Lucy Foley Books in Order | A Complete Guide
Lucy Foley Novels
- The Book of Lost and Found (2015)
- The Invitation (2016)
- Last Letter from Istanbul (2018)
- The Hunting Party (2018)
- The Guest List (2020)
- The Paris Apartment (2022)
Collections
- Marple: Twelve New Mysteries (2022)
Bridging’s Books Recommended Reading Order
- The Guest List (2020)
- The Hunting Party (2018)
- The Paris Apartment (2022)
- Any other book
Who is Lucy Foley?
Lucy Foley is a renowned British author who studied English Literature at Durham and UCL and has since gained massive recognition for her novels spanning historical fiction and thriller/mystery genres. Her books have consistently achieved significant popularity, with many of them becoming Sunday Times bestsellers. One of her notable works, “The Guest List,” sold over 1 million copies worldwide, received the title of Times Crime Book of the Year, and won the Goodreads Choice Awards for Crime & Mystery in 2020. Readers have lauded Foley’s books for their evocative settings, intricate characters, and suspenseful twists in the plot.
Lucy Foley Books in Order (Novels)
All of Lucy Foley’s books are standalones so there isn’t really a ‘proper’ way to read them. You can pick any you like the sound of and go from there. This list is in publication order as we do like to read an author this way to see them develop. After her third book she changed genre from historical fiction to thriller/mystery and that change catapulted her into the big times with The Hunting Party novel. But if you’re looking for a single place to start, we would probably recommend The Guest List. It’s here best known and most popular books so we’d say it’s a good place to start.
- The Book of Lost and Found (2015)
109,000 Words, 432 pages, 12 hrs and 10 mins
Published by Back Bay Books
3.92 out of 5 on Goodreads
From London to Corsica to Paris–as a young woman pursues the truth about her late mother, two captivating love stories unfurl.
Kate Darling’s enigmatic mother–a once-famous ballerina–has passed away, leaving Kate bereft. When her grandmother falls ill and bequeaths to Kate a small portrait of a woman who bears a striking resemblance to Kate’s mother, Kate uncovers a mystery that may upend everything she thought she knew.
Kate’s journey to find the true identity of the woman in the portrait takes her to some of the world’s most iconic and indulgent locales, revealing a love story that began in the wild 1920s and was disrupted by war and could now spark new love for Kate. Alternating between Kate’s present-day hunt and voices from the past, THE BOOK OF LOST AND FOUND casts light on family secrets and love-both lost and found.
- The Invitation (2016)
103,000 Words, 432 pages, 11 hrs and 28 mins
Published by Little, Brown and Company
3.64 out of 5 on Goodreads
An evocative love story set along the Italian Riviera about a group of charismatic stars who all have secrets and pasts they try desperately — and dangerously — to hide.
Rome, 1953: Hal, an itinerant journalist flailing in the post-war darkness, has come to the Eternal City to lose himself and to seek absolution for the thing that haunts him. One evening he finds himself on the steps of a palazzo, walking into a world of privilege and light. Here, on a rooftop above the city, he meets the mysterious Stella. Hal and Stella are from different worlds, but their connection is magnetic. Together, they escape the crowded party and imagine a different life, even if it’s just for a night. Yet Stella vanishes all too quickly, and Hal is certain their paths won’t cross again.
But a year later they are unexpectedly thrown together, after Hal receives an invitation he cannot resist. An Italian Contessa asks him to assist on a trip of a lifetime — acting as a reporter on a tremendous yacht, skimming its way along the Italian coast toward Cannes film festival, the most famous artists and movie stars of the day gathered to promote a new film.
Of all the luminaries aboard — an Italian ingénue, an American star, a reclusive director — only one holds Hal in Stella. And while each has a past that belies the gilded surface, Stella has the most to hide. As Hal’s obsession with Stella grows, he becomes determined to bring back the girl she once was, the girl who’s been confined to history. An irresistibly entertaining and atmospheric novel set in some of the world’s most glamorous locales, The Invitation is a sultry love story about the ways in which the secrets of the past stay with us — no matter how much we try to escape them.
- Last Letter from Istanbul (2018)
95,000 Words, 432 pages, 10 hrs and 34 mins
Published by Harper Collins
3.90 out of 5 on Goodreads
An epic tale that vividly captures the turmoil of forbidden love, set against the rich backdrop of a legendary city steeped in history and myth…
The perfect read for fans of the sweeping historical novels of Santa Montefiore & Victoria Hislop.
Constantinople, 1921
Each day Nur gazes across the waters of the Bosphorus to her childhood home, a grand white house, nestled on the opposite bank. Memories float on the breeze – the fragrance of the fig trees, the saffron sunsets of languid summer evenings. But now those days are dead.
The house has been transformed into an army hospital, it is a prize of war in the hands of the British. And as Nur weaves through the streets carrying the embroideries that have become her livelihood, Constantinople swarms with Allied soldiers – a reminder of how far she and her city have fallen.
The most precious thing in Nur’s new life is the orphan in her care – a boy with a terrible secret. When he falls dangerously ill Nur’s world becomes entwined with the enemy’s. She must return to where she grew up, and plead for help from Medical Officer George Monroe.
As the lines between enemy and friend become fainter, a new danger emerges – something even more threatening than the lingering shadow of war.
- The Hunting Party (2018)
93,000 Words, 406 pages, 10 hrs and 4 mins
Published by Harper Collins
3.64 out of 5 on Goodreads
Everyone’s invited…everyone’s a suspect…
For fans of Ruth Ware and Tana French, a shivery, atmospheric, page-turning novel of psychological suspense in the tradition of Agatha Christie, in which a group of old college friends are snowed in at a hunting lodge . . . and murder and mayhem ensue.
All of them are friends. One of them is a killer.
During the languid days of the Christmas break, a group of thirtysomething friends from Oxford meet to welcome in the New Year together, a tradition they began as students ten years ago. For this vacation, they’ve chosen an idyllic and isolated estate in the Scottish Highlands—the perfect place to get away and unwind by themselves.
They arrive on December 30th, just before a historic blizzard seals the lodge off from the outside world.
Two days later, on New Year’s Day, one of them is dead.
The trip began innocently enough: admiring the stunning if foreboding scenery, champagne in front of a crackling fire, and reminiscences about the past. But after a decade, the weight of secret resentments has grown too heavy for the group’s tenuous nostalgia to bear. Amid the boisterous revelry of New Year’s Eve, the cord holding them together snaps.
Now one of them is dead . . . and another of them did it.
Keep your friends close, the old adage goes. But just how close is too close?
- The Guest List (2020)
89,000 Words, 319 pages, 9 hrs and 54 mins
Published by William Morrow
3.84 out of 5 on Goodreads
A wedding celebration turns dark and deadly in this deliciously wicked and atmospheric thriller reminiscent of Agatha Christie from the New York Times bestselling author of The Hunting Party.
The bride – The plus one – The best man – The wedding planner – The bridesmaid – The body
On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed.
But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast.
And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?
- The Paris Apartment (2022)
99,000 Words, 360 pages, 12 hrs and 25 mins
Published by William Morrow
3.68 out of 5 on Goodreads
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Guest List comes a new locked room mystery, set in a Paris apartment building in which every resident has something to hide…
Jess needs a fresh start. She’s broke and alone, and she’s just left her job under less than ideal circumstances. Her half-brother Ben didn’t sound thrilled when she asked if she could crash with him for a bit, but he didn’t say no, and surely everything will look better from Paris. Only when she shows up – to find a very nice apartment, could Ben really have afforded this? – he’s not there.
The longer Ben stays missing, the more Jess starts to dig into her brother’s situation, and the more questions she has. Ben’s neighbors are an eclectic bunch, and not particularly friendly. Jess may have come to Paris to escape her past, but it’s starting to look like it’s Ben’s future that’s in question.
The socialite – The nice guy – The alcoholic – The girl on the verge – The concierge
Everyone’s a neighbor. Everyone’s a suspect. And everyone knows something they’re not telling.
Collections
She has also penned a new short mystery using the famous Agatha Christie character, Miss Marple. We have a complete guide on how to read Miss Marple books by Agatha Christie if you’re interested in that.
Marple: Twelve New Mysteries (2022) 
85,000 Words, 384 pages, 11 hrs and 29 mins
Published by William Morrow
3.84 out of 5 on Goodreads
A brand-new collection of short stories featuring the Queen of Mystery’s legendary detective Jane Marple, penned by twelve remarkable bestselling and acclaimed authors.
This collection of a dozen original short stories, all featuring Jane Marple, will introduce the character to a whole new generation. Each author reimagines Agatha Christie’s Marple through their own unique perspective while staying true to the hallmarks of a traditional mystery.
Naomi Alderman
Leigh Bardugo
Alyssa Cole
Lucy Foley
Elly Griffiths
Natalie Haynes
Jean Kwok
Val McDermid
Karen M. McManus
Dreda Say Mitchell
Kate Mosse
Ruth Ware
Miss Marple was first introduced to readers in a story Agatha Christie wrote for The Royal Magazine in 1927 and made her first appearance in a full-length novel in 1930’s The Murder at the Vicarage. It has been 45 years since Agatha Christie’s last Marple novel, Sleeping Murder, was published posthumously in 1976, and this collection of ingenious new stories by twelve Christie devotees will be a timely reminder why Jane Marple remains the most famous fictional female detective of all time.
Overall
Lucy Foley had a rather sudden transition from mild success with her historical fiction novels, to an almost wildly successful overnight star with her book, The Hunting Party, which transitioned to a whodunnit rather than her original genre. Since then she has been a big name in fiction and has gathered herself awards and bestseller places with every new release in the thriller/mystery genre she is now starting to dominate! It doesn’t really matter where you start to read her books, but just be aware of the difference in genre and style after her third novel.
You can follow Lucy Foley on Twitter here or keep up to date with her on her Facebook page.
Which one is your favourite or most looking forward to picking up next?
Let us know!
Happy reading!
Total Word Count for Lucy Foley Books
Total Words: 588,000
Total Pages: 2,381
Total Time to Read/Listen: 66 hrs and 35 mins
More of the same, but different:
Things to Note:
- Word count is an approximation.
- Amount of pages may differ due to different publications, font style and/or size etc.
- Time spent reading is generally an approximation based on the word count and the average reading time. The average reader will read 250 WPM (Words Per Minute).
- This is the original publisher of the books.
- The current Goodreads score at the time of writing.
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