The Party by Triona Walsh is a decent psych thriller that mostly delivers. I know that sounds wishy-washy (and I’ll explain why) – but I did enjoy it.
Lizzie is fresh out of rehab when her mother, Claire, picks her up and surprises her with what is essentially a whole new life. There is a lot of mistrust between the two and for good reason. Suffice it to say that the mistrust causes a lot of issues throughout the plot.
The whole family (Claire, Lizzie, and Lizzie’s brother, Liam) join together for a “special weekend” at a remote manor house to celebrate Claire’s new life. Little do they know what they’re getting into.
There are a lot of secrets among all the characters. Some of them are more interesting than others. Some of them work better than others in the overall plot. And some of them seem superfluous.
Some parts of the story drag a bit, and times when it seems like the author could have made the plot tighter. Also, a few places where disbelief needs to be suspended. But I think that’s okay in a psych thriller
However, there is enough “right” about the overall plot that it does keep a reader engaged.
At one point, I got a distinct “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” vibe that carried through, which helped my enjoyment level. I love that movie. I’m not going to say anymore because I will definitely verge into Spoiler Land.
The actual party in the title takes up very little space in the overall plot, so it seems like a strange title. But that’s a bit nitpicky.
A good psych thriller needs to keep a reader entertained enough to care about what happens to the characters, and The Party did that for me. I’ll be looking for the next book from Triona Walsh.
