.

This book is published on 4th January 2024. Thanks to Aria & Aries, Bloomsbury Publishing UK and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for a review.

The book opens with the start of The Callaghan Baby Podcast about a cold case kidnapping from forty years before. Four month old Megan Callahan was taken from her crib while her older sister, Amanda was at home. Her parents were down the street at a dinner party with three other neighborhood couples.

Today, Billie Callaghan-Jones is Amanda’s adult daughter. After all these years it seems there’s finally been a break in the case. But many people have secrets they’ve been keeping.

Lots going on in this book but it’s a perfectly serviceable thriller (I wouldn’t have wanted to live in that neighborhood in 1979 though!). Everyone, past and present, has something to hide except Billie, her infant daughter and sweet dog Plank….and I’m not entirely sure about Plank! There are a lot of characters, especially from back in ‘79, and I think I may have gotten some of them muddled at times, but overall I quite enjoyed the book. Recommended.

Thank you NetGalley for an opportunity to review this book.

The Dinner Party took place40 years earlier and during which baby Megan goes missing from her crib.
I love how the author used Ruby’s podcast of the events it was very well done at telling the backstory of the events that fateful night.
The storyline kept my interest to the very end, as we were trying to find out what had happened to Megan, and who was responsible.
This book was a very good read.

Consumption of drugs and alcohol in social settings was common practice back in the day when grandparents were just starting their families... Except when such indulgences meant that no one saw or heard anything that would help find a missing infant. Every family has secrets. Every family looks perfect from the outside looking in. But not every family leaves their children unattended while the adults party at the neighbor's house.

I really enjoyed this one! The plot alternates between current day and 1979 via podcast about a missing baby. I love the podcast concept in a book, and would love to experience this one again by listening to an audiobook version. I would consider this more of a slow burn thriller, and usually I prefer more fast-paced thrillers. However, it kept my interest all the way to the end.

this is one of those novels you pick up and immediately find yourself unwilling to put it down until everything is explained. One thing I appreciated about this story was that I was genuinely not expecting most of the twists and turns. The story is complicated enough to be interesting and keep you on your toes, but not too complicated to confuse you. The ending leaves some to the imagination but the mystery is solved and all the important details are tied up. Fabulous read!

I received an advanced copy of this book from Aria & Aries via NetGalley.

In the scorching summer of 1979, four couples in the suburban neighborhood of Ridgefield come together for their weekly dinner party. It's a seemingly ordinary evening for friends to reconnect, showcase their ideal marriages, and escape from the demands of parenthood. However, behind the well-lit windows and manicured lawns, secrets simmer.

The tranquil evening takes a chilling turn when Frank Callaghan discovers his 4-month-old daughter, Megan, missing from her crib during his check on the sleeping children. The dinner guests insist they saw nothing, and no one left the table.

Fast forward forty years, Megan's sister, Amanda, still searches for answers. A stranger arrives at her doorstep, claiming to be Megan. Skepticism fills the air until they see what she holds: Megan's blanket, taken the night she disappeared.

Megan's sudden return raises numerous questions. Where has she been all these years? What really happened on that fateful night? How well do any of them truly know their neighbors? Rebecca Heath delivers a dark and twisty domestic thriller set in an ostensibly idyllic suburban neighborhood, where family secrets are kept deeply buried.

This novel was an engaging read, but I found myself predicting a significant plot twist about halfway through the book. The characters from the "dinner party from hell" night sometimes became a bit muddled in my mind. I wished for a deeper exploration of their relationships during that time, which would have added more depth to the story. Additionally, the podcast-style writing, while an interesting concept, didn't quite resonate with my personal reading preferences.

A slow burn, psychological, domestic thriller which explores events surrounding a dinner party and a missing baby that happened forty years ago. Well-conceived plot and well-crafted characters the tale is skillfully structured with the help of podcast excerpts from the present day, which added to the atmosphere and tension.
Well written, this story is full of secrets, lies and self-preservation. An intriguing, twisty tale told in multiple timelines (1979 and the present day) and multiple POVs which were easy to follow.
Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley UK for the ARC.