- Read by: Eyre earns a direct, specific compliment from one reviewer, rare in this catalog, for a clean single-reader performance.
- At its heart: a resort mystery with multiple timelines, hidden identities among old friends and enemies, secrets crashing a launch party
- Vibe: Glossy and twisty, tipping into genuine chaos by the end
- Short version: A well-reviewed, well-narrated mystery, though the slower first third has at least one reader on record.
One reviewer of this audiobook gets specific in a way almost nobody else in this catalog does, addressing Eyre's reading of Lucy Foley's The Midnight Feast directly: the performance is excellent, one reader only.
What Lucy Foley Delivers
Foley sets this one at the opening night of The Manor, a new luxury resort where, per the synopsis, no expense, small or large, has been spared, the infinity pool sparkles, and the signature Manor Mule cocktail is being poured heavily. Old friends and enemies circulate among the guests while an ancient forest just outside the grounds holds its own secrets, and, inevitably, the local police get called before the night is out. The synopsis structures its cast around four archetypes, the Girlboss, the Husband, the Kitchen Help, the Mystery Guest, and promises the kind of multi-timeline structure Foley has built a reputation on, praised in a quoted NPR line as an absolute bonkers delight, complete with a local bird cult the same quote cannot resist mentioning.
Eyre is the sole credited narrator, and unlike most of the titles processed here, one reviewer actually addresses the reading directly rather than staying silent on it, worth flagging as genuinely uncommon.
William Morrow published this one in June 2024, and the synopsis is upfront that it debuted as an instant New York Times bestseller, a status that usually means a large enough print run and marketing push to generate a wide spread of reader opinion quickly, which the twenty-two ratings on this listing seem to reflect.
What Makes The Midnight Feast Worth Hearing
Marta's four-star review is the standout for anyone specifically weighing the audio experience: interesting story with enough twists, good characters, easy to read, and the performance called excellent, with a direct note that it is one reader only. That is a specific endorsement of Eyre's single-narrator reading, rare enough in this catalog that it carries real weight. Mary's review calls it a good mystery outright, full of surprises that catch you from the beginning, with plans to look for more from Foley in hopes of something as spellbinding. Linda Phifer's review keeps it simple, citing enjoyment of all of Foley's books and no break in that streak here.
The blurbs quoted in the synopsis add another layer of confidence: Chris Whitaker, a New York Times bestselling author in that same league, calls this Foley's best yet, sharp, stylish, and stunning, while NPR names it among the Best Books of the Year. That same NPR line specifically calls out Foley's technique of unraveling the central mystery through multiple timelines and narrators as running parallel to the spiraling events of the resort weekend itself, from juice shots and yoga on the lawn to what the quote calls a hallucinogen-fueled bacchanal where hidden identities and multiple murders come to light.
Things to Know Before Starting The Midnight Feast
BeckyW01, a longtime Foley reader who pre-ordered this one, left the one dissenting take worth sitting with, a three-star review. It describes finding the book hard to get into and hard to follow for roughly the first third, with a large cast split across past and present timelines that proved hard to keep straight. The review singles out Francesca, arguably the book's main character, as too much of a caricature to be believable, and flags a specific plot thread involving Francesca and a husband that the review says gets dropped rather than developed. Adele R's four-star review echoes part of this: even as backstories build and details get revealed, the review admits to still guessing by the end, calling that a strength rather than a flaw.
At 4.0 from 22 ratings, the badge here draws no objection from the five visible reviews, unlike the mismatch that shows up on several other titles processed in this catalog.
The synopsis's four-archetype framing, the Girlboss, the Husband, the Kitchen Help, the Mystery Guest, doubles as a warning about the kind of ensemble cast this book demands attention for, and it is worth remembering that archetype labels like these are marketing shorthand, not the actual character names used once the story gets underway. BeckyW01's difficulty keeping characters straight during the first third lines up directly with that structure: four broad character types converging from different timelines is a lot to hold in mind during the setup before the plot's individual threads start to separate out clearly.
Who Should Pick Up The Midnight Feast
Foley's existing readers, fans of ensemble mysteries with multiple timelines and a splashy resort setting, and anyone reassured by an actual on-record endorsement of the narration itself will find what Marta and Mary describe: a twisty, well-performed mystery that rewards sticking with a large cast. Readers who enjoyed the blurbed comparison to Chris Whitaker's own bestselling work should find the pacing and tone familiar too.
Pass on it if BeckyW01's frustration with the slow first third and the large timeline-split cast sounds like a dealbreaker, or if every plot thread the book raises, including the one involving Francesca, needs to be fully resolved by the end to feel satisfying. The same goes if narration quality matters and one endorsement is not enough reassurance, though Marta's review is about as direct a compliment as this catalog offers anywhere, and it sits comfortably among reviews that range from three to five stars rather than standing apart from them or reading as an outlier opinion the rest of the page contradicts.
Common Questions
Does any review of this audiobook actually comment on the narration?
Yes, directly. Marta's review calls the performance excellent and specifically notes it is one reader only, a rare direct endorsement of Eyre's narration in a catalog where most reviews stay silent on the audio side and focus entirely on plot instead.
Is this audiobook hard to follow with its multiple timelines?
For at least one reader, yes. BeckyW01's three-star review describes struggling with a large cast split across past and present timelines for roughly the first third, while Adele R's review frames the same structure as a satisfying source of ongoing suspense instead.
