The Hunting Party

Why do you think these specific narrators were selected (4 women, 1 man). All characters were in the 1st person except Doug – any thoughts on why Foley made that decision?

A Modern Country House Murder Mystery... Lucy Foley was inspired to write The Hunting Party when she saw a TV movie version of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None - a traditional “country house murder mystery” otherwise known as a “closed circle mystery.” This writing device was not uncommon during the Golden Age of detective fiction (the first half of the 20th century) and means simply that there is a group of known suspects, one of which must certainly have committed the crime rather than any unknown or outside perpetrator. The group of suspects are cut off from the outside world, are usually wealthy or upper class, and, most importantly, all have the means or motive to commit the crime. As you can see The Hunting Party is very much a modern version of this classic mystery style. Watch for our list of Read Alikes at the end of the month if you are inspired to read more of them….

According to The Book Trail (thebooktrail.com), the lodge featured in the novel is not real, but it was very much inspired by Carrour Lodge in the Scottish Highlands (corrour.co.uk), which is where Lucy Foley herself visited and got some inspiration. Carrour Lodge’s website says that it “can trace its history back to the early 1800’s and the Victorian passion for all things Highlands-related. The very first Corrour Lodge, now referred to as Old Corrour, was built on an elevated site overlooking Rannoch Moor.” Take a look around the website (corrour.co.uk) to get a feel for the setting of the narrative (and maybe even some wishful, postpandemic travel inspiration)!

The group of friends came across at times as quite selfish and self-absorbed. Who did you like the best (Nick. Mark, Emma, Julien, Katie, Miranda)? Do you think you would have been friends with any of them in real life?

The cold, snowy, and extremely isolated setting of The Hunting Party plays a huge role in the creating the overall atmosphere of the story. If you were going to write your own mystery, tell us what kind of setting would you choose and why.

We find out there is a murder victim in the first two pages, but we don't know which of the one of the group it is until the same moment the murderer is revealed. Did you guess correctly who the victim was? If so, was it a gradual realization or did a specific incident or bit of information make you sure?

A good ending is essential in any mystery or crime thriller: it should ease up on tension, answer questions, and tidy up loose ends. What did you think overall about the ending of The Hunting Party? Did it accomplish those goals in your mind?