The Dinner Guest by B P Walters
Written by Ashley Kelmore, Posted in Reviews
Three Stars
Best for:
Anyone interesting in a distracting read while doing chores or things round the house.
In a nutshell:
Michael has been murdered. Rachel has confessed. But did she really do it?
Worth quoting:
N/A
Why I chose it:
Audible had a two-for-one sale and this seemed like something I’d enjoy.
Review:
Charlie and Michael are a married couple, and fathers to Michael’s adopted son Titus, who is about 14 years old. They are VERY rich, and one thing they do is host a book club with their rich friends. Well, Michael does; Charlie doesn’t participate. One day they meet Rachel at a bookstore, Michael invites her to join the book club, and Charlie is instantly suspicious.
Also, we know that Michael is murdered at some point.
The book is told from the perspectives of Charlie and Rachel, and travels back between the murder and when Rachel first came into their lives about a year earlier. Usually I enjoy this style of book, and this one was fine, but I think there were a few things that made it less enjoyable for me than other similar books.
First off – Charlie is DEEPLY unlikeable. Obviously books that focus on rich people run that risk, as so often rich people are extremely out of touch. But Charlie is more than that, though I can’t quite explain it. And I’m all for an unlikeable protagonist, but I don’t think this was done well. Or maybe it’s because he seems somewhat one-dimensional in his unlikeability – he’s just not written in a complex way.
Rachel is … fine.
And the way the son Titus is written felt a bit off as well – like how someone who doesn’t have children (and I don’t have them) imagine a teen boy would rebel?
There are a couple of twists, and I sort of saw them both coming, though they weren’t SO obvious as to spoil the whole thing. I’d say this is better read as a library book than a purchase.
What’s next for this book:
Discard
