The Party at Number 12 by Kerry Wilkinson
Genre: Psychological thriller, Suspense
Read: 7th March 2022
Audio:
Published: 11th March 2022
★★★★ 4 stars
DESCRIPTION:
Everyone’s invited. Someone will never leave.
In a grand townhouse rented specially for the evening, Hannah beams at her guests under the sparkling chandelier. Her sisters, her mother and aunt, her best friends… although she’ll miss them all so much when she moves away, tonight is about celebrating the happy times and raising a toast to the future.
But the next morning, one of the guests is found cold and lifeless in their pristine white bed.
Hannah is desperate to call the police. After all, it must have been an accident. Perhaps too much wine, on a night where emotions were running high. But it soon becomes clear that every single person at the party has something to hide.
A mother who’ll do anything for her daughters.
Best friends with dark secrets between them.
A sister with a jealous streak.
What if one of them is a killer?
And what if this is just the first victim?
An absolutely unputdownable thriller that won’t let you sleep until you’ve reached the final page! Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, The Hunting Party and Shari Lapena.
MY REVIEW:
I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Kerry Wilkinson's compelling thriller THE PARTY AT NUMBER 12.
Kerry Wilkinson is one my favourite authors and his quick witted humour never fails to amuse me, even in dark situations such as the ones this latest set of characters find themselves in. THE PARTY AT NO. 12 is the perfect example of the tangled web of secrets and deception one can weave - either through intention or opportunity. And yet still they dig themselves even deeper.
Almost thirty year old Hannah is recently divorced, unsatisfied in her job and decides to escape the humdrum of her mediocre life to go travelling - funded by her share of the inheritance left to her by her late grandmother. However, before she heads off her family convince her to throw a going away party...at the luxurious bungalow found on a rental website.
The guest list for the said party include Hannah's two sisters Charlotte and Beth, their mother Alison, Hannah's best friend Sophie and her mother Janet, and Hannah's aunt Dawn.
So Hannah and her guests find themselves standing outside Number 12 awaiting admittance by the owner who lives just three doors down. Once inside, they admire the brilliant chandelier and gleaming open plan interior of the grand house. Sophie and Janet are late to arrive and it is then that Hannah tells them that there will be an eighth guest joining them. An old school friend, and former best friend of Sophie and Hannah, Katherine.
A sense of discomfort settles over the guests upon Katherine's arrival which is soon replaced by plenty of drinking, board games and reminiscing. Then there are a few cross word exchanged, a sneaky fag out the back and then it's action stations as the party is under way. Soon someone is swinging from the chandelier while everyone begins to wonder if they haven't all had a bit too much to drink. Before long, goodnights are exchanged and they each toddle off to bed.
Come the morning, one of them is dead.
Hannah is desperate to tell the police but they each have something to hide or someone to protect. With the remaining seven women left trying to figure out what to do, they decide to keep it to themselves. After all, it must have been an accident. Too much wine, tensions running high... What had started out as a farewell party has turned into a nightmare.
When what appears to be an accident ends up in murder, THE PARTY AT NUMBER 12 becomes your typical Agatha Christie locked room whodunnit on a more deviously twisted scale. If no one else had entered the house, then surely that only leaves one of the other guests? Someone you love, know and trust.
The characters are a mixed bunch - the three sisters who couldn't be more different, their mother who doesn't come across as overly maternal, the best friend hiding a secret, her mother who flees to the toilet every five minutes, the aunt who is the party animal, the friend who had been betrayed by one of them ten years before, the boyfriend who knows the guests are keeping secrets and the creepy owner who is just a little too weird.
The chapters are short, keeping the pace moving, and no longwinded descriptions to lose the reader in. Just what you needed to know. This time Kerry opted for an anonymous town whereas in the past he has named them, often combining them in other books.
A deviously twisted tale I rather enjoyed, THE PARTY AT NUMBER 12 is a quick gripping read that offers something a little different, complete with twists that will have you turning the pages at the rate of knots. Some things were obvious, others less so - but each will keep you guessing.
I would like to thank #KerryWilkinson, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #ThePartyAtNumber12 in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
Kerry Wilkinson has had No.1 crime bestsellers in the UK, Australia, Canada, South Africa and Singapore. He has also written two top-20 thrillers in the United States. His book, Ten Birthdays, won the RNA award for Young Adult Novel of the Year in 2018 and Close To You won the International Thriller Award for best ebook in 2020.
As well as his million-selling Jessica Daniel series, Kerry has written the Silver Blackthorn trilogy - a fantasy-adventure serial for young adults - a second crime series featuring private investigator Andrew Hunter, plus numerous standalone novels. He has been published around the world in more than a dozen languages.
Originally from the county of Somerset, Kerry spent way too long living in the north of England, picking up words like 'barm' and 'ginnel'.
When he's short of ideas, he rides his bike, hikes up something, or bakes cakes. When he's not, he writes it all down.
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