THE SEARCH PARTY | Hannah Richell
01.16.2024 | Atria Books
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Max and Annie Kingsley have left the London rat race with their twelve-year-old son to set up a glamping site in the wilds of Cornwall. Eager for a dry run ahead of their opening, they invite three old university friends and their families for a long-needed reunion. But the festivities soon go awry as tensions arise between the children (and subsequently their parents), explosive secrets come to light, and a sudden storm moves in, cutting them off from help as one in the group disappears.
Fans of drama and isolated/locked-room thrillers, you should check this one out!
I love when friends/families/couples/groups get together in thrillers. You just know something bad is going to happen and there is going to be more than enough drama to go around. The Search Party comes through and fully delivers on this. From the start you can tell each couple has secrets they don’t want the others to know about. Even the children of these couples are involved in the dramatics, whether they realize it or not.
If you’re looking for likeable characters, The Search Party doesn’t have many to offer. This is a route I always find fascinating when authors choose it because usually you have one main character you’re rooting for in a thriller. Richell strikes a fine balance and manages to keep the reader fully invested while also hating some of the people the storyline is following. Part of what helps this is that Richell allows the reader to look at the situation through multiple character’s eyes. The well-rounded portrayal of the situation and the character’s reactions is something that kept me coming back for more.
A huge thank you to Atria for my gifted copy!
What Jess Reads 