A Death at the Party by Amy Stuart review: A who-was-murdered twist

If you want a thriller with a bit of a twist, you’ll want to read A Death at the Party by Amy Stuart. This is more of a who died than who did it.

Disclaimer: I got this book for free from NetGalley in advance in return for an honest review.

There are plenty of books in the thriller genre. They all follow much of the same pattern, with a focus on who could have killed a character. That isn’t the case for the story in A Death at the Party by Amy Stuart.

The book starts with the murder. We already know who killed the person at the party, but we don’t know who the murder victim is. There are a few options as we get through the book, and we also get to see where Nadine’s head is at in the run up to the party.

What is A Death at the Party by Amy Stuart about?

The novel starts off at the party and we get the death. Nobody else knows that this death has happened, but we know that Nadine is the one who gets out of the room and continues on with the party. Then we’re taken back to the morning of the party.

The whole novel sees us follow Nadine as she runs errands and runs into various people throughout the day. We learn about her past, which includes the death of her aunt on the same day as her mom’s party. There’s also a touch on events happening in Nadine’s life, such as an affair and her daughter struggling with her mental health.

Everything leads to the party and who dies and why. It’s worth reading to get all the answers.

A Death at the Party book review

Is the book worth reading? I certainly think so. The story of figuring out who died and why is enough of a reason to keep turning the page.

It’s not perfect, though. The day does drag. There’s a lot of focus on errands that have nothing to do with the overall story, and a little too much time is spent on them. I also find Nadine’s character as one that I can’t really connect to.

Those who know me know that I hate people who have affairs. That includes characters. I don’t care why they do it. Just the fact that they do it makes me angry, so I immediately hated Nadine. It’s hard to come back from that. I did want to know who she killed, though, and that kept me reading.

Had Nadine been a little more likable, I could have enjoyed the book a lot more. I loved her connection to her aunt and appreciated seeing her as a mother. I just couldn’t get past who she was as a partner, and there were times some of the things she said and did didn’t quite match up to her past.

Stars: 3.5 stars out of 5.

What did you think of A Death at the Party by Amy Stuart? What do you think of Amy Stuart’s other books? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

A Death at the Party by Amy Stuart is out on Tuesday, March 7.