It is the opening weekend at The Manor, an exclusive resort that anyone who is anyone wants to stay at during it’s inaugural weekend. Every detail has been studied, planned, and executed and it seems The Manor is posed for greatness.

But not everyone is so happy about The Manor’s opening. The local townspeople resents the opening, believing it is intruding their beloved community. But while most are satisfied to grumble under their breath, others are willing to take more decisive action. As the key players take their spots – the owner Francesca, her architect husband Owen, the mystery guest Bella, and the dish washer Eddie – dark secrets from the past force themselves to the surface and the forest The Manor is neighbored too is about to release one or two secrets of its own.

I have become a big Lucy Foley fan after reading and loving The Paris Apartment and The Guest List. So when it was announced Ms. Foley was returning with another mystery/thriller I had to pick it up release week. The premise is a typical Lucy Foley setup, a bunch of characters coming together in a seemingly isolated area and the story is told through multiple perspectives.

The first half of this book is a slow burn. Unlike other Lucy Foley books, this one seemed to take a while to get going. However, once halfway through, the story really does pick up and I found it hard to put down. Ms. Foley also combined a bit of horror into this book with the secrets of the forest and I thought that was a good added detail that separated this book from the other ones she has written.

This book had plenty of twists and turns by the end of the story and this made up for the slower start. I am split on the decision for Ms. Foley to include diary entries throughout the story. While they offered insight to an event that happened in the book, I found it distracting and tended to skim over these sections so I could get back to the present narrative.

Overall this is another excellent thriller by Ms. Foley and I look forward to her next work.

5 out of 5 stars