Review of The Block Party

You know I love a Neighborhood Thriller, so of course I was going to read The Block Party, domestic suspense set in an exclusive neighborhood. Check out my review of The Block Party!

Written and edited by Jen Ryland. Last updated on:

The Block Party by Jamie Day

Published on July 18, 2023 by St Martins Press.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I read this book in July 2023.

Plot Summary for The Block Party

The residents of the exclusive cul-de-sac on Alton Road are entangled in a web of secrets and scandal utterly unknown to the outside world, and even to each other.

On the night of the annual Summer block party, there has been a murder.

But, who did it and why takes readers back one year earlier, as rivalries and betrayals unfold—discovering that the real danger lies within their own block and nothing—and no one—is ever as it seems.

Review of The Block Party

I love a neighborhood thriller. They are sort of a combination of two subgenres I enjoy: a locked room mystery with limited suspects, and a domestic suspense book that features couples with secrets: secret relationships, secret plots and plans, secret financial stuff…

Alton Court has plenty of intrigue!

This book followed the Big Little Lies format in which we know at the beginning that someone in the neighborhood dies, but don’t know the who or the why. Like Big Little Lies, The Block Party has an epistolary element in the way of gossipy, humorous posts in a neighborhood Facebook group about all the goings-on.

The Block Party did a good job of making sure all the characters’ lives were intertwined to an extent that made it all both plausible and interesting.

The Block Party also had an inter-generational aspect, as most of the couples had teenage children. The story is narrated by “wine mom” Alex, whose drinking intensifies as her life gets more stressful and Alex’s teenage daughter Lettie.

For me, an intergenerational plot doesn’t always work in a neighborhood thriller, as it can be hard to balance a YA-type storyline with teens up to no good with an adult plot line that often involves multiple characters as well.

At first I was rolling my eyes at Lettie’s cookie cutter Gen Z personality, but as her character developed, she definitely grew on me.

If you’re looking for a book that has a bit of that Big Little Lies feel, definitely check out The Block Party!