“Richell cleverly plants numerous red herrings and skillfully juggles the multiple points of view and timelines to build white-knuckled suspense and keep readers guessing…an engrossing, twisty read.”
—Kirkus
Description
A spellbinding locked-room mystery about a glamping trip gone horribly wrong when a powerful storm leaves the participants stranded and forced to confront long-held secrets and a shocking disappearance.
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.
Moving between the police investigation, a hospital room, and the catastrophic weekend, The Search Party is a propulsive and twisty destination thriller about the tenuous bonds of friendship and the lengths parents will go to protect their children—perfect for fans of Ruth Ware and Lucy Foley.
Reviews
“[Richell] cleverly doles out key details in increments…a diverting puzzle."
—Publisher's Weekly
“Filled with atmosphere and a closed-set mystery worthy of Agatha Christie, fans of Lucy Foley will love The Search Party!”
—Catherine McKenzie, author of Have You Seen Her and I’ll Never Tell
“A glamping weekend for old friends on the rugged Cornish coast devolves into mayhem and murder in this deliciously sinuous thriller brimming with atmosphere. Hannah Richell is masterful, deploying white-knuckle pacing, pitch-perfect prose, and characters whose emotional depth is fully mined, making the twists feel maximally earned and resonant. Gripping, clever, and as enjoyable to curl up with as a Christie—I inhaled it in a day!”
—Jaclyn Goldis, author of The Chateau