Matthew makes a good husband.

Titus: the ideal child.

Charlie: the ideal deception.

Rachel: the ideal stranger.

She was not invited to the book club by Charlie. Matthew refused to listen.

As Rachel dials 999 while holding the bloody knife in her hand, Charlie finds himself slouched next to his husband's body and his son seated at the dinner table in silence.

My Review

In other words, finish your meal before your stomach begins to twist violently. If you were easily agitated, you might not have eaten dinner otherwise!

Since Charlie is married to the victim, Matthew, the story is told from his point of view. The other guests were Rachel, a girl they had recently met, and Titus, Matthew's fifteen-year-old adopted son.

The Dinner Guest is a slow-burning domestic thriller that will have you wondering right up to the very end! The narrative shifts between multiple time periods and varying narrators as it recounts the incidents leading up to the murder.

It's disconcerting and unnerving to read about a stranger invading your private life without your knowledge, even though it's partially predictable. The way the narrative is told ensures that it never gives away too much, even though you may already be aware of some of the answers, keeping you on the edge of your seat.

The prose was incredibly flowing and straightforward. It has a complicated plot that moves along really nicely and has unexpected turns. The plot is tense and taut, with a sense of impending doom and waves of discomfort. When will all the turbulence and shifting connections manifest, you wonder.

If any of the characters possessed even the tiniest sliver of decency, the novel would not function as it was intended. Simply said, the characters are all bad. There isn't a single good quality I can think of in any one of them. As we learn more about the four major protagonists, we peel back another layer of this mystery.

Overall, the mystery's premise is smart and has a lot of appeal.

My ratings score:

★★★★★ Fantastic! Made me go through a lot of emotions & the entire book is incredibly beautifully done! 

★★★★ Memorable! Despite its shortcomings, this book was incredible and taught us a lot. 

★★★ Good work! Nothing particularly remarkable, but still nice.

★★ Meh... Mediocre with great room for improvement.

★ Extremely Poor.