The Wild Girls, by Phoebe Morgan, reunites a group of old friends for an upscale foreign vacation, full of secrets, twists and danger. (Not to be confused with The Wilder Girls.) This reminded me of The Hunting Party, with the college friends and their secrets all together in a luxe resort. When this works, I really love it. (I was not a huge fan of The Guilt Trip or They Did Bad Things but there’s a similar theme.)

Years ago, Felicity, Grace, Hannah and Alice were a tight group of school friends. But their friendships imploded after what was meant to be a fun night out revealed too many secrets. Now Felicity has reached out to the others with invitations to a blowout 30th birthday party in Botswana.

The reunion is tense at first, as the former friends look at each other nervously, but the gorgeous resort and the fun activities Felicity has set up change their minds.  There are realistic and gently emotional moments as old friends try to reconcile the girls they remember with the women they see now, which develops the characters and when the suspense starts, this only makes it more dramatic.

I liked the suspense and the exotic setting a great deal (although after the last year and half in my apartment, I’d probably have just chilled in my own plunge pool instead of investigating anything). There are twists and shocks in The Wild Girls, right up to the end.