The Midnight Feast

April 29, 2024
Foley’s scintillating latest (after The Paris Apartment) centers on the grand opening of a resort in the English village of Tome. Francesca Meadows, who summered in Tome as a child, has teamed with her celebrity architect husband, Owen Dacre, to build an ultra-chic retreat called the Manor. Their plans have angered some locals, who believe the Manor will encroach on sacred woodlands populated, according to folklore, by supernatural creatures known as the Birds. Despite protests, the Manor opens its doors for a summer solstice celebration. Attendees include Francesca’s twin brothers, Hugo and Oscar, and Bella Springfield, a mysterious woman who seems to know Francesca from her childhood visits to the village. In the run-up to the opening celebration’s marquee event, a bacchanalian midnight feast, the guests’ past connections and secret motives come to light. The next morning, a dead body is discovered on the resort’s grounds, and a question hangs in the air: is there a killer in the Manor’s midst, or have the Birds taken their revenge? While keeping track of the book’s five different narrators can be challenging, the chilling folk horror atmosphere and sucker-punch surprises more than compensate for any temporary confusion. Readers are in for a grisly treat. Agent: Alexandra Machinist, CAA.

December 6, 2024

Deft mystery and thriller writer Foley (The Paris Apartment) is back with a fast-paced novel spanning decades. The story begins at the opening weekend of a posh new resort in the British countryside of Dorset, overlooking the beach. Though the resort was met with opposition by locals, the grand opening is finally here--a glittering event drawing together ultra-wealthy clientele, many of whom harbor dangerous, soon-to-be-revealed secrets. Listeners are introduced to Bella, a single guest in her late 30s; Eddie, a young resort employee; and Owen, a resort architect and new husband to the property's ambitious owner, Francesca. Joe Eyre, Sarah Slimani, Roly Botha, Laurence Dobiesz, and Tuppence Middleton narrate, including flashbacks to each character's younger years that allow listeners a glimpse of the sordid history of the seemingly picture-perfect establishment, rife with secrets and lies. The narrators employ a range of British accents, giving authenticity and capturing the unsettling atmosphere and increasingly tense action. VERDICT This combo mystery/thriller is full of twists and turns that will keep listeners hooked to the very end.--Misty Schattle

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