The Gilmore Guide to Books

Connecting Books and Readers One Review at a Time

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Reviews
    • Reviews by Author
    • Reviews by Title
    • Reviews by Genre
  • Podcast
  • Policies
    • Review Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Policy

The House Guest

March 24, 2023

house guest

The House Guest by Hank Phillippi Ryan
Published by Forge Books
Publication date: February 7, 2023
Genres: Fiction, Suspense, Vacation Reading
four-stars

Reading as much as I do is a joy, but it can make me feel jaded. It leaves me with a ‘been there, read that’ mindset, especially when it comes to thrillers. That’s one of the reasons I was so tickled by Hank Philippi Ryan’s The House Guest. She uses the reader’s cynicism and suspicion against them, jamming the novel with dubious characters at every turn and a maze of a plot. It makes for fun reading as I had to stop guessing at every hint only to run headfirst into dead ends.

Alyssa has been living a life of luxury with her wealthy, charismatic husband for eight years. Until, without warning, he wants a divorce. As the heir to family wealth he comes after Alyssa hard not just in the lawyers’ offices, but with insidious mind games. She still resides in their home, but her fears have settled into an exhausting hyper-vigilance that leaves her questioning everything and everyone. Until she meets Bree, a woman trying to escape an abusive relationship and a stalker. The two women strike up a friendship and Alyssa invites Bree to move into the guest house on her spacious Greenwich property.

Bree’s problems take Alyssa’s mind off her own issues and ease her loneliness. Her husband’s scorched earth approach to their divorce means he’s spread lies to alienate her from all of their friends, leaving her isolated.  She’s can help Bree in a way she can’t help herself. As they both try and navigate their way out of messy relationships, they become friends. When Bree is gifted with extraordinary good fortune she immediately wants to repay Alyssa’s kindness towards her. But is any of this what it seems?

Without divulging any specifics, the answer is no. The House Guest is a house of mirrors mystery in that Ryan deflects, diverts, and distorts the truth, sometimes in ways that feel frustrating, but that keep the reader pushing forward. This could easily have gone off-the-rails wrong, but characters and circumstances maintain a sliver of plausibility, thanks to Ryan’s steady hand. I don’t often welcome feeling confused and off-balance but with The House Guest it was worth it to sit back and let this labyrinthine, suspenseful story unfold.

 

This post contains affiliate links which means if you click on a link and make a purchase of any kind, I get a small commission (at no cost to you).

 

*I received a free copy of this book from Forge Books in exchange for an honest review.*

 

four-stars

Related Posts

  • Related Posts
  • Same Genre
  • 4 Star Books
  • By Hank Phillippi Ryan
king of ashes
King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby
clockmaker
The Clockmaker’s Daughter by Kate Morton
30 Authors in 30 Days: Lisa O’Donnell on Crooked River by Valerie Geary
leave
Leave the World Behind
Is This Tomorrow
Is This Tomorrow
girl
Girl at War: A Novel
well tempered heart
A Well-Tempered Heart
improbability
The Improbability of Love
survive
How to Survive a Summer
necklace
The Necklace by Claire McMillan
july
July Reading Wrap-Up
paper
The Paper Palace
star
The Star Side of Bird Hill
search
Search: A Novel
how to set a fire
How to Set a Fire and Why
april
April Reading Recap

4 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: mystery, suspense, vacation reading, wealth

Comments

  1. Mary Duncklee says

    March 24, 2023 at 11:45 am

    This is so timely. I just went to an event with the author a few days ago.
    She gave a great talk and I was very intrigued by this book. I got it from the library and am just about to start it, I think it will be a fast read.

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      March 26, 2023 at 2:30 pm

      Oh, fun! I was happy to find out Hank is a woman as I prefer female writers.

      Definitely, a fast read. I wouldn’t bother getting bogged down by details because it’s all going to come together at the end.

      Reply
  2. Lauren says

    March 25, 2023 at 8:15 am

    Oh this sounds fun! I like books every once in awhile that throw me off balance.

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      March 26, 2023 at 2:32 pm

      I was such a cynic when I started. My Kindle is full of notes saying ‘this doesn’t make sense’, ‘what the heck?’ and trying to solve it, but when I let go I was able to just enjoy it. It’s great vacation reading.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Goodreads
  • Instagram

Save time and subscribe via email

No time to keep checking for new reviews? Enter your email address to subscribe and receive notifications of new posts by email. No spam!

Bookshop

Currently Reading

Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle
Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle
by Emily Nagoski
The Dutch House
The Dutch House
by Ann Patchett
Wild Game: My Mother, Her Lover, and Me
Wild Game: My Mother, Her Lover, and Me
by Adrienne Brodeur

goodreads.com

Affiliate Disclosure

I’m an affiliate for Bookshop. If you click on a link that takes you to their site and make a purchase I’ll earn a small fee, which goes towards the costs of maintaining this site. Your support is appreciated. Thank you!

Archives

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License.

Theme Design By Studio Mommy · Copyright © 2025

Copyright © 2025 · Beyond Madison Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in