Listen to a sample
The Garden Party
- Author
- B P Walter
- Narrator
- Nathaniel Priestley
- Publisher
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Publish Date
- 18 July 2024
- Run Time
- 6 hours 31 minutes
- Format
- x-book®
- Genre
- Psychological thriller, Crime and mystery: hard-boiled crime, noir fiction, Narrative theme: identity / belonging, Family life fiction / Stories about family, Modern and contemporary fiction: literary and general
- Rating
- 5.0 (1 review)
What to expect
‘If you aren’t reading B P Walter yet, now’s the time’ A. J. Finn
'Accomplished, dark and stylish: I will read anything B P Walter writes’ Gillian McAllister
'Dark and devilishly clever! Characters that get under your skin and keep you racing through the story’ L. C. North
'The king of complex characters is back… A compelling tale of money, power and revenge – perfect for Saltburn aficionados’ Lizzy Barber
***
The perfect family. The perfect celebration. The perfect day for revenge.
The day of the garden party should’ve been a celebration of love for Raphael and his fiancée, as they toast their engagement with their families. But for someone, it’s an opportunity to unveil the lies that have bound the family together over the years.
With their nearest and dearest gathered at the family manor, as the first glass is raised, the secrets that bind them begin to crack. And what should have been the happiest day of their lives, might just end as a day they’d rather forget…
***
Read what everyone is saying about The Garden Party:
‘An excellent psychological thriller with a foreboding atmosphere which I found dark, sinister and disturbing’ ★★★★★
'Wow!! Dark, deceptive, and definitely bingeable in a day!!’ ★★★★
‘Up there with this author’s best, I read it in one sitting as it moved along at a very quick pace’ ★★★★★
'The novel has multiple clever layers to it and parts are delicious in their dark awfulness’ ★★★★★
'Another gripping read’ ★★★★★
‘Dark and twisty and once again I was left speechless’ ★★★★★
'Good twists, great writing style, compelling upper class setting. Every character despicable in their own way’ ★★★★
'The characters were fantastically flawed and the plot twists were superb. Themes of greed, resentment, jealousy and negligence were weaved through so well’ ★★★★★
Critics Review
-
'The Garden Party is B P Walter at his absolute best – some brilliant, well-rounded yet still sinister characters and a story which will keep you turning the pages well into the night’ Catherine Cooper
-
'With despicably dark yet utterly compelling characters set against a decadent backdrop of family intrigue, deception and revenge, no one does the psychological thriller better than BP Walter… an easy five stars’ A. A. Chaudhuri
-
'B P Walter is one of the most original writers in crime fiction. The Garden Party is astonishingly good.’ Marion Todd
-
‘Dark and delicious… a story of revenge with echoes of Saltburn, not to be missed’ Nikki Smith
See more reviews See fewer reviews
-
‘Brilliant, well-rounded yet still sinister characters and a story which will keep you turning the pages well into the night’ Catherine Cooper
-
‘Dark, seductive and thoroughly engrossing. An unmissable read’ Lesley Kara
-
'Kept me entirely hooked…’ Alice Clark-Platts
-
‘A sinister thriller of revenge… B P Walter nails the dark glamour of wealth and the secrets buried within it’ L.V. Matthews
-
'Another twisty, sharp, unexpected book… a cracking summer read’ Louise Swanson
-
'A dark, stylish and pitch-perfect revenge thriller’ Michael Wood
-
Praise for B P Walter
-
'Unpredictable, whip smart, utterly absorbing’ John Marrs
-
‘One of the most unsettling novels of recent years. It’s also one of the most compelling’ John Boyne
-
‘Searing, sinister and addictive’ Chris Whitaker
-
‘Strong shades of Patricia Highsmith’ Lisa Hall
-
‘A sinister slow-burn about the darkest human desires’ Charlotte Duckworth
User Reviews
Book 5.0
Narration 5.0
-
5.0 5.0
Brilliant narration of a cracking yarn of this genre. I was unable to break from listening and finished it in one sitting.
My first P B Walter and now to explore the others.GardensofPaper 2024-08-07
Details
- Author
- B P Walter
- Narrator
- Nathaniel Priestley
- Duration
- 6 hours 31 minutes
- Release Date
- 18 July 2024
- ISBN
- 9780008719760
- Format
- x-book®
- Publisher
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Genre
- Psychological thriller, Crime and mystery: hard-boiled crime, noir fiction, Narrative theme: identity / belonging, Family life fiction / Stories about family, Modern and contemporary fiction: literary and general
- Rating
- 5.0(1 review)
- Narration
- 5.0(1 review)
Synopsis
Saltburn meets Agatha Christie in the party of the year. ‘If you aren’t reading B P Walter yet, now’s the time’ A. J. Finn 'Accomplished, dark and stylish: I will read anything B P Walter writes’ Gillian McAllister 'Dark and devilishly clever! Characters that get under your skin and keep you racing through the story’ L. C. North 'The king of complex characters is back… A compelling tale of money, power and revenge – perfect for Saltburn aficionados’ Lizzy Barber *** The perfect family. The perfect celebration. The perfect day for revenge. The day of the garden party should’ve been a celebration of love for Raphael and his fiancée, as they toast their engagement with their families. But for someone, it’s an opportunity to unveil the lies that have bound the family together over the years. With their nearest and dearest gathered at the family manor, as the first glass is raised, the secrets that bind them begin to crack. And what should have been the happiest day of their lives, might just end as a day they’d rather forget… *** Read what everyone is saying about The Garden Party: ‘An excellent psychological thriller with a foreboding atmosphere which I found dark, sinister and disturbing’ ★★★★★ 'Wow!! Dark, deceptive, and definitely bingeable in a day!!’ ★★★★ ‘Up there with this author’s best, I read it in one sitting as it moved along at a very quick pace’ ★★★★★ 'The novel has multiple clever layers to it and parts are delicious in their dark awfulness’ ★★★★★ 'Another gripping read’ ★★★★★ ‘Dark and twisty and once again I was left speechless’ ★★★★★ 'Good twists, great writing style, compelling upper class setting. Every character despicable in their own way’ ★★★★ 'The characters were fantastically flawed and the plot twists were superb. Themes of greed, resentment, jealousy and negligence were weaved through so well’ ★★★★★
About xigxag and the x-book®
xigxag is an independent, UK-based audiobook platform and the UK's only B Corp certified audiobook company. We offer nearly 150,000 audiobooks, all with professional human narration. No AI-generated voices. xigxag is rated an Ethical Consumer Best Buy for audiobooks and a top-rated ethical bookshop.
Our x-book® format is the only fully integrated listen-and-read experience available. See the text on screen as you listen, look up words, take notes, search within the book, and share quotes. It is especially useful for accessibility, language learning, and getting more from non-fiction. Look for the purple x-book® ribbon on the cover, or filter your search by "x-book" to find them.
There is no subscription. You buy the audiobooks you want, you own them permanently, and prices start at $13.95. The more you listen over the year, the less you pay per book, and there is always a selection in Listen for Less from $7.95. You can also send audiobooks as gifts using our audiobook gift cards or in-app gifting.
Every audiobook on xigxag has honest reviews covering both the book and the narration, and our community features make it easy to share what you are listening to, discover what others recommend, and find your next listen.
Download or stream on iOS, Android, or in your browser. Browse the full catalogue at xigxag.co.uk.