An Unwanted Guest~ Shari Lapena

When I saw this book on the shelf I knew I just had to pick it up. Shari Lapena’s 2016 book ‘The Couple Next Door’ is a firm favourite of mine so I was eager to see what else she had to offer. ‘An Unwanted Guest’ follows a group of strangers who are all spending the weekend at the remote Mitchell’s Inn. Deep in the forest where they think they’re safe from the world, the world starts to crumble. Normally you can choose who you spend your weekend away with but not these unfortunate ten. Both guests and staff soon become stranded as the snowstorm locks them all in with no electricity or contact to the outside world. Whilst the group are happy to wait out the storm the old fashioned way with torches and candles. Someone else has very different plans for the weekend. Soon one of the guests ends up dead at the bottom of the stairs and the truth soon comes light. There’s a killer in the group and no one can escape. How many will die before someone can save them? Will they figure out who the killer is all by themselves?

This book honestly gripped me from the off. With a plot coined so magnificently by the one and only Agatha Christie, I think Shari Lapena has hit the nail on the head with a tremendous homage to such an incredible author. I was so intrigued to see how this story was going to play out. I do love the classic locked room murder mystery. The growing fear in the group of ‘innocents’ eyes. As they realise that they could be the next victim. The setting of this book is almost the highlight of the novel itself, practically a character all by itself. Just so atmospheric from start to finish.

The characters are also beautifully written. Page by page we see their lives unfold before us and we soon realise that many of their problems started way before they checked into Mitchell’s Inn for this fatal weekend. Beverly and Henry’s marriage is on its last leg. Dana and Matthew are engaged and deeply in love but their families don’t agree with their relationship. These are just two examples but through the book, we see each and every character’s strengths but also their weaknesses. We see those who are first to point the finger and the bystanders who are just trying to keep the peace.

What I think fascinated me the most about ‘An Unwanted Guest’ was seeing this group of strangers plunged into darkness. Having their modern modes of communication taken away from them and how they coped. Unlike many other whodunnits that have come out over the years, this one really keeps you guessing right until the bitter end. I will admit that I didn’t figure out who the killer was and this made me the love the book even more. I also loved how this book wasn’t overly gruesome or bloody. It felt more like I was reading a re-enactment of a classic game of Cluedo, trying to guess who was going to be killed next. In what room? With what weapon?

I think any crime/mystery lover looking for a refreshing read this is definitely the book for you. I gave ‘An Unwanted Guest’ 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and could quite possibly be one of my favourite reads of the year so far.

M🌸