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A review by jmbibliophile
The Overnight Guest by Heather Gudenkauf
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
It isn’t the dark you should be afraid of… It’s the monsters who step out into the light that you need to fear.”
True crime writer, Wylie Lark, has holed up in a small-town farmhouse determined to finish her latest book. Tonight, she’s snowed in due to a brutal blizzard. The solitude would make for a perfect setting - if the house wasn’t also the scene of Burden’s most gruesome crime. As the night goes on, Wylie’s dog discovers a small child nearly frozen in the snow. Wylie rescues the child to find that they are malnourished with remnants of duct tape on their mouth. She tries to get answers but is met with intense fear and silence. It doesn’t take Wylie long to realize she’s taken in a runaway and there’s someone out there that will do anything to get them back.
Told in multiple perspectives and timelines, The Overnight Guest is an intensely captivating thriller that grips you from the start and doesn’t let go. While reading this book, I found myself becoming an armchair detective, trying to connect the dots between the characters and events from the past. I was able to predict several of the twists in this book, but still found myself immersed in the story despite that. Gudenkauf’s writing is atmospheric and detailed with an ending that leaves you completely satisfied.
Overall, I absolutely recommend this book for my fellow thriller fans and armchair detectives. Even if you’re a seasoned armchair detective who can solve the craziest of mysteries, I absolutely believe you’ll enjoy this wild ride.
Content Warnings: graphic descriptions of violence and gore, sexual assault, kidnapping, captivity, gaslighting, police brutality, child abuse
(Note: I was provided an advanced copy of The Overnight Guest by the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.)
True crime writer, Wylie Lark, has holed up in a small-town farmhouse determined to finish her latest book. Tonight, she’s snowed in due to a brutal blizzard. The solitude would make for a perfect setting - if the house wasn’t also the scene of Burden’s most gruesome crime. As the night goes on, Wylie’s dog discovers a small child nearly frozen in the snow. Wylie rescues the child to find that they are malnourished with remnants of duct tape on their mouth. She tries to get answers but is met with intense fear and silence. It doesn’t take Wylie long to realize she’s taken in a runaway and there’s someone out there that will do anything to get them back.
Told in multiple perspectives and timelines, The Overnight Guest is an intensely captivating thriller that grips you from the start and doesn’t let go. While reading this book, I found myself becoming an armchair detective, trying to connect the dots between the characters and events from the past. I was able to predict several of the twists in this book, but still found myself immersed in the story despite that. Gudenkauf’s writing is atmospheric and detailed with an ending that leaves you completely satisfied.
Overall, I absolutely recommend this book for my fellow thriller fans and armchair detectives. Even if you’re a seasoned armchair detective who can solve the craziest of mysteries, I absolutely believe you’ll enjoy this wild ride.
Content Warnings: graphic descriptions of violence and gore, sexual assault, kidnapping, captivity, gaslighting, police brutality, child abuse
(Note: I was provided an advanced copy of The Overnight Guest by the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Miscarriage, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, and Car accident
Moderate: Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, and Vomit