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.

Max & Annie needed a change of pace, to slow down and raise their adopted son away from the hustle and bustle of the city. They relocate to coastal Cornwall in South-West England, and focus their energy on creating a small "glamping" retreat on their rural property. Before they open they invite their old college friends and their kids to spend the weekend and experience their new venture.

As their long-time friends begin to arrive with their kids tensions begin to wind up and as the weekend goes on secrets unravel. A storm rolls in and their reunion weekend becomes disastrous.

I loved reading this book from multiple point of views, including the children. I stayed up way too late a couple days this week because I couldn't put this one down.

The Search Party was a total cover choice for me — I love thrillers/mysteries set in remote locations.

The premise of this one is very fun: it’s a college friend reunion on a glamping trip. At the beginning of the book, we see characters being questioned by the police over some mysterious happening.

I’m not sure if the framing device worked for me. I think it built up my expectations for craziness a little too high at the start. I also would have preferred not to know who survived in advance.

I liked the young characters quite a bit, but struggled with the pettiness of some of the adult characters. The arguments bogged down the mystery a bit for me, and the final revelation wasn’t as interesting or shocking as I’d hoped.

I also really enjoyed the setting, and Richell really pulled me in during a lost-child-in-peril section of the novel.

Overall this was a mixed read for me, but I’d try another of Richell’s books in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for my review copy of this book.

A reunion closed-room style murder mystery set in picturesque Cornwall. Annie and Max invite their college friends and their families to come enjoy a weekend at the new glamping site they're about to open, but a few secrets come out and tensions rise. The children go for a walk together by the coast when a storm rolls in, resulting in a few injuries and some lost kids who can't find their way back. Unfortunately this results in the minors becoming main suspects, especially Max and Annie's misunderstood 12 yr old son. The story alternates through multiple POV's, while moving between scenes of the police investigation, hospital room, and the events themselves. It will keep you guessing, and just when you think you've got it figured out, it'll throw you a curve ball.
4.5 stars

Long-time friends with their partners and children get together for a glamping weekend.

The camping site is located by cliffs, the sea,and grazing fields for bovine. Secluded, there is no cellphone reception, and the internet is not available yet.

Dirty secrets, personality clashes, people getting hurt, and lost are all part of a perfect combination for things going awry.

The story unfolds as each person is being questioned by a detective who wants to know what happened over the weekend.

It is a multiple narrator story making each voice and perspective of the same weekend quite interesting and keeps the suspense high until the end.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy for review purposes.

This was an engaging and enjoyable read. I found the characters relatable and honest.

The plot twist (because this genre must have twists) was unexpected but still believable.

I will be looking for more novels from this author.

I had high hopes for this one, I was so excited, but it just did not work for me and I found it to be highly lengthy. Also, there are a lot of characters and it was sometimes hard to keep track of who was who.

Absolutely loved this novel.
A reunion amount old friends... what could go wrong?
Apparently everything!
From a changing point of view we move through the events of a weekend Glamping experience at a friends newly opened retreat.
Things are storming not just between each other but a shift in the weather sends an unrelenting storm to the Cornish cliffs, creating an environment for disaster.
I always enjoy a story with a changing POV, it keeps the storyline interesting. The shifting in timeline, from start to finish, while pieces of the puzzle fit together kept you guess of what everyone was hiding and why.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced copy to provide an honest review.

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.
The Beginning is very good, it's intrigued me make me have a highly expecting, but it dragged and dragged and dragged. I lost interest, then I feel mad. I am readding a book wanting enjoy the whole experience, not just the final part. I dnfed, then I pick it up again just because I feel bad to unfinish a book to give a review.

2 stars. sorry

2.5 stars. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC. I was disappointed--felt it took a long time to get going and was rather predictable. It picked up a bit around the halfway mark, but not enough to not leave me with an overall impression of meh.

I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are my own

This is my favorite book for the month of January.
I loved this story, and the fact that none of the characters were actually likable was a plus. I had no idea who it would be until the author wanted me to know and was invested in all of the characters' side stories.

I just want to start by saying that I’ve seen multiple covers for The Search Party by Hannah Richell and each one is absolutely stunning. The ominous feel of this one is what really drew me in.

The Good:
I immensely enjoyed the way that Hannah introduces characters and events in a way that carefully reveals the story but doesn’t give away the end results. Her carefully crafted chapters will have you on the edge of your seat. She’s also very good at misdirection, but I won’t say too much, so that I don’t give anything away. Each character was written well with a distinct voice. I don’t know that I really connected with any of them, but I empathized with several and was just plain angry at several others.😂 The chapters were a good length and really lead into each other.

The Bad:
I really don’t have anything bad to say. I was annoyed at certain characters, but those were the rolls they were meant to play in this story, so I can’t say it was a deficiency in any way.

The Mentionable:
Trigger Warnings include: alcohol consumption, child attacks another child, adult attacks a child, stabbing, drug use, cheating spouses, manipulation, bullying, someone falls to death, suicide, fist fight, broken bones, selective mutism, behavior disorder, blackmail and physical abuse. I hope this helps anyone who might need it.

I will definitely be looking for more of Hannah’s books to read. The fast pace and the way in which information was revealed really kept me on the edge of my seat the whole way through. I literally couldn’t put it down. This was a finished in the wee hours of the morning type of book. Definitely recommend checking this one out!

Thank you to Simon and Schuster for the gift e-Arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Great thrilled that had me on the edge of my seat until the very end. Characters were well-written and plot sails along beautifully

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Strong four stars for The Search Party. The story kept me engrossed and guessing until the end. Beautiful writing and in-depth character development. Highly recommend for a quick, page turner.

This book had me hooked from the beginning. Starting off knowing something horrible has happened, and having the different characters being questioned by the police before you knew what had happened really drew me in. There were so many characters that I appreciated the list at the beginning and I wrote them all out so I could easily refer to it. I loved the remote setting and the storm that prevented everyone from leaving. I also enjoyed Kip’s redemption.

Although the book had some unexpected twists and turns, it fell a bit flat for me. There were a lot of characters to try and remember and a lot of Povs to read through that took away from the thrilling aspects.

If you are a fan of Lucy Foley and/or Ruth Ware’s books/writing, you are not going to want to miss this one!

Synopsis:
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.

What I liked:
- Lots of characters and the author did such a good job breaking down who everyone was and what family they were apart of.
- Some shocking twists and turns! I was easily drawn in and so hard to put down.
- Locked room mystery – haven’t read one of these in a while and I just loved it!

What I didn’t like:
- I think that because there were so many characters, it was hard to connect with all of them and so some of them to me were boring and a bit unnecessary.

Overall, this book was perfect to cozy up to during these cold and snowy days we’ve been having where I live. I love a closed-door mystery, so I was very excited for this one, and it did not disappoint!

A group of old friends and their families gathered for a weekend getaway at Wildernest, a newly established glamping destination. However, tensions quickly built as issues new and old surfaced. Everything came to a head during a massive storm when someone went missing.

The Search Party was a solid destination thriller packed with red herrings. I found this to be a fairly quick read and I loved the choice of Wildernest as the primary setting for the novel. I could picture it all perfectly - the bell tents with comfy beds, strings of fairy lights, and wood-burning stoves. I loved the underlying theme of parental love and devotion and thought it was portrayed beautifully. However, there were a TON of characters and multiple timelines woven into the storyline, which was confusing and difficult to navigate, at times. I also felt as though the sheer number of characters contributed to an overall lack of connection with the majority of them. With that being said, I enjoyed the character growth among some of the main characters within the novel. I would also classify this as a fairly slow-burn. While it started to pick-up at the halfway point, I wasn’t personally fully invested until the 75% mark. Although I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I’d hoped, I would still recommend checking it out. Based on reviews that I’ve seen, mine is a bit of an unpopular opinion.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Clear your schedule - all the hype that you’ve heard about this book is true.
The Search Party is a cover to cover, can’t put it down, one day read. I was conscious of myself reading faster than usual so that I could turn the pages as quickly as possible, in an effort to find out, faster, what was unraveling. The book is divided into chapters that focus on the various characters, at different times over the course of the story. It’s a bit in before you start to understand (or think you understand) exactly what has transpired and how things are playing out. I look forward to reading more from Hannah Richell.
Thank You to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada and Hannah Richell for the opportunity to devour this ARC.

A glamping getaway gone wrong is the basis for The Search Party.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada for my eARC for review!
A group of longtime friends gather at the home of Max and Annie Kingsley.
The Kingsleys are setting up their Cornwall homestead as the Wildernest glamping retreat (think Yurts), and a reunion as the way to test out the site ahead of opening.
Author Hannah Richell's style reminded me a bit of a Liane Moriarty, in the way the story combined friends and family with new additions to the group, secrets and histories, and a mystery revealed bit by bit.
The Search Party is told from different character POVs, as well as events of the gathering and the aftermath of investigation when one person goes missing. A storm complicates the search and puts others at risk.
All the ingredients for a great read, right?
It's good stuff here, quite addicting. Recommended!