The Search Party by Hannah Richell has so many things I love in a thriller; set in a gloomy and isolated place and following a group of life long friends who are keeping secrets from one another, this one had me hooked from the beginning.

I really enjoyed this one. The writing was strong, the characters dubious and the setting atmospheric and wild. Despite having a few more fantastical plot points (one of the characters is clearly influenced by Simon Cowell) everything that happened felt plausible, which is important for me. And while I guessed the “big twist” at the end, it was where I wanted the story to go and I felt satisfied by the ending.

In the blurb this one was compared to both Ruth Ware and Lucy Foley and I can absolutely see why. So, if you’re a fan of either of their work, I would definitely suggest picking this one up.

The Search Party had me at the edge of my seat. It was hard to put down. The story unfolds as Max and Annie invite their old college friends, by along with their families, for a weekend of glamping. However, the reunion is tense and filled with secrets, which come to the surface as the group is confronted with hardship, including the disappearance of a member of the party.

The novel uses multiple perspectives to bring the events to light, in a thriller which leaves readers guessing until the end…. No one can be trusted!

Thank you Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley for the ARC!

I enjoyed this dramatic story. What started out as a reunion of college friends, quickly turned into an explosion of lies, secrets and old resentments come to life. The characters were realistic and believable. The setting and the weather played a key role in the feeling of story. Told from several viewpoints, it kept me intrigued. . I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy stories filled with drama. I received a free copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving my review.

Before reading this book I have never read anything by this author. But after reading this, I am definitely going to look into her other titles.
Max and Annie open a glamming site and invite their old university friends for a dry run. They wanted to have a dry run before the grand opening. So of course a storm happens and tensions rise.
I couldn’t put this down, such an exciting read.

Max, Annie and their son leave the city with the hopes of opening up a "glamping" resort.
With their opening around the corner, Max and Annie invite their oldest friends for a dry run weekend. But emotions run high and the weekend ends in disaster.

This book has dual timeline chapters going between the past at the resort and the present, alternating between a Police interrogation room and the hospital.
It was difficult at first keeping all the characters straight. The author put a list of the characters at the front, which I had to reference many times. I understand why there were so many characters as it seems like they all played some kind of roll... but it was a lot.

In many ways it was also very predictable.
I knew who the villain was and their motive immediately.
Like as soon as everyone got together it was clear.
But in the end I was entertained, it was still a fun read.

Max and Annie invite their old university friends along with their children to stay at their new glamping site on the coast. It’s cozy, secluded - and in true thriller fashion - there’s no cell signal.

We get concurrent timelines of after a tragedy happened and we are seeing characters interviewed by the police and all the interactions and events that happened before the tragedy.

This gave very strong ‘The Guest List’ vibes - secluded location on the coast, bad storm with no one checking the weather ahead of time, no cell service, uni friends, multiple motives, mysterious tragedy, I could keep going.

There were a lot of characters but despite this Hannah Richell did a good job developing them and making them distinct enough that it wasn’t hard to keep them straight.

Overall this was a good read, if you like slow burn thrillers/mystery and a writing style like Lucy Foley you should definitely pick this one up

This is the first book that I have read by this author and I really enjoyed it. It’s been described as a sort of ‘glamping’ getaway gone wrong. A powerful storm leaves the group stuck onsite and forces many a challenges upon them. From turning on each other to beginning to understand what each person is capable of… it’s most definitely a page-turner. Written from various points of view and a back-and-forth timeline, it’s easy to follow - this structure/style certainly adds to the complexity of the storyline.

#glampingtrip #reunion #agatheringoffriends #storm #stranded #thriller #mystery #shocking #secrets #diceit #trust #suspense #drama #pageturner

I would give this book 3-3.5/5 stars. I did enjoy this book at times, but I found I had a hard time really getting into it and following along but I did think the map and guide were really helpful but I found myself getting pulled out at times. I will admit I may have been a bit distracted here and there while reading but overall it just wasn't a favourite or something I'd find myself recommending often.

I love a good fast-paced, locked room thriller, and this one was no exception! This was the first book I've ever read by Hannah Richell (in fact, I hadn't heard of her at all prior to this book!) and I will definitely look into reading her previous books too.

The Search Party is the story of old friends bringing their families together for a camping trip in the English countryside, yet that trip goes completely wrong when a series of feuds eventually leads to a missing child, and then also, a death. I loved the moody setting of this book. The intrigue was easy to follow, even though there were several characters involved. While this book does have several potential trigger warnings, it is not twisted in a sick or psychological way that I've seen in other thrillers or mysteries before. The short chapters will have you thinking "just one more!" until way past your bedtime! If you find yourself in a reading slump, this is a great book to pick up!

Read if you like:
⛰ Moody English countryside/coastal setting
🏕 Family trip gone wrong
🔒 Locked room thriller
👀 Search for a missing person

⚠️ Potential trigger warnings: infidelity, child abuse references, bullying/harassment/public humiliation, graphic violence (may not be an exhaustive list).

🙏 Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for the gifted electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An atmospheric trapped on a remote island style vacation thriller that goes wrong when a group of college friends and their families take a joint holiday on a Cornish island. Things go horribly wrong and long-buried secrets are revealed as detectives interview each of the parties involved in this multiple POV thriller perfect for fans of authors like Ruth Ware and Catriona Ward. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

The Search Party by Hannah Richell is a locked-room mystery filled with unreliable narrators, mixed with thought-provoking themes. Set on the craggy coastline of Cornwall, a group of university friends together with their families reunite for a trial of a new glamping site. All of the characters are flawed in their own way, even the most well-meaning. The story touches on themes of found family, parenting/step-parenting, trauma, attachment, infidelity, infertility, and classism. When a literal and metaphorical storm brews, a child from the group goes missing. Assumptions are made that reveal prejudices and multiple twists and turns that leave the reader guessing and questioning their own biases. The story slips between present and past revealing early that one of the characters has perished, adding a mysterious layer. Initially, it was difficult to get all of the characters straight, but ultimately, the couples did provide important context in the story and no one is safe from blame. This book would be perfect for fans of Ruth Ware, Louise Candlish, and Gilly. MacMillan.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon Schuster Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Search Party - Hannah Richell
Max and Annie are nervous but proud of their new endeavor. When they invite their old college friends to their new glamping location, they expected it to be a weekend of catching up, good food, and relaxing vibes.
However, things never go as planned.
As the ladies retreat to the house for some girl time, the men are left in charge if the children. As tensions rise between the men, the kids set off on their own adventure. What started out as a fun adventure quickly turned into the scare of a lifetime as one of the kids goes missing. With a storm rolling in, high emotions, secrets and a missing kid, it's quite plain to see that this weekend was anything but the one they had hoped for.
The Search Party was filled with a large group of characters but managed to make it easy to distinguish between the families. As secrets emerged, I was hooked. Every group has some drama, and this group was no different. Not only did I have the need to know what happened to the missing child, I desperately needed to know all the truths. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, I was blindsided with more drama. If you're looking for a thriller to keep you.om the edge of your seat, this is definitely one to snag. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5!
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!!

I read “The Search Party” within the course of a day, and did enjoy the book overall. I do think the writing was a bit choppy in parts, but the story was able to keep my attention. I will definitely look for Richelle’s next novel.
Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for this ARC!

4⭐️

This was a fun book. It also reinforced why I don’t go camping lol

There are two different time lines, the vacation and then when the police come. There are also multiple points of view, but it’s easy to understand. I just made a list of the characters until I was used to who was who and which family was which.

The story flowed smoothly and I found it hard to put down. The chapters were a perfect length and had me quickly flipping the pages. I had to know what was happening next.

I’m usually pretty quick at guessing what’s going to happen, but this one took me a little longer and I loved that it kept me guessing.

Thank you to Hannah Richell, Simon and Schuster Canada and NetGalley for the eARC!

What a ride this story was!!

A group of friends getting together with all their kids to meet up at one of the groups new glamping site. When one of the kids goes missing all hell breaks loose as they try to find her and determine what happens.

I really enjoyed the different perspectives and the way the author moved the story back and forth through time. It did take me a little while to get all the characters straight but about 30% in I was fully invested. The story speeds along dropping clues and red herrings until the end. The ending got me as I feel the author still left a little mystery to keep you thinking about this story!!!

Great read and would highly recommend to anyone who loves a thriller!

Holy cow! Between the poignant themes and jaw-dropping twists and turns, The Search Party was a ride and a half of pure chills and thrills. From the evocative descriptions to the finely tuned plot, I was caught up in the action from the very first word. Especially given the fact that it all began with such a riveting prologue that grabbed me from the start and didn’t let go.

This book follows a group of longtime friends (and their families) who have gotten together to camp on one of the friend’s new property. It’s a scenic countryside location with beautiful views and no cell service. What could go wrong?! Unfortunately, one of the children goes missing during a storm and all hell breaks loose. The friends turn on each other, secrets are exposed, and no one will escape unscathed. ⁣
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This was an excellent thriller! Here’s what I loved about it:⁣
🌊 The premise. I love messy friend reunions teaming with secrets. ⁣
🌊 The family and friends interactions. These all felt very realistic from the stroppy teenager to the friends who don’t seem to like each other that much. ⁣
🌊 Endless opportunities. There were so many threads to follow that kept me engaged right up to the reveal. ⁣
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Thank you @Netgalley and @SimonSchusterCA for the opportunity to review this ARC.

There have been some reunion books that I have read in the past and the problem I always have with them is that the characters really don't seem to like one another. Could it be that the people we are drawn to as children / young adults, are not necessarily the same ones we would gravitate to as adults? I often think that reunion stories bring together a cast of characters who "should" work out, but don't. It's similar to couples that "stay together for the kids" . . . no one ever seems really happy to be there.

This book was similar to others of its kind . . . a group of people, in dire circumstances, cut off from the rest of the world . . . but I thought the author pulled it off better than most. All of the different narrators added to the story without it being muddled; and there was a pay off at the end. It was predictable at points, but the atmosphere and my hope that the many unlikeable characters might finally meet their comeuppance, kept me engaged until the end. I'm on the fence about the author's choice to keep the identity of the victim a secret until close to the end of the book, but I think overall it worked for me.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

I will admit the beginning was a bit slow but the intrigue of what happened kept me reading and after the first 20-30 pages the story really took off and kept me hooked!

Lots of great twists and turns. Richell is great at weaving the histories of the friendships and the tensions leap off the page.

This was my first book by Hannah Richell and I look forward to reading more!

The Search Party is a whirlwind of a story that I literally could not put down! There are so many twists and honest to goodness cliff hangers in more ways than one. The characters are beautifully fleshed out. I loved how their lives are intertwined with their histories so well conceived, and written. The tension this author creates is incredible - such a satisfying read! This is a fantastic thriller mystery right to the last page. I look forward to the next new novel by Hannah Richell.