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Each year thousands of members vote for our Book of the Year award—congrats to The Guest List!
This is an early release that's only available to our members—the rest of the world has to wait to read it.
Plot twist: This high-profile wedding starts with a murder. You'll be left to guess whodunit alongside its guests.
Family drama
Action-packed
Creepy
Whodunit
On an island off the coast of Ireland, guests gather to celebrate two people joining their lives together as one. The groom: handsome and charming, a rising television star. The bride: smart and ambitious, a magazine publisher. It’s a wedding for a magazine, or for a celebrity: the designer dress, the remote location, the luxe party favors, the boutique whiskey. The cell phone service may be spotty and the waves may be rough, but every detail has been expertly planned and will be expertly executed.
But perfection is for plans, and people are all too human. As the champagne is popped and the festivities begin, resentments and petty jealousies begin to mingle with the reminiscences and well wishes. The groomsmen begin the drinking game from their school days. The bridesmaid not-so-accidentally ruins her dress. The bride’s oldest (male) friend gives an uncomfortably caring toast.
And then someone turns up dead. Who didn’t wish the happy couple well? And perhaps more important, why?
The lights go out.
In an instant, everything is in darkness. The band stop their playing. Inside the tent the wedding guests squeal and clutch at one another. The light from the candles on the tables only adds to the confusion, sends shadows racing up the canvas walls. It’s impossible to see where anyone is or hear what anyone is saying: above the guests’ voices the wind rises in a frenzy.
Outside a storm is raging. It shrieks around them, it batters the tent. At each assault the whole structure seems to flex and shudder with a loud groaning of metal; the guests cower in alarm. The doors have come free from their ties and flap at the entrance. The flames of the paraffin torches that illuminate the doorway snicker.
It feels personal, this storm. It feels as though it has saved all its fury for them.
This isn’t the first time the electric has shorted. But last time the lights snapped back on again within minutes. The guests returned to their dancing, their drinking, their pill-popping, their screwing, their eating, their laughing . . . and forgot it ever happened.
How long has it been now? In the dark it’s difficult to tell. A few minutes? Fifteen? Twenty?
They’re beginning to feel afraid. This darkness feels somehow ominous, intent. As though anything could be happening beneath its cover.
The Guest List is the perfect book to lose yourself in for a few hours—it’s a constant page turner! A thrilling web of mystery that reminded me of Agatha Christie, reading this book felt like playing a game of ‘Clue.’ You know that feeling … when new information blows your assumptions out of the water just as you’re about to shout, “it was Colonel Mustard in the library!”
When the story opens, we find ourselves on a creepy island off the coast of Ireland, in the throes of a wedding celebration. The bride and groom are gorgeous, charming, and mildly famous, and every last detail—from the floral arrangements to the menu to the guest list itself—is perfect. Or is it? Quickly, things spin out of hand. The groom’s best friends are rowdy. The bride’s family possesses secrets galore. And then, a body is found.
By the time I reached the thrilling final pages, I felt like I myself was a guest on that island—and I was dying to get off! If you’re looking for a book to take you on an exquisite ride, look no further. Just hunker down, put your phone on silent, pop a bottle of wine, and start The Guest List.
Tori G.
Strafford, NH
I really enjoyed this book and I'm finding that I'm liking thriller's more and more. I believe that the piece I liked most about this book was the different perspective of each character. I find that when books do that it's easier for me to stay engaged and get through the book at a much faster rate. The back stories of each character were also pretty intriguing and it was a very thought-provoking book
Rachel S.
Leavenworth, KS
I know a book is great when I have to physically put it down a few times throughout my read, to sit & reflect on the storyline. The build up is fantastic. And I ♥️ the multiple viewpoints! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Jennifer L.
Middleburg, FL
Found this book to be very enjoyable - an easy read while laying by the pool. I didn’t see the ending coming! I was going to give this a “Like It” until the ending surprised me - now it’s a “Love It”!
Elizabeth G.
Monroe, NC
FIVE STARS!!! ???????????????????? This book is so dang good that I stayed up till 3 AM to finish it because I was on thr edge of my seat the entire time! The twists and turns keep you guessing until the end!
Katherine H.
Seattle, WA
4/5 ⭐️ Quite good! Evocative writing w/ strong visual descriptions that helped me picture the eerie setting. I usually figure out twists & did w/ some here, but not all, so it gets a ❤️ at 4/5 stars.
