Have you like me, never been on a murder mystery weekend at a remote hotel and then wondered what it would be like to actually go on one ? If so then this could be a book just for you.
I’ve read a couple of Shari Lapena’s books previously and to be honest they have been ok, a bit predictable but ok, and I have liked them enough to want to read her latest book, ‘An Unwanted Guest’.
So our story starts with a number of people heading off in a terrible snow storm to the middle of nowhere in New York State, to a relaxing weekend retreat at a hotel run by father and son, James and Bradley. Ian and Lauren find friends Gwen and Riley crashed in a ditch en route to the hotel, so they offer them a lift to the hotel and agree in light of the storm to get the car recovered in he morning. Beverly and Henry have been married for years but are in a loveless relationship and Beverley is hoping that there weekend away will help to rekindle their love. Matthew and Dana are engaged and due to be married shortly, Matthew is from a wealthy family and his mother doesn’t believe that Dana is good enough for him despite her beauty. Candice is an author with one book behind her and a looming deadline for finishing her second book, she has come to the hotel for inspiration and time away to get the book completed. Finally, there is David, a defence attorney who has just decided to get away from it all for a weekend after a tough time both in his professional and personal life.
With all having arrived at the hotel but very few staff there due to the weather (which is a little strange as all the guests have made it from the city.), the guests congregate in the bar and socialise before sitting down to dinner. David and Gwen catch each other’s eye and begin chatting much to the annoyance of Riley, who after being a journalist, has done two tours of Afghanistan and now suffers from PTSD with all that she has seen and experienced. Matthew and Dana place themselves away in the corner of the restaurant to have a romantic time whilst, Ian and Lauren size everyone up in the room. Beverly and Henry just don’t talk to each other and Candice keeps to herself.
Post dinner as the guests disperse, David finds himself in the library alone and he absorbs himself in a book, before Gwen walks in and they begin chatting by the fire. Cutting to the chase they find each other attractive and with both being single, they end up back in bed in David’s room together. Matthew and Dana end up back in their room, with Matthew only having thoughts of making love to Dana, but upset over the wedding arrangements and the fact her mother in law to be doesn’t like her, they row and go to sleep on unhappy terms. Beverly like Matthew, having been out and purchased new lingerie especially for the weekend, only has one thing on her mind, but Henry is the opposite and berates and belittles her for her efforts. Ian and Lauren however don’t even make it back to their room, having found a dark back staircase where they make love before heading off to bed.
In the middle of the night Beverly is awoken by the sound of a scream, but unsure if she is dreaming or not she turns over and goes back to sleep.
As morning arrives, the snow has turned to sleet and then frozen with all the power and phone lines brought down and the hotel in darkness and no phone connection. Lauren awakens with Ian still snoring so decides to get up and wander around the hotel. Riley and Gwen awaken shortly afterwards to the sounds of a loud piercing scream and both get up to find out it’s source. They find Lauren kneeling at the bottom of the Grand Staircase where Dana’s lifeless body is lying, with her limbs in an unnatural position, attempting to find a pulse.
Other guests rise to find the body and Lauren in tears except for Matthew. David comes down and studies the body without touching it and takes in the scene with his practised eye as a defence attorney. Agreeing to break the news to her fiancé, David goes to tell Matthew the sad news and he breaks down claiming he didn’t know she had even left the room. David is suspicious about Dana’s death as her position does not fit with having fallen down the stairs and the cut to her head is as if it has been smashed against something.
Sharing his views with the other guests and unable to contact the police, the suspicion falls on Matthew, even more so when Beverly comments that she heard them arguing in the room next door. What happens next is that the guests all start to find out more about each other which, in turn makes them suspicious about each other. More deaths occur in and around the house in suspicious circumstances and they all fear for their lives. Over the next 24 hours the race is on to work out which one of them is the killer and why they are doing it, it could be any of them, they all have potential motives with their background, or could there be another person in the hotel who is stalking all of the guests ?? Lapena keeps you guessing right through to just before the end trying to work out whodunnit !!
To be honest, this is an easy read and at times a little bit like playing Cluedo. I found large parts of the plot quite unbelievable amd a bit silly so I didn’t take the storyline too seriously. However, having said that, yet again with a Lapena novel it was ok to read, not a book to set the world on fire, but likewise not one to totally cross off your holiday reading list. What Lapena does well in Unwanted Guest and her other novels I’ve read is to keep you guessing and in suspense.
With a rating from me of 6 out 10, I can suggest you download it on to your kindle for your holiday read and perhaps read it at bedtime with the lights down low !!
More information on the author Sharna Lapena and her books, can be found on her own personal website : http://www.sharilapena.com/
As always, I hope you have enjoyed my review and please feel free to leave comments and follow my regular reviews.
Happy Reading 😊
Canberralover
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