Hardcover, 290 pages
Release Date: August 7, 2018Published by: Pamela Dorman Books
Read from: August 16-August 21, 2018Stand-aloneSource: LibraryTW: Sexual Assualt mention
For fans of: Adult, Thrillers, Creepy things, SuspenseNew from the New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door and A Stranger in the House
A weekend retreat at a cozy mountain lodge is supposed to be the perfect getaway . . . but when the storm hits, no one is getting away
It’s winter in the Catskills and Mitchell’s Inn, nestled deep in the woods, is the perfect setting for a relaxing–maybe even romantic–weekend away. It boasts spacious old rooms with huge woodburning fireplaces, a well-stocked wine cellar, and opportunities for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, or just curling up with a good murder mystery.
So when the weather takes a turn for the worse, and a blizzard cuts off the electricity–and all contact with the outside world–the guests settle in for the long haul.
Soon, though, one of the guests turns up dead–it looks like an accident. But when a second guest dies, they start to panic.
Within the snowed-in paradise, something–or someone–is picking off the guests one by one. And there’s nothing they can do but hunker down and hope they can survive the storm.
*MY THOUGHTS*
I was late to the Shari Lapena party for her first two novels, I made sure not to make that mistake again with this one. And this one turned out to be just as good as the others. An Unwanted Guest is just as chilling as the place the book is set!
“I love a good murder mystery don’t you?“pg. 49
The guests that have checked into Mitchell’s Inn for the weekend cannot be more different. There’s some there for a romantic getaway, some there to escape the world, and some there to write their next best-seller. But once the weather turns nasty and shuts off the power, and no one can go in or out, strange things start happening. A guest turns up dead and it looks like an accident…. But then another guest turns up dead as well………. In this chilling tale, the guests can only hope that the killer isn’t the person sitting next to them.
“Finally, she slips uneasily toward sleep. As she drifts off, she thinks she hears a scream, somewhere far away. She persuades herself its not a scream, but a memory; she often hears screams as as she’s drifting off to sleep. She’s used to it. They’re a precursor to the nightmares.”pg. 58
I normally listen to Lapena’s book via audio, but I just so happened to have an e-ARC of this one, so I was super glad I actually got to READ it with my eyes. Keeping track of all the characters was a bit hard, but actually reading it helped alot. Had I been listening to it, I probably wouldn’t have finished it. But once I got into the rhythm and recognized who was who, the read was easy to get lost in.
“…it means that there is definitely a killer here, in the hotel. And the police aren’t coming.”pg. 135
As for the plot, it moved really quickly. It was a little difficult to keep track of all the back stories that were going on between the characters, but once I got used to the characters, it was a lot faster to wade through. And with it being only 290 pages, it didn’t take long once I got through the difficult parts.
“You seem to think that almost anybody is capable of murder. Murderers are not normal people.”pg. 136
I loved the ending because it was not expected. I didn’t figure it out at all. I don’t think I ever suspected that person either. Lapena crafted a tale that made me question EVERYONE and I still didn’t guess correctly. This is one of the best kind of thrillers. She made me question everyone without having all the suspects being super drunk and not able to remember anything. I would recommend this to anyone fed up with drunk characters in adult thrillers like me.
“As far as I know- as far as we’ve led each other to believe- we are all strangers. But maybe that’s not the case.”pg. 155
Shari Lapena is one of my favorite adult authors and I can’t wait to see what other things she has in mind. I waited for this book for a long time, so I’m a little disappointed that it was only 290 pages. Now I have to wait for the next wild ride through her mind!
Overall, I give this
