The Guesthouse

This is definitely my kind of book.

From the very beginning you know you are in for a thrilling read; Hannah running and scrambling away from the guest house, terror-stricken and fighting for survival. Then chapter one takes you back to six days earlier. Here you meet Hannah, a desperate soul on self destruction mode. Having broken up with her boyfriend and needing time away, Hannah decides to go on the holiday that she and Ben had booked prior to their breakup.

Hannah is joined by six other guests; a father and son, a couple and their teenage daughter and a musician intending to use the break away to write songs. However, on arrival things do not seem as they should. Strange noises are heard in the night, food is disappearing, and a strange gardener appears but is reluctant to talk. As the guests start to explore and begin to get to know each other they start to wonder whether it is a coincidence that they are all here together or if there was a predetermined guest list that has brought them here. And then the guests start to disappear and some are found dead.

I loved the pace of the novel and the cliff hangers at the end of each chapter which kept me reading long after I should have gone to bed. The setting, an old house full of hidden doors and nooks and crannies was both spooky and fascinating. The weather added to the atmosphere of the novel and I couldn't help but imagine myself right there with the other guests. The concept of being trapped in a strange house not knowing who you could trust, as surely, one of you is the killer kept me hooked. I questioned each character's motives and was on tender-hooks the whole time. As the story unfolded and connections were made I grew to love the story even more. This is definitely a book I will be shouting about and recommending.