An Unwanted Guest

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An Unwanted Guest was tough to put down. Shari Lapena’s novel kept me guessing right up to the finale. That being said, I’ve never really been one to put down a murder mystery of any kind, and An Unwanted Guest will definitely blend into the crowd. I enjoyed reading it, true, but, unlike a really good Agatha Christie, it won’t stand out in my mind upon reflection. As readers, we struggle through whodunits time and time again because we’ve developed faith that the ending will be a satisfying, shocking twist; everything will fall into place and we’ll wonder why we couldn’t see the answer before. Lapena’s novel failed me in this sense. I couldn’t have solved the mystery because I wasn’t given all of the facts until the very end, which left me feeling a bit disappointed. The twist I was expecting at the end never came; Lapena merely revealed more facts that ought to have been hinted at in the first three-fourths of the book. However, the characters were realistic and relatable, and I found myself hoping that none of them turned out to be the murderer. An Unwanted Guest reminds its readers that humans have the capacity to commit shockingly evil – and shockingly righteous – acts under pressure. I’d give this novel a solid three stars. Pick it up if you’re looking for characters to feel for but don’t expect to be satisfied with the ending.


Reviewed By:

Author Shari Lapena
Star Count /5
Format Hard
Page Count 304 pages
Publisher Pamela Dorman Books
Publish Date 2018-Aug-07
ISBN 9780525557623
Bookshop.org Buy this Book
Issue October 2018
Category Mystery, Crime, Thriller
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