An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena

Page 254 - I have no idea who the killer is and why they're doing the killing.

Page 256 - I know who the killer is.

Page 260 - Wait, the killer might be someone else.

*Takes a shower instead of reading the final pages in order to stew over what I thought I knew, the details I thought I remembered and thought were important, and make connections that I thought were there.*

Page 270 - Ok, now I know who the killer is but I don't know why.

An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena is a modern-day game of Clue with a handful of complicated characters who share a common goal one snowy weekend in the Catskills: to have a peaceful, relaxing, luxurious weekend. But just as their weekend gets started, their common goal evolves into simply staying alive.

The story unravels much like it would if it had happened in real life. When one person winds up dead, it appears to be an accident, but each new detail that unfolds can either be easily explained away, or is part of something far more sinister. Each character has a reason, an opportunity, and a personality trait that would make them a killer, either in a crime of passion or premeditation. And each guest has a secret to keep and judgments to make through the lens of those secrets. It is truly brilliant how Lapena can bring together characters who don't know each other yet are still affected in some way by their own separate baggage.

An Unwanted Guest is a clever mystery with a subtle build where nothing is overtly obvious. It is well and efficiently written, though I am not a fan of the particular style; I don't appreciate three-word sentences, it makes me feel like I'm reading my grocery list. The book is light on imagery, but that's probably because most of it takes place in a hotel during an ice storm with the power out. There is no real investment in the characters, but the focus of the story is on the whodunnit and why. Like playing Clue, we don't care about who the characters are, we just want to solve the mystery before anyone else, so in that regard, I enjoyed the story and it was well-crafted.

I enjoyed this book more than Lapena's other, The Couple Next Door, which ended in a similar fashion to An Unwanted Guest. I'm not sure why Lapena does this; does she just put the pen down and decide to stop writing, or is it to leave room for sequels? Because in either book, a good extra page or two of explanation would be sufficient.

This is a book you will read in a weekend, aided by the fact that the entirety of the book takes place over a weekend. It is a chilling murder-mystery, perfect for reading under a thick blanket by the fire, particularly as the weather gets more blustery. And if you read this and The Shining, you probably won't be checking into any remote hotels any time soon...