It was a celebration to die for . . .
The Birthday Weekend
[ About The Birthday Weekend ]
What happened on holiday was supposed to stay on holiday – but that was before a body was found . . .
Socialite Lucinda Oliver planned a lavish celebration for her fortieth birthday – a weekend escape at an Irish coastal town with her sister Stella and her closest friends. The weekend was to end with a blow-out party and a special announcement, one Lucinda had been dropping hints about for weeks.
But before Lucinda could reveal her secret, she went missing. And now, six months later, her car has been found submerged in the Atlantic Ocean.
Devastated, Stella decides to gather Lucinda’s friends once more, in that same coastal town – the first time they’ve all been together since her disappearance. But soon she starts to suspect that one of the group knows the truth about Lucinda’s accident.
Which one of them is lying? Stella vows to find out, discovering that what happened to her sister links back to another birthday celebration, ten years ago…
[ My Review ]
The Birthday Weekend by Zoë Miller published March 7th with Hachette Ireland and is described as ‘a suspenseful page-turner about friendship, sisterhood and long-buried secrets.’
Six months ago Lucinda Oliver had planned an exclusive party for her closest friends in a luxurious house set in a dramatic location off the Kerry coast. Lucinda was known for her party lifestyle so her friends did query her choice of location for her fortieth bash as the previous lavish thirtieth celebrations were ten years ago in Santorini.
Lucinda had every detail planned, with an ultimate banquet to finish up the weekend. Lucinda’s sister, Stella, was among the guests in Kerry but Stella was a more introverted individual, often finding Lucinda and her friends to be a little overbearing. With raucous behaviour evident on arrival, Stella decided to just do her best and put her game face on. The local hostelry provided sumptuous food and, with a fully stocked bar that was kept replenished, the party took off. The weather was glorious, so much of the time was spent outdoors soaking up the sunshine, when not sleeping off the hangovers. There were moments when tempers were a little fractured but Lucinda ploughed through it all with her usual drive and finesse. This was her party and she was determined to enjoy it.
But the weekend took a very dark twist when Lucinda never showed up for her final banquet. The weather had turned for the worse, causing concern among her friends, but none of them were prepared for what was to come. Lucinda never did make that party, leaving everyone traumatised when news of what transpired emerged. Her friends left Kerry returning to their old lives. But of course no-one could really move on. Stella rehashed that weekend over and over again, trying to understand what happened. She knew that someday she might get a call to return to Kerry and six months later that call arrived. A local had picked up what appeared to be the wreckage of a car below the cliff, via drone footage, leading the police to believe that it might be Lucinda’s.
Stella makes a decision to invite Lucinda’s friends back to Kerry to be there when the car is recovered. With help from a relative she secured the same property to stay in again, with the view to having a vigil in remembrance for Lucinda. Stella, though crushed, knew that this closure was necessary in order for her, and for all of them to move on.
With the freezing cold wind blowing in off the Atlantic on a bleak January weekend, the group gather to reminisce and to say their goodbyes but somebody has other plans and the atmosphere very quickly starts to change. As the veneer slips from this so-called close-knit group, Stella begins to question events linked to the Santorini reunion ten years ago.
Suspicions are raised as the friends start to bicker. It’s clear to Stella that something is amiss but she is totally unprepared for what happens next, when circumstances take a very sinister turn.
The Birthday Weekend is quite a layered tale of duplicity and vengeance. Relationships and friendships are put to the test as truths are revealed and realities are shattered. There is a lot happening in this novel and I did, at times, think there was perhaps too much going on, perhaps stretching credibility a little but, with the multiple threads interwoven, it does create rather a dramatic storyline. The windswept Kerry coastal setting in January is perfectly described adding to the bleak atmospheric vibe of the plot, with the cold almost seeping into your bones. With lots of twists and turns The Birthday Weekend is an enjoyable and suspense-filled read.
[ Bio ]
Zoë Miller lives in Dublin with her husband. She has two daughters and a son.
She is the author of twelve novels, including The House in the Woods, The Perfect Sister and The Visitor
X ~ @ZoeMillerAuthor
