An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena

Author : Shari Lapena
Title : An Unwanted Guest
Published : 2018
Publisher : Bantam Press
Genre : Mystery / Thriller
Pages : 304

     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... 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...

     This is the second book by Lapena that I have read. My first time was not exactly met with great enthusiasm. I was left feeling like I had read it before and nearly gave up reading it. So when it comes to  An Unwanted Guest I had not really given it much thought. But a friend of mine who I trust whole heartily in the matter of books told me she had felt the same but had given the author another go and had really enjoyed this one. So I figured at worst I would lose a couple of hours and decide to give it a go. 

     Having spent some time with this book I was glad that I gave her another go. Deciding to set your mystery in a very closed environment means that you need to have strong characters to bind the story. And here she delivers in great bounds, as we progress through the story we get to delve into there lives and see all the little twists and turns the brought each of them to be stuck in this hotel in the middle of nowhere. With an ever-changing viewpoint it helps to keep the reader on their toes. I found myself becoming invested in each of them all the while trying to dig to the bottom of who the killer is. For me, each of them gave me false leads and hopes, as you would imagine this also allows each reader to have one or two they feel more deeply for. 

     The style of this book took me back to those bygone eras of crime fiction, and in many ways, it reminded me of Agatha Christie's books. It is a book driven by its characters and allows the reader to be dragged into this claustrophobic environment. The weather playing a big part into this story under any normal situation a call to the police or simply leaving would get you out of danger. But with this added element it brings the walls in as I tried to beat the author in the hunt for a killer. I'm happy to say that as the end came into sight I was still fairly clueless as to the killer's identity, which is not to say my mind was not full of clues and possibilities. Unlike my previous experience with this author, I found myself racing to get through the pages and find out how all the clues fit together. 

     Overall I would happily recommend this book to anyone looking for something in the style of the old classic. It would also be of great interest to anyone looking for a good mystery, It draws you in and with every truing page adds more to the reader's deep suspicion as to this motley band of people.