From the Publisher
The Engagement Party is an edge-of-your-seat thriller that will keep you up all night following its twists and turns to a stunning conclusion. I couldn't put it down.” — Carol Goodman, New York Times bestselling author
"Buckle up folks. The Engagement Party is the definition of "keep your friends close and your enemies closer." The secluded setting with the relentless storm will have your heart pounding. The incredible twists will transport you into a tornado of lies and deception, and the ending will leave you gasping." — Jaime Lynn Hendricks, bestselling author of I Didn't Do It
“The Engagement Party is a gripping, fast-paced, non-stop thriller! The twists and turns are sharp, they surprised me every time. Sit down with this book and get comfortable, because you won’t be able to put it down.” — Samantha Downing, bestselling author of My Lovely Wife and A Twisted Love Story
“If Agatha Christie re-wrote your favorite slasher story, it would be The Engagement Party. This is Darby Kane’s darkest, twistiest thriller yet (which is saying a lot!), with game-changing surprises in nearly every chapter. It would be hard to find a book more fast-paced or adrenaline-fueled, because with this one, you don’t turn the pages; you tear through them.” — Megan Collins, author of The Family Plot and Thicker Than Water
"My God, this book is delicious. The Engagement Party is a swallow-down-in-one-desperate-gulp kind of thriller, so compelling I felt feral turning its pages. Darby Kane is a master at constructing juicy, twist-filled plots. The multiple points-of-view, ensemble cast, dark, isolated Maine setting, and decade-old secrets combine to create a locked-room mystery of the highest order, a puzzle-box so clever and sly it would make Agatha Christie proud." — Ashley Winstead, author of Midnight is the Darkest Hour
"Chillingly twisty and deliciously wild, The Engagement Party is a cinematic locked room thriller with a cast of fascinating characters. When a violent storm isolates a group of guests on a remote island, murder is on everyone's mind while each tries to survive the night. As the bodies dropped, shocking turns whipped me into such a frenzy that I almost burned my fingers turning the pages. Another addictively terrifying read by stellar talent Darby Kane." — Samantha M. Bailey, USA TODAY bestselling author
"An isolated island. A violent storm. A group of friends with secrets. And one body after another. Darby Kane has cooked up one heck of a locked room thrilled with this recipe, and as she stirs the pot, dropping in unexpected twists and shattering reveals, you'll find yourself wondering who—if anyone—will survive the night. You won't be able to read The Engagement Party fast enough!" — Jessica Payne, international bestselling author of Make Me Disappear
"Yet another gripping mystery filled with more twists than a bag of licorice.” — E! News Online on The Last Invitation
“[A] gripping thriller…Skillfully intertwined chapters told from the viewpoints of Gabby, Jessa, and others keep the suspense level high…Readers will be curious to see what Kane does next.” — Publishers Weekly on The Last Invitation
“‘Me, Too’ meets Grisham’s The Firm here, for a twist-filled take on DC’s legal scene.” — Booklist on The Last Invitation
“Righteousness and vengeance intertwine when a select group of influential women decides to mete out justice in The Last Invitation, Darby Kane’s third gripping thriller that features myriad believable twists.” — Shelf Awareness
“The Last Invitation is a gripping, twisty, and generally entertaining thriller…The central premise is delightfully fun, the chapters are fast-paced, and its questions about whether the justice system is truly capable of protecting women are sadly all too timely.” — Paste Magazine
"Darby Kane deserves credit for dispensing with anything resembling a slow burn in The Replacement Wife. There is a rollicking, almost absurdist tone to Kane’s writing that kept me engaged…Finally, after several doses of sociopathy, more than a little gaslighting and arguments galore, nearly all of Elisa’s suspicions are confirmed in the worst possible way. 'Nearly' saves room for a final surprise I didn’t foresee." — New York Times Book Review
"Kane delivers another fast-paced domestic thriller that’s sure to please fans of psychological suspense and family drama." — Library Journal on The Replacement Wife
"Debut mystery author Kane blends tense domestic suspense with procedural details and legal thriller–like verbal sparring. A page-turner built on skillfully layered plotting and an intriguing protagonist." — Booklist (starred review) on Pretty Little Wife
“This twisted thriller’s got serious Gone Girl vibes. As in, the main character is deeply flawed, you won’t always know what’s real, and you won’t be able to put it down.” — The Skimm on Pretty Little Wife
“I love it when I find a thriller so fun I can’t put it down, like this one from Darby Kane.” — Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author on Pretty Little Wife
"Pretty Little Wife is domestic suspense at its best, with a chilling premise that keeps you guessing to the last page. Add Darby Kane to your must-read list!" — Wendy Corsi Staub, New York Times bestselling author on Pretty Little Wife
“I devoured it in two days. This is the type of thriller I love the most: A taut domestic suspense with just a shade of police procedural woven in.” — Julie Clark, New York Times bestselling author on Pretty Little Wife
“Pretty Little Wife explores the consequences of unacknowledged trauma and dares to ask whether murder is ever justified. It’s an exciting departure for HelenKay Dimon, the bestselling romance author for whom Darby Kane is a pseudonym. There’s certainly no guarantee of a happily ever after, though there is hope for hard-won redemption.” — BookPage on Pretty Little Wife
“Even after we’ve read the last page, Kane leaves us with some lingering questions about how much Lila knew and when she knew it. Good writing and a plot that drives the action and builds the suspense make Pretty Little Wife an excellent choice for fans of murder mysteries.” — Book Reporter on Pretty Little Wife
“Pretty Little Wife by Darby Kane delights in subverting the expectations of readers” — Popsugar on Pretty Little Wife
"I devoured The Replacement Wife. I absolutely loved every minute of this wild ride. I’m left in awe of Kane’s ability to suck readers in from page one. I could not stop turning the pages. Every reveal rocketed up the tension…so well-done and gave me that precious can’t-wait-until-I-can-go-back-to-my-book feeling. Fast-paced and super addictive!" — Ashley Winstead, author of In My Dreams I Hold a Knife on The Replacement Wife
"Darby Kane’s THE LAST INVITATION is not only a thriller that will keep you up late, turning pages and questioning every character, it’s also timely in a way the world needs right now, addressing domestic violence and womens rights. We already knew Kane could write a twisty thriller—now we know she can do so while confronting injustices in the world. If you want a thriller that will keep your toes and makes you think, The Last Invitation is what you’ve been waiting for." — Jessica Payne, author of Make Me Disappear and The Lucky One
"When former friends Jessa Hall and Gabby Fielding find themselves unwittingly connected to a group of high-powered professionals who dole out their own brand of justice to wrongdoing men, they discover that revenge can be deadly. Darby Kane has established herself as a leader in the domestic suspense genre, penning one chilling page-turner after another, and THE LAST INVITATION is no exception. A thought-provoking, high-stakes thriller for fans of THE FIRM, this is a must-read story about sacrifice, survival, and the perilous nature of trust." — Tessa Wegert, author of the Shana Merchant novels
Kirkus Reviews
2023-09-22
Inspired by Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, this twisty tale unspools what happens when a gathering of old friends devolves into a killing spree.
All the guests invited to a party to meet Will Mayer’s fiancee know they shouldn't attend, but as often happens in locked-door mysteries and horror novels, they just can't stay away. Will and fellow Bowdoin College graduates Alex and Cassandra Greene and Mitch Andersen share secrets about the deaths 12 years before of two fellow students, and the weight of those secrets has killed something inside them. Metaphorically, they're rotting from the inside out. On graduation weekend, more than a decade before, Emily Hunt was found dead. At first, the police and friends, as well as people who never knew her, blamed her because she'd been drinking and had a reputation for liking sex. But someone spread rumors that she was murdered by Brendan Clarke, another student, and not long after Emily's death, he was found dead too. Now, this reunion, set on an island in Maine, will blow up all the rumors and well-kept secrets, and everyone's life is on the line. Countless writers have employed the trapped-on-a-deserted-island setup, and this story could easily drown in a sea of clichés. But Kane methodically builds this plot-driven thriller through each character's perspective, then lets us watch as nearly all of them fall on the swords of their coverups. Tropes abound—isolated location, an approaching storm, and a plethora of unreliable narrators—but Kane still manages to keep the plot spinning in tornadic fashion. Mixing a classic plot device with the dangers inherent in victim-blaming and the damage amateur sleuths can cause through misuse of social media give Kane's novel a modern twist.
Chances are no one will survive this killer celebration.
