I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf was a wonderful read. The story embedded in the pages of this book is packed with enough mystery and suspense to pull readers in and have them turning the pages to the very end.

I have enjoyed Gudenkauf’s work in the past. Therefore, I went into The Overnight Guest expecting to be engaged. She did not disappoint. She delivered a spellbinding tale of murder, kidnapping, and abuse.

There were three storylines, which at first appeared to have no bearing on each other. However, as the story slowly developed, the connection between all three threads became crystal clear. One storyline was centered on a crime that occurred in 2000. The others were focused on the present. There was a lot of movement between each of the narratives, however I had no issues following the story. All three pulled me in and had me eager to see how it would unfold.

It didn’t take me longer to figure out the connections between each of the thread. It took me a little longer to guess the villain’s identity. Although there were no surprises with this one, it did not take away from the enjoyment of watching all aspects of the story unfold. Although the abuse aspect of the story proved a bitter pill to swallow.

The characters, except for the antagonist, have each gone through their own personal hell. Despite this, they displayed an inner strength, which proved beneficial in fighting their demons at the point when most needed.

I wish I could say more about this one, but the reader needs to go in blind.

Overall, The Overnight Guest was an intense and well paced read. It’s a story that is guaranteed to keep you turning the pages into the wee hours.

Narration

Brittany Pressley was a new to me narrator, but I enjoyed listening to her. She nailed the voices of each character. She handled them with ease. I would definitely listen to her again.

This review was originally posted on Totally Addicted to Reading

Jeff Sexton

Written on Jan 25, 2022

Master Class In Suspense. Up front, this tale is told in three different timelines from three different perspectives - so if you're a reader that struggles with that... well, this is an excellent read and you should still try it, but I get it. :) That noted, what makes this tale so strong is that each of the three threads - present day, years ago, and unknown - could be separate books and still be equally compelling, and yet here Gudenkauf weaves them together so masterfully that they play off each other even better and produce an overall much tighter grip on the reader's mind. Yes, they all ultimately come together - and when they do, the finale is ultimately some of the best suspense of the entire book. Which is saying quite a bit, given just how good the parts before that are. This is another one that uses its setting in winter well, as well as its setting in the US central plains arguably even better than its winter placement of the present day timeline. Truly a remarkable work, and very much recommended.

Terri M. LeBlanc

Written on Aug 23, 2021

Gudenkauf has done it again! Three distinct storylines will have you on the edge of your seat frantically flipping the pages to discover who killed a family in a small Iowa farming community. I couldn't put the book down!

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.