The Guest by B.A. Paris

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Date of publication: February 20th, 2024

Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Fiction, Suspense, Adult, Psychological Thriller, Adult Fiction, Contemporary

Purchase Links: Kindle | Audible | B&N | AbeBooks | WorldCat

Goodreads Synopsis:

New York Times bestselling author B. A. Paris captivated psychological thriller readers everywhere with Behind Closed Doors. Now she invites you into another heart-pounding home full of secrets, in The Guest.

Some secrets never leave.

Iris and Gabriel seem to have it all: a beautiful home in the British countryside, a daughter happily working in Greece, and good friends Laure and Pierre from Paris, who they often vacation with. But when a young man has a tragic accident in a nearby quarry, Gabriel is the one to find him and hear his final words, leaving Gabriel with a guilty burden.

As Iris tries to help ease her husband’s trauma, they acquire an unexpected house guest. Laure has seemingly moved in after her husband’s revelation that he has had a child with another woman. Iris and Gabriel insist Laure stay as long as she needs. But Laure keeps wearing Iris’s clothes, following her every move, and asking her about the recent death of the young man.

Their only respite from the increasingly tense atmosphere in their own home comes from a couple new to town and expecting their first child. But with them comes their gardener, who has a checkered past.

With fractured relationships and secrets piling up around them, can Iris and Gabriel’s marriage survive?

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First Line:

Gabriel, his fingers shaking slightly on the stem, handed Iris a glass of champagne, and then gave one to Esme.

The Guest by B.A. Paris

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Important things you need to know about The Guest:

Pace: Medium

POV: Goes between 3rd person (Iris and Gabriel) and 1st person (the killer)

Trigger Warnings: The Guest contains murder, alcoholism, death, infidelity, blood, grief, pregnancy, abandonment, alcohol, suicide, violence, car accident, fire and fire injury, abortion, and adult/minor relationships. If any of these trigger you, I suggest not reading the book.

Language: There is mild swearing in The Guest. There is also language used that might offend some people.

Setting: The Guest is set in a small Scottish village. A few chapters also occur in Paris (Gabriel is looking for Pierre).

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Plot Synopsis (as spoiler-free as I can get):

Iris and Gabriel are living their ideal lives as empty-nesters in a small Scottish village when Gabriel happens upon a horrific accident. Hearing the victim’s last words weighs heavily on Gabriel since he told the police, the mother, and first responders that the victim said something different. Hoping to help Gabriel overcome his guilt, Iris plans a vacation for them. And it seemed to be doing the trick until they arrived home to find that their friend Laure had moved in while they were gone.

Laure left her husband, Pierre, after he told her he had a child with another woman. But the visit stretches into weeks, with Laure showing no sign of leaving, and she starts behaving erratically. Feeling like strangers in their own home, Iris and Gabriel’s marriage starts to crack. But relief does come when Iris befriends a new couple expecting their first child in the village. But they come with baggage—a family friend turned gardener with a checkered past.

Why isn’t Laure leaving, and where is Pierre? How is the gardener connected to everything that is going on? And will Iris and Gabriel’s marriage buckle under the pressure?

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My review:

When I got the widget for The Guest, I was happy about it. I have read and enjoyed books by B.A. Paris before, and I figured that I would like this book. I am slightly ambivalent about it now that I have read the book. I didn’t love it, and I didn’t hate it. If I had to describe my feelings, it would be “meh.”

The main storyline of The Guest centers on Iris, Gabriel, their unwanted houseguest, the death of the boy in the quarry, their new neighbors, and the new neighbor’s gardener. There were parts of this storyline that went on for too long (the whole Laure situation) and other parts that the author seemed to rush through. All of this and the fact that I couldn’t get into the storyline contributed to the ‘meh” factor. And that was disappointing since I enjoy reading books by the author.

The characters were interesting, but I did feel that they weren’t as fleshed out as they could be. All of them felt a little flat. The only character I had a halfway good connection with was Iris, and even then, it was more of a “What the hell. Grow a backbone and throw her out.” connection.

As much as I was “meh” about this book, I will say it had a good mystery/thriller angle. The author did a great job of misdirecting and throwing out red herrings. Why? Because I didn’t see who the killer was until the last chapter. It was such a huge twist and took me entirely by surprise. And when the motive behind everything was revealed, I was shocked. Again, something that I didn’t expect. So, kudos to the author for such an explosive twist.

As I mentioned above, the book’s last chapter had a surprising twist, which I loved. But this is a book that I won’t be rereading. I couldn’t connect with the characters or get involved in the storylines.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and B.A. Paris for allowing me to read and review this ARC of The Guest. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

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