The party house - Lin Anderson

'A real page-turner' - Ian Rankin

The Party House by Lin Anderson is a deeply atmospheric psychological thriller set in the Scottish Highlands, for fans of Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware.

Devastated by a recent pandemic brought in by outsiders, the villagers of Blackrig in the Scottish Highlands are outraged when they find that the nearby estate plans to reopen its luxury 'party house' to tourists.

As animosity sparks in the community, a group of locals take action. By the end of the night, the house hot tub has been smashed to pieces and, in the ensuing chaos, the body of a young woman is found in the foundations. Seventeen-year-old Ailsa Cummings went missing five years ago, never to be seen again. Until now.

The excavation of Ailsa's remains reignites old suspicions towards the men of this small community, including Greg, the estate's gamekeeper. He is loath to discuss old wounds, but Greg's new lover, Joanne, is frightened by his reaction to the missing girl's discovery. Joanne begins to doubt how well she knows this new man in her life. Then again, he's not the only one with secrets in their volatile relationship . . .

'Lin's first standalone sees her expertly mix psychological thrills with a perplexing mystery simmering in a small community. It has all the ingredients of a hit to stand alongside her Rhona MacLeod series' - Douglas Skelton, author of The Blood is Still