The Midnight Feast

By Lucy Foley

What it’s about?

It’s the opening night of The Manor, and no expense, small or large, has been spared. The infinity pool sparkles; crystal pouches for guests’ healing have been placed in the Seaside Cottages and Woodland Hutches; the “Manor Mule” cocktail (grapefruit, ginger, vodka, and a dash of CBD oil) is being poured with a heavy hand. Everyone is wearing linen.

And yet, just outside the Manor’s immaculately kept grounds, an ancient forest bristles with secrets. The local community resents what they see as the Manor’s intrusion into the local woods and attempts to privatize the beach, and small skirmishes have erupted on the edges of the property between locals and the staff. And the whispers keep coming, about an old piece of pagan folklore—it must be folklore??—the Night Birds, an avenging force that can be called upon to make right wrongs that elude the law. Though surely everything at the Manor has been done above board.

On the Sunday morning of opening weekend, the local police are called. There’s been a fire. A body’s been discovered. Something’s not right with the guests. What happened on the grounds of the Manor the past 36 hours? And who—or what—is the cause?

THE FOUNDER

THE HUSBAND

THE MYSTERY GUEST

THE KITCHEN HELP

Everyone has an agenda. Everyone has a past. But not everyone will survive…The Midnight Feast.

What I think:

If you are a fan of Lucy Foley then you know what you are getting – multiple narrators, multiple timeframes, it’s dark and twisty and you should not trust anyone.

Foley is an absolute queen of unreliable narrative.

The Manor is about to open. It is lavish and exclusive. The perfect spa party for the rich and famous. Owner Francesca Meadows is known for her attention to detail and no expense has been spared. Her partner, architect Owen Dacre, has made her every dream come true.

The local residents are less than impressed as while Francesca outwardly supports the local area and it’s businesses there is a lot of resentment. Very few local people have managed to secure jobs at The Manor. Eddie is working in the kitchen with hopes of becoming a barman, but he is keeping it a secret as he feels he is betraying his community.

The novel begins at the end. The opening night of The Manor descends into chaos as a fire sweeps through the building and a body is found.

Who is the body?

With flashbacks to the past through the diary of Alison, a girl on holiday at the beach who becomes infatuated with Frankie, the gorgeous girl from the mansion, the reader can gradually piece together the different strands of the story.

The past and the present intersect and the secrets of The Manor are revealed.

It’s a clever and twisty read made even darker by the ever present Birds. The local myths of giant and deadly birds that avenge evil and the shadow they cast.

I won’t say anymore as it will give away the secrets. I must admit I had no idea how it all fitted together so I found the ending really satisfying.

Thank you to NetGalley for gifting me a digital advanced copy of The Midnight Feast.