I am delighted to share my review of The Last Guest House by Caroline Mitchell. This is a fabulously dark and twisted thriller that I adored.

My huge thanks to Embla Books for accepting my request to read this book via NetGalley.

Guest House Rules

No smoking in the rooms.

No loud music.

No phones

No leaving your room after 9pm

DC Nicola McKenna is meant to be resting following her last case, so she lets her boyfriend to take her to the Isle of Skye for the weekend. But what’s meant to be a getaway to see the aurora borealis soon turns into a nightmare when they discover that their hotel has double booked.

In desperation, they check into the only hotel with rooms available nearby – The Loch House.

But from the moment they step foot in the guest house Nicola knows something is very wrong.

And as snow starts to fall, and night closes in, she begins to wonder if they will ever leave here alive…

The absolutely gripping, action-packed new thrilled from bestselling author Caroline Mitchell. Perfect for fans of The Sanatorium and The Hunting Party.

MY REVIEW

What a deliciously dark story this was, it has two different storylines and while I wasn’t sure how they would join, they were both interesting in their ways.

Alex, her son George and her partner Matt had not meant to be staying at the guest house they ended up in. It was a surprise that Matt had organised, everything that could go wrong did. Instead of a lovely warm hotel, they are in a dark, gloomy guest house where the owner has a series of rules. The owners are as creepy as their house. Other guests are staying and each of them is not exactly pleased with the rules, but as the snow is now coming down thick and fast they have no choice but to stay put and abide by the rules.

The author does such a good job of describing the house, and the owners and also giving a back story to this creepy house. It is the 10th anniversary of a murder and once those staying there find this out there is some tension and edginess. The author has created a locked room mystery within the house and the setting of the Isle of Skye adds even more remoteness to the scenario.

I did mention two storylines, one is the main bulk of the story and the focus with Alex trying to put things together and Matt getting annoyed that she cannot leave her “police head” on holiday mode. The other is a podcast, short sections that are dropped in between the main story. This one left me puzzled and it was not until much later in the book when it suddenly dawned on me what and how it was connected. It caught me completely unaware!

The author definitely knows how to gradually increase tension and suspicion and she does this with great effect with her characters. There is a sense of distrust and because each of the chapters is from the perspective of alternating people you are never quite sure who can be trusted. I do like this way of telling things as you get little snippets of a character’s darkest secrets or motives.

This is a wonderfully paced story that increases its pace and keeps me turning the pages. I wanted to know and found that the answers were gradually given but more questions arose. There is a dramatic conclusion and it was a satisfying one as well. Great for readers who like a tense, atmospheric, locked-room mystery and thriller story. Addictive and creepy and one I would definitely recommend.

Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx