An Unwanted Guest: A Novel by Shari Lapena

An Unwanted Guest: A Novel (original 2018; edition 2019)

by Shari Lapena (Author)

Members	Reviews	Popularity	Average rating	Mentions
1,555	78	12,450	(3.57)	69
Fiction. Literature. Suspense. Thriller. HTML:*AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES* BESTSELLER!** Another thrilling domestic suspense novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door and Not a Happy Family �A gripping mystery perfect for fans of Agatha Christie.� �Good Housekeeping �Another nail-biter perfect for an all-nighter.� �Entertainment Weekly *A weekend retreat at a cozy mountain lodge is supposed to be the perfect getaway . . . but when the storm hits, no one is getting away* It's winter in the Catskills and Mitchell's Inn, nestled deep in the woods, is the perfect setting for a relaxing�maybe even romantic�weekend away. It boasts spacious old rooms with huge woodburning fireplaces, a well-stocked wine cellar, and opportunities for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, or just curling up with a good murder mystery. So when the weather takes a turn for the worse, and a blizzard cuts off the electricity�and all contact with the outside world�the guests settle in and try to make the best of it. Soon, though, one of the guests turns up dead�it looks like an accident. But when a second guest dies, they start to panic. Within the snowed-in paradise, something�or someone�is picking off the guests one by one. And there's nothing they can do but hunker down and hope they can survive the storm�and one another.… (more)

▾Book information

Member:	yellowdaisy210
Title:	An Unwanted Guest: A Novel
Authors:	Shari Lapena (Author)
Info:	Penguin Books (2019), Edition: Reprint, 320 pages
Collections:	Your library
Rating:
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Work Information

An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapeña (2018)

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The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware (MissBrangwen)
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Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie (MissBrangwen)
MissBrangwen: Both mysteries, although different in style, feature the murder of a similar character in a holiday setting.

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Litsy Awards 2018 (87)

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Showing 1-5 of 76 (next | show all)

So, I read this book because its winter where I am and ironically, I was headed to a lodge for a weekend. Happy to report my weekend was better than the one all the guests at Mitchelle's Inn experienced.

Anyway- the review- honestly, I am not sure how to rate this book. I think the book was trying to juggle a lot and I don't think it was too successful at being a thriller. I was interested in David and Gwen, so I kept reading for them.

I give this book 3 stars because while it had a very anticlimactic ending, most of it took place in a lobby. Writing a book that spends easily 120+ pages in a lobby (hotel sitting room? I pictured a big lobby) isn't easy. I can applaud Lapena for having most of the tension in both a lobby and done through dialogue. The setting was great.

The writing was weird. I won't say it worked, but it was definitely fitting. I don't think I would pick up this author again, but if you like thrillers, this was definitely about as cut and dry of a murder mystery thriller as it gets. (

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annahuber13 | Jan 12, 2024 |

I liked this book, despite some of the reviews I would definitely recommend. It's a real whodunnit set in a claustrophobic, nowhere to go setting. It takes place at a hotel in the mountains during a huge snow storm that cuts off the electricity. The guests cannot leave during the storm and cannot call for help while the bodies start piling up. I didn't guess the killer till I was about 90 percent thru and that was only due to process of elimination. The reason I gave it 4 stars was because I felt the clues throughout the book could've been a little better or given the reader some idea of what the connection was.I felt the clues could have been presented better in a way the reader has that OMG moment when the killer is revealed but you don't really have that. Overall good book definitely recommend I liked it but I wanted to love it. (

)

b00kdarling87 | Jan 7, 2024 |

This was a dud for me, yeah we solved the murder but no character was remotely likable really so what did it matter? (

)

hellokirsti | Jan 3, 2024 |

Great mystery overall with strong Agatha Christie vibes, but the “reveal” left a lot to be desired. (

)

mancinibo | Nov 30, 2023 |

Classic murder mystery, but I'm left with some unanswered questions and a minor plot hole. (

)

filemanager | Nov 29, 2023 |

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Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Shari Lapeña	—	primary author	all editions	calculated
Merz, Axel	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Schumacher, Rainer	Translator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Serrano, Ervin	Cover designer	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Vegas, Karina	Photographer	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

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Canonical title

An Unwanted Guest

Original title

An Unwanted Guest

Alternative titles

Original publication date

People/Characters

Important places

Catskill Mountains, New York, USA

Important events

Related movies

Epigraph

Dedication

To Mum

First words

The road curves and twists unexpectedly as it leads higher and deeper into the Catskill Mountains, as if the farther you get from civilization the more uncertain the path.

Quotations

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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

Disambiguation notice

Publisher's editors

Blurbers

MacMillan, Gilly

Original language

English

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Canonical LCC

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▾Book descriptions

Fiction. Literature. Suspense. Thriller. HTML:AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!
Another thrilling domestic suspense novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door and Not a Happy Family

�A gripping mystery perfect for fans of Agatha Christie.� �Good Housekeeping

�Another nail-biter perfect for an all-nighter.� �Entertainment Weekly

A weekend retreat at a cozy mountain lodge is supposed to be the perfect getaway . . . but when the storm hits, no one is getting away
It's winter in the Catskills and Mitchell's Inn, nestled deep in the woods, is the perfect setting for a relaxing�maybe even romantic�weekend away. It boasts spacious old rooms with huge woodburning fireplaces, a well-stocked wine cellar, and opportunities for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, or just curling up with a good murder mystery.
So when the weather takes a turn for the worse, and a blizzard cuts off the electricity�and all contact with the outside world�the guests settle in and try to make the best of it.
Soon, though, one of the guests turns up dead�it looks like an accident. But when a second guest dies, they start to panic.
Within the snowed-in paradise, something�or someone�is picking off the guests one by one. And there's nothing they can do but hunker down and hope they can survive the storm�and one another.

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