This was definitely my kind of thriller. Smart and gripping without the need to enter into cliche content like domestic abuse, bad husband, crazy wife, etc.
I like Shari Lapena’s writing as well. She grips you with the tension and how she explains the setting. I would read her again and again.

In this book, we're in a remote hotel: Mitchell’s Inn. There is no wi-fi, no phone signal. It's a luxurious escape into the wilderness. The story starts when our strangers gather in this hotel for a weekend break, not knowing they will be trapped with a sudden storm. And of course, one guest is found dead, looking like an accident. But, is it?

It really sounds like a good Agatha Christie book, isn't it? That's why I loved this thriller. It was the same style, and good writing. I wish the ending was more dramatic and not rushed, but all in all it was a very very good thriller. I would definitely recommend it.
A small note to the publisher, it was a very good winter read because of the setting, so it would be better if it came out in winter.
Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for granting a free e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is set in a small hotel, set in the mountains. As the guests start to arrive a snowstorm sets in. All the guests wanted a weekend away from the stresses of modern day life but they end up with something completely different. As they arrive the snow gets worse and they find themselves snowed in and without electricity after a power cut. This makes for an Agatha Christie murderous weekend style of book. Bodies start piling up and guests start revealing their dark secrets. Is the murderer one of the guests or is there a stranger at the hotel? This book is an engrossing whodunnit which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

If you love classic murder mysteries from the golden age of crime fiction, Shari Lapena's latest novel will be right up your bookshelves.

Set during a violent, freezing ice storm that leaves guests stranded without power at a remote hotel, An Unwanted Guest has a definite Christie-like vibe about it. Run by James Harwood, Mitchell's Inn is located in the snowy Catskill mountains near the Hudson River. But when the storm prevents the Inn's staff from making it into work, James and his son, Bradley, are left looking after the guests - the ones that managed to brave the storm, anyway - themselves.

Over drinks on the first night, the guests become acquainted with one another. Wealthy New Yorker Matthew Hutchinson and his beautiful fiance, Dana, are looking to escape the chaos of planning their dream wedding. Fearing her marriage to Henry is on the rocks, Beverly Sullivan has booked a romantic weekend away with her husband - who would rather be anywhere but at a hotel with his wife. Ian Beeton and Lauren Day are a couple who have booked into the hotel for a dirty weekend. Writer/author Candice White hopes the quiet will permit her to finish her book, having been unable to thus far while caring for her elderly mother. David Paley, a defence lawyer, is taking a break from his highly stressful job. And Gwen Delaney has pursuaded her best friend, Riley Shuter, a journalist prone to panic attacks and suffering from PTSD since returning from Afghanistan, that some rest and relaxation at the remote hotel may be just what her jangling nerves need.

Initially the guests appear to get on quite well but that soon changes when one of them is found dead at the bottom of the grand staircase and David Paley suspects it may not have been an accident. When a second guest is strangled there can be no doubt: the Inn has a killer in its midst. But is it a guest, or has an intruder managed to sneak into the hotel unnoticed?

With both the power and phone lines down, there's no way for the police to be contacted until the storm clears and fraught nerves lead the survivors to become suspicious of one another. Sitting around the fire, sharing secrets and with accusations flying, can the remaining guests survive another night until help can be summoned?

An Unwanted Guest is a cleverly crafted, well-written whodunnit that I was reluctant to put down. Often, when a novel has multiple points of view and the narrative switches between characters, it can be confusing when a new 'voice' takes over, but I didn't find that to be the case here. If anything, seeing the events unfold through the eyes of the different guests helped add to the tension, as the body count rises and the suspect pool thins, each guest becoming more fearful.

With masterful misdirection and red-herrings galore, armchair detectives young and old will have their work cut out in identifying the culprit before the author reveals all, but I have no hesitation in recommending this title to those who like putting their little grey cells to the test.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the book in exchange for an honest review.
This is a very Agatha Christie type of thriller and is a very accomplished story, well written and well thought out..
It was an engrossing read and the setting in a small isolated hotel in a snow storm with no power and different guest being killed off keeps you guessing until the end.
Recommended.

I love nothing more than a claustrophobic setting, so as soon as I read the premise of Lapena’s latest novel, An Unwanted Guest, I knew this would make the perfect weekend read for me!

Eight guests arrive for a weekend getaway at a quaint hotel in the Catskill Mountains, run by a father and son team. Set in a remote nature spot away from civilisation and without mobile phone or wifi, the hotel offers the perfect place to relax and leave the stresses of everyday life behind. As a snowstorm howls outside, and the roads are getting rapidly snowed in, the guests settle in for a cosy drink in front of the fire. In the morning, one of them will be dead. Without electricity, phone reception or a way out, the remaining guests find themselves at the mercy of a ruthless killer – has a stranger made it into the building, or is the murderer in their midst? As the body count rises, the group of strangers must fight for their survival – and not everyone will make it out alive.

I confess that I simply loved the setting of An Unwanted Guest! Lapena does an excellent job in creating the perfect atmosphere for murder: the initial cosy warmth of an old-fashioned hotel set amidst a snow covered landscape, a fire burning in the grate, soft chairs inviting guests to gather in the hotel lobby as they look forward to a weekend of relaxation. It all sounded so idyllic! Until the blizzard cuts off electricity and the roads become impassable, confining people indoors. Suddenly, the snow is not so pretty anymore as the wind howls around the building, ice covered branches of trees becoming missiles, the fire in the grate barely giving off enough warmth to escape the brutal winter cold. The chill and the fear become so palpable that it even invaded my own cosy living room and a shiver ran down my spine!

One by one the guests are being killed off and there is no way out. The novel was reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s locked door mystery And Then There Were None with a modern setting. Here, we also have a bunch of characters who each have a dark secret in their past. None of them are particularly likeable, and by getting glimpses of each person’s thoughts through multiple POVs, each and every one of them could potentially be the murderer. As the group is confined indoors due to the inclement weather, the former idyllic setting soon turns into your worst nightmare, the hotel becomes a death trap, and personalities clash and shatter under the strain. Lapena knows how to build tension, and when my bathroom door slammed in the wind whilst reading this I nearly fell out of bed with fright, my heart rate rocketing up to 200 and my muscles aching with the adrenaline rush!

Lapena has a very distinctive writing style that never looks too deeply into any of her characters’ psyches. Whilst we get to see some of their thoughts, I never felt like I was truly getting close to any of them, which in this case worked quite well, as it allowed me to consider each and every one of them as a suspect. I felt that Lapena really came into her own with this novel, using her unique voice to its fullest potential, which made this tense whodunit a definite favourite out of all her books for me. Whilst I normally prefer novels where I can get a bit deeper into the characters’ minds and have someone to root for, in this case I appreciated and enjoyed the fast pace and unrelenting tension of this classic whodunit. Its chilly atmosphere totally absorbed me and I sat up late into the night until I finished it. Recommended as the perfect weekend or getaway read!

Absolutely loved this book. It has such a modern Agatha Christie vibe, couple of distressed females, a nasty old man, middle aged man with unfortunate past and secrets. Everyone has secrets, there is plenty of them!
I am a big fan of Christie and this is one of the rare books I've enjoyed pretty much like her work. The ending wasn't as glorious as Ten Little Indians's but still this was an unputdownable read.
Several strangers meet in a hotel in a remote place, snow and ice block the roads and they get trapped in the hotel. Then someone falls from the stairs and dies. Is it an accident? Or a murder?
Such a tense and atmospheric read. Lapena's writing is very good.
There were some repetitions but I am guessing this was an early draft and not a final copy, so probably will be edited.
Thanks for NetGalley and Random House UK for this copy.

As the guests arrive at the beautiful, remote Mitchell's Inn, they're looming forward to a relaxing weekend in the forest miles from anywhere.

Its a mixed bunch of people who have booked into Mitchell's Inn for the weekend. It's miles from anywhere and set deep into the woods. There are ten guests plus the owner, James, and his son, Bradley. The guests arrive during a snow storm and it's not long before they are snowed in. The guests enjoy their first evening, but by the morning, one of them is dead. The nightmare for the surviving guests is just beginning.

This book is written style if Agatha Christie's And Then There We're None. Most of the characters have dark secrets, which are slowly revealed to us. Although it's a bit far fetched at times, it won't effect your judgement of this quick read. They have the expected power cut, and of course there is no back up generator and of course there aren't any lamps and or enough candles. The phone lines are also down. There is plenty of red herrings. I had no idea who the murderer was.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and the author Shari Lapena for my ARC in exchange for an honest 'review.

I’m a huge lover of Miss Marple and An Unwanted Guest paid homage to Agatha Christie in the best way. (I promise at some point I’ll review some books that aren’t crime/thrillers but today is not that day!).

After finishing An Unwanted Guest, I immediately rang my Dad to tell him he HAD to read this book. We both love thriller novels but I only recommend the best to him. Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None is one of my favourite books so to read this more modern version with a few differences was a real treat.

Some of the guests wanted a romantic weekend away, some a few days away from the stresses and distractions of everyday life. What they get is something quiet different.
Trapped in a hotel they cannot escape, guests being murdered on by one. Who can they trust? Will they be next?

A fast paced, modern day, locked room type murder mystery of a group of people trapped inside a remote hotel after a major snow storm.

Guests first arrive to learn that a number of staff have been unable to make it into work, so the owner and his son gather everyone together, after arrival, for drinks whilst they prepare them all a meal.
People are introduced, everyone is people watching, trying to figure out what they are like and who they are. But mainly jus5 looking forward to a quiet weekend away.
In the morning, however, they wake to find the power has gone and a dead body of one of the guest lies at the foot of the main stair case.
Did she fall? One of the guest thinks not and with no working phone line or mobile reception they are trapped.

A fast flowing whodunnit that kept me gripped till the end.

An Unwanted Guest by Shari lapena

As the guests gather at Mitchell’s Inn, a remote country hotel in New York State, a winter storm strikes, sealing the inhabitants into the hotel with snow and lethal ice, cutting them off completely from the outside world. For some of the guests this might be a good thing, especially the writer who wants some peace and quiet to work on her book, for the high powered defence attourney who needs a break, as well as the young couple wanting some time alone before the bustle of their big society wedding. For others, though, enforced seclusion seems a terrible thing. Particularly for the couple who have to decide whether it’s worth trying to save their marriage for the last time, or for the two women who have been friends for many years but whose relationship is now threatened by secrets. And then there’s the poor owner of the hotel and his son – how to look after their guests in such circumstances? But all might have been well if it hadn’t have been for the body found at the foot of the stairs…

I read An Unwanted Guest in one sitting during a very hot summer’s day when the idea of a country retreat cut off by snow and ice, with cosy fires and cocktail trolleys and libraries, seemed particularly appealing. Except for the killer guest, of course… I could have managed without them. I was immediately sucked into the book and I could not put it down unfinished. This is cosy crime at its most appealing, ticking all of the boxes, and beautifully written to boot.

There are huge similarities to Agatha Christie’s superb And Then There Were None. This did rather take me aback at first but really this resemblance could be hailed as a homage to Christie. It captures the mood and menace while also repeating Christie’s magnificence in revealing an excellent plot, bit by bit, and hiding the killer until the last minute and doing a fine job of keeping their identity hidden. I did not guess who did it! I’m so pleased about that.

I loved the wintry menace of An Unwanted Guest. The Inn is described wonderfully, managing to be both cosy and terrifyingly chilly. The small group of characters is fascinating. Each has a story to tell, secrets to hide, and it’s so much fun finding out what they are. The claustrophobic setting, the unexpected deaths, the limited number of suspects, the influence of the stormy weather – all are classic ingredients and Shari Lapena puts them together perfectly. Arguably, An Unwanted Guest is too similar to And Then There Were None, a novel I’ve read several times, but it’s nevertheless a huge amount of fun and definitely not easy to put down.

I haven’t been a fan of all of Shari Lapena’s novels but I absolutely loved An Unwanted Guest and would recommend it to anyone after a good holiday read, especially if you need to cool down in the heat!

Other review
The Couple Next Door

"An Unwanted Guest" had an old school crime fiction feel to it which was complemented by the dark and oppressive atmospherics. Definitely a little of Agatha Christie in this story which was amazing, it reminded me especially of "And Then There Were None". There aren't many contemporary crime writers who can create this type of atmosphere. Ms Lapena pulls it off with aplomb, everything seems to align to create a story I truly loved.

The book is set in the beautiful, if isolated, Catskill mountains close to the Hudson river at a snow-covered Mitchell's Inn - a local hotel run by James Harwood and his family. All guests have arrived but the weather further deteriorates meaning that there is no longer access to a telephone and the Inn has lost power. Luckily, most of the guests take this in their stride and can see that taking a break from the wider world could be a positive thing. However, when one of them is found dead at the bottom of the stairs, a feeling of fear and mistrust emerges and everyone is on their guard. Some guests have their suspicions but could the victim not simply have fallen? The reply soon comes when another guest is found strangled and the killing doesn't end there. With no way of contacting the police they can only wait until contact can be made - until then suspicion is rife and nobody knows who they can trust. Will they live to tell the tale?

Lapena has once again created a readable narrative that effortlessly drew me in. It was an unsettling and uncomfortable story and as the tension builds you are constantly wondering what will happen next. You have no idea who can be trusted and you carry on reading in order to establish who the actual killer is. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed my time snowed-in alongside the Mitchell's Inn guests - Lapena did a sound job of ratcheting up the suspense right through to the conclusion.

Many thanks to Random House UK -Transworld/Bantam Press for an ARC. I was not required to post a review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Mitchell’s Inn is snowed in. No phone reception. No access to the outside world until the storm clears.
When a body is found at the bottom of the stairs - seemingly the victim of an accident – she is covered her with a sheet while the guests try to wait out the storm.
Except, the occupants soon realise that maybe it wasn’t an accident. Maybe she is the first and until the snow is cleared, they are stuck inside the hotel, unsure whether they can trust each other, wary of who might be lurking uninvited within the secluded retreat.
This is a layered, suspenseful thriller that leaves the best twist until just after you think you’ve figured it out, as the characters stories and possible motivations unfold. As it’s revealed why each guest is at the Mitchell’s Inn, I found myself playing sleuth, trying to find the killer before the next murder.
While it's not in the traditional domestic noir home setting, it is almost an 'out of the box' take on the genre, as the characters take their lives and complexities on a remote holiday. Fans of Domestic Noir will devour this.

I loved this book. It reminded me of an old fashioned murder mystery by Agatha Christie. In fact it was better than that, it really gave me the creeps. A hotel, a snowstorm, a power cut and a killer amongst the guests, what's not to love. I think An Unwanted Guest is Shari Lapenas best book yet!

Really twisted plot with lots of suspense and edge of your seat anticipation. I really enjoyed this, the characters were interesting and there were some great red herrings.

Darkly atmospheric, and a classic whodunnit in a location cut off from outside help. There’s a real sense of suspense that’s ramped up a notch with each chapter, and keeps you guessing all the way to the end.

This is a thriller reminiscent of the style of Agatha Christie, guests at a remote hotel just outside New York are trapped due to a snow storm, with all communications, heat and light cut off, when one by one there are dead bodies appearing! I found it a bit hard to keep up with the story at first as there were a lot of characters introduced all at once. I restarted the book and paid more attention to who was who and once I got into it properly I really enjoyed it. I like a book that uses the point of view of several of the characters as you can get into their heads properly and figure out their motivations for their actions, so I found this way of storytelling very effective.
The first body is found early in the morning of the first full day, and by late evening, the body count has risen, so the remaining guests spend the night together in the hotel lounge for safety. By this time the tension has really ramped up with everyone too scared to go to sleep and a mixture of nerves, fear and alcohol leading to paranoia running wild.
Very atmospheric and creepy, I would certainly recommend this book.

A group of guests arrive at Mitchell’s Inn for a weekend away. They observe each other from a distance in this remote location. Then the weather closes in leaving them completely cut off from the outside world. They’re isolated. No one can get in or out. Then the first body appears.

I really enjoyed this book. It felt like a modern day Agatha Christie novel to me. The plot line flowed well with some great twists and turns and built to a good ending. Great characters that will keep you enthralled.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK and the author for the chance to review.

Fab read - atmospheric and tense. Loved this book. Strong characters and loads of twists and turns to keep you guessing

Creepy and addictive... I absolutely loved this book... a classic style whodunnit with an Agatha Christie vibe that kept me guessing til the end. I have read other books by Shari Lapena but this is definitely my favourite, and is one of the best books I have read this year.

The guests start arriving to the remote Mitchell's Inn. They are all there for a relaxing weekend away from all the stresses of modern life. There is no Wifi, nothing close for miles Andrea that is exactly what the guests want... until the first body is found at the bottom of the stairs on the first morning. A fierce snowstorm hits and takes out the electricity. The guests start to speculate on what happened the night before... is there a killer among them?

This book will have you pointing the finger at all the characters. You will not know who to believe and the plot only thickens as the story moves along. A fantastic read, highly recommended.

Thanks to Random House UK and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased

Having read Shari's other books which I enjoyed I was excited to read an Unwanted quest, sadly I felt let down as I couldn't get into it at all unlike her other books which were so addictive