REVIEW: The Last Guest was a debut novel for writer Tess Little. I liked the premise of the novel but for me, it was just ok. I do think it was a decent debut for this author.

The first thing I noticed that was different is the book was set up as a prologue, three acts and an epilogue. Sort of like a play but it didn’t read anything like that. 

A majority of the book was the memories and thoughts of the main character’s ex-wife whose name was Elspeth. I read every thought she had. Every feeling she felt. I didn’t like Elspeth and I really didn’t care. I don’t think I liked anyone in the book. I didn’t feel a connection with the characters. I felt like I was watching from the outside and I really just wanted to go home. 

Richard was the main character who died on his 50th birthday. There were only a few friends at the party. They all were drunk, passed out and found Richard dead the next morning. All eight Guest were considered suspects

This book was very dark. I kept finding myself doing other things instead of reading. I couldn’t read for very long at one time. I will say this, maybe this book was so artistic it was over my head. If you like dark, mysterious books, this one will be for you. It’s only problem was it’s not my kind of book. Somebody is going to LOVE this book! I will even predict it may be a best seller. 

I received a complimentary copy of this book from #Netgalley and #RandomHousePublishing-Ballentine. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.  

SYNOPSIS: When Elspeth Bell attends the fiftieth birthday party of her ex-husband, Richard Bryant, the Hollywood director who launched her acting career, all she wants is to pass unnoticed through the glamorous crowd in his sprawling Los Angeles mansion. Instead, there are only seven other guests—and Richard’s pet octopus, Persephone, watching over them from her tank as the intimate party grows more surreal (and rowdy) by the hour. Come morning, Richard is dead—and all of the guests are suspects.

In the weeks that follow, each guest comes under suspicion: the school friend, the studio producer, the actress, the actor, the new partner, the manager, the cinematographer, and even Elspeth herself. What starts out as a locked-room mystery soon reveals itself to be much more complicated, as dark stories from Richard’s past surface, colliding with memories of their marriage that Elspeth vowed never to revisit. She begins to wonder not just who killed Richard, but why these eight guests were invited—and what sort of man would desire to possess a creature as mysterious and unsettling as Persephone.

The Last Guest is a stylish exploration of power—the power of memory, the power of perception, the power of one person over another.