An Unwanted Guest

Author: Shari Lapena
Genre: Mystery, Canadian
Type: Trade Paperback
Pages: 304
Source: Doubleday Canada
Publisher: Doubleday Canada
First Published: July 26, 2018
First Line: "The road curves and twists unexpectedly as it leads higher and deeper into the Catskill Mountains, as if the farther you get from civilization, the more uncertain the path."

Book Description from GoodReads: We can’t choose the strangers we meet.

As the guests arrive at beautiful, remote Mitchell’s Inn, they’re all looking forward to a relaxing weekend deep in the forest, miles from anywhere. They watch their fellow guests with interest, from a polite distance.

Usually we can avoid the people who make us nervous, make us afraid.

With a violent storm raging, the group finds itself completely cut off from the outside world. Nobody can get in – or out. And then the first body is found . . . and the horrifying truth comes to light. There’s a killer among them – and nowhere to run.

Until we find ourselves in a situation we can’t escape. Trapped. 

Disclaimer: This Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) was generously provided by the publisher in exchange for my honest review. 

My Rating: 4 stars

My Review: Shari Lapena, a Toronto-based author, has quickly become one of the authors whom I avidly keep an eye on for upcoming books. I've read and enjoyed two of her previous novels (The Couple Next Door and A Stranger in the House) but this book, An Unwanted Guest, took me a bit by surprise. Instead of a 'typical' suspense novel, Lapena brings her reader into a very Agatha Christie-esque situation with a group of characters who find themselves stranded in a remote hotel as the bodies begin to pile up.

This is a compelling story with a group of characters who are quite varied and give the reader a good look at their issues, secrets and pasts as well as a bird's eye view of the current disturbing situation. As readers progress through this character-driven read, they'll begin to doubt their initial ideas of the culprit's identity which heightens the tension and makes for a wonderfully twisted murder mystery.

Overall, this was a refreshing and clever 'who-dunnit' that has a healthy dose of menace, an intriguing ensemble of characters and spattering of murder that puts the characters as well as the reader on the edge of their seats.  While this book gives a hearty nod to Dame Christie (an author who knew a thing or two about how to craft a well-written mystery), Lapena provides readers with a compelling, multi-layered old-school mystery with her own personal touches.