An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena
Published by: Doubleday Canada
Published: August 7, 2018
290 Pages
Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
Summary
When ten guests show up at Mitchell’s Inn they are expecting to have a relaxing winter getaway but a blizzard begins leaving them snowed in and without power. The owner James and his son are the only staff at Mitchell’s Inn and they do their best to make the situation as enjoyable as possible but when guests start turning up dead, panic and fear set in amoung the group. Is the murder one of them or is someone else staying at the Inn?
Characters
At the beginning of the book we are quickly introduced to each of the characters as they arrive at Mitchell’s Inn. There are twelve characters and we switch between each of the characters perspectives but from a third-person omniscient narration. So, you don’t get to know the characters that well and they don’t have a distinct voice.
My Thoughts
This was my favourite of Shari Lapena’s I think what I liked most of it was the setting, it was atmospheric and I love a good atmospheric book. I felt like I was snowed in at Mitchell’s Inn with these guests and that I was the unwanted guest.
I did guess who the murder was early on in the book but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book. In a whodunit type of book it is more the why than who for me. As expected there is a plot twist at the very end that I wasn’t shocked by because I had my suspicions and they ended up being right.
- I didn’t like the portrayal of the female characters. I found that they were judgmental and jealous of each other. I wish Shari would have portrayed her female characters better. I would like to think that we aren’t as judgmental and petty.
- The ending was wrapped up a little to quickly. I don’t want to go into details but things were a little to convenient.
- When the reason for the murders are revealed it is just one big info dump of back story and explaining of the murders.
Pros
- I like the simplistic writing style of Shari Lapena’s it makes for an easy read
- Atmospheric, this was my favourite part of the book. Mitchell’s Inn is almost another character in the book.
- Captivating read. Even though I did know who it was I didn’t know the why and found myself captivated to the end.
Overall
An Unwanted Guest is an entertaining read and recommend if you like a fast-paced whodunit read. This is a book that I would love to see get turned into a movie. When Shari Lapena comes out with a new book I will be picking it up because I do enjoy her books.
