Ben and Martin have been best friends since their schooldays even though they come from wildly different backgrounds. Now a successful financier, Ben is holding 'the party of the year' in his magnificent country home to celebrate his fortieth birthday. Although they have been invited to the party Martin and his wife are put out to not to have been invited as house guests which forces them to stay in a nearby cheap hotel.
As the book opens we find Martin being interviewed by police a few weeks after the party and the reader is left wondering what exactly happened that night and why do the two men have such a strong bond. Slowly the story of the two men, their friendship, and what happened that night is revealed through police interviews, notes from Martin's wife's notebook, and Martin's life story as he recounts it.
The Party is well plotted and structured, there was a surprise at the end and I found it to be an engrossing read. The characters in the book are superb, both men and their wives are unlikeable, but they are extremely well observed and highly credible. The story is detailed and peppered with hints but the author writes with such subtlety that the tale is full of suspense until the very end.
There are many themes skillfully woven into this tale - it is about friendship, obsession, class, power, jealousy and lies. I think the book is more suited to an English reader as many of the references and nuances are very British but I think anyone who loves a tale of suspense and betrayal would enjoy it.
Recommended.
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