The Guest House: 'A tense spin on the locked-room mystery' Observer

Description

KEEP YOUR FAMILY SAFE. WHATEVER THE COST... Jamie and Victoria are expecting their first baby. With a few weeks to go, they head off for a final weekend break in a remote part of the North Pennines. The small and peaceful guesthouse is the ideal location to unwind together before becoming parents. Upon arrival, they are greeted by Barry and Fiona, the older couple who run the guesthouse. They cook them dinner and show them to their room before retreating to bed themselves. The next morning, Jamie and Victoria wake to find the house deserted. Barry and Fiona are nowhere to be seen. All the doors are locked. Both their mobile phones and car keys have disappeared. Even though it's a few weeks early, Victoria knows the contractions are starting. The baby is coming, and there's no way out.

Robin Morgan-Bentley was born and grew up in London. His debut thriller, The Wreckage, was nominated for the CWA Dagger John Creasey New Blood Award, the CrimeFest Specsavers Debut Crime Award and Capital Crime's Debut Book of the Year Award. The Guest House draws on Robin's own experience of cerebral palsy. He wrote the character of Jamie because he had never come across a character in fiction with a disability like his - one that may not always be immediately visible but nonetheless affects him every day. Robin lives in Buckinghamshire with his husband and son.

Deliciously dark and creepy, The Guest House is an original and very clever thriller that completely hoodwinked me with its well crafted and twisty plot. So unpredictable and gripping. I couldn't put it down * Claire Douglas * A gripping, must-read, tightly plotted thriller with dizzying twists and turns that will keep you on your toes * John Marrs, author of KEEP IT IN THE FAMILY * A tense thriller with a killer twist! Morgan-Bentley has hit on a chilling scenario that kept me rapt and tearing through the pages. His writing is vivid and utterly engaging with shrewd character observations that really brought Victoria and Jamie's nightmare to life. The dual timelines ramped up the tension and intrigue, gradually revealing what had actually happened and setting the scene for a killer twist. Highly recommended! * KL Slater, author of THE EVIDENCE * I absolutely loved it - such a page-turner with the most excellent plot twist at the very end. * Leah Hazard, author of HARD PUSHED * Morgan-Bentley is becoming a master of the reader's comment of... "I didn't see that coming!!" A most unexpected twist at the end! I found myself thinking, I know it's late but I can't leave it here, I need to know more * Joy Ellis, author of the DI NIKKI GALENA SERIES * Creepy and compelling from the off, it's an immersive read with a terrific twist. I raced through it! * Teresa Driscoll, author of HER PERFECT FAMILY * You'll never guess where this twisty chiller of a book is going * Claire McGowan, author of I KNOW YOU * The Guest House starts with a chilling premise that only gets more intense with every turn of the page. You won't know where Morgan-Bentley is taking you, but you will want to hang on for the ride * Joshua Moehling, author of AND THERE HE KEPT HER * Ferocious and irresistible, THE GUEST HOUSE is a compelling story that explores just how much a parent is willing to sacrifice for their child. Morgan-Bentley is a master of the curveball, hitting us with thrill after thrill that this reader definitely did not see coming. The cherry on top was the blood-freezing epilogue. I'll be thinking about it for weeks! * Stephanie Wrobel, author of DARLING ROSE GOLD * I loved this twisty and terrifying thriller. The sense of unfolding horror is utterly irresistible - it had me hooked from the very first page. I gobbled it up! * Katherine Faulkner * Utterly Intriguing, page-turning and impossible to second guess * Rosamund Lupton * A bone-chilling premise about every parent's nightmare, which fully delivers with every twist and turn. Robin masterfully reels the reader in from the first chapter and doesn't let go until that haunting last line. Get ready to bite your nails to the beds as the tension racks up! * Jack Jordan, author of DO NO HARM *