The Overnight Guest
Ratings67
Average rating3.8
15
Ratings67
Average rating3.8
A woman receives an unexpected visitor during a deadly snowstorm in this chilling thriller from New York Times bestselling author Heather Gudenkauf.
True crime writer Wylie Lark doesn’t mind being snowed in at the isolated farmhouse where she’s retreated to write her new book. A cozy fire, complete silence. It would be perfect, if not for the fact that decades earlier, at this very house, two people were murdered in cold blood and a girl disappeared without a trace.
As the storm worsens, Wylie finds herself trapped inside the house, haunted by the secrets contained within its walls—haunted by secrets of her own. Then she discovers a small child in the snow just outside. After bringing the child inside for warmth and safety, she begins to search for answers. But soon it becomes clear that the farmhouse isn’t as isolated as she thought, and someone is willing to do anything to find them.
Reviews with the most likes.
the final chapter patreon book club pick: january 2024
this is such a fun fastpaced wintery thriller
Do you want a book set during a blizzard? Then this is the story for you. And wow is it a good one. Good use of dual timelines, solid development of characters, plot points and important details were eased or rather teased out well. Great winter read. I definitely recommend this one.
Master Class In Suspense. Up front, this tale is told in three different timelines from three different perspectives - so if you're a reader that struggles with that... well, this is an excellent read and you should still try it, but I get it. :) That noted, what makes this tale so strong is that each of the three threads - present day, years ago, and unknown - could be separate books and still be equally compelling, and yet here Gudenkauf weaves them together so masterfully that they play off each other even better and produce an overall much tighter grip on the reader's mind. Yes, they all ultimately come together - and when they do, the finale is ultimately some of the best suspense of the entire book. Which is saying quite a bit, given just how good the parts before that are. This is another one that uses its setting in winter well, as well as its setting in the US central plains arguably even better than its winter placement of the present day timeline. Truly a remarkable work, and very much recommended.
Really enjoyed the book, even though some of the key mysteries could be figured out quickly. But this is ultimately a suspense book.
