There is something compelling about an old group of friends that is held together more by nostalgia than by any actual feelings for one another. The inside jokes, the same stories told over and over, the images that are formed of people when they’re still growing up that stick to them even into adulthood. The resentments they feel towards one another as their lives go in directions they didn’t anticipate. And the secrets they keep from each other. If those twisting webs of secrets and relationships are your jam, then Lucy Foley’s The Hunting Party is right up your alley. Set in a luxurious and remote hunting lodge in the Scottish Highlands, The Hunting Party features a group of old college friends reuniting for their annual New Year’s trip. But things aren’t as friendly as they seem. Old resentments start to surface, damaging secrets are hinted at, fights start to break out, and then a member of the party goes missing, and is eventually found dead. But a huge snowstorm has blocked physical access to the outside world, which means that not only are they trapped there, but one of them must be the murderer.
The group of friends is large, 4 couples (Samira & Giles, Miranda & Julien, Nick & Bo, and Emma & Mark) and 1 single friend, Katie. The relationships are complex: Katie & Miranda are childhood friends, but have recently drifted apart. Nick is friends with the group through Katie, but doesn’t particularly get along with Miranda. Emma is the newcomer to the group, even though she and Mark have been together for years. Emma is also the organizer of this year’s trip, and her chapters are full of the self-induced pressure she’s under to make sure everything is perfect. You can feel the tension building as New Year’s Eve draws closer and you wonder what is going to trigger the fight that precedes the disappearance. Because, like many books in the genre, the story is told in two timelines: what happens leading up to the event, and what happens after, with the event itself shrouded in mystery until the very end.
Overall I enjoyed the book. I thought there were weaknesses: a few too many red herrings, a subplot about drug smuggling that seemed unnecessary, and too many characters with mysterious pasts. I did like the eventual reveal, and was pleased with myself for guessing it. Basically, if you like a locked-room mystery, or toxic friend groups, you’ll probably like The Hunting Party.
