THE GUEST HOUSE: ‘A tense spin on the locked-room mystery’ Observer

SEPT 2022 : 4 STARSHow far would you go to protect the ones you love? Jamie and Victoria are off for a last quick vacation before the arrival of their first baby. The remote country guesthouse Victoria chose seems like the perfect retreat—miles away from the distractions of work and their regular life. And the older couple that run the establishment, Barry and Fiona, are more than accommodating. But when Jamie and Victoria awake on their first morning, they find the house deserted. Barry and Fiona are nowhere to be seen. All the doors are locked. And their cell phones and car keys have disappeared. Even though it's a few weeks before the baby's due date, Victoria feels the contractions starting. The baby is coming... and there's no way out.REVIEW: Recommended by author, John Marrs, who I love. WHAT a great and original beginning. Pulled me right-in! Tense, intriguing plot that kept me guessing. For some, you might think over-the-top, but I enjoyed the whole reveal.

After many attempts with IVF treatment Victoria is now heavily pregnant, so a few days away with husband Jamie was exactly what was needed before the big day arrived.A guest house in Cumbria seemed just the right choice and although quite remote, owners Barry and Fiona made them feel welcome.Intriguing, mysterious and with twists I didn’t see coming I just couldn’t put it down. I had to know the outcome and it was quite an eye opener.Loved that the story was told from different view points and the characters were realistic and relatable.For me a 5 star read- loved it and would certainly recommend it.

Didn't see that coming! Easy read. Definitely hard to put down.

I couldn’t resist buying this novel, especially since one of the cover’s catchphrases is ‘a tense spin on a locked-room mystery‘. If you say locked-room then consider me in for reading it!I really enjoyed the writing in this novel. Jamie and Victoria are indeed locked-in and the baby was on its way so it was a pretty despairing situation and I have to say that the birthing scene was so intense that I wasn’t aware of anything else. I’m normally not so affected by any of this but the fact that she wasn’t in the hospital but had no choice to deliver there and then certainly increased my anxiety. Something was really off from the moment they woke up and found their car keys and phones missing and the house locked-up. Why would someone do that?I knew it wouldn’t be over because there were also scenes set a month later where there is no baby in the picture. Did he not make it? Surely there was nothing in the whole world that could have made them give up their baby to this Barry and Fiona? Whatever happened it certainly put a massive strain on their marriage and both were barely coping at all.I made some crazy assumptions at the start and it’s the only thing I was right about but everything else was entirely unpredictable. I was eager to get to the truth and unpack the how and why of it all. I was wondering about the credibility of one of the major twists in the story while I was reading but I am starting to like it more and more now that I finished reading the novel. There are some questionable actions but there are always other people in the world who would do exactly that, even if you would never do something like that yourself.The Guesthouse was a suspenseful read that caused me to have severe anxiety for Jamie and Victoria. There was only a little lull in the middle where I simply couldn’t figure out why they wouldn’t take action instead of grieving over the loss of their child. Kill ’em all in revenge is what I’d say 😉 but of course it doesn’t work like that and at the right time the story is driven forward with some excellent twists.Would I recommend this book and author? Definitely! If you like to be surprised you’re in for a treat. As for me, I hope his next novel releases soon!

I suspenseful read from start to finish, and though I guessed the plot early on it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story.