NOW A MAJOR ITV SERIES
'TERRIFYING, HILARIOUS' PHOEBE WALLER-BRIDGE'A SMART, IRRESISTABLE ROMP' NEW YORK TIMES
A gripping story of betrayal, privilege and hypocrisy, set in the unassailable heart of the British establishment, from the number one Sunday Times bestselling author of Magpie and One of Us, Elizabeth Day.
Martin Gilmour and Ben Fitzmaurice have been best friends for 25 years, since their days together at Burtonbury School. They are an unlikely pair: the scholarship boy with the wrong accent and clothes, and the dazzlingly popular, wealthy young aristocrat. But Martin knows no one else can understand the bond they share – and no one else could have kept Ben’s secret for over two decades.
At Ben’s 40th birthday party, the cream of the British establishment gathers in a haze of champagne, drugs and glamour. Amid the politicians, the celebrities, the old money and the newly rich, Martin once again feels that pang of not-quite belonging. His wife, Lucy, has her reservations too. There is something unnerving in the air.
But Ben wouldn’t do anything to damage their friendship. Would he?
‘As unsettling as it is involving. You absolutely have to know how it turns out’ JOHN BOYNE
Elizabeth Day's book 'One of Us' was a Sunday Times bestseller w/c 2025-09-29.
Genre: Mystery
Praise for this book
"Superb - clever, gripping, psychologically acute." - Laura Barnett
"The Party is a compelling read, but it’s a lot more than a page turner. Like Martin, the protagonist, we as readers are sucked into the lives of the privileged few and, like Martin, in turn tittilated, appalled, bewitched and ultimately punched in the stomach by their casual cruelty. We may have seen a hundred stories like this on the news, but Elizabeth Day’s perfectly pitched dialogue and vivid prose brings it all to life." - Catherine Chanter
"Witty, dark and compelling." - Sebastian Faulks
"Think Brideshead Revisited meets The Talented Mr Ripley with a dash of The Riot Club. I couldn't put it down." - Louise O'Neill
"Elizabeth Day's latest novel is sinister and seductive and nothing short of breathtaking." - Francesca Segal
"As sharp, stylish and witty as the perfect guest. Beware: you'll be up far too late." - Lucie Whitehouse
"The Party is a compelling read, but it’s a lot more than a page turner. Like Martin, the protagonist, we as readers are sucked into the lives of the privileged few and, like Martin, in turn tittilated, appalled, bewitched and ultimately punched in the stomach by their casual cruelty. We may have seen a hundred stories like this on the news, but Elizabeth Day’s perfectly pitched dialogue and vivid prose brings it all to life." - Catherine Chanter
"Witty, dark and compelling." - Sebastian Faulks
"Think Brideshead Revisited meets The Talented Mr Ripley with a dash of The Riot Club. I couldn't put it down." - Louise O'Neill
"Elizabeth Day's latest novel is sinister and seductive and nothing short of breathtaking." - Francesca Segal
"As sharp, stylish and witty as the perfect guest. Beware: you'll be up far too late." - Lucie Whitehouse
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Used availability for Elizabeth Day's The Party