The Last House Guest

Littleport, Maine - coastal resort where the wealthy Loman family reigns supreme - income boosted still further by their holiday lets. But what happened at 2017's end-of-season party when daughter Sadie died? An accident? Suicide? Or circumstances more sinister? Detective Ben Collins then made many uncomfortable with his persistent questioning. He will do so again now, a year later, when a service is dedicated to Sadie's memory....Avery Greer narrates, she responsible for the upkeep of the chalets - and high on the list of suspects because of a decidedly dodgy past. She and Sadie had once been birds of a feather, a law unto themselves. If only Avery could remember more clearly the sequence of events at that party! Meanwhile she has other things on her mind - not least signs of intrusion when chalets left empty.All the way through the telling alternates between now and then.An intriguing start and a dramatic climax. Sadly, in between, too much is off-putting. Where are characters with substance? They seem such a shallow lot, it hard to care what happens to them. Arguably fisherman Connor seems the most likeable, but in murder mysteries the villain is so often the one least suspected.Some may feel the novel outstays its welcome. Admittedly the climax is worth waiting for, but firmer editing en route would immeasurably have added to its impact.

I thought this was a good read. I love thrillers and this was really creepy and full of suspense throughout. It reminded me of an American mini series that you see on TV that gradually gives you clues as each episode goes on.l didn’t guess the outcome and it did all piece together nicely at the end. The story centres around the death of a young girl which has been put down to suicide.A year later her friend comes back to the scene for a memorial and isn’t happy with the verdict. It is a little slow in parts however I felt that it kept that pace even at the end. I enjoyed the characters and their back stories everyone has a secret which is usually the case. All in all a worthwhile read and I will read the authors other books.

I joined the Reece Wetherspoon book club on Instagram....every book she suggests is a page turner!

This is the second book I have read by Megan Miranda (the first was A Perfect Stranger, which I loved). This book flips between Summer 2017 and Summer 2018, with lots of looks into the past. Told from the POV of protagonist Avery Greer, it's a fast paced read with plenty of twists and turns and a ending I didn't expect (though in hindsight the clues were there). And Miranda does an admirable job of painting the picture of a seaside tourist town in Maine, the powerful family that "runs it," and the secrets it, and they, hold. That said, the flipping back and forth was sometimes distracting. Overall a solid read, recommended.

I read this book over a relatively short period, but I didn’t love it (or hate it). The plot starts to unravel towards the end but the twists (while unexpected) were a bit far fetched for me and almost felt like an unrelated afterthought. I’d probably buy from this author again if on holidays and after a beach read - the book reminded me a bit of a James Patterson novel in that mass produced, okay but not great crime novel way.