Book Review: An Unwanted Guest | Shari Lapena

An instant classic for me! Lapena has completely stolen my focus—my mind is captivated by this story! There is something magical about An Unwanted Guest that is hard to describe without having read it. This book has a vintage feel, like watching a film noir mystery late on a cozy evening in. The kind of film where you’re so engrossed, you lose track of everything happening around you, only to jump at the clanging of the gate outdoors in a gust of wind.

I absolutely loved this book, and most of my Traveling Sisters agreed! A spell was cast over the Traveling Sisters, and every time I checked our discussion, another sister was glowing with the pleasure of this story! Everything from the quaint, cozy lodge, to the vintage-chic murders, to the characters was perfection. I can’t wait for readers to share this experience with us!

About the Book

In a cozy, old-fashioned, opulent lodge filled with antique furniture, crackling fireplaces, and a vintage bar cart, a group of strangers arrive for a weekend away. The snow is billowing outside, and the lodge is far from town, but the fires are warm, the bar is stocked, and the owner is gracious and welcoming. It’s the perfect getaway, right?

Each of the guests has a need for this weekend retreat. A romantic getaway for young lovers, a pre-wedding relaxation retreat, a last-ditch effort to save a marriage, a friendship struggling to survive the demons in their past, a writer looking for solitude to create, and someone looking to escape a secret.

And then the electricity goes out. Cut off from the outside world, the guests are thankful to have such cozy accommodations. But then one of the guests turns up dead. With access to the lodge unpassable, the guests must face the fact that there are only two options: one of them is a murderer, or there is an unknown, extra guest at the lodge…

Reflection

This book feels like old classic mysteries. Like Murder on the Orient Express, where the characters all have a mysterious past to hide, and one of them may be a murderer. Where, cut off from the outside world, they’ll have nothing but their powers of deduction to find the culprit before they are picked off one by one. I’m a big Agatha Christie fan. I used to read those books with my grandmother, so I really felt her when I read this. My grandmother would have loved this book, and I loved getting to feel like a part of her was with me while I read this.

This book is entirely different—but no less engrossing—than the work I’ve read previously by Lapena. I can see her breadth as a writer showing. This almost feels like a different genre than she usually writes, but she executed it flawlessly. It feels like a book that was always meant to be written. It feels like a book I must have read before, but also like nothing I’ve ever read. I felt an instant familiarity and comfort when I started this book. By the second page, it already felt perfectly suited to me. It was as though I was reading an old favorite for the 100^th time.

But I don’t want that to sound like this story has been told before. Every twist and turn was a delight! I could acutely envision the settings and characters. Though there are many characters and no primary narrator, I was able to tell each apart because they had such distinct personalities and back stories. The way the back stories of each unfolded was captivating. I wanted to know more. I thought any of them and none of them could be the murderer.

And without spoiling, I have to say the very last chapter left me with a grin of pleasure on my face. It was perfect! The last little twist left me giddy with excitement. I can’t wait for readers to discover this book!

Thank you to Penguin Books, Transworld Books, and Pamela Dorman Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.