“In my experience, those who have the greatest respect for the rules also take the most enjoyment in breaking them.”
Lucy Foley’s The Guest List is a suspenseful thriller set on a remote island off the Irish coast. Readers follow a glamorous wedding party who have converged on the island for the ultimate celebration. However, as secrets and hidden motivations boil to the surface, one of the party members winds up dead and one of them ends up with blood on their hands. Featuring her trademark jumps in perspectives and times between the past and the present, The Guest List remains one of the best Lucy Foley books available for all Mystery-Thriller fans. Check out What We Reading for some of the best books like The Guest List!
The Hunting Party – Lucy Foley
Naturally, the best place to start with a list of reading picks on books like The Guest List is with one of Lucy Foley’s other acclaimed works, The Hunting Party.
The book follows the same formula as The Guest List, with a remote setting, jumps in times and perspectives, an array of charismatic characters all with their own set of secrets and a mystery over the identity of the victim and the guilty member. The Hunting Party follows a group of college friends renting a luxurious hunting lodge in the Scottish Highlands. When one of the party members is found dead, Foley takes readers on a thrilling journey into the drama and intrigue of the group, exploring the hidden secrets and motivations that make all of them prime suspects.
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The Wrong Family – Tarryn Fisher
Tarryn Fisher’s The Wrong Family is an enthralling thriller whose suspense is built around the intimacy of family. When Juno moves in with the Crouch Family, she adamantly believes she’s moving in with the perfect household. Winnie seems to have an idyllic son and husband. Still, when Juno overhears a particular conversation between herself and her husband Nigel, the retired therapist knows she has to get involved.
A gripping page-turner where new secrets are unearthed in every chapter, The Wrong Family is the perfect follow-up to The Guest List for those who love Foley’s emphasis on ramping up the suspense through gradual developments.
The House In The Pines – Ana Reyes
Like The Guest List, Ana Reyes’ The House in the Pines tackles issues of past traumas through suspenseful storytelling. Maya was just a high school senior when her best friend Aubrey dropped dead in front of the strange man they had been spending all summer with. Set seven years on, Maya is struggling, to cope with the addictions and gaps in her memory that have come from her troubled childhood.
But, when she comes across a YouTube video of another woman dying in front of the same man, she is forced to embark on a fateful journey to question whether anyone is ever able to confront and overcome the ghosts of their past fully.
Every Last Secret – A.R. Torre
Nominated for Best Mystery & Thriller in the 2021 Goodreads Choice Awards, A.R. Torre’s Every Last Secret is a masterpiece in the ‘behind-closed-doors’ subgenre Foley has helped pioneer. The book follows Cat Winthorpe, a woman who has sunk in the hours to get her dream life.
When a new couple move next door, Cat is cautious but ultimately welcoming. Neena Ryder is also a woman of ambition, an ambition that gradually leads to an obsession towards everything Cat owns. The two women grow closer, striking up a friendship that is plagued by temptations, secrets and a toxic jealousy that soon threatens to turn the desire for the perfect life into something far more sinister.
What Lies Between Us – John Marrs
John Marrs’ What Lies Between Us is another behind-closed-doors thriller that masterfully peels away at the dark pasts of its characters like The Guest List. In it, readers are introduced to Maggie and Nina.
The pair live in the same building and have dinner together once every night. When they are done, Nina helps Maggie back to her room in the attic and the cast-iron chain that keeps her there. It’s Nina’s payment for the things she has done to Maggie in the past, but there are countless other secrets that she intends to keep hidden – even if it kills her. Terrifyingly intimate and deliciously dark, What Lies Between Us is a heart-wrenching mother/daughter story that will keep readers gripped and reflective from the first chapter to the last.
An Unwanted Guest – Shari Lapena
Another Mystery-Thriller book set at a cosy retreat, Shari Lapena’s An Unwanted Guest is set in the Catskills and Mitchell’s Inn, a beautiful old building complete with a roaring fireplace and well-stocked wine cellars nestled deep in the woods. When the weather takes a turn for the worse, the guests settle in and prepare to ride it out.
But, the night is thrown into chaos when one of the guests is found dead. And when a second body turns up, the reality dawns on those left alive: someone is picking them off, one by one. A classic murder mystery that combines suspense with an intimate setting, Lapena’s acclaimed work is a great pick for any Foley fans out there!
The Turn Of The Key – Ruth Ware
Another Goodreads nominee for Best Mystery & Thriller, The Turn of the Key is a 2019 book from acclaimed British novelist Ruth Ware. The book follows Rowan Caine, a woman who can’t believe her luck when she stumbles across an advertisement for a live-in nanny position. Encouraged by the generous salary and picturesque surroundings of the Scottish Highlands, stepping foot into Heatherbrae House is like stepping foot into the perfect.
However, what starts off as the dream job soon descends into a hellish experience that will lead to a child dying and Rowan being jailed for murder. Writing to her lawyer from prison, The Turn of the Key is the suspenseful recounting from Rowan of the secrets, lies and shocking revelations that occurred from within this grand estate’s four walls.
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Death In The Family (Shana Merchant #1) – Tessa Wegert
The first entry in her Shana Merchance series, Death in the Family is the perfect book for anyone who loved the isolated setting in The Guest List. Having survived her abduction by a serial killer thirteen months ago, NYPD detective Shana Merchant has taken up a position in her fiance’s sleepy hometown in the Thousand Islands region.
But, a missing person calls from the wealthy Sinclair Family from their remote island whisks Shana and her fellow investigator Tim back into the world of dark and potentially deadly secrets. Trapped on the island with only a family of suspects fuelled by paranoia for company, Shana must work out which of the Sinclairs is hiding the biggest secret – being a cold-blooded killer.
The Silent Patient – Alex Michaelides
One evening, Gabriel Berenson returns home after a fashion shoot and is shot five times in the face by his wife, Alicia.
The pair seemingly have a perfect life, with Alicia being a world-renowned artist with their house overlooking a park in one of London’s most sought-after locations. After shooting her husband, Alicia never utters a single word again. Now incarcerated at the Grove, a secure forensic unit, readers follow Theo Faber, a criminal psychotherapist determined to get Alicia talking again in order to understand the motivations and secrets behind her crime. Another book like The Guest List, The Silent Patient is a shocking psychological thriller where secrets and motivations keep readers guessing throughout.
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
