A seemingly perfect family, plus one guest sitting down dinner. What could go wrong? Death, that’s what. There’s Charlie and Matthew, the fathers of Titus, their teen son. And then there’s Rachel who quickly becomes a friend of the family.

And then, suddenly, Matthew is slumped dead at the dinner table. Whodunnit?

I think that’s all you need to know going into this domestic thriller!

I will say that this is a wealthy family with wealthy connections. This aspect lead naturally to discussions on elitism, classism and privilege. It makes many of the characters kind of unlikeable, but I don’t mind that in novels.

Indeed, I could not put this book down. This was an excellently written thriller that kept me intrigued right to the end. And that ending was something! Definitely made me feel uneasy.

I am now very interested in reading this author’s other works.

Thank you to Netgalley, HarperCollins UK/ One More Chapter for an e-arc of this exciting thriller!

This book is completely gripping. It opens strongly with a prologue subtitled "The day of the murder" - who doesn't want to instantly read on after seeing that?

Charlie's husband Matthew has been stabbed and Rachel calls the police, confessing to stabbing him. Did she really kill him or did Charlie or their teenage son Titus have reason to want Matthew dead too?

The chapters that follow are told from the perspectives of Charlie and Rachel and move between different timelines; before the murder and after the murder.

We discover that the chance meeting that Rachel had with Charlie and Matthew wasn't chance at all. She had planned it but why? What is her connection to this family?

There is so much going on in this book and you are desperate to keep reading to find out the whole truth. There is a running theme of elitism and the prejudices between upper class and working class. Charlie and Matthew's family and acquaintances are high flying politicians and they live in manors in London with housekeepers whereas Rachel is from a working class background in Yorkshire.

There are so many twists and turns but none too unbelievable. I loved the development of Titus especially the way he spoke to Charlie towards the end of the book.

The ending made me want to scream. I usually point blank hate cliffhanger endings but it really worked with this book.

Enjoyable twisty. I went into this one skeptical but finished the book happy. It kept me curious, turning the pages, and wondering. I liked it a lot.

I received an eARC from One More Chapter / HarperCollins UK through NetGalley in exchange for my review. All opinions shared are mine and are influenced by nothing other than my own reading experience.

The Dinner Guest by B P Walter

I have been hearing about this book from all over the web for a while. The hype was definitely present, the summary spread around so much you likely know the plot. Sounds promising, massive potential within the plot however as much as I WANTED to love this book it fell well below my expectations.

The first half of the book dragged on told in a somewhat meager narrative tone. The book bounces you between people and back and forth in time with no real change in the tone as one would expect when a different character is telling it.

At first I loved the dynamics of Charlie, Matthew, and Titus but the more the book dragged on the more boring and unreal they seemed. All of the characters were underdeveloped and I failed to connect emotionally with any of them for longer than a couple pages.

I will admit towards the end things got much better, but the painful journey to get there is not worth it.

Thank you to netgalley and publishers for providing me with a copy and allowing me to share my honest opinion. I wish I could rave about this one but it just was not anything I'd be willing to read again. I likely would have given up had I not agreed to review

All the stars for this sensational thriller that explores secrets, lies, vengeance, and the masks we wear.

It opens with a bang on the day of the murder; Matthew lies dead at the table and Rachel has the knife in her hand, confesses, and is taken into police custody, leaving Charlie and his son Titus shocked and bewildered. But there is are unanswered questions, riddles that need to be unravelled; why did Rachel confess to a murder she didn’t commit? And who really killed Matthew?

Charlie, Matthew and Titus are the picture-perfect family; affluent, good-looking and sickeningly happy, they have it all. Until Rachel comes into their lives. Charlie thinks there isn’t something quite right about her from the moment they meet, but Matthew won’t listen and invites her into their lives. A decision that will have devastating consequences and change all of their lives forever. Told in flashbacks leading up to the day of the murder and in the present day as they deal with the aftermath of Matthew’s death, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough as the author immersed me in this tense and twisty tale.

This was my first time reading this author and I will definitely be reading more. Skillfully written, fast-paced and brimming with suspense, he kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. I had so many questions and very few ideas of what the answers could be. Jaw-dropping twists and revelations had my heart racing as the things built to a shocking climax that left me reeling.

Atmospheric, addictive and intoxicating, if you like thrillers then you need to read this book!

Four people walked into the dining room that night. One would never leave. A truly griping murder mystery thriller which spans back and forwards in time along the way giving us more insight to keep us guessing. It really kept me compelled to keep reading to find out more and I devoured this book in two days.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is so full of suspense.mystery, intrigue and enough twists to keep 3 books going. This book will suck you in from the first chapter and keep you wondering to the last page.

The main characters are interesting but I found I lost interest in them as the book went on. I felt this book should have ended several chapters before it did as there is such a thing as too many twists. This book is best described as too much of a good thing.

Some of the characters that seemed to be important were quickly dropped and others suddenly became important in the end. It almost seems like two separate books that were made into one. Perhaps this would have come across better as a series of two books and not trying to squeeze it all into one.

In general it is an entertaining mystery that you can read quickly but not one that you will be talking about for long.

Thank you to Harper Collins UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

The Dinner Guest
I really enjoyed this book. None of thf characters are that likeable, but I love characters like that. I was kept guessing right to the end despite forming multiple theories.
I enjoyed the different perspectives in each chapter and felt that added to the story

4.5 stars, not quite 5 as I felt confused about Charlie and Archie and that conversation leading to such a huge decision... but wow some twists! I read this in less than 24 hours - totally hooked! Thanks for NetGalley & Harper Collins UK for an exclusive arc in exchange for an honest review. If you love a thriller and twists galore then you have to read this gem

Full of suspense, well written and a page turner to the end. Twists and turns a plenty. Thoroughly enjoyed it

This was an incredible thrilling read that totally kept me guessing until the very end! The characters really draw you in and get you hooked on what is going to happen next. Very fast paced and suspenseful! I definitely recommend this book!

I enjoyed the first half of this book a lot more than the second. Unfortunately, for me, the reveals were just a bit too unbelievable and I didn't really buy that the characters would behave in the ways they did. However this is a fun, entertaining psychological thriller, just try and suspend your disbelief.

Fun read! Captured the burden and anxiety of perfectionism well. The two narrators were interesting - one was loathsome and another blah? Rachel seemed suspicious from the start as she always happened to be at the right spot at the right time. Lots of twists, lots of secrets, and the end was quite riveting and messy. Enjoyed reading it!

This book is a doozy!
Every character is a perfect illusion. Their lives are cloaked in shadows and secrets. Nothing is at it seems.

As an avid reader of thrillers, I thought I had this book figured out pretty early on. I was dead wrong! The twists are perfectly placed and perfectly delicious.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"The Dinner Guest" by B P Walter is a misleading title for this novel and really has nothing to do with a "mysterious" dinner guest/dinner party. That's not to say that the book does not revolve around a central mystery that is nothing new to fans of this genre of books. We are told the "who" of the mystery in the very beginning and the purpose of the book is to unravel the "why." Being that there is very little that surprises me anymore when it comes to the mystery/thriller novel genre, I am still a fan and look for fascinating characters and character development when assessing whether the book was good. This novel was lacking in both character and character development and once it finally answers the story's central "why" the reader is left feeling a little underwhelmed. I struggled to get through this book. "In my book" so to speak, this was not a page-turner that I burned the midnight oil to finish. It was ok and I certainly wouldn't advise you to avoid this book at all costs but I think a more valuable use of your time might be being an actual "dinner guest" of the ones you hold dear.

A gripping, well-paced psychological thriller, which kept me turning the pages (finished in the space of a few hours) to uncover more and more of the lies and intrigue - which are substantial!

The characters are pretty much universally unlikeable, but that seems to some extent to the the intention, and does not detract from enjoyment of the story. The alternating chronology and switching between points of view was clear and - in contrast to many other multi-POV books - served a useful purpose of providing information which would otherwise have been unavailable to the reader or have to be communicated by other, less plausible methods. I liked the way that the lies and twists were unveiled little by little, particularly during the second half.

The ending felt a bit abrupt, and was a slight let-down compared to the rest of the book.

Thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and NetGalley for the ARC.

This was a super twisty novel and one I read in less than 24 hours!

The story begins during an evening dinner with Matthew and Charlie and their adopted son, Titus. An unexpected guest Rachel arrives and joins them. Soon after, Matthew is stabbed at the dinner table and Rachel calls the police to say she is responsible for his murder. But is she really?

The book goes back and forth, before and after the murder takes place. We learn who Rachel is and why she is wanting to be so involved in Matthew, Charlie and Titus' life.

This was one of the best thrillers I've read this year. I had a hard time putting this book down because I just had to know what was going on. Twisty and perfectly written. This one gets all the stars from me. I highly recommend this one to thriller fans!

Many thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK/One More Chapter for providing me with a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

The Dinner Guest by B P Walter is a thriller, where we know from the beginning who dies, and whilst we're told who has admitted to the killing, we're also told there's doubt about the killer.

Matthew and Charlie are married, bringing up Titus, who is the son of Matthew's late sister.  And Rachel is the woman who changes everything.  She shows up in a bookshop, and whilst Charlie feels uncomfortable, Matthew befriends her.

I really enjoyed the layers of story that are revealed as we go along, with truths uncovered about every character. 

 The Dinner Guest  was published on 1st April 2021, and is available from  Amazon ,  Waterstones  and  Bookshop.org .

You can follow B P Walter on  Twitter ,  Facebook  and  Instagram .

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to  HarperCollins ,  One More Chapter .

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 4 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

Juicy thriller with a side of whodunnit ? Count me in! This is one dinner I couldn't resist. Charlie and Matt are raising their son, Titus. They have a book club. Who doesn't? Matt invites Rachel to join and have a meal with them. She is circling them like the sun, getting closer and closer to their little nest.
Matt is horrifically murdered at dinner- and Rachel confesses at once. But why is she confessing when we already know she didn't do it?? The pacing is excellent, the characters believable and the details will keep you reading.
When's the next meal by this author? I'm in! Thanks for the ARC to netgalley, the publisher and author!
3.5 stars!