Friday 18 December 2020

Book Review: THE PERFECT GUESTS by Emma Rous


Author:  Emma Rous

Publisher:  Berkley

Read: December 2020

Expected publication: 12 January 2021

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟1/2


 

Book Description:

 

1988. Beth Soames is fourteen years old when her aunt takes her to stay at Raven Hall, a rambling manor in the isolated East Anglian fens. The Averells, the family who lives there, are warm and welcoming, and Beth becomes fast friends with their daughter, Nina. At times, Beth even feels like she's truly part of the family...until they ask her to help them with a harmless game--and nothing is ever the same.

2019. Sadie Langton is an actress struggling to make ends meet when she lands a well-paying gig to pretend to be a guest at a weekend party. She is sent a suitcase of clothing, a dossier outlining the role she is to play, and instructions. It's strange, but she needs the money, and when she sees the stunning manor she'll be staying at, she figures she's got nothing to lose.

In person, Raven Hall is even grander than she'd imagined--even with damage from a fire decades before--but the walls seem to have eyes. As day turns to night, Sadie starts to feel that there's something off about the glamorous guests who arrive, and as the party begins, it becomes chillingly apparent their unseen host is playing games with everyone...including her.



What attracted me to this book:

 

I love a good family mystery where people are acting strange and you have to figure out what is going on – and again Emma Rous has fully delivered on that front. It comes with a bonus of an atmospheric English manor house (with a turret no less!) that seems to be the centre of all the drama. Throw in a creepy kid for good measure and you have the formula for THE PERFECT GUESTS.

 

 

My musings:

 

In one timeline, young orphan Beth finds herself a guest of the old manor house Raven Hall when the Averell family take her in as companion for their precocious only daughter Nina. In the present, Sadie, an unemployed actress and a drifter, takes on a job role playing the part of a guest at a murder mystery weekend at Raven Hall, a formerly grand country house that has seen its share of tragedies. How these two characters’ stories eventually connect is the fabric that makes up Emma Rous’ latest mystery, and I thoroughly enjoyed the journey.

 

I loved all the secrets, the twists and turns and the foreshadowing that drove this story for me. I was consumed with the hows, and whys and whats that every new revelation brought with it. I did however think that the murder mystery weekend section could have exploited the mystery and suspense of the old mansion a bit more, as it started out strong but then seemed to run out of steam before reaching its true potential.

  


Summary:

 

I really enjoy Rous’ writing style, and it quickly drew me in. The atmospheric setting made for a brilliant backdrop to the strange family living in the manor house, and I was thoroughly intrigued. I think that if the last ¼ of the story could have lived up to its potential, it would have been a solid five star read for me, but the ending was a tiny bit convoluted and lacklustre for me. That said, this was a fast and entertaining read I devoured over the course of two nights, and I was loathe to put it down before finding out all the truths. I very much look forward to reading more from this author!

 

 

 

Thank you to Edelweiss and Berkley for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.


 







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