Synopsis – The Dinner Party
The perfect date…
To celebrate their wedding anniversary, Lily Leonard books a table at the exclusive restaurant of Hector Bolson-Woods renowned celebrity chef. It should be the perfect evening for Lily and husband, Stig, but not even a perfect menu can heal the cracks in their marriage.
So when Hector invites them to dine with him privately, Lily is thrilled. Surely this will please Stig? Hector is charming and attentive – everything Stig is not – and she finds herself more and more drawn to the enigmatic Hector.
A nightmare invitation…
After the dinner, Stig makes it clear the entire evening was a mistake, something he never wants to repeat again. Hurt and confused, Lily’s certain Stig is hiding something from her. Something linked to Hector…she just doesn’t know what.
And then another dinner invitation from Hector arrives. This time with a proposal neither Lily or Stig can refuse…
Author Bio
Nina Manning studied psychology and was a restaurant-owner and private chef (including to members of the royal family). She is the founder and host of Sniffing The Pages, a book review podcast. The Daughter in Law is her debut psychological thriller and since then Nina has gone on to write 9 more books including: The Guilty Wife published in March 2020, The House Mate published in October 2020.The Bridesmaid published May 2021 and Queen Bee in January 2022. She has also written two ‘mum-lit’ fiction books: The 3 am shattered mums’ club and the 6 pm frazzled mums’ club. Her tenth book, Her Last Summer, another thriller, was published in May 2024.
In 2024 Nina signed with Hodder and Stoughton and her first destination thriller will be released in June 2025
Nina currently lives in The Highlands in Scotland with her family. When she is not writing she can be found romping in the forest with her dog and three children.
Social Media Links –
Facebook: @NinaManning (https://www.facebook.com/share/15q2h7YpSg/?mibextid=wwXIfr)
Twitter: @ninamanninguk
Instagram: ninamanningauthor
Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/NinaManningNews
My Review
The premise of this story was very interesting. The book is told is dual timelines between now and some flashbacks of the past.
I did not like the female main character. I found she made some very questionable decisions. The male main character was a little flat for me.
Though I did not necessarily find this to be a true thriller, more like a family drama, there was at least one twist that was surprising to me.
The conclusion was very swift and left some loose ends that I wished had been tied up more clearly.
Overall, if you like quick, psychological thrillers you will likely enjoy this story.
