This was a crazy and thrilling ride!! I loved all the twists and turns. I also enjoy having different POV in books and I loved learning about the different characters in this. I have to say I read lots of thrillers and this on for sure kept me guessing!
Thank you for the ARC!

Charlie and Matthew Allerton-Jones are a married gay couple and are raising Titus. Both men are from very wealthy families living in the nicest areas of London.

Charlie meets a young woman named Rachel at the local bookstore and introduces her to Matthew there. As they chat, Matthew reaches out to Rachel inviting her to join the book club he has been a part of for some time. Charlie is skeptical of her joining the club which Matthew thinks is silly. As Rachel gets to know some of their wealthy friends, she manages to wiggle herself into their lives. Who is she and why is she there? She is obviously not part of their privileged group but only Charlie appears to be unwelcoming.

The story switches back and forth in time to let us know why Rachel is there and what her intention is. The history of the family members, events that happened in the past, and revenge is in the works.

This is a rather long book that encompasses friends and family from both Charlie and Matthew’s sides. We get a look into the lives of wealthy people and how they live. We also see some of the seedy things that happen even to the wealthy.

It’s difficult to give out teasers without letting too much information out. Suffice to say that readers will enjoy this book that tells an unusual story that will keep them turning pages. B. P. Walter has done it again. Come join the dinner party.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Domestic thrillers have steadily become a key ingredient in my reading diet. As COVID-19 struck I found myself wavering on them since we were all stuck inside now. But I have slowly opened up to them again and I'm glad to say that they still hit the spot. Thanks to One More Chapter and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Aaah perfect families, this beautiful trope of domestic thrillers. They are wealthy (or at least well-off), beautiful, well-connected, deeply content with each other and successful. But once you get a peek behind their front door you realize it is all a fiction and everything is hanging by a thread. I adore this set-up because it confirms what I've always suspected: no one has their sh*t together and everyone lies at least a little bit. We have all been stuck inside a lot more this past year so we understand the tensions that can arise that means a small omission can turn into a massive betrayal. So if the tension at home is already high, what happens when someone else enters into that dynamic? What do you do when someone is suddenly there, seemingly always there, and you're the only one who doesn't trust them?

In The Dinner Guest we start at the end. Matthew is dead, Rachel is calling the police, bloody knife in her hand, and Charlie is just sitting there, confused. From there we keep around this moment, witnessing the year-long build-up to this moment and the days immediately following the murder. There is a lot of guessing done by the reader for about 70% of the book, at which point B.P. Walter begins to reveal the pieces leading up to the grand reveal. I adore the guessing part and I did feel like Walter made sure to drop hints here or there which then became clear later on in the book. Sometimes it does feel like we're being teased with secrets, where the reader knows there is something they don't know and that thing explains everything. Sometimes this is fun, sometimes this is frustrating, and The Dinner Guest moves back and forth on that. However, I didn't find myself connecting to the characters as much as I would have liked. Although they were all technically interesting they did feel like pastiches at times and I couldn't really buy any of them as fully-fledged adults.

Although I have seen B.P. Walter's books around, this is my first go at one of his. I have to admit that I was caught up in The Dinner Guest pretty quickly. For me it is always the mystery that gets me first, it is what I will keep reading for, but it is everything around the mystery that will let a book sink in with me. I found the central mystery at the heart of The Dinner Guest fascinating. Who murdered Matthew and why? Why is it so hard to decide when there are max three suspects? My one criticism of The Dinner Guest is that while Walter makes an attempt at societal critique it falls flat almost completely. The characters snipe at each other to be less conservative and more open-minded, less snobbish and more charitable, but this never goes further than the surface. Like many other books, there is a fascination with the rich and landed, with their beautiful houses and storied history. While the blurb seems to link this to Donna Tartt I wouldn't go that far. Tartt makes it very clear that while there is a glamour this glamour is based on intimidation and fear to a large extent. Here we mostly have the facade, which is a shame.

The Dinner Guest had me hooked with its premise almost immediately. While I found it difficult to connect with and care for the characters, the back and forth between past and present had me guessing throughout, so I was solidly hooked.

Rating: 4/5 stars.

“The Dinner Guest” by B. P. Walter is a delectable domestic thriller filled with twists and turns. This was the first book I read by this author, but it will not be the last.

The book starts off a killer beginning, and the plot flips between the past and present. The novel was very original, and the characters were very fleshed out. I wish they were more likeable, as it was hard to empathize with them. The action of the novel lulls a bit in the middle, and concludes with a long and twisty reveal. I would have liked the twists to be better spaced out, with shorter reveals peppered throughout the novel, instead of a very long and drawn out expose at the end of the novel. The epilogue was kind of out of left field, and did not seem to fit in with the rest of the novel. I wish it had been skipped, and that the final chapter before the epilogue as being the end of the novel.

Overall, this is a respectable novel that fans of murderous and domestic thrillers are sure to love.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book on NetGalley and have provided an honest review.*

This was a heck of a thriller and suspenseful read with many twists and turns. So glad it was not predictable at any part, especially the ending which ruins any book. The characterization and alternate POVs draw you in and keep you guessing. Definitely one of the top thrillers I have finished in 2021 and highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley, BP Walter and St Martin's Press One More Chapter division for an ARC in exchange for an honest review and worthy of 5 stars.

Available: 4/1/21

To be completely honest I'm not overly sure how I feel after finishing this one.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed reading it, I was never bored but I think on reflection The Dinner Guest on a whole was slightly underwhelming as a thriller.

I liked the originality of following the relationship between two gay men as opposed to man and wife, I thought that was a refreshing change however none of the characters particularly had any likeable qualities especially Titus the couple's son, I found him an overprivileged little knobhead from the get go and the rest of them not much better.

I also felt the execution of the murder was a little 'meh' and just didn't fully believe in it if that makes sense, two of the characters went a bit off track in a bid to wrap up I thought, making things go a bit complex and unbelievable.

Like I say, this is my thoughts on reflection and whilst I was reading I was enjoying the book, that counts for a lot and I think people who read a lot of thrillers like me are probably more judgemental because they are expecting the shock factor every time. The Dinner Guest unfortunately didn't give me the shock treatment but it was a good hearty enjoyable story all the same.

I wish the author the best of luck with it. Happy Publication Day and THANK YOU #Netgalley #OneMoreChapter and of course @bpwalterauthor for the early read

3/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

WHAT I LOVED 💟 This was a fast and entertaining read. The nonlinear narrative was enjoyable, and the multiple points of view gave dynamism to the story and insight into the characters’ minds. I also loved the unexpected turn that the story took over the very last pages!

WHAT DIDN’T WORK 💔 I believe the author gave away too many details too soon: after just a few chapters, I could more or less figure out the whodunnit and predicted most of the plot twists scattered throughout the chapters. I must say, it took away a bit of the fun.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

The Dinner Guest is a fast paced thriller that will have you turning the pages eager to find out who, why and how!
The book starts with a murder and unfolds from there, jumping back and forward from after the murder to almost a year before it.
I wasn't very keen on any of the main characters but the plot pulled me in to this read. This book is cleverly plotted and drawn out and held my interest until the very last page. I couldn't put all the dots together until near the end which is the way I like my thrillers.
Definitely worth a read!

We have just finished another absolute corker. Firstly we want to thank the amazing Harper Collins and Netgalley for allowing us to read this advance copy.

We really don’t want to give too much away as we feel the less you know about this book as you go into it , the more enjoyable it will be for you. So we are determined not to give too much away but let us say , there is so much more to the storyline than a dinner party death and all is NOT what it seems..

Four people walked into the dining room that night. One would never leave.

Matthew: the perfect husband.

Titus: the perfect son.

Charlie: the perfect illusion.

Rachel: the perfect stranger.

Charlie didn’t want her at the book club. Matthew wouldn’t listen.

And that’s how Charlie finds himself slumped beside his husband’s body, their son sitting silently at the dinner table, while Rachel calls 999, the bloody knife still gripped in her hand.

In The dinner guest we are excited to say we have discovered one of THE most gripping domestic noir thrillers we have read to date. This book has some serious WOW factor, it is intelligently and eloquently written and in a tone that is very current and informed. Even though it’s set in a world of the privileged London elite where old money reigns supreme we felt involved and invested in all of the characters. The author is not only a highly skilled and clever writer but his use of language and carefully drawn plot will catapult you into the personal lives of Matthew and his husband Charlie, as well as their exclusive London lifestyle with a stunning clarity that made reading The dinner Guest effortless and thoroughly entertaining . Pure escapism. What we found particularly enjoyable was the dialogue and the relationships between characters, we don’t think we’ve ever read fictional conversations that rang so true and were used so successfully as a vehicle to teach the reader so much without us even realising. Just brilliant.

The chapters alternate between POVs and timelines in the buildup to the penultimate moment where someone dies, although (we don’t find out the ins and outs of that until much later ) and the period after it. This choice of format results in such a build up of mystery, that makes it one of the most compelling and intriguing books we have ever read- We were completely stumped and literally had NO idea at all what the outcome would be or the reason why these relationships ended with a murder, we couldn’t even hazard a guess! So when the truth is finally revealed – we were BLINDSIDED!! Prior to the big reveal as the secrets, lies and revelations unfurled the mystery just grew and grew …

As a result we had a couple of VERY late nights , as the questions mounted we couldn’t put this down, we were completely mystified until the end and we couldn’t sleep until we knew what had happened and why …

In The dinner guest B P Walter has created a twisty, deliciously dark and tangled tale which was completely unpredictable and we simply LOVED. We would rate this a hundred stars if we could, so of course it is a full ⭐️ 5 star rating from TTGBC…. It’s seriously amazing and different from anything else we’ve read.

This title releases tomorrow and would be a very wise investment and addition to your TBR pile… We seriously encourage all our fellow bookstagrammers to break that buying ban- We promise you it’s worth it!

ENJOY!

I have attended some pretty dramatic family dinners. People shouting, people throwing or breaking things, people crying, and people leaving in a huff. None of these wonderful meals have ended with the police and a dead body.
Matthew and Charlie seem to be the perfect couple. They love their adopted son Titus, they have good relationships with their family and friends, and are fortunate that money really isn't an issue. That is until they meet Rachel who seems to invade every corner of their lives. A chance encounter in a bookstore leads to an invitation to join Matthew's book club, and suddenly Rachel is a permanent fixture in their group. To Charlie, something isn't right, there are just too many unusual coincidences. To Matthew, Charlie is a snob who can't see beyond Rachel's less fortunate upbringing.
When Matthew is stabbed and dies, Rachel immediately confesses, but won't provide a reason why she would commit such a terrible crime. We know right away that she is innocent, so that leaves Charlie, Titus, or an unknown suspect. Why would Rachel willingly go to prison and who is the real killer?
So many secrets and lies come pouring out of these characters' mouths. I was amazed their clothes weren't strewn all over the house as their closets were bursting with skeletons. Be prepared to question everything you think is true. Just like Charlie's Instagram posts, the perfect life might just be an illusion.
Even when everything was revealed, I was 100% sure how The Dinner Guest would end. Yep, I got that wrong too! Publication day is on April 1st, but I assure you this book is no joke!

A really fun thriller that gives a new twist on the classic domestic murder mystery. Walter peels back the layers of the story really effectively and the twist felt both earned and surprising (something that seems to be shockingly lacking in thrillers at the moment). Definitely recommend for fans of the genre!

‘My husband Matthew died on an unseasonably chilly August day at dinner time.’
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I have been looking forward to reading this book ever since I first heard about it last year, and it’s safe to say it it did not disappoint!!
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Matthew : The Perfect Husband.
Titus : The Perfect Son.
Charlie : The Perfect Illusion.
Rachel : The Perfect Stranger.
Charlie didn’t want her at the book club. Matthew wouldn’t listen. And that’s how Charlie find himself slumped beside his husband’s body, their son sitting silently at the dinner table, while Rachel calls 999, the bloody knife still gripped in her hand
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The twists in this book were to die for, and the use of story telling by jumping between both Charlie and Rachel’s perspectives both before and after the murder made the story fully come alive. I also commend B.P. Walter for using a gay couple as the main characters whilst also not making it a spectacle, it felt like a very real relationship and was lovely to read about... even if it did result in a murder...
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Thank you so much to OneMoreChapter, Harper Collins UK and Netgalley for the ARC! I couldn’t put it down!!!

Wow! I absolutely loved this book. You think it’s going to be a typical whodunnit about a murder at a dinner. And it is about a murder at a dinner and it is a whodunnit but it’s as far from typical as you can get. Unfolding in flashbacks and in different voices, it’s full of twists and turns that you really won’t see coming. One of the best books I’ve read in ages. The first book from B. p Walter for me but I’m going to search out the back catalogue. Highly recommended.

BP Walter's A VERSION OF THE TRUTH was one of the few books I took with me to Australia, and then I took it another 1900 miles to Darwin. Thank goodness I did because it got me through a rather trying few days (yes, I have officially grown out of youth hostels). His talent in creating rounded and realistic characters and perfectly paced and twisted plots transported me out of that horrible situation, so I was super excited to receive an advanced copy of his latest thriller, THE DINNER GUEST.

Matthew: the perfect husband.
Titus: the perfect son.
Charlie: the perfect illusion.
Rachel: the perfect stranger.

Four people walked into the dining room that night. One would never leave.

BP Walter throws together contrasting worlds, characters and situations and intertwines them so neatly and intricately so that when the story blows apart, the reader really doesn't see it coming. Once again the characters are vivid and distinctive – you can almost see them before your eyes (Matthew looks just like Rupert Penry Jones to me). The voice of Charlie, especially, jumps right off the page. The novel starts off at a run, and only gets more tense and suspenseful as the narrative continues. Wonderfully paced and super control over the ending. Another must-read!

Thanks to the author @bpwalterauthor and the publisher @onemorechapterhc for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Charlie has the perfect life - wealth, the perfect husband, the perfect son. But a stranger enters their lives and Charlie's husband invites her to bookclub over Charlie's objections. Then Charlie finds himself slumped beside his husband’s body, their son sitting silently at the dinner table, while Rachel calls 999, the bloody knife still gripped in her hand.

How did this happen? And why?

The novel is fast paced with many twists. The final ending will certainly generate discussion if you read with a group!


Content Warnings SPOILERS:
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racism; homophobia; classism; sexism; revenge porn; statutory rape

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. The opinions in this review are honest and my own.

This was my first book by B.P. Walter and left me wanting to read more of the author's novels. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of this intriguing book. Recommended to readers who like a tantalizing domestic thriller.

💫 Book Review 💫
The Dinner Guest by @bpwalterauthor
Publication date - 1st April 2021

Thank you to @netgalley and @onemorechapterhc for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

Book Synopsis
Four people walked into the dining room that night. One would never leave.
Matthew: the perfect husband.

Titus: the perfect son.

Charlie: the perfect illusion.

Rachel: the perfect stranger.

Charlie didn’t want her at the book club. Matthew wouldn’t listen.

And that’s how Charlie finds himself slumped beside his husband’s body, their son sitting silently at the dinner table, while Rachel calls 999, the bloody knife still gripped in her hand.

My Thoughts
I loved to opening chapter to this books, such a fantastic start!

I really enjoyed that it was across different timelines and that we say the story from different characters perspectives.

I thought it was really interesting how the characters were linked and how they ended up in the situation they were in. I did guess the twist, but this didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
#thedinnerguest #bookreview #netgalley #netgalleyreview #ebook #ebookstagram #bookblogger #bookstagram #onemorechapter #harpercollins

How on earth do I write a review of a book that I hated and loved at the same time. Well I guess the best way is to mingle my thoughts on here just like my emotions were while reading it.

I hated the characters, all of them. That’s not a criticism as I do love a good baddie and boy were there lots here to choose from. From the shallow, privileged gay couple and their tempestuous spoilt teenager to Rachel the vindictive stalker who infiltrated their lives. They are all users, taking what they want with no consideration of the consequences.

The plot had me in its grip from the moment the victim was revealed and one of the characters confessed to the murder. Surprisingly this happened very early on, so I knew there would be more to this than meets the eye.

The pace was slowly drawn, taking its sweet time over the course of a year to reveal everyone’s hidden secrets. Although I guessed the who I did not guess the why and to be honest I would have happily killed all of them for how they behaved.

This book felt like a battle of wills between the classes, the sexes and the generations with no winner only losers.

4.5 stars.
When we first meet our motley cast, one of them is dead, another holding a knife, a third slumped against the body, devastated. Rachel, with the knife calls 999 and confesses to the murder of Matthew, Charlie's husband. Where is Titus, their son?
Rewind a while and we learn how our couple first met Rachel. First Charlie innocuously bumping into her, then the pair of them again soon after. Coincidence or orchestrated. And then we follow as Rachel inveigles her way into their lives. She pops up again, this time aided Titus. All very strange and "right time, right place". Charlie becomes suspicious... And so begins a twisty turny tale chock full of secrets and lies. With motives unclear, it's hard to establish what in the heck is going on...
Well... this kept me on my toes pretty much all the way through. Ok so I guessed a few things along the way but not all of them panned out - in fact I was way way off the mark in some of my musings. But that all just added to the fun and frolics of this psycho thriller - but, do yourself a favour and go in as blind as you can.
It's quite character driven and I guess it didn't really matter that I didn't really like any of them. I still managed to connect to them in some way - even if mostly negative - I still cared about the motives around and about their behaviours. We also flit about in time - before and after the murder. This is seamless and easy to follow and the dual timelines complement each other perfectly all the way through.
Pacing is where it goes a bit... it builds up nicely all the way through - layering the intrigue and confusion. Ramping it all up nicely towards the end - which, when we got there, although making sense and on the whole credible, did come at me like a bull at a gate somewhat and did overwhelm a tad. Hence the lost half a star and rounding down.
All in all, a thoroughly decent read that I do recommend to fans of the genre. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

B.P. Walters new domestic psychological thriller will leave you on the edge of your seat. It presents you more questions than answers and keeps you guessing until the fulminant, juicy finale. The story is about (fading) love, family boundaries, revenge, bloodlust, corruption, addiction and prejudicial behaviour of the upperclass towards lower classes.

4.5 ⭐️ because there is one little question that stays unanswered. Overall extremely enthralling, shocking and astonishing read. Can’t wait to read more from this stunning author.

Thank you NetGalley / Harper Collins UK One More Chapter for giving me the chance to read this extraordinary arc in exchange for a honest review.