The Midnight Feast
A Novel
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4.1 • 1.4K Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
An instant New York Times bestseller!
"Sharp, stylish and stunning...Foley's best yet." — Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of All the Colors of the Dark
"It is an absolute bonkers delight (and I haven’t even mentioned the local bird cult yet …)." — NPR, Best Books of the Year
Secrets. Lies. Murder. Let the festivities begin…
It’s the opening night of The Manor, the newest and hottest luxury resort, and no expense, small or large, has been spared. The infinity pool sparkles; the “Manor Mule” cocktail (grapefruit, ginger, vodka, and a dash of CBD oil) is being poured with a heavy hand. Everyone is wearing linen.
But under the burning midsummer sun, darkness stirs. Old friends and enemies circulate among the guests. Just outside the Manor’s immaculately kept grounds, an ancient forest bristles with secrets. And it’s not too long before the local police are called. Turns out the past has crashed the party, with deadly results.
THE GIRLBOSS · THE HUSBAND · THE KITCHEN HELP · THE MYSTERY GUEST
Everyone’s got a secret. Everyone’s got an agenda. But not everyone will survive…The Midnight Feast
"Foley’s usual techniques of unraveling the central mystery through multiple timelines and narrators are paralleled by the spiraling events of the weekend, which careen from juice shots and yoga on the lawn to a chaotic climax at a hallucinogen-fueled bacchanal where hidden identities and multiple murders are brought to light. It is an absolute bonkers delight" — NPR
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
A country estate’s mysterious past entangles both rich and poor in this elaborate thriller. When Francesca Meadows renovated her family’s Dorset coastal estate into a luxury hotel, she didn’t expect her suspicious neighbors—or her own hidden past—to cast a shadow on the posh new venture. But just after Francesca’s guests arrive for a lavish grand opening party, a body is found at the base of a nearby cliff, awakening the dark lore and darker secrets that have lain dormant in the area for too long. Thriller queen Lucy Foley deftly balances multiple POVs as she weaves together the manor’s tragic history and Francesca’s tangled relationships with her architect husband, her childhood friend Bella, and her employees, all while creepy local lore haunts the old house. Pitting privilege against age-old superstition, with plenty of human misdeeds on all sides, The Midnight Feast serves up twist after twist right through an utterly breathtaking shocker of an ending.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Foley's scintillating latest (after The Paris Apartment) centers on the grand opening of a resort in the English village of Tome. Francesca Meadows, who summered in Tome as a child, has teamed with her celebrity architect husband, Owen Dacre, to build an ultra-chic retreat called the Manor. Their plans have angered some locals, who believe the Manor will encroach on sacred woodlands populated, according to folklore, by supernatural creatures known as the Birds. Despite protests, the Manor opens its doors for a summer solstice celebration. Attendees include Francesca's twin brothers, Hugo and Oscar, and Bella Springfield, a mysterious woman who seems to know Francesca from her childhood visits to the village. In the run-up to the opening celebration's marquee event, a bacchanalian midnight feast, the guests' past connections and secret motives come to light. The next morning, a dead body is discovered on the resort's grounds, and a question hangs in the air: is there a killer in the Manor's midst, or have the Birds taken their revenge? While keeping track of the book's five different narrators can be challenging, the chilling folk horror atmosphere and sucker-punch surprises more than compensate for any temporary confusion. Readers are in for a grisly treat.
Customer Reviews
Great READ
It was perfect the way the story progressed. It didn’t feel slow. It’s a thriller, kind of a revenge story and a murder mystery.
Magical & Juicy
The Midnight Feast was such a fun, atmospheric read. I loved the setting of the luxurious wellness resort and the feeling that there was something dark hiding underneath all the beautiful scenery. Everyone had secrets, everyone seemed suspicious, and I kept changing my mind about who I could trust.
What I especially liked was the contrast between the polished, peaceful resort and all the messy, complicated history surrounding it. The forest, the bonfires, the mysterious rituals, and the midnight festivities gave the whole story an almost eerie, dreamlike quality without feeling like straight-up horror.
The mystery kept me guessing, and I loved slowly seeing how all of the characters were connected. Some of the reveals surprised me, while others I suspected, but the atmosphere was definitely my favorite part.
It wasn’t a perfect book for me, and I did feel like some parts moved a little slower than others, but overall it was exactly the kind of juicy, mysterious summer read I was looking for. Beautiful setting, complicated people, secrets, revenge, and just enough weirdness to make it interesting.
Definitely recommend if you like The Perfect Couple, Nine Perfect Strangers, or books where a gorgeous vacation setting is hiding something much darker underneath
Another great read
I really enjoy the writing style of Lucy fully and especially like the way she builds up the anticipation of the next chapter or should I say viewpoint. Well done!