Last House Guest

I have now read Megan Miranda's last three books and consider this one the best so far. Writing is excellent - nuanced, thoughtful, and a great mix of description (you can imagine Littleport based on her scene setting alone), action, intrigue. She does a wonderful job with characterization, particularly with the lead character Avery, the “townie” - her backstory unspools as the story proceeds but never in a forced or trite way. There are alternating time frames a year apart, but they are clearly identified and lend a sense of foreboding to the mystery. I got to the “answer” a bit before the end, but not by much and was thoroughly engrossed. Definitely so much more accomplished than others I've read this year in this same genre.