THRILLER
The Search Party by Hannah Richell, S&S
The latest novel from Hannah Richell is a change of pace from her previous books, moving firmly into the locked-room murder thriller genre. “In this case the ‘room’ is a peninsula that the characters can’t escape and the murder victim’s identity isn’t revealed immediately, which was half the fun,” says Hannah, whose dynamic command of suspense keeps the reader guessing until the final pages.
The book opens with an arresting prologue; a girl standing on a crumbling cliff edge is preparing to leap into the waves below. She’s prompted by a male voice and aching to be “free”.
We’re in Cornwall, in England’s south-west, and the rugged coastline and squally weather of this part of the world provides an atmospheric background to a familiar fiction trope – a group of university friends reuniting. They are here to test-drive the ‘Wildernest’ glamping business one of the couples has set up. Annie and Max walked away from their architecture business in London to find a peaceful environment for their adopted 12-year-old son Kip. The friends haven’t seen each other since Kira’s 40th birthday party more than a year before, and immediately we sense tension.
The most vocal is Dominic, a Simon Cowell-esque reality TV judge with far too
