By: Jamie Day
Narrators: Megan Tusing, Suzy Jackson
Macmillan Audio
ISBN: 9781250283191
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: 07/18/2023
Format: Other
My Rating: 5 Stars (ARC)
This summer, meet your neighbors.
The residents of the exclusive cul-de-sac on Alton Road are entangled in a web of secrets and scandal utterly unknown to the outside world, and even to each other.
On the night of the annual Summer block party, there has been a murder.
But, who did it and why takes readers back one year earlier, as rivalries and betrayals unfold—discovering that the real danger lies within their own block and nothing—and no one—is ever as it seems.
My Review
Jamie Day's wicked knock-out debut, THE BLOCK PARTY, is full of secrets and scandal, a mix of Desperate Housewives meets Big Little Lies in this witty, impressive, addictive domestic suspense whodunit thriller!
A FIRECRACKER!
The book starts with a lively summer Memorial Day block party with neighbors of Alton Road in this exclusive upscale cul-de-sac neighborhood. Initially, we meet Alex, Nick, her husband, and the creepy bug man, Gus.
The party ends in MURDER.
Told from POVs:
Alex, the mediator, loves her wine!
Lettie, the rebellious, environmentalist brilliant misfit daughter (a pistol).
Alex has too much to drink at the party and ends up in the pool, and her husband sends her home. What happened at the block party after she left? MURDER.
From one year ago, leading up to the block party. Epilogue a year later.
We meet the following families:
~The Foxes (Alex, Nick) and daughter, Lettie (17), who has been suspended from school.
~The Adairs with two sons. Ken and wife, Emily (Alex's sister)
~The Thompsons: Willow & Evan (getting a divorce) and (Riley 17)
~The Kumars (new neighbors) Mandy & Samir (psychiatrists) son Jay (20 yr. old dropout). He husband is very controlling.
~Widow, Brooke Bailey (beautiful, lives alone after yachting accident death of hubby).
There is tension between the adults and the teens. The kids are graduating from high school and thinking of college and more. Lettie thinks Riley is the reason for her suspension and teams up with Jay to find out what he is hiding.
Do we ever honestly know anybody as well as we think we do?
A SUMMER SIZZLER!
From secrets, lies, neighborhood politics, revenge, deceit, manipulation, gossip, scandal, and murder, THE BLOCK PARTY has it all. It could have been a series with a cast of well-developed characters, humor, and twisty suspense who and whydunit. I loved Lettie!
AUDIOBOOK: The audiobook was highly entertaining, narrated by (fav) Megan Tusing and Suzy Jackson for an engaging, fun performance.
The bug man reminded me of Linwood Barclay's Take Your Breath Away. I look forward to reading more from this debut talented author, Jamie Day! An author to watch.
Thanks to #StMartinsPress and #NetGalley for an ARC and #MacmillanAudio for an ALC in exchange for an honest review. #SMPInfluencers
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: July 18, 2023
Praise
"Appealing. Day’s choice to withhold both victim and perpetrator ratchets up the tension nicely, and her jabs at suburban repression are sharp. This is wicked fun." —Publishers Weekly
"THE BLOCK PARTY is suspenseful, fast-paced and funny all at once. With an intricate plot and memorable characters, it's a trip to the leafy suburbs where all is not as it seems, told by a master storyteller with wit and style."
—William Landay, bestselling author of ALL THAT IS MINE I CARRY WITH ME and DEFENDING JACOB
“There’s more than potato salad and Kenny Chesney on the radio at the Alton Road annual block party. Someone gets murdered and as always, in searching for the killer, a slew of other juicy secrets are uncovered. Told from multiple points of view, this novel is like a firecracker on a hot summer night. If you like my novels, you’ll love THE BLOCK PARTY.”
― Elin Hilderbrand, #1 Bestselling author of THE HOTEL NANTUCKET
"With a lightning-fast plot and a fully-realized, complex cast of characters, Jamie Day’s THE BLOCK PARTY is a scorching knockout. Day knows how to keep the reader guessing and the pages turning. Treat yourself to this utterly unpredictable thriller."
— Heather Gudenkauf, New York Times bestselling author of THE OVERNIGHT GUEST
"Jamie Day’s The Block Party immediately transports you to its suburban hotbed, rife with whispered rumors, prying eyes and social―and personal―peril. Making clever use of shifting POVs, social media scrums and canny flashbacks, it’s a suburban Rear Window: delicious, nail-biting and utterly unputdownable."
— Megan Abbott, New York Times bestselling author of THE TURNOUT
“I loved Jamie Day’s THE BLOCK PARTY, a riveting domestic thriller that twists and turns through the suburb of Meadowbrook, where the Fox family and their neighbors have secrets aplenty. Then things turn deadly, and I rooted for mom Alex and her troubled teenager Lettie on every page, and you will, too.”
— Lisa Scottoline, New York Times bestselling author of WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BENNETTS?
“Oh my goodness, I loved THE BLOCK PARTY! Secrets, lies, neighbourhood politics and murder …. with twists and turns that will keep you guessing til the last page. Utterly engrossing. People will devour this book. Jamie Day is one to watch!”
— Sally Hepworth, New York Times bestselling author of THE SOULMATE
"THE BLOCK PARTY is a rich, delicious stew of secrets, intrigue, revenge, and murder, with well-drawn characters, sparkling dialogue, and an intricate web of a plot that will have you guessing till the very end."
— Chris Pavone, New York Times bestselling author of TWO NIGHTS IN LISBON
"What could be more idyllic and all-American than the gathering of neighbors, friends, and family at a holiday block party? But as this group of wealthy, gorgeous people come together to eat and drink, celebrating life and each other, beneath the beautiful serene surface is a labyrinth of betrayals, secrets, and lies. Character rich, utterly propulsive, and wise, THE BLOCK PARTY delivers an unflinching look into the painful twist of family dysfunction, infidelity, parenthood, and marriage. Jamie Day has a bone-deep knowledge of what makes us tick, what binds us together, and what tears us apart. This is a thriller with a soul, and Day is a writer to watch.”
— Lisa Unger, New York Times bestselling author of LAST GIRL GHOSTED
“Highly engaging and brilliantly plotted. Absolutely amazing. Readers are going to flip!”
— Lisa Gardner, New York Times bestselling author of ONE STEP TOO FAR
“Revenge, deceit and desire all collide in Jamie Day’s BLOCK PARTY when an idyllic, close-knit community turns out to be anything but! This book is compulsively readable and action packed, with a wealth of surprises along the way. Not to be missed!”
— Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author of LOCAL WOMAN MISSING
Filled with intriguing characters, Block Party by Jamie Day is a fast paced, twisty book that keeps the reader guessing! Loved it!
—Lisa Jackson, NYT bestselling author of THE GIRL WHO SURVIVED
In this delightful suburban thriller, a block party is the catalyst for a neighborhood’s public unraveling, bringing long-festering secrets and dangerous liaisons to the surface... A wickedly fun send-off of suburbia."
—CrimeReads, a Best Book of July
"A meticulous plot and humor events do much to make this domestic thriller a page turner."
—Montecito Journal
About the Author
Jamie Day lives in one of those picture-perfect, coastal New England towns you see in the movies. And just like the movies, Jamie has two children and an adorable dog to fawn over. When not writing or reading, Jamie enjoys yoga, the ocean, cooking, and long walks on the beach with the dog, or the kids, or sometimes both.
