The Hunting Party

Die Geschichte wird abwechselnd aus insgesamt fünf verschiedenen Perspektiven erzählt. Lucy Foley nimmt sich Zeit für ihre Charaktere, stellt diese allmählich vor und enthüllt so nach und nach deren Geheimnisse. Jeder könnte der Täter oder die Täterin sein und das macht das Ganze so spannend und abwechslungsreich. Fans von Agatha Christie kommen hier definitiv auf ihre Kosten und werden viel Freude mit diesem Buch haben.

I was drawn to this book by the covers laced with promises that would never be fulfilled. I should have seen the signs: the one-word reviews, the words VICTIM and MURDER written in capital letters, red and black against a bright yellow background, and its description as a Number One Bestseller, all of which usually means a good marketing strategy and nothing more. In all fairness, the book wasn’t that bad. It is a simple murder mystery, though not comparable to those of Agatha Christie as suggested in the blurb on the back cover, and as far as “mysteries” go, it was average. My problem is not plot related. For all the claiming of friendship between the party guests, there is no real feeling of closeness, neither in the ”present” nor in the past. In fact, some characters fade in the background with no voice of their own. We only know they are (or were) friends because we are told so by the narrators, but we don’t feel it ourselves. Sadly, the characters are paper-thin and that is unfortunate for a book plot which relies so heavily on psychology, behaviour and interpersonal relationships. As to the narrators themselves I was left with some questions. There are five of them, four women, also characters in the book, and one with unknown identity. The female narrators present their version of events, while the fifth presents the perspective of one of the male characters. So, while we still have five subjective perspectives, four are related in the first person and one in the third. What’s the point of that? Is there one at all? Does it have to do with gender? Is it a narrative device? Unfortunately, I couldn’t make sense of it. If you do decide to read this book, you could try to elucidate this intriguing mystery as well, not just the murder one.

Sprachlich auf bescheidenem Niveau. Es will keine ernsthafte Spannung aufkommen. Letztlich eine recht kindliche Erzählweise - ein Jugend-Thriller? Schade, denn der Plot ist vielversprechend.