A Death at the Party begins with Nadine standing over a dead body at the cocktail party she threw for her mother Marilyn’s 60th birthday. From there, the story jumps back in time to earlier in the day as Nadine prepares for the party, and to 30 years ago, the last time Marilyn celebrated her birthday at all.
The present-day party prep is somewhat marred by Nadine’s recent infidelity and her daughter’s best friend River being in a coma after an overdose a few weeks ago. The memory of Marilyn’s birthday 30 years ago is similarly marred by the fact that Marilyn’s younger sister Colleen died that day, and the then 10-year-old Nadine having to give a witness statement to police.
Despite Colleen’s death and River’s coma happening 30 years apart, and despite the entire story taking place within Nadine’s perspective, the overall impression I get from this novel is that of an intricate and ever-expanding, ever-contracting web that encompasses the entire neighbourhood. So much of Nadine’s thoughts throughout the day flick between reflecting on the events surrounding Colleen’s death and stressing over the events surrounding River’s coma that the events feel connected, even when there’s no logical reason they should be. And so much of Nadine’s musings about both incidents lead to her thinking about one neighbour or another — it turns out many of Nadine’s neighbours and her husband’s friends were actually also in the area when Colleen died — that the story feels more complex and textured than it seems at first glance.
The story starts off a bit slow for me, with far too much detail about party prep and far too many characters that didn’t seem all that interesting. Even when things heat up, I never quite found this book to be a page-turner. But it is a very well-crafted piece of plotting. Amy Stuart patiently doles out one secret after another, with a pace that feels more deliberate than slow. And by the end, when Stuart brings us back to Nadine and the dead body at the party, we can appreciate the finely crafted web of lies and half-truths that have led to this point, and the reckoning that is to come.
Overall, it’s a well-crafted domestic suspense novel. A good read for those who prefer their suspense books with a slow burn.
+
Thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada and Word on the Street Toronto for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Literary Treats 
I enjoyed this book for the most part but better research and/or proof reading was needed in regard to type 2 diabetes and insulin administration. You would never use a tourniquet or inject into a vein!!