Well, that was a nice little murder mystery.
An Unwanted Guest is Shari Lapena’s third novel, but I have to admit, it’s probably my least favorite of her works. The Couple Next Door and A Stranger in the House definitely had more twists and turns, and more suspense.
But, An Unwanted Guest is a tidy and dependable novel that kept me intrigued until the very end. While it didn’t keep me on the edge of my seat, it’s fast-paced, has good momentum, and the number of bodies that pile up is really quite impressive. I enjoyed coming back to this book to see who would make it out alive…and, of course, to find out who the killer is!
When I first started reading, I immediately was reminded of Agatha Christie’s Evil Under the Sun – or, of the movie version since I’ve never actually read the book. An interesting cast of characters have all ended up at the same place – but instead of at a lux resort in the Adriatic, it’s at a cozy inn in the only slightly less exotic Catskill Mountains. The parallels between the two works are undeniable, and, sure enough, Lapena mentions Agatha Christine within the first few chapters of An Unwanted Guest, and Hercules Poirot is alluded to later in the novel. Lapena’s story quickly branches off onto its own track, but it was nice to see a nod to one of my favorite murder mysteries as inspiration.
As you read An Unwanted Guest – and as bodies start turning up left and right – you learn little details about each character and couple at the hotel. There are flaring tempers, tragic backstories, and shifty behavior that pretty much sets anyone up to be the murderer. The inner sleuth in me was trying to piece together as much of the mystery as possible, and it drove me nuts!
I’m awful with these types of books. While I enjoy the tension of thrillers, I completely hate the anxiety of reading murder mysteries. I always want to try to figure out “whodunit” before it’s revealed to the reader, and I very rarely am able to do so. My lack of gumshoe skills frustrates me to no end.
In this case, I was sure for about 85% of the book that I knew who the killer was. Then I glommed on to a change in one of the characters, and I finally accurately pegged the murderer toward the end. Even though I technically figured out “whodunit” before it was revealed, I think that most readers would have done so by that point, so my sense of achievement is a bit dimmed.
The reveal at the end wasn’t a crazy twist, but I guess when you have a limited group of potential assassins, there’s no room to be truly surprised at who the murderer turns out to be. All of the characters in the book are completely snowed in together, and while this setting narrowed the list of suspects, it really amped up the pressure. The mounting tension is palpable as nerves start to fray and accusations are hurled between guests and, in some cases, between friends and lovers. The fact that no one can physically escape the hotel heightens the rapidly escalating fear that plagues everyone as their numbers start to dwindle. The entire story happens over the course of one weekend, but it feels like you’re waiting forever for the storm to clear and the police to arrive, all the while at the killer’s mercy.
Not gonna lie – I kinda loved the snowed-in part of the story. It was all very hygge, and while the events at the inn are terrifying, I still found myself thinking, Gee, that hotel sounds nice. Maybe I should book a weekend away somewhere at a remote country inn… This thought crossed my mind not once, but several times.
Because, clearly, I’m insane.
But, I have to say — shout out to the kitchen staff at the inn. Even as corpses were dragged to icehouses, the power refused to come back on, and people were huddled together in terror, there were sandwiches and hot beverages served on a regular basis. Cheers to Lapena for writing something that made me crave a vacation someplace where murders are happening…because of the steady stream of food.
Which, of course, was great inspiration for my book-inspired recipe! Stay tuned for some Chocolate Chip Cornbread Muffins.
What did you think of An Unwanted Guest? And, have you read any other of Shari Lapena’s thrillers? I’d love to know which one is your favorite in the comments below!
I will have to check her out….don’t think I have read any of her books! Chuckled at the part about the food always being served even with bodies piled up. Yum – can’t wait to see those muffins!
It’s important to eat in a crisis! Keep that blood sugar level up! 😉 Yeah, you should definitely give this author a try. She writes some great thrillers. I think A STRANGER IN THE HOUSE is my favorite, so I recommend starting with that one!
Totally Agree. the book is absolutely a page turner and addictive.
So glad you enjoyed it too, Esraa!