THE OVERNIGHT GUEST | Heather Gudenkauf
01.25.2022 | Park Row
Rating: 5/5 stars
True crime writer Wylie Lark doesn’t mind being snowed in at the isolated farmhouse where she’s retreated to write her new book. A cozy fire, complete silence. It would be perfect, if not for the fact that decades earlier, at this very house, two people were murdered in cold blood and a girl disappeared without a trace. As the storm worsens, Wylie finds herself trapped inside the house, haunted by the secrets contained within its walls—haunted by secrets of her own. Then she discovers a small child in the snow just outside. After bringing the child inside for warmth and safety, she begins to search for answers. But soon it becomes clear that the farmhouse isn’t as isolated as she thought, and someone is willing to do anything to find them.
I absolutely love a story that has alternating narratives, so when I first started reading The Overnight Guest and realized there were three storylines, I was excited to try and put the pieces of this mystery together! Each storyline is filled with intrigue and left me with so many questions that I had to keep reading in the hopes that I would find out answers. I loved guessing how they would be connected and while I got parts correct, there were still plenty of surprises from Gudenkauf to keep me on my toes.
In addition to loving the structure of this book, I quickly fell in love with the locations of each storyline. They all have that great creepy, atmospheric, isolated vibe that lends a sense of tension to the plot. I was uncomfortable and on the edge of my seat during quite a few scenes, unsure of how things would play out. Once things finally collided and answers revealed, there was no putting down this book!
I read this one in the last few days of December and instantly knew it deserved a place in my top reads of 2022 stack. Highly recommend checking it out!
What Jess Reads 