I will say this...at the next dinner party I attend, when someone suggests playing a game...that is going to be my cue to leave! An addictive and twisty psychological thriller about the dark secrets that lie within a peaceful neighbourhood. I will admit that I took a total dislike to Tony out of the whole group. I am not sure if it was down to the fact that he left his first wife for Sarah, or the fact that he is a wealthy and successful architect but his possessiveness over her his attitude to others just left me cold. I could really feel for Sarah as she wrestled with telling him she had secured a part time job as she was not sure what his reaction would be. Although Beth’s husband Chris comes across as a bit absent minded you can see that he has a good heart by the way he tries to help Simon through his marriage breakdown and as the story progresses you find out that he totally adores his wife. I don't want to spoil the surprises which are in store for the reader, but I found this a solid read which left me thinking. The Dinner Party” (St. Martin’s Press), centers on matriarch Sylvia, who is alternately proud of, and frustrated by, her three high-achieving adult children: Gideon, Sarah and Becca. Although Sylvia has considerable wealth and status, she is desperate to impress the even wealthier, higher-status Rothschilds, whose son is newly dating Becca.

The Dinner Party Book – Food, Friends and Financial Planning The Dinner Party Book – Food, Friends and Financial Planning

A group of friends gather for a peaceful dinner party but a game about trust and dark secrets results in two guests dead... Sarah, Marie and Beth - three very different women who have been friends forever, and their husbands. Each couple has a different kind of history from each other and there are a lot of personalities to think about in this book, which makes it intriguing.

So the couples Chris & Beth, Marie & Duncan, Sara & Tony host dinner parties at their homes frequently. On one fine day, Chris unexpectedly brings his friend Simon along with him. How does it matter, right? But his presence causes a series of unexpected events that change the lives of all the characters involved. For over a month - Sylvia spent energy and money preparing to impress the Rothschilds family. Henry was coming with his parents. Now grow the kids up a bit, pair them off, and add in seeds of self doubt, marital discontent, and general passive aggressive self loathing. Dinner Party by Tracy Bloom was the perfect escape from my usual, dark thrillers or emotional reads. The story begins at a dinner party hosted by Chris and Beth. They are soon joined by their friends Duncan, Sarah, Tony and Marie. The 6 usually have dinner parties once every month. They also have a hosting rota for each of the couples. A tradition that they have maintained for years. However, for the first time, a stranger joins them. Simon was invited by Chris who then forgot to tell the others. He doesn’t really know him but he thought the dinner would cheer him up. Little did the group know that their lives were about to change. All it took was one surprise guest. The police finally found Jakob but they said he hung himself on a tree and told them it was a suicide, when the police were examine Jakob’s body they found the date rate drug in his system. But Juliette lied to ted she wasn’t at work she was at Kathryn’s and they were arguing.

Dinner Party by Tracy Bloom | Goodreads Dinner Party by Tracy Bloom | Goodreads

Brenda is the author of eight novels, including THE GRACE KELLY DRESS, which has been optioned for film by Hallmark/ Crown Media, and THE AUDREY HEPBURN ESTATE, which was chosen as the Reader’s Choice by the CBS New York Book Club with Mary Calvi. Her work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Real Simple, The Sunday Times (UK), Salon, Redbook, USA Today, Bustle, The Forward, the New York Post, Publisher’s Weekly, Hello Giggles, Writer’s Digest Magazine, WritersDigest.com, and xojane. She is the former Books Correspondent for PopSugar. Well, well, well... remind me never to attend a dinner party with Richard J. Parker. His party games start with lies, add in a little betrayal, how about MURDER, followed by suicide, and you know, maybe some more MURDER.What I admired about this book is how every character is flawed, yet you love each one anyway. While some are extreme versions, I did see my own family and my own Passover seders at my grandmother's house in this story. This was a very interesting read for me - how the dynamics between three long-standing couples changes when someone else is introduced into the mix. All of the characters were stereotyped into one-dimension. They were all walking-talking-acting in a way that said they didn’t know to be anything else. Seriously, it was almost to the point of ridiculousness, the way Chris ALWAYS talked about food and dips, Marie ALWAYS seemed to be thrusting her breasts onto other men and how Beth was ALWAYS the voice of reason, even though she was flawed character herself. Here’s all you need to know about the characters in case you don’t believe me: