User Services Library Clerk Caroline Myers reviewed “The Midnight Feast” by Lucy Foley for Johnson City Press. If you missed her review in the paper, read it below.
You can place a hold on a physical copy of the book, or it’s available as an ebook and audiobook through Tennessee R.E.A.D.S and the Libby app.
Lucy Foley’s most recent mystery novel, “The Midnight Feast,” is a captivating story that will subvert your expectations and leave you questioning the identities and honesty of every character.
Set during the Summer Solstice in June 2025, the story transports the reader to a picturesque coastal resort with sprawling forests, luxurious beaches, and an imposing cliffside manor. The reader is bathed in the extravagance of a vacation, all the while knowing tragedy burns on the horizon. But who that tragedy will befall and how are the mysteries at hand.
“The Midnight Feast” is written in Foley’s classic style of rotating perspectives, making the reader privy to characters’ internal monologues while still obscuring the full truth until the very end. Along with switching perspectives, Foley includes both flashes forward that show the impending doom of the Summer Solstice celebration to come, as well as old journal entries that begin to clarify people’s complex pasts.
From the very beginning it is clear the characters have dark secrets, buried histories, and ulterior motives they are hiding even from the reader. Who are these people really? How are they connected? And are the folk legends and warnings given by the locals a hoax or an omen?
While firmly planted in fiction, the novel also brings to light real-world issues like wealth disparity and the stark differences in lifestyles between social classes. It also shows the disrespect and damage to local populations that is caused by thoughtless development of historic lands. Additionally, Foley adds the themes of family tragedy, rumors of secret societies, and over a decade of misconceptions and deceit.
“The Midnight Feast” is an enjoyable and suspenseful read that keeps your brain spinning with rational possibilities and crazed theories alike. If you are a fan of authors like Agatha Christie and Ruth Ware, or of convoluted mysteries in which the main puzzle pieces are presented but key information is withheld until the reveal, you will love this novel. Get ready for a book that keeps you on your toes and characters you can’t trust to save your life!
Find more of Lucy Foley’s mysteries in our collection.
Your Library’s staff members love giving book recommendations. If you need something new to read, we can help find books and authors that are perfect for you. Call (423) 434-4450 or drop by 100 West Millard Street to talk with a librarian. We also regularly highlight and recommend books on Facebook and Instagram, so follow us!
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