Tag Archives: Lucy Foley

Book Clubbin’: 8 Discussion Questions for ‘The Paris Apartment’ by Lucy Foley

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Our Book Clubbin’ blog feature is back and this time we’re getting immersed in a highly anticipated listen from the bestselling author of The Hunting Party and The Guest List. We’re chatting about The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley.

In this latest listen from Foley, we follow Jess as she leaves her job and travels to Paris where she plans to stay with her brother, Ben, while she figures out what’s next. When she arrives, Ben is nowhere to be found. She begins looking into his disappearance and as she uncovers more about her brother, the apartment he lives in, and its residents she is sent on a frenzied path to discovery of the truth.

The Paris Apartment is a dark and twisty mystery/thriller listen that will keep you guessing until the very end. If you and your book club are getting lost in The Paris Apartment this month, then keep keep reading for our discussion questions below. Beware— SPOILERS ahead.

—————CONTAINS SPOILERS!—————

1) Did you feel like you were racing to the end of this listen or was it more of a slow burn?

2) Discuss the importance of wealth throughout this story. How does Jess compare to the other residents of the apartment building?

3) Did you notice any other prevalent themes throughout this listen?

4) Even though this listen is set in the bustling city of Paris, the apartment still feels very isolated. How do you think that contributes to the story?

5) Would you have preferred to have the story told solely told from Jess’ perspective?

6) Which character/neighbor were you most suspicious of before the final twist was revealed?

7) How do you think Jess and Ben’s relationship changed after this experience? What about the other characters?

8) If you’ve read The Guest List or The Hunting Party by Foley, how do you think The Paris Apartment differs from those listens?

Looking for Book Recommendations?

• Here are the audiobooks our members have been loving, along with our staff picks that we’ve been championing.

• Looking to share your love of books? Our handy Book Clubbin’ questions make it super easy to start a book club. Or, Netflix n’ buddy-read with this year’s book-to-screen adaptations (just be prepared for the perennial debate: is the book better than the movie/show?).

• If you’re looking for something extra, we’ve got author and narrator interviews to give you a gleam inside their worlds.

• For the curious-minded, audiobooks can teach you a thing or two, from nature therapy to personal finance. It can even keep the little ones busy so you can steal some time back for yourself.

New to Audiobooks.com? Get your first book free, PLUS a bonus book from our VIP selection when you sign up for our one-month free trial. Digital audiobooks make audible stories come to life when you’re commuting, working out, cleaning, cooking, and more! Listening is easy with our top-rated free audiobook apps for iOS and Android, which let you download & listen to bestselling audiobooks on the go, wherever you are. Click here to get your free audiobooks!

Back-to-School Gifting with Audiobooks.com

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Somehow another year has gone by and you know what that means…back-to-school season is upon us! Whether you’re in an area where school are open and kids are going back in, or they’re still at home learning remotely, we’ve got you hooked up for the perfect back-to-school gift for them (or yourself)!

By gifting one of our Audiobooks.com gift subscriptions, you’re giving that special someone access to over 250,000 titles. PLUS, when sending one of our gift subscriptions, you can include a book recommendation for them, so that way they have an idea of what audiobook they might put their first credit toward.

With 1, 3, 6, and 12-month prepaid subscriptions to Audiobooks.com, we’ve got you covered on finding the perfect gift.  Click here to visit the Audiobooks.com gift center or check out some audiobooks we think would make great recommendations below.


RECOMMENDATIONS


Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey, narrated by Matthew McConaughey

From the Academy Award®–winning actor, an unconventional memoir filled with raucous stories, outlaw wisdom, and lessons learned the hard way about living with greater satisfaction.

Read more and sample the audio →


The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, narrated by Bahni Turpin

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.

Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.

But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.

Read more and sample the audio →


Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, narrated by Wil Wheaton

In the year 2045, reality is an ugly place. The only time Wade Watts really feels alive is when he’s jacked into the OASIS, a vast virtual world where most of humanity spends their days.

When the eccentric creator of the OASIS dies, he leaves behind a series of fiendish puzzles, based on his obsession with the pop culture of decades past. Whoever is first to solve them will inherit his vast fortune—and control of the OASIS itself. 

Then Wade cracks the first clue. Suddenly he’s beset by rivals who’ll kill to take this prize. The race is on—and the only way to survive is to win.

Read more and sample the audio →


Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid, narrated by Jennifer Beals, Judy Greer, Benjamin Bratt, Pablo Schrieber

A gripping novel about the whirlwind rise of an iconic 1970s rock group and their beautiful lead singer, revealing the mystery behind their infamous breakup.

The rise and fall of this legendary group is chronicled in this riveting and unforgettable audiobook, written as an oral history of one of the biggest bands of the seventies. Taylor Jenkins Reid is a talented writer who takes her work to a new level with Daisy Jones & The Six, brilliantly capturing a place and time in an utterly distinctive voice.

Read more and sample the audio →


The Guest List by Lucy Foley, narrated by Jot Davies, Chloe Massey, Sarah Ovens, Rich Keeble, Aoife Mcmahon, Olivia Dowd

On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed.

But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes.

And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?

Read more and sample the audio →

Looking for Book Recommendations?

• Here are the audiobooks our members have been loving, along with our staff picks that we’ve been championing.

• Looking to share your love of books? Our handy Book Clubbin’ questions make it super easy to start a book club. Or, Netflix n’ buddy-read with this year’s book-to-screen adaptations (just be prepared for the perennial debate: is the book better than the movie/show?).

• If you’re looking for something extra, we’ve got author and narrator interviews to give you a gleam inside their worlds.

• For the curious-minded, audiobooks can teach you a thing or two, from nature therapy to personal finance. It can even keep the little ones busy so you can steal some time back for yourself.

New to Audiobooks.com? Get your first book free, PLUS a bonus book from our VIP selection when you sign up for our one-month free trial. Digital audiobooks make audible stories come to life when you’re commuting, working out, cleaning, cooking, and more! Listening is easy with our top-rated free audiobook apps for iOS and Android, which let you download & listen to bestselling audiobooks on the go, wherever you are. Click here to get your free audiobooks!

10 New Mystery Audiobooks for Fans of Agatha Christie

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2020 has brought some life-changing things our way, but did you know that this year also marks 100 years since Agatha Christie’s The Mysterious Affair at Styles was published?

When you think about mystery and detective books it’s hard not to think of Christie. The two go hand-in-hand, and with reason. Throughout her career, Christie released over 65 detective novels and is considered the most famous mystery writer and one of the best-selling authors of all time.

If you’ve devoured all of Christie’s books and are itching for more, we’ve got the perfect list for you. Keep reading for new mystery audiobooks that are sure to satisfy your craving.


One by One by Ruth Ware, narrated by Imogen Church

Considered the Agatha Christie of our time, Ruth Ware’s One By One will deliver all the chilling suspense. In this latest listen, the cofounder of a London-based tech start-up organizes a weeklong retreat to a ski chalet in the French Alps. Everything starts out as normal with business meetings, strategizing, and mandatory bonding on the slopes. Once an avalanche hits, the group is cut off from the outside world. Eight coworkers are panicked and isolated in the cold…each with something to gain, something to lose, and something to hide.

Read more and sample the audio →


People of Abandoned Character by Clare Whitfield, narrated by Tuppence Middleton

In London, 1988, Susannah rushes to marry a young and wealthy surgeon. After they return from their blissful honeymoon, Susannah starts noticing strange and secretive behavior from her new beau. A woman is found murdered in Whitechapel, and Susannah takes notice. Every time her husband is out late a new victim is found dead. Could it be a coincidence? Or is her husband the man they call Jack the Ripper?

Read more and sample the audio →


The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley, narrated by Moira Quirk, Imogen Church, Elle Newlands, Morag Sims, Gary Furlong

A group of old college friends meet up at an idyllic and isolated estate in the Scottish Highlands for their tradition of celebrating New Years together. Just a day after they arrive a blizzard of historical proportions seals them off from the outside world and isolates them even further. Old secrets are uncovered and tensions rise and then one of them is found dead. A Classic whodunit in the tradition of Christie’s classic murder mysteries, The Hunting Party will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

Read more and sample the audio →


Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz, narrated by Allan Corduner, Lesley Manville

A deviously dark take on vintage English crime fiction, Moonflower Murders pulls retired publisher Susan Ryeland into the depths of an investigation of a missing woman she believes is connected to a recent murder, a murder that one of her former writers, Alan Conway, featured in the third book in his fictional detective series. Set on finding out what really happened, Ryeland travels to England to uncover the truth.

Read more and sample the audio →


Shed No Tears by Caz Frear, narrated by Jane Collingwood

Working their latest case, Detective Constable Cat Kinsella and her partner discover a connection to notorious serial killer, Christopher Masters. Though he was eventually apprehended, his final victim was never found and he never confessed to her murder. Now, six years later, the discovery of his final victim’s remains seem to provide the proof needed to finally close the case. As Cat and her partner dig deeper, they find more and more discrepancies. They soon learn that someone will do anything to keep past secrets hidden and their investigation may put them in jeopardy.

Read more and sample the audio →


The Portrait of Molly Dean by Katharine Kovacic, narrated by Casey Withoos

Art dealer, Alex Clayton, stumbles upon a lost portrait of Molly Dean who was an artist’s muse brutally killed in Melbourne in 1930. After purchasing the portrait, Alex uncovers strange inconsistencies with Molly Dean’s murder. With the help of her friend, art conservator John Porter, Alex descends further into the last days of Molly Dean. Based on a real unsolved case, The Portrait of Molly Dean jumps back and forth from present day 1999 and 1930 in the days leading up to Molly’s murder.

Read more and sample the audio →


The Silent Ones by Linda Coles, narrated by Aoife Mcmahon

In the small Irish village of Doolan, a holidaying couple disappears, leaving their child behind. Chrissy Livingstone and her sister, Julie, take it upon themselves to look into the mysterious circumstances surrounding their disappearance. Could discovering the truth put more lives at risk? The Silent Ones packs a suspenseful punch that you won’t want to miss.

Read more and sample the audio →


New to Audiobooks.com? Get your first book free, PLUS a bonus book from our VIP selection when you sign up for our one-month free trial. Digital audiobooks make audible stories come to life when you’re commuting, working out, cleaning, cooking, and more! Listening is easy with our top-rated free audiobook apps for iOS and Android, which let you download & listen to bestselling audiobooks on the go, wherever you are. Click here to get your free audiobooks!

STAFF PICK: The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley

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Title: The Hunting Party
Author: Lucy Foley
Narrators: Moira Quirk, Imogen Church, Elle Newlands, Morag Sims, Gary Furlong

When I was 12, my mum and I used to go to the library every week, and I would get four Agatha Christie novels, read them all in a couple of days, return them, and then pick out another four the following week. This was my first introduction to the mystery genre, and it lead me into becoming a big fan of everything mystery, thriller, and suspense.

I was intrigued by this book, because the premise seemed very like And Then There Were None, but apart from the idea of a group of people going to a remote house in the country, this psychological suspense thriller is quite different.

A group of old college friends spend every New Year’s Eve together. Now in their thirties, they have grown apart but still continue to plan this event (even though you get the feeling that for many of them, it’s not something that they want to be a part of). This year, they have chosen to stay in a secluded Scottish hunting lodge, which is the perfect place for them to unwind and reconnect with each other…in theory.

They arrive on December 30th, but within a day, a blizzard has trapped them inside the lodge, and by New Year’s Day, one of them is found murdered. But who did it? One of the other guests? A lodge staff member? Or one of the friends themselves?

Lucy Foley does an amazing job of creating characters who, on one hand, are sympathetic enough for you to identify with, but on the other, have enough secrets and faults to make you dislike them, and think that they might be the murderer. The chapters are narrated by a series of narrators, so you can’t be entirely sure that the accounts you are listening to are at all accurate. Not only do you not find out who the murderer is till the very end, you also aren’t entirely sure of the victim until part way through, which is quite an interesting twist on the “whodunnit?” theme.

In an almost Breakfast Club way, each character is quite different, and at points, somewhat stereotypically so. Miranda is beautiful, but troubled. Katie is seen as quiet and plain, but is hiding a secret. Emma seems like the perfect girlfriend and friend, but is she? Emma’s boyfriend, Mark, seems calm, but has a wicked temper, and Miranda’s husband Julien is certainly hiding something, but what is it? And what about the staff at the lodge? Heather, Doug and Iain? Who would choose to live in the middle of nowhere, unless they had something to hide or were running away from something?

The multi-narrator format of this book really lends itself to the audiobook format. It feels like a group of people are narrating an account of what really happened – which makes it even more spooky.

I truly loved this book. I went through the whole thing in one day, and didn’t want to stop listening. If you’re a fan of Ruth Ware or Gillian Flynn, this is definitely the listen for you. So far my favorite listen of the year!

Publisher Summary:

Everyone’s invited…everyone’s a suspect…

For fans of Ruth Ware and Tana French, a shivery, atmospheric, page-turning novel of psychological suspense in the tradition of Agatha Christie, in which a group of old college friends are snowed in at a hunting lodge . . . and murder and mayhem ensue.

All of them are friends. One of them is a killer.
During the languid days of the Christmas break, a group of thirtysomething friends from Oxford meet to welcome in the New Year together, a tradition they began as students ten years ago. For this vacation, they’ve chosen an idyllic and isolated estate in the Scottish Highlands—the perfect place to get away and unwind by themselves.

They arrive on December 30th, just before a historic blizzard seals the lodge off from the outside world.

Two days later, on New Year’s Day, one of them is dead.

The trip began innocently enough: admiring the stunning if foreboding scenery, champagne in front of a crackling fire, and reminiscences about the past. But after a decade, the weight of secret resentments has grown too heavy for the group’s tenuous nostalgia to bear. Amid the boisterous revelry of New Year’s Eve, the cord holding them together snaps.

Now one of them is dead . . . and another of them did it.

Keep your friends close, the old adage goes. But just how close is too close?

Read more and sample the audio →

New to Audiobooks.com? Get a free audiobook when you sign up for our one month free trial. Digital audiobooks make audible stories come to life when you’re commuting, working out, cleaning, cooking and more! Listening is easy with our top-rated free audiobook apps for iOS and Android, which let you download & listen to bestselling audiobooks on the go, wherever you are. Click here to get your free audiobook!