The Guest List - Lucy Foley

50th of 2021. On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed.

But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast.

And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?

It has all the right ingredients for a good murder mystery whodunnit - creepy and claustrophobic atmosphere, multiple suspects with motive to kill, loads of secrets threatening to be revealed, and five intriguing narrators to move the story along, all wrapped up in a big festive occasion. Jules, the bride: an attractive, ambitious publisher of online magazine, The Download, whose driven, always aware of the optics, self-centered personality bores me. Next up Will, the groom: an exceedingly attractive, self-assured TV star with enough plastered-on humblebrag charm to get his way on just about anything. Add to the mix Charlie, Jules’ best mate, who goes from mild-mannered school teacher to obnoxious turd in the course of one weekend, his wife Hannah, an ex-party girl turned good wife/mom who seems tempted by every hot guy/girl at the wedding, Jules’ half-sister Olivia, who is just an unstable hot mess, and a hodge-podge of groomsmen/ushers - Johnno, Duncan, Femi, Pete, and Angus - school friends of Will’s who were toxic bullies as children who grew into drunk toxic bullies as adults. It's the first event by Aoife with yummy food by her husband Freddy. 

After the cake is cut, and light go out, each of them wish that they kill for the treatment towards her sister and fooling her, for destroying the life of her sister, for using him since childhood, taking away his chances, and pushing him aside, for killing her brother and for fooling her. The Bride had received the note saying: Will Slater is not the man you think he is. He's a cheat and a liar. Don't marry him. Those with power, look and money, seem to get away, but people like Alice and Loner (Darcey) Malone, a million times brighter and better never get their chance. 

The bride ‧ The plus one ‧ The best man ‧ The wedding planner ‧ The bridesmaid ‧ The body. In range.