My thoughts on The Night of the Party

When I reviewed Left for Dead last week, one of the things that bothered me was that it was part of a series and – because of the way it was written – I felt there was too much of the back story I didn’t know or understand. It made it hard to connect to the characters. Which meant I was a bit nervous when I realised my next read was also part of a series – book five, in fact.

Thankfully, I didn’t struggle in the same way at all. Yes, there are some references that I didn’t get. But these were few and far between. Which meant that The Night of the Party could be read – and enjoyed – as a standalone book. And that I didn’t have the same problem connecting with the characters. Not that I liked many of them.

The family at the centre of this story, and their friends, are pretty horrid (maybe all bar one, and even then I wasn’t convinced). They are selfish, self-centred, and it’s hard to feel sorry for them despite the situation they find themselves in, especially when compared to the lead Detective Dan.

Dan is a good man. A man without the usual demons you find in detectives. A man whose team likes him and who doesn’t push the ‘top brass’ up the wrong way just to prove a point. A man who tries to do the right thing, even if it goes against what he believes in. A man so decent that – if Weatherley hadn’t made the Draytons so horrible – would have made for a boring story (which this wasn’t).

I thought it was a clever turn-a-round, a way to differentiate herself in a crowded market of police procedurals and crime fiction. And it definitely kept me interested. Unfortunately, the ended didn’t have the same effect. I can’t say more (spoilers) but I think most readers would have seen what was coming from quite early on.

After such a good start, and so many twists and secrets revealed with the other characters, I was left feeling slightly disappointed. It’s a shame really because everything else was so good. 3.5/5 stars.

Emma

Find on Amazon UK

Find on Amazon US