The Party

SOON TO BE A MAJOR TV SERIES

'TERRIFYING, HILARIOUS' PHOEBE WALLER-BRIDGE

'A SMART, IRRESISTABLE ROMP' NEW YORK TIMES

A gripping story of betrayal, privilege and hypocrisy, set in the unassailable heart of the British establishment, from the number one Sunday Times bestselling author of Magpie and One of Us, Elizabeth Day.

Martin Gilmour and Ben Fitzmaurice have been best friends for 25 years, since their days together at Burtonbury School. They are an unlikely pair: the scholarship boy with the wrong accent and clothes, and the dazzlingly popular, wealthy young aristocrat. But Martin knows no one else can understand the bond they share – and no one else could have kept Ben’s secret for over two decades.

At Ben’s 40th birthday party, the cream of the British establishment gathers in a haze of champagne, drugs and glamour. Amid the politicians, the celebrities, the old money and the newly rich, Martin once again feels that pang of not-quite belonging. His wife, Lucy, has her reservations too. There is something unnerving in the air.

But Ben wouldn’t do anything to damage their friendship. Would he?

‘As unsettling as it is involving. You absolutely have to know how it turns out’ JOHN BOYNE

Reviews

‘Think Brideshead Revisited meets The Talented Mr Ripley with a dash of The Riot Club. I couldn't put it down’ Louise O’Neill, author of Asking For It

‘An exhilarating and gripping psychological thriller about obsession, betrayal, jealousy and class distinctions. Elizabeth Day’s writing is impeccable, suspenseful and clever. I couldn’t put this down!’ Rosie Huntington-Whiteley

‘Superb – clever, gripping, psychologically acute’ Laura Barnett, author of The Versions of Us

‘What will probably be my book of the year … I loved it’ Sinead Crowley, Irish Independent

'Fast out of the traps, compelling and infinitely believable: but what really got me about The Party was the writing. Stunning' Susie Steiner, author of Missing, Presumed

‘A well-paced slow-burner of a literary thriller – think Donna Tartt’s The Secret History or Alan Hollinghurst’s The Line of Beauty… The Party is a gripping page-turner’ Observer

‘Devious, witty, thrilling' Refinery 29

‘Skilfully constructed, suspenseful narrative … It’s a smart, wittily written riff on class, privilege and power’ Mail on Sunday

‘Echoes of The Secret History and The Talented Mr Ripley thrum through Elizabeth Day’s pacey fourth novel… jolly fun’ Sunday Times

'A sharp, stylish and witty as the perfect guest. Beware: you'll be up far too late’ Lucie Whitehouse, author of Before We Met

‘Elizabeth Day's latest novel is sinister and seductive and nothing short of breathtaking’ Francesca Seagal, author of The Innocents

‘This is a dark and compelling book of lifelong obsessions, jealousies and neuroses … I left this book wanting to read more of Day’s other work’ Guardian

‘I can’t recommend it highly enough’ Aine Toner, Women’s Way

‘The Party is a compelling read, but it’s a lot more than a page turner… We may have seen a hundred stories like this on the news, but Elizabeth Day’s perfectly pitched dialogue and vivid prose brings it all to life’ Catherine Chanter, author of The Well