The Dinner Guest
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- Create Date：2021-05-03 00:52:57
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：B.P. Walter
- ISBN：0008446083
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Summary
Four people walked into the dining room that night。 One would never leave。
Matthew: the perfect husband。
Titus: the perfect son。
Charlie: the perfect illusion。
Rachel: the perfect stranger。
Charlie didn’t want her at the book club。 Matthew wouldn’t listen。
And that’s how Charlie finds himself slumped beside his husband’s body， their son sitting silently at the dinner table， while Rachel calls 999， the bloody knife still gripped in her hand。
Agatha Christie meets Donna Tartt in this nerve-shredding domestic noir thriller that weaves a sprawling web of secrets around an opulent West London world and the dinner that ends in death。
Matthew: the perfect husband。
Titus: the perfect son。
Charlie: the perfect illusion。
Rachel: the perfect stranger。
Charlie didn’t want her at the book club。 Matthew wouldn’t listen。
And that’s how Charlie finds himself slumped beside his husband’s body， their son sitting silently at the dinner table， while Rachel calls 999， the bloody knife still gripped in her hand。
Agatha Christie meets Donna Tartt in this nerve-shredding domestic noir thriller that weaves a sprawling web of secrets around an opulent West London world and the dinner that ends in death。
Reviews
Anoon Nishit Chinmayatri
，
‘Just a word of caution’， Archie said， ‘fairy-tale endings rarely work as neatly in real life。’I nodded。 ‘I know。 And don’t worry。 I’m under no illusion that this will end well。’。The Dinner Guest is a tense and engrossing novel。 My head is spinning as a result of the after-effects of finishing this book。 And I mean that in a positive way。 It's one of those books that stays with you long after you've finished reading it。 The residual effects of a book linger like a silent note。。Two perfect couple ‘Just a word of caution’， Archie said， ‘fairy-tale endings rarely work as neatly in real life。’I nodded。 ‘I know。 And don’t worry。 I’m under no illusion that this will end well。’。The Dinner Guest is a tense and engrossing novel。 My head is spinning as a result of the after-effects of finishing this book。 And I mean that in a positive way。 It's one of those books that stays with you long after you've finished reading it。 The residual effects of a book linger like a silent note。。Two perfect couples， Matthew and Charlie， and their perfect son， Titus， are living the perfect happy life， until one day a perfect stranger， Rachel， steps into their lives; Rachel happens to meet them in a bookstore。 They invite her to become a member of their book club。 The stranger gladly embraces it， bringing her one step closer to her goal。 Unaware of her thoughts， the perfect pair walks right into a trap。 Yet one of them thinks everything about her is odd， strange。 Will the happy couple discover her real motives before it's too late？ How will Matthew， Charlie， and Titus react as they discover the truth that has been kept secret for so long？ 。"Love is the vital ingredient。 But when combined with betrayal， the resulting reaction can have the power of a nuclear bomb。"。When you think you know somebody very well， and it turns out that you didn't actually know anything all along。 That's very scary， to say the least。 How would it be if you met someone by chance， become friends， invited them to be a part of your life， and then your whole world turned upside down？ Someone else is holding all the cards of your life， carefully and methodically playing them out！。“Anita lowered her glass。 She looked at Matthew as though he’d just produced a gun。 ‘Are you fucking serious？ You’ve invited some random woman to join us at our book club？ Someone you picked up whilst shopping？’"。。The anticipation has been kept up in the novel。 Just when you believe you've figured out the truth and the suspense， it takes another turn， unveiling a new series of surprises。 The elements of surprise are throughout， right up until the end。 You may believe you have solved the mystery halfway through， but I assure you that you have not。 There are so many twists and turns， as well as some shocking revelation and surprises。 It is very hard to keep the book down， once you have started it。 The ending of the story is ambiguous。 The author， leaves you with two sides of the coin， but it's difficult to figure out or believe which one is really real， leaving us with a mysterious dimension。 I guess it is up to the reader to choose how we wish to perceive the facts。。“The sentence snags in my mind as I say it。 Because it isn’t just our house any longer。 It is a crime scene。 The site of a murder。 Forever to be tainted as such in the minds of whoever knows what’s happened there。 Especially us。” 。The storyline jumps back and forth from before and after the murder。 I thought it was really enthralling， drawing readers in to find out how and why it happened， what events led to it， how it was orchestrated， and then what happens when the gruesome event unfolds。 There are two parallel viewpoints that thread throughout the book， providing us with insights from the novel's two main characters， Charlie and Rachel， which is quite intriguing。 The narrative form was engrossing and exciting。 It's tough to put down the novel。 It makes you want to stay glued to the book。It's a nail-biting thriller！ 。。。more
Georgia Smith
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3 stars instead of 2， because I couldn't put it down。。3 stars instead of 2， because I couldn't put it down。。 But mostly because I wanted to finish it。 Generally a good story with interesting characters but quite lazily written and fairly predictable。 3 stars instead of 2， because I couldn't put it down。。3 stars instead of 2， because I couldn't put it down。。 But mostly because I wanted to finish it。 Generally a good story with interesting characters but quite lazily written and fairly predictable。 。。。more
Raeesa
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So beige， so bland， so boring。I wanted to like this book but there wasn't much to it。 I was bored for a lot of it， I didn't really find the story line gripping。 Towards the end I had already guessed what happened and the "big reveal" wasn't really very big So beige， so bland， so boring。I wanted to like this book but there wasn't much to it。 I was bored for a lot of it， I didn't really find the story line gripping。 Towards the end I had already guessed what happened and the "big reveal" wasn't really very big 。。。more
Hannah
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I liked this one， the problem I don’t think was with the book in general but with me。 It was definitely a page turner however， the description of the knife going into the body was just too much for me for personal reasons。
Bonnar Spring
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Rounded up from 3。5 stars。 I only wish I had liked the characters more！！ -- because the writing was so evocative and I loved the ambiguity of the ending。 It's been several days since I finished The Dinner Guest， and bits and pieces of how the relationships shifted will occur to me at random moments。 The other issue that dragged the score down （for me - and others may not have the same experience） is that the big twist/reveal at the end was what I had been *assuming* the real story was。 Rounded up from 3。5 stars。 I only wish I had liked the characters more！！ -- because the writing was so evocative and I loved the ambiguity of the ending。 It's been several days since I finished The Dinner Guest， and bits and pieces of how the relationships shifted will occur to me at random moments。 The other issue that dragged the score down （for me - and others may not have the same experience） is that the big twist/reveal at the end was what I had been *assuming* the real story was。 。。。more
Kate
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"Four people walked into the dining room that night。 One would never leave。 Matthew: the perfect husband。 Titus: the perfect son。 Charlie: the perfect illusion。 Rachel: the perfect stranger。 Charlie didn't want Rachel at the book club。 Matthew wouldn't listen。" This short synopsis above is all I knew before coming to this novel。 And I am glad that this was the extent of my knowledge， as I think the less you know about this one， the better。 Although， in a way， it isn't hard to work out what has h "Four people walked into the dining room that night。 One would never leave。 Matthew: the perfect husband。 Titus: the perfect son。 Charlie: the perfect illusion。 Rachel: the perfect stranger。 Charlie didn't want Rachel at the book club。 Matthew wouldn't listen。" This short synopsis above is all I knew before coming to this novel。 And I am glad that this was the extent of my knowledge， as I think the less you know about this one， the better。 Although， in a way， it isn't hard to work out what has happened， it is the why that is important here。 An enjoyable， quick read。 。。。more
Mrs Pepperpot （ Michelle ）
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I didn’t enjoy this book too much unfortunately。 The way it started with the murder but didn’t really say what happened。 Then it kept weaving in and out。 10 months before the murder， seven months after the murder etc。 This was continuous and all over the place。 Yet， we don’t get to find out how the murder happened， never mind who done it till near the end。 I don’t mind going from past， to present， to future in a book， but this was too much。 I found it very irksome all the way through。 The story I didn’t enjoy this book too much unfortunately。 The way it started with the murder but didn’t really say what happened。 Then it kept weaving in and out。 10 months before the murder， seven months after the murder etc。 This was continuous and all over the place。 Yet， we don’t get to find out how the murder happened， never mind who done it till near the end。 I don’t mind going from past， to present， to future in a book， but this was too much。 I found it very irksome all the way through。 The story line wasn’t thrilling enough when it went back and forth。 It didn’t make you look forward to finding out what happened next。 I found the strong too long and somewhat repetitive。 I was glad when it was over。 。。。more
Izzie
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3。5 stars rounded up。This was an enjoyable thriller， although fairly predictable。 The concept of a stranger weaving their way into your personal life before you're even fully aware of it is a chilling and unsettling thing to read about。 I also liked that there weren't too many characters to have to keep track of- often with thrillers I think too much gets thrown into them but this book didn't feel that way。It had a fairly slow start but then really hooks you- I read 100 pages in one sitting beca 3。5 stars rounded up。This was an enjoyable thriller， although fairly predictable。 The concept of a stranger weaving their way into your personal life before you're even fully aware of it is a chilling and unsettling thing to read about。 I also liked that there weren't too many characters to have to keep track of- often with thrillers I think too much gets thrown into them but this book didn't feel that way。It had a fairly slow start but then really hooks you- I read 100 pages in one sitting because I couldn't put it down。 Also， because of the way the story is told， it never reveals much and so it keeps you guessing even if you've already figured some of it out。 One of my main criticisms is that if you're going to flick between a timeline and go back and forth between present and past， you need to execute it properly and make sure you've actually done it correctly。 For example， one chapter is set "2 months before" the murder occurs and is at a party。 Then， a few chapters later， it goes back to said party but now this is apparently "2 weeks before" which makes no sense。 There was more than one instance of this which quite frankly pissed me off- why was this not picked up on in editing or indeed， writing the damn novel？？Overall， a gripping read with clever techniques and a lot of merit but more thought should have gone into getting the timeline correct and the book was， in my opinion， slightly too long for what it was。 。。。more
Molly
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This was a very enjoyable read with lots of fun twists and turns that made me want to keep turning the pages and reading 'one more chapter'。 I'm excited to try more from this author This was a very enjoyable read with lots of fun twists and turns that made me want to keep turning the pages and reading 'one more chapter'。 I'm excited to try more from this author 。。。more
Daniela Bräutigam
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4。5 stars
Taz
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It started really well， I really enjoyed most of it， but felt that some of the character development was a bit poor and the ending was unbelievable and fell flat。 I found this book really intriguing and suspenseful I wanted to read on to find out more。 The mystery was pretty good and the writing is well done。 I really enjoyed reading the book up untill it got close to the end。 At that point one or two of the characters didn't feel right。 One in particular was a completely different person at the It started really well， I really enjoyed most of it， but felt that some of the character development was a bit poor and the ending was unbelievable and fell flat。 I found this book really intriguing and suspenseful I wanted to read on to find out more。 The mystery was pretty good and the writing is well done。 I really enjoyed reading the book up untill it got close to the end。 At that point one or two of the characters didn't feel right。 One in particular was a completely different person at the begining and the end in a way that just didn't work for me。 The ending had some unbelievable parts to it and just fell a bit flat。 This is a shame as I feel like this could have been a brilliant book if only the ending had been more believable and the characters hadn't been so at odds with how they were at the begining of the book。 Still well worth a read as I really really enjoyed it up untill the last few chapters！ 。。。more
Delia
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So gripping， could not put this down！！ Such a great weekend read， relly quick and addictive。
Vix （alittlemixofvix）
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I wasn’t overly excited throughout reading this， but I also wasn’t annoyed or bored， so it’s a solid 3 stars。 There were some good twists and turns， but also some I saw coming and wondered how the main characters didn’t see it。At times I did feel for Charlie but he could also be very quick to judge; there were a couple of bits I thought were redundant in the story surrounding him too – aspects of his personality and also his parents。 I was appalled by the behaviour of Titus at times and the fact I wasn’t overly excited throughout reading this， but I also wasn’t annoyed or bored， so it’s a solid 3 stars。 There were some good twists and turns， but also some I saw coming and wondered how the main characters didn’t see it。At times I did feel for Charlie but he could also be very quick to judge; there were a couple of bits I thought were redundant in the story surrounding him too – aspects of his personality and also his parents。 I was appalled by the behaviour of Titus at times and the fact he wasn’t really called out on it。The underlying reason for everything was good and although I thought some of the details lent themselves to ambiguity， the way the characters reacted to it made that redundant – with the outcome being the only possible one。 I also enjoyed the twist about the night in question。Overall I need my thrillers to be a bit more thrilling， but otherwise it’s quite a good read。*I received a complimentary copy of the e-book from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review。 。。。more
River Scott Tyler
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The Dinner Guest by @bpwalterauthor is a brilliant 5 star 🌟book I loved this book so much it was absolutely fantastic it was brilliant， from the first page till the last it was nonstop drama I couldn't put it down， it was great because it wasn't your typical family you read in a book and it made a difference something new and fresh， it was cleverly plotted perfectly written， I was just hooked I kept thinking why would she confess who is this woman who just showed up and why what it her motive he The Dinner Guest by @bpwalterauthor is a brilliant 5 star 🌟book I loved this book so much it was absolutely fantastic it was brilliant， from the first page till the last it was nonstop drama I couldn't put it down， it was great because it wasn't your typical family you read in a book and it made a difference something new and fresh， it was cleverly plotted perfectly written， I was just hooked I kept thinking why would she confess who is this woman who just showed up and why what it her motive her connection， this book is filled with twists and turns and bursting with secrets what ever happenens in this book nothing will ever be the same again。。。 I would strongly recommend you buy this book infact buy a copy for a friend or family member they will love it。 。。。more
books_n_sunshine
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The Dinner Guest by B P Walter is a good and pacy whodunnit。There are four major characters - Matthew the perfect husband who ends up getting killed， Charlie the perfect illusion， Titus the perfect son and Rachel the perfect stranger。In the beginning we are told that Rachel confesses to murdering Matthew but all is not as it seems。 The truth isn’t so convenient。And then we are taken through two POVs - of Charlie and Rachel over the course of a year。 We get to know about all four characters and h The Dinner Guest by B P Walter is a good and pacy whodunnit。There are four major characters - Matthew the perfect husband who ends up getting killed， Charlie the perfect illusion， Titus the perfect son and Rachel the perfect stranger。In the beginning we are told that Rachel confesses to murdering Matthew but all is not as it seems。 The truth isn’t so convenient。And then we are taken through two POVs - of Charlie and Rachel over the course of a year。 We get to know about all four characters and how broken， a seemingly perfect world on social media， in reality is。I finished the book in a single day as it didn’t drop its pace for even one chapter。 Managed to guess some of the twists but the end still managed to bring a surprise！ Rating this a 3。5🌟 。。。more
Karen
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4。5。
Debra
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3。5 starsReading the blurb， I thought "well， they just gave away the farm。" Literally， we know there is a dinner， we know who was there， we know one would not survive。 But there is also a lot we do not know as there is more to these people than meets the eye。 It all started with an invite to book club and ended over dinner。。。。 but there is more。。。so much more。This is one where one really cannot say too much without fear of giving something away。 So， what I will say， is that I enjoyed this clever 3。5 starsReading the blurb， I thought "well， they just gave away the farm。" Literally， we know there is a dinner， we know who was there， we know one would not survive。 But there is also a lot we do not know as there is more to these people than meets the eye。 It all started with an invite to book club and ended over dinner。。。。 but there is more。。。so much more。This is one where one really cannot say too much without fear of giving something away。 So， what I will say， is that I enjoyed this clever tale and its twists and turns along the way。 Told thought the POV of two characters， this book proved to be a fast and enjoyable read。 This one had me guessing and flipping the pages until the very end。Thank you to Harper Collins UK， One More Chapter and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 All the thoughts and opinions are my own。Read more of my reviews at www。openbookposts。com 。。。more
Jo Gibbons
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#TheDinnerGuest #NetGalleyFour people at the dinner table， one of them was uninvited， one of them ends up dead。Matthew and Charlie have the ideal marriage in their expensive home with their perfect son。On a chance meeting， Rachel comes into their life and things will never be the same again。An exciting thriller with twists and turns。
Rose
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I have just finished reading The Dinner Guest by Author B。P。 Walter This is the first book by the Author that I have read， and I found it intriguing at the beginning， however as it progressed， I started getting frustrated and annoyed with all the characters。 I just did not like any of them at all and lost interest in the book quite fast。 This was not a good fit for me。Thank you to NetGalley， Author B。P。 Walter and HarperCollins UK， One More Chapter。 for my advanced copy to read and review。#NetGa I have just finished reading The Dinner Guest by Author B。P。 Walter This is the first book by the Author that I have read， and I found it intriguing at the beginning， however as it progressed， I started getting frustrated and annoyed with all the characters。 I just did not like any of them at all and lost interest in the book quite fast。 This was not a good fit for me。Thank you to NetGalley， Author B。P。 Walter and HarperCollins UK， One More Chapter。 for my advanced copy to read and review。#NetGalley 。。。more
Renita D'Silva
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Twisted
Swati Daftuar
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Lots of twists that should have been exciting but fall。。。 sort of flat。 The third star is entirely for keeping me reading when honestly， barely anything is sticking。 Maybe this stuck because I wanted to know whether I had guessed right。
Claire Seabrook
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DisappointingAnother book that just doesn’t live up to the hype。 As none of the characters are likeable and the story unwinds so slowly， you really don’t care what happens or why。 The resolution is so contrived that I was relieved to get to the end。
Cătălina Andreea
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THE FIRST THRILLER I GAVE 5 STARS THIS YEAR。 CONCLUSION: READ IT！
Amanda
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Revenge is a dish best served。。。。。。I love how this story was told。 The back and forth and the way it was all weaved together。 I could only guess to the pieces and puzzled at how they all fit。 I was shocked to learn as the story went。 Suspenseful is hard to capture when you open up with the death。 However， BP Walter nailed this， as I hung on to every word trying to determine exactly how the events unfolded and ended in death。 My attention and my nerves were on the line as we follow Rachel and her Revenge is a dish best served。。。。。。I love how this story was told。 The back and forth and the way it was all weaved together。 I could only guess to the pieces and puzzled at how they all fit。 I was shocked to learn as the story went。 Suspenseful is hard to capture when you open up with the death。 However， BP Walter nailed this， as I hung on to every word trying to determine exactly how the events unfolded and ended in death。 My attention and my nerves were on the line as we follow Rachel and her sneaky ways。 I wasn't sure how she fit at first other than the opening lines of her confession。 Devious is the only word to describe her。 Matthew and Charles seemed like the perfect couple; only goes to show you only see what people allow you to see。 Hence the Instagram account Rachel peeped thinking they were living life up to the fullest， and yeah， maybe they weren't better off emotionally than it appeared。My only hang up was the ending， gosh， that leaves so much to the imagination and I was hoping for a more solid ending。 Typically though， when I feel this way it means I'm craving more。。。。I just want to know what happens next！ I really hope a sequel follows。 Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins Uk， One More Chapter for providing a review copy。 。。。more
Caitlin
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Such a good book with so many twists and turns。 Super attention to detail in the storytelling
Laura Peden
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Clever fun！
Andrew Smith
，
It opens with a conundrum。 Four people sit down for a meal and one of them is stabbed to death， with the one holding the knife confessing to the murder。 But did the confessor do it， or was it one of the other two – or is it possible there’s another answer？The tale is told through Charlie’s eyes， he’s the husband of the Matthew， the victim。 The other guests at the meal being Titus， Matthew’s fifteen-year-old adopted son， and Rachel， a girl they’d met just recently。 The only female in the room is It opens with a conundrum。 Four people sit down for a meal and one of them is stabbed to death， with the one holding the knife confessing to the murder。 But did the confessor do it， or was it one of the other two – or is it possible there’s another answer？The tale is told through Charlie’s eyes， he’s the husband of the Matthew， the victim。 The other guests at the meal being Titus， Matthew’s fifteen-year-old adopted son， and Rachel， a girl they’d met just recently。 The only female in the room is the one holding the knife。 But early on it’s clear that all is not quite as it seems。 When questioned by police， Charlie is evasive and his reaction to the murder is just a little strange。 Also， it quickly becomes clear that Titus is a bit of an oddball， and cocksure and impudent to boot。 Rachel is a something of an enigma， someone who had simply bumped into the two men at a bookshop and as a result had been invited to a reading group organised by Matthew。 Seemingly， she’d subsequently inveigled her way into the family group。 As we learn more about the four main protagonists another layer to this mystery opens up: that of class divide。 Charlie and Mathew had both grown up with wealth and social status， with their home being situated in a borough of London containing some of the most expensive properties anywhere in the world。 Money is not a problem to them – they live high on the hog and take it all for granted。 The story of how Titus came to be adopted by Mathew is eked out slowly， as is Rachel’s working class backstory。 All this is entertaining in its own right， with some elements being shocking and hilarious in equal measure。 But does it get us any closer to understanding what went on that fateful night？The final section contains revelations and twists aplenty and the eventual big reveal is a surprise。 Well， sort of。 The clues had been spread liberally through the text and I’m sure that some eagle-eyed amateur sleuths will have worked most of it out well before the end （though not me， I have to admit）。 It’s a well written and skilfully constructed mystery， somewhat in the mode of an Agatha Christie novel， but with a modern makeover。 I enjoyed it and would happily seek out more offerings from this author。My thanks to HarperCollins UK， One More Chapter and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Andrea
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Irritating storyline， and not until towards the end the gist of it comes together。Like the description of the well-to-do rich city folk and dynamics in main characters lives。To convoluted in rationale behind plot/motive。Wouldn't waste time reading， didn't get much better by the end Irritating storyline， and not until towards the end the gist of it comes together。Like the description of the well-to-do rich city folk and dynamics in main characters lives。To convoluted in rationale behind plot/motive。Wouldn't waste time reading， didn't get much better by the end 。。。more
Jessicat Gully
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This book wasn't for me。 I feel like some people will really enjoy it， but despite favouring the initial premise and character introduction， I wasn't pulled in by the plot。 This book wasn't for me。 I feel like some people will really enjoy it， but despite favouring the initial premise and character introduction， I wasn't pulled in by the plot。 。。。more
Yvonne Walus
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A refreshing new look at relationships ans families， this thriller will do away with your preconceived notions of societal norms。 Told in two timelines and from the point of view of Charlie， an Instagrammer who husband is murdered at the beginning of the book， and Rachel， the mysterious addition to their bookclub， this is a fast-paced page-turner populated by intriguing characters。What I liked: the unusual way in which the story was told， the normalisation of a gay couple， Charlie's Machiavellia A refreshing new look at relationships ans families， this thriller will do away with your preconceived notions of societal norms。 Told in two timelines and from the point of view of Charlie， an Instagrammer who husband is murdered at the beginning of the book， and Rachel， the mysterious addition to their bookclub， this is a fast-paced page-turner populated by intriguing characters。What I liked: the unusual way in which the story was told， the normalisation of a gay couple， Charlie's Machiavellian father。What could have been improved: the reveal at the end was a bit long-winded。Verdict: extremely enjoyable。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Dinner Guest
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Dinner Guest&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Dinner Guest&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0