Finished in less than 24 hours! Kept me interested in what is going on but I wish there was more plot to the story. I wasn’t a fan of the ending but I enjoyed some twists and turns through it all. It was a crazy ride nonetheless!

The book opens with the murder of Matthew, and we meet the three other people that were present at the table: Charlie, the husband, Titus, the son, and Rachel. Rachel is the one accused of the murder, but yet the last line of the prologue reads, "Why would Rachel confess to a murder she did not commit?"

We go backwards in time, and we see the events that lead up to the day of the murder. I really enjoyed the way this book was laid out, it was kind of reminiscent of a crime show episode, showing the murder first and then trying to uncover how it occurred. We meet Charlie, and learn more about his relationship with Matthew and their son Titus, and how they came to meet Rachel, a stranger with a mysterious background who somehow becomes involved in their lives.

I enjoyed how the suspense and mystery was laid out, especially with how they introduced us to each suspect. Rachel is seen as the most suspicious of them all, especially when you discover her ulterior motives, but since we know she didn't do it, that just increases the mystery surrounding the actual killer. Between Charlie and Titus, equal amounts of suspicious things occur so you are kept guessing until the end as to who actually committed the murder. I did not guess the actual motive, and was pleasantly surprised at the end of the book when everything was fully explained. I was also not prepared for the aftermath at the end, which was really quite interesting. It gave it a unique ending that really matched the tone of the book perfectly. There aren't always happy endings, and this book is perfect proof that a book doesn't always need one to be a great read.

Can the story of a murder ever be light and entertaining? Well, yes it can and this one is just that. Four people at a dinner and none of them are what they seem to be. We start with the murder and the layers unfold from there. Kept me guessing until the end.
#netgalley

if your like movies that involve Hannibal Lecter, this is a book that makes you feel like you are watching Hannibal. It was very thrilling and felt like it was messing with my head. A very chilling, thrilling psychological book.

Cleverly Constructed Domestic Noir....
Cleverly constructed domestic noir, almost in traditional vein but with a neat and distinctive voice. A web of lies, deceit and deception. Credible cast of characters and a compelling narrative. An intriguing and thoroughly enjoyable read.

This was a mystery where you know off the bat who was killed, but you don’t know by whom or for what reason. It’s a fine whodunnit, but I think they should have had more potential suspects to add to the excitement. There was a very small cast of characters that made the ultimate answer to the major question a bit anti climatic. Additionally, the wild antics of the son, Titus, added no real significance to the story and his behavior just seemed a bit random. 3 star ⭐️ rating for this one.

The Dinner Guest was my introduction to the writing of B .P. Walter, and you can be sure that I will be eagerly anticipating the next release from this talented and exciting voice. I was long overdue to immerse myself completely in a compelling and twisty narrative that I could not put down, and this absolute gem more than fit the bill.

Charlie is happily married to Matthew, and the two are jointly raising a son, Titus. A chance encounter in a bookstore introduces the couple to Rachel, a seemingly friendly and innocuous fellow shopper. Following a brief conversation, Charlie is shocked when Matthew invites the stranger to his book club, essentially granting her access to the inner sanctum of their shared domesticity. What happens next sets the stage for an Agatha Christie-esque whodunit with enough twists and turns to have you tearing breathlessly through the pages. Very well-played Mr Walter. I cannot wait to see what you have in store next. 4.5 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for an ARC.

What a gripping, rollercoaster ride! One of the best thrillers I’ve read in years. A deliciously devious set of characters and tons of twists and plot strands. And so refreshing to have a gay protagonist in a commercial thriller! Fantastic!

*Many thanks to BP Walter, HarperCollins UK, and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
A thriller which does not allow you to solve the mystery too early, however, the way is rather bumpy.
A happily married two gay who bring up a boy together bump into a young woman quite by chance, or so it seems, and from now on their lives change.
I found the beginning quite good but the more I learnt about the characters, the less I became engaged in the story, and during some scenes I could not stop rolling my eyes. The culmination was much too much and yawning added to eye-rolling. I am sorry but the plot is most implausible and I do not mean the world of the rich but the situations in which they find themselves. And although the twist was there, it felt flat to me.

Agatha Christie + Gillian Flynn = one hell of a psychological thriller!

A dinner for four. One dead. One holding the knife.
It should be a fairly easy assessment as to whodunnit....but is anything ever really that simple?

Matthew and Charlie live a very comfortable London lifestyle with their son, Titus. That all changes upon a chance encounter with Rachel at a bookstore. A seemingly unfamiliar face. Or is it? As Rachel fast tracks herself into their lives she leaves Matthew and Titus keen to know her better and Charlie continually unnerved.

Told in the perspective of Charlie and Rachel both before and after the murder, the reader is fed breadcrumbs of clues as to who the actual stranger “may” be in this dynamic. And just when you think you’ve got it all figured out....behold! Yet another twist!

B.P. Walter has crafted a tale worthy of praise. The Dinner Guest is a wild ride from start to finish that will indelibly leave you hungry for more.

Thank you to NetGalley and B.P. Walter for the advance reader copy.

Phenomenal. I literally could not put this book down!

The Dinner Guest is a thrilling, suspense-filled story which starts right in the middle of the action when Charlie and his son Titus are faced with the murder of their Husband / Father - Matthew in their home, a 999 call and the confession of Rachel - a mysterious stranger who has recently appeared in their lives.

Who is Rachel? Why has she done this and what on earth is going on?

After bringing us in right at the scene of the crime, we see the clock turned back twelve months before the murder, and the story unfolds from there as we are drawn further into the web of secrets and lies. Told from the perspectives of Charlie and Rachel, and shifting between months prior to the murder, day of and days after, this complex story is domestic noir at its absolute best.

B P Walter has intricately woven the details of this plot, in such a manner that immediately hooks you in, and brings shocking twist after twist. The tension is beautifully balanced, quickly painting a picture of idyllic domesticity and promptly proceeding to turn that on its head with cliff hanger moments! I particularly enjoyed the use of dialogue and the detailed portrayal of this marriage and family, their lifestyle, their habits, and how thoroughly we get to know each of the characters. It is a story that takes its time and therefore is thorough in exploration of each of the threads in the plot.

With themes of vengeance, secrets, lies and trust to name but a few, it gets to a point where you're questioning each and every character and wonder what what will happen next... prepare to have your theories blown out of the water time and time again.

I highly recommend!

Many thanks to OneMoreChapter and NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review

We’re you invited to dinner? Well sit yourself down, and enjoy! Because this may be an interesting meal you may need plenty of wine.

As four people sit down for dinner, only three will leave the table alive. Are you curious? Matthew is dead and Rachel is holding the knife and confessing! So what happened?

Matthew is much loved by his husband Charlie, they have a fifteen-year-old son Titus and then there is Rachel, but where does she fit in? Charlie was suspicious of Rachel from the time they had met 12 months earlier.

Matthew hosts a bookclub, whilst in a bookshop they meet Rachel, Matthew decides to ask her to join the book club as she has recently moved to the area most of the members are quite affluent. Charlie doesn’t approve of the quick relationship between Matthew and Rachel. Is he right to be suspicious? As she gradually inserts herself into the life of the family. At the first book club meeting, Charlie finds Rachel snooping in their bedroom. What is she looking for?

But can Rachel be trusted? What is she up to? She manages to get a job and accommodation with Charlie’s godmother. She builds a friendship with Titus after coming to his aid during a mugging. But was she following Titus? Charlie thinks so.

As you read on the revelations are given out slowly jumping back twelve months


This is a book full of secrets, lies, revenge, hate, justice, anger, illicit sex, drugs and adultery add sprinkle that with a spoonful of betrayal and wait to see what happens, because we know something will, with all this toxicity.

This is a well thought out and plotted psychological thriller that will you guessing, as it jumps back and forth in time before the murder and after, with twists and turns that make your head spin. Delving into the characters backgrounds. The story is told through the points of view of Rachel and Charlie, but how reliable are they as narrators? Charlie hints that Rachel is not guilty, but if that’s the case why did she confess? And why is she in prison.

I like to like a character in the books I’m reading, someone I can root for, but the characters in this story, I just didn’t find likeable in any way. But with the plot pushing the story it makes for a good read.

I would like to thank #netgalley and #onemorechapter for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest, fair and unbiased review.

So. I am borrowing this pic. Not mine. However #thedinnerguest #bpwalter #onemorechapter #netgalley #harpercollinsuk this was released TODAY. Go grab it. You think you know but 🤯 when a new person arrives in an affluent town and gets invited to their book club what will happen? While one husband seems smitten with her another is totally paranoid. Or is he? Run. Find out who survived the dinner. And who didn’t. You will have no regrets. Perfect for this #springbreak #bookstamums #booklover #readersofinstagram #bookrecommendations

The Diner Guest is narrated from the dual POV of the victims husband Charlie Allerton-Jones and Rachel Holden. It follows a dual timeline which takes place after and before Matthew’s murder.

I will keep this review short and sweet because I don’t want to give away a single little thing which I believe is easy to do. I went into this book thinking that I everything figured out but oh boy how very wrong I was. There are so many twists and secrets that will leave you guessing right until the very end.

This was a very interesting story that had me hooked from the very beginning.

What a great read. This had a lot of Agatha Christie vibes to me, and I mean that as a big compliment. I loved the shifts in time and different points of view. It just kept increasing the suspense! Great characters, superb plot development, and fabulous ending!!

A unique thriller that get me guessing from start to finish! I was hooked from the opening sentence and have to admit I rushed through this book, greedy for answers. I loved the different narratives and viewpoints, this was an aspect of the book that really helped to hold my attention. The characters although rather spoilt with lavish lifestyles were easy to connect to. In summary this book is a fantastic, clever read and I highly recommend it

What a thriller! It is the definition of listen to your gut instinct. The dinner guest had me second guessing and wondering through out the book with all of the read herrings. It was fast paced and pulls you in instantly, leaving you wanting more. High recommend.

This was a crazy and thrilling ride!! I loved all the twists and turns. I also enjoy having different POV in books and I loved learning about the different characters in this. I have to say I read lots of thrillers and this on for sure kept me guessing!
Thank you for the ARC!

Charlie and Matthew Allerton-Jones are a married gay couple and are raising Titus. Both men are from very wealthy families living in the nicest areas of London.

Charlie meets a young woman named Rachel at the local bookstore and introduces her to Matthew there. As they chat, Matthew reaches out to Rachel inviting her to join the book club he has been a part of for some time. Charlie is skeptical of her joining the club which Matthew thinks is silly. As Rachel gets to know some of their wealthy friends, she manages to wiggle herself into their lives. Who is she and why is she there? She is obviously not part of their privileged group but only Charlie appears to be unwelcoming.

The story switches back and forth in time to let us know why Rachel is there and what her intention is. The history of the family members, events that happened in the past, and revenge is in the works.

This is a rather long book that encompasses friends and family from both Charlie and Matthew’s sides. We get a look into the lives of wealthy people and how they live. We also see some of the seedy things that happen even to the wealthy.

It’s difficult to give out teasers without letting too much information out. Suffice to say that readers will enjoy this book that tells an unusual story that will keep them turning pages. B. P. Walter has done it again. Come join the dinner party.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Domestic thrillers have steadily become a key ingredient in my reading diet. As COVID-19 struck I found myself wavering on them since we were all stuck inside now. But I have slowly opened up to them again and I'm glad to say that they still hit the spot. Thanks to One More Chapter and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Aaah perfect families, this beautiful trope of domestic thrillers. They are wealthy (or at least well-off), beautiful, well-connected, deeply content with each other and successful. But once you get a peek behind their front door you realize it is all a fiction and everything is hanging by a thread. I adore this set-up because it confirms what I've always suspected: no one has their sh*t together and everyone lies at least a little bit. We have all been stuck inside a lot more this past year so we understand the tensions that can arise that means a small omission can turn into a massive betrayal. So if the tension at home is already high, what happens when someone else enters into that dynamic? What do you do when someone is suddenly there, seemingly always there, and you're the only one who doesn't trust them?

In The Dinner Guest we start at the end. Matthew is dead, Rachel is calling the police, bloody knife in her hand, and Charlie is just sitting there, confused. From there we keep around this moment, witnessing the year-long build-up to this moment and the days immediately following the murder. There is a lot of guessing done by the reader for about 70% of the book, at which point B.P. Walter begins to reveal the pieces leading up to the grand reveal. I adore the guessing part and I did feel like Walter made sure to drop hints here or there which then became clear later on in the book. Sometimes it does feel like we're being teased with secrets, where the reader knows there is something they don't know and that thing explains everything. Sometimes this is fun, sometimes this is frustrating, and The Dinner Guest moves back and forth on that. However, I didn't find myself connecting to the characters as much as I would have liked. Although they were all technically interesting they did feel like pastiches at times and I couldn't really buy any of them as fully-fledged adults.

Although I have seen B.P. Walter's books around, this is my first go at one of his. I have to admit that I was caught up in The Dinner Guest pretty quickly. For me it is always the mystery that gets me first, it is what I will keep reading for, but it is everything around the mystery that will let a book sink in with me. I found the central mystery at the heart of The Dinner Guest fascinating. Who murdered Matthew and why? Why is it so hard to decide when there are max three suspects? My one criticism of The Dinner Guest is that while Walter makes an attempt at societal critique it falls flat almost completely. The characters snipe at each other to be less conservative and more open-minded, less snobbish and more charitable, but this never goes further than the surface. Like many other books, there is a fascination with the rich and landed, with their beautiful houses and storied history. While the blurb seems to link this to Donna Tartt I wouldn't go that far. Tartt makes it very clear that while there is a glamour this glamour is based on intimidation and fear to a large extent. Here we mostly have the facade, which is a shame.

The Dinner Guest had me hooked with its premise almost immediately. While I found it difficult to connect with and care for the characters, the back and forth between past and present had me guessing throughout, so I was solidly hooked.