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The Search Party

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About The Book

For fans of Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware, a destination thriller about a group of college friends and their families who reunite on a glamping weekend in Cornwall and are forced to confront long-held secrets when a powerful storm leaves them stranded.

Five old friends. One glamping weekend. A storm that will change everything.

Max and Annie Kingsley have left the London rat race with their twelve-year-old son to set up a glamping site in the wilds of Cornwall. Eager for a dry run ahead of their opening, they invite three old university friends and their families for a long-needed reunion. But the festivities soon go awry as tensions arise between the children (and subsequently their parents), explosive secrets come to light, and a sudden storm moves in, cutting them off from help as one in the group disappears.

Moving between the police investigation, a hospital room, and the catastrophic weekend, The Search Party is a propulsive and twisty destination thriller about the tenuous bonds of friendship and the lengths parents will go to protect their children.

About The Author

Photograph by Lucy Williams

Hannah Richell was born in Kent and spent her childhood years in Buckinghamshire and Canada. After graduating from the University of Nottingham, she worked in the book publishing and film industries in both London and Sydney. She is a dual citizen of Great Britain and Australia, and currently lives in the South West of England with her family. Richell is the author of international bestsellers Secrets of the Tides (2012), The Shadow Year (2014), The Peacock Summer (2019) and The River Home (2020). Her work has been translated into twenty-one languages.

Why We Love It

“I bought this novel because it reminded me of Lucy Foley’s The Guest List, the kind of book that I could pick up and finish in a single sitting. I felt transported to the wild, rugged coast of Cornwall, beautiful but dangerous. The relationships between these friends—who might not be friends had they met in the present day—provided plenty of drama and also some hard truths we all face over the course of long entanglements. But it is the gripping suspense—who is in the hospital? who is missing? and who is the body found at the base of the cliffs?—that drives this story to its twisty, emotionally satisfying ending.”

—Kaitlin O., Senior Editor, on The Search Party

Product Details

  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster (January 16, 2024)
  • Length: 352 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781668036341

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Raves and Reviews

“Filled with atmosphere and a closed-set mystery worthy of Agatha Christie, fans of Lucy Foley will love The Search Party!”
CATHERINE McKENZIE, USA Today bestselling author of Have You Seen Her

“[A] compelling thriller told with real emotional insight and depth. It was a pleasure to be transported to the wildest edge of Cornwall and have a ringside seat as a group of old friends are pushed to their absolute limits. An absolute page-turner!”
LUCY CLARKE, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Hike and One of the Girls

“[A] dexterous blend of best- and worst-case scenarios, a chillingly relatable journey into the unexpected. With her cast of expertly crafted characters, evocative setting, and taut prose, Richell has written a standout page-turner, thoroughly gripping from start to finish. Fans of Lucy Foley and Sarah Pearse will not want to miss this.”
ANNA DOWNES, internationally bestselling author of The Shadow House and The Safe Place

The Search Party pitches you forward from the first page, sending you rushing headlong toward its thrilling conclusion. I loved this novel . . . Hannah Richell’s first foray into the thriller genre is simply not to be missed!”
HAYLEY SCRIVENOR, USA Today bestselling author of Dirt Creek

“[A]s taut and ominous as a poorly pegged tent line in a pitch-black night. When a group of old friends gathers for a glamping adventure, past conflicts and buried tensions whip the plot into a brilliant storm of twisted motives and unearthed redemption.”
AMBER COWIE, author of The Off Season and Last One Alive

“Hannah Richell was born to write thrillers. . . . [J]ealousy, revenge, lust, and anger simmer ominously beneath the surface before coming explosively to the fore. I was in equal parts agonized and satisfied when I turned the final page. Trust me, you will not be able to put this book down!”
ALI LOWE, bestselling author of The School Run and The Trivia Night

“An idyllic glamping weekend in Cornwall turns nightmarish in Richell’s tense thriller. . . . Richell’s fifth novel cleverly plants numerous red herrings and skillfully juggles the multiple points of view and timelines to build white-knuckled suspense and keep readers guessing.”
Kirkus

“Living the dream becomes a living nightmare. Richell’s tense new destination thriller will make you wish you weren’t here as friendships crumble and families fall apart on a glamping weekend gone wrong. A gripping and twisty plot laced with Richell’s trademark deft feel for family dynamics sees the pages practically turn themselves.”
KATE LORD BROWN, bestselling author of Silent Music

“Haunting and atmospheric from the very first page . . . an irresistible read. Simmering tensions, family drama, and high-stakes mysteries combine to create the perfect storm of bingeworthy suspense.”
MEGAN COLLINS, author of Thicker Than Water and The Family Plot

“Richell surprises readers at every turn with a fast-paced, tightly constructed thriller . . . readers who devour psychological suspense from authors like Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware will be eager to add this one to their reading lists.”
Booklist

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