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Guest List
464 pages
A glamorous, storm-swept locked-room mystery where glittering facades crack to reveal deadly secrets.
What it feels like
Reading this thriller feels like attending a wildly expensive party where you slowly realize everyone in the room hates each other. The experience is deeply atmospheric and deliciously claustrophobic, anchored by the relentless howling of a storm off the Irish coast that traps the characters—and the reader—in a pressure cooker of mounting dread. The narrative moves at a propulsive clip, bouncing between the cynical, unreliable perspectives of the wedding party as their glittering facades begin to crack. It is a juicy, gossip-fueled puzzle box of a novel that trades in toxic nostalgia and buried resentments. Perfect for fans of classic locked-room mysteries who crave a modern, psychological edge and delight in watching terrible people get exactly what they deserve.
- Mood
- claustrophobic
- stormy
- dread-soaked
- glamorous
- Tone
- cynical
- suspenseful
- gossipy
- tense
- Pace
- propulsive
- Themes
- toxic masculinity · the facade of perfection · buried secrets · class privilege · revenge
- The writing
- Sharp, fast-paced, and highly readable, utilizing distinct, alternating first-person voices to build relentless suspense.
- The arc
- Starts with glittering anticipation that slowly curdles into claustrophobic paranoia before exploding in a satisfyingly chaotic climax.
- Who it's for
- Readers who love a juicy, glamorous whodunit where every character is hiding something terrible and no one is truly likable.
Content notes
- murder
- bullying
- substance abuse
- suicide
- toxic relationships
About the book
A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK
ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES BEST THRILLERS OF THE YEAR
“I loved this book. It gave me the same waves of happiness I get from curling up with a classic Christie...The alternating points of view keep you guessing, and guessing wrong.” — Alex Michaelides, author of The Silent Patient
"Evok[es] the great Agatha Christie classics...Pay close attention to seemingly throwaway details about the characters’ pasts. They are all clues.” -- New York Times Book Review
A wedding celebration turns dark and deadly in this deliciously wicked and atmospheric thriller reminiscent of Agatha Christie from the author of The Hunting Party.
The bride – The plus one – The best man – The wedding planner – The bridesmaid – The body
On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed.
But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast.
And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?
Description from Open Library.
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