AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER The twisty new thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door and A Stranger in the HouseA weekend retreat at a cozy mountain lodge is supposed to be the perfect getaway . . . but when the storm hits, no one is getting awayIt’s winter in the Catskills and Mitchell’s Inn, nestled deep in the woods, is the perfect setting for a … 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 and try to make the best of it.
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–and one another.
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Shari Lapena is now on my auto buy list. This is the second book of hers I’ve read and I devoured it in two days. The setting–a quaint but remote hotel that becomes cut off after a snowstorm–was an ideal place to set a murder mystery. The cover drew me in and I was riveted from the moment I opened the first page.
The atmosphere shifts from charming and inviting to suffocating and sinister as guests begin to turn up dead. With the power off, no available cell service, and the hotel cut off from the outside world, guests must decide if the killer is among them, or someone who slipped into the hotel unnoticed before the storm hit. Relationships are formed, others break down, suspicion runs rampant.
Lapena populates the book with a cluster of intriguing characters, each with engrossing backstories. I did find something one of the characters did at the end not entirely believable, and a bit too convenient to set up the close (I can’t say more without spoilers). I was also slightly disappointed in what seemed like the killer’s info dump at the end. Minor quibbles overall for a book that built a claustrophobic atmosphere and kept me guessing right up until the end. I was surprised by the identity of the killer and saddened when the book reached an end. I wanted it to keep going.
An Unwanted Guest would make an awesome movie!
Imagine being at a gorgeous, secluded resort in the Catskills during a snowstorm with a handful of other people for a weekend getaway. Now imagine the power goes out and people start dying…
It would have been so easy for this to have been a confusing jumble of characters but Lapena did a masterful job of introducing them, developing them, and having us hear from them in a way that makes it easy for the reader to keep straight.
I really enjoyed this book; it was very clever, managed a few really good surprises, and had a very satisfying resolution.
An enjoyable whodunnit in an isolated setting with an interesting cast of characters.
I love it when I come across a book that I don’t want to put down. An Unwanted Guest is one of them. I read it in two days and the only reason I didn’t finish in one was because I had to get some sleep.
It sounds like the perfect weekend getaway—a quaint old-fashioned hotel where there is no cell phone service and no Wi-fi to distract its guests. The registry isn’t computerized, and instead of magnetic cards, rooms are locked with an old-fashioned key.
To top it off, the guests arrive during the middle of a winter storm. It’s so bad, in fact, that some of the hotel staff aren’t able to make it to work and a few guests canceled their weekend plans.
Lucky them.
A power outage changes the atmosphere from pleasant to ominous. It’s not long before murder is afoul. First one victim, then two, then a third…
Each of the guests, as well as one staff member, has things from their past to hide. But aside from the companions they arrived with, none of them knew one another before coming to the hotel. Are the murders connected? If so, why?
Written in present tense from varying points of view, this book held my attention to the end. I had suspicions about several of the characters and kept hoping it wasn’t a particular character that I instantly liked. While I figured out the murderer’s identity, there was a totally unexpected twist at the end.
Unquestionably five stars for this one!
I really liked it! I can’t wait to see what this author has next. It seems that she’s only written a few, so far, and I’ve already read them all. I’m going to follow her, I believe, and I’m recommending this to my friends. I liked when she finally handed me all the final pieces of the puzzle and how I was able to think back through the story and fit them in. They fit. And I loved the ending. Oh, my, what an awful scenario the scene of this story was. Fabulous though! Glad it’s not real and I wasn’t there!
Could not stop reading this book! Loved the characters and the atmospheric environment where it took place. An old, quaint hotel in the Catskills, and in the midst of a blizzard and ice storm is just a perfect setting. A mystery that keeps you guessing until the end.
Okay, again, the craftsmanship is in the character building and action. However, my recommendation is that when you get to the end, re-read the booking, knowing who the killer is. You’ll see all the clues you missed. Let me just say, I recommend all of her books. She consistently does what I like, and I guess her many fans enjoy too, in each story. The only downside to reading Shari Lapena is that it appears she releases one a year. For that reason, I recommend dumping the publisher and going indie. Good gracious, once a year? I need more, more, more!
A fabulous read for all Agatha Christie fans. I loved this book with it’s richly written characters and setting. Unrelated guests show up at a weekend getaway hotel in the mountains when a snow storm locks them in and takes the power out. But the real suspense is when people start dying! A fast and enjoyable read.
Makes you thing “what would I do?”
A definite page turner. There are several POV shifts throughout each chapter, so if that’s something you dislike, this isn’t the book for you. I love that when it’s done well, and in my opinion, Lapena has excelled at it.
Of course, it’s not a unique premise — guests stuck at a hotel in an ice storm, someone or someones get murdered — Ruth Ware’s excellent One by One comes to mind — and Agatha Christie was the master of this sort of thing — but still, none of that took away from my enjoyment of the book.
If I have a quibble it’s that there is no way as a reader I could have guessed whodunit…the clues simply weren’t there, or if they were, I missed them. That said, I was satisfied with the ending.
Fast-paced and an easy read.
This was a really good! I was totally shocked about the killer and the very last chapter was a surprise as well! Such a great read.
Absolutely enjoyed this book! Especially the ending. I plan to read more of her books.
Disappointing. Dull characters. Unlikely plot. Weak dialogues. A supposedly romantic input that you don’t think is possible. A few people die for no reason. I don’t understand the hype that was created around Ms Lapena at one point.
I normally have a pretty good idea how the plot is solved…not this one…fun read
Another great book. And another author I’ll be following . You will enjoy this book. Very hard to put down
This book gripped me from the beginning. It’s reminiscent of Ten Little Indians by Agatha Christie. A killer is on the loose at a hotel during a snowstorm. An interesting cast of characters will keep you guessing as to who is responsible. I read this book in one sitting. I just had to know how it ended.
I couldn’t put it down, I loved it!
I love this author and this book does not disappoint. It was suspenseful and a page turner.
Brilliant!
Strangers stuck together, a murder in their midst. Like an Agatha Christie with a modern twist. It felt a bit familiar, but in a cozy, comfortable way. An enjoyable way to spend a Saturday.