Title:- The Guest
Author:- B.A. Paris
Date published:- will be published on 20th February 2024
Publisher:- Hodder and Stoughton
No. of pages:- 320 pages
Genre:- Psychological Thriller
Setting:- Britain, France
Rating:-
Plot:- 4/5
Writing:- 4/5
Overall rating:- 4/5
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?
This is the fourth book I have read from B.A. Paris and I was so excited when I got the ARC of her latest book, The Guest!
Iris and Gabriel are living in the countryside in Britain when their friend Laure unexpectedly comes and stays with them. Laure tells Iris that Pierre her husband has cheated on her and that he is fathering a child, a daughter. Laure stays with Iris and Gabriel till she resolves her issue with Pierre. Meanwhile, Gabriel is dealing with his own demons when a young boy named Charlie Ingram dies in front of Gabriel and he was wondering if he should talk with Charlie’s mother or not about the day Charlie died. And Joseph, a gardener comes to work at Iris and Gabriel’s garden. Gabriel tried to contact Pierre but Pierre wasn’t answering the phone and receives the news that Pierre was found murdered in his workplace.
This was a fast paced thriller. There were some twists and turns and the story is mainly told in Iris and Gabriel’ POVs. Initially, I wasn’t sure if there was a connection between Charlie Ingram and Laure although the connection and everything was explained later on in the book. There were some repetitions in the book which made me give a lower rating for the book. The epilogue and the twist at the end was the unexpected of all in the whole book. The book is mainly about the family drama and dynamics. I actually couldn’t put the book down as I wanted to know what was going to happen in the end. Overall, this is a good thriller and so this book worth four stars.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Hodder for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.
B.A. Paris is the New York Times and Sunday Times Number 1 bestselling author of seven novels including the word-of-mouth hit, Behind Closed Doors and her upcoming thriller, The Guest.
Over 7 million editions of her work have been sold worldwide and her books have been translated into 41 languages. Her novels have been optioned for major screen adaptations with a film of The Breakdown, titled Blackwater Lane, in post production.
Before becoming an author, B.A. Paris worked as a bank trader and teacher in France. Today, she writes from her cottage in Hampshire, England, where she lives with her husband with visits from her five grown-up daughters. She has a newsletter and is on social media @baparisauthor
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