The Last Guest was a terrific book. Tess Little painted such an elaborate picture of high society. I honestly had no idea what twists and turns to expect next. The leading characters were strong and well established. Loved everything about it!

I appreciate the opportunity to access an ARC of this book through the publisher Random House Publishing-Ballantine. This has such an amazing beginning, really grabs your attention and creates the foundation for the “whodunit” that follows. The first quarter of the book was great and definitely made me want to keep reading. I think the switch between the party, the present and the past were very well written with good transitions that were easy to follow. The story would have benefited from more development of the other party guests so that the reader felt more connection or interest to their relationship and thoughts about Richard. Ultimately this was just a little too long, with too much of Elspeth’s internal dialogue and reminisces and not enough activity or interaction with other characters. I certainly learned a lot about octopuses (octopi?), some of which I wish I could forget. The ending was too transparent but overall this book was a good representation of an Agatha Christie mystery. I would definitely read other books by this author.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

The plot sounded so interesting but the mystery was flat and took so long to develop I had long since stopped caring. Not even an entertaining guilty pleasure

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I loved the premise of this book. I felt the character development was good and there was an interesting cast of characters. Where I thought the book could have done better is that the story is being told with 2 time lines and sometimes even 3. There is no break for going back and forth between these timelines— like a chapter break or change in font or something— and I found this to be confusing for the reader. There were times where I had to go back and re-read multiple paragraphs once I realized we were in a different time line and plot then I thought. While it was an interesting concept it made it confusing at times and difficult to read. The plot kept me interested to the end.

Thank you Netgalley for granting my wish!!! The Last Guest by Tess Little takes you to the glamourous world of Hollywood. A party for a movie director, at a mansiion, with all rich people, and murder sets the stage.
Seven people are invited to this exclusive party - and when the host suddenly departs the party - they are left with a group of individuals wtith pecular tastes, habits, and desires.
The mystery and backdrop for this novel is a slow cooking roast. Each invitee's story provides fuel for this slow fire book.
Written like an old school mystery.
Touche'
3.5 stars.

I almost put this book down and dnf, but something made me keep reading, and I'm glad I did. The book starts out pretty slow but if you can get through the first quarter or so of it, you'll be glad that you did! This book has it all, twists and turns, murder and sea life LOL. Do yourself a favor and give this book a try!!
A big thank you to the publisher for granting My wish and netgalley!!

#TheLastGuest #NetGalley
The book surprised me. I really found Elpeth to be a great character. She has so much going on under the surface that moves the plot along without you even realize how she's directing it. Her relationship with Richard and Lillie is the heart of what takes place. How we choose to see those around us. How we direct those relationships until we cannot stand it any longer. The Last Guest gives the reader a mystery, but with choice and consequences to our actions.

Good read, didn’t really relate to any if ten characters or care for them but still had me intrigued enough to read til the end.

I was really excited about this locked room mystery after reading the description. Unfortunately it missed the mark. The most interesting thing was the octopus. This was slow going and you can skip this one and not be missing out.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Comparisons to Agatha Christie are inevitable and well-earned, but Little takes the locked-room trope a step forward by allowing her characters to escape the mansion and face the very real consequences in clear view. I loved the ruminations on Persephone and what sort of person could possibly think that owning such an extraordinarily intelligent creature as a pet is okay. Totally original and irresistible!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

I was excited to read this book--an Agatha Christie/locked room murder mystery. Right up my alley. Unfortunately, it really missed its mark.

It was slow, bogged down with heavy descriptions and too much repetitive inner monologue. I wanted to know each suspect, but they were glossed over, leaving me without much interest in what happened to them. In other words, I was never able to become invested in this story. I did, however, quite enjoy the octopus--my favorite part, actually.

Book Review for The Last Guest
Full review for this title will be posted at: @cattleboobooks on Instagram!

This really didn't hit the mark for me and I'm really sad about it. I was super excited to read this and I loved the premise, but the prose was a little off for my taste.

I enjoyed this book it was intriguing and well paced and kept you going to find out how who what and why!

A Hollywood intimate gathering occurs with a director inviting an eccentric group of just a few guests. Everyone arrives at different times and are clumped together with confusion. Richard, the director, is known for throwing together lavish parties with countless people so this was odd. The exwife was invited even though they don’t get along and that is the point of view we receive. The party ends with Richard’s death of asphyxiation. So how did he die? Was it one of the guests? Was it an accident? Was it the creepy Octopus named Penelope he kept in a tank? You search through theories and people and in the end it makes sense and I found it to be satisfying.

Thank you to netgalley and Random House for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

This character driven novel was sent to me by Netgalley on Kindle for review. I could not embrace the story as I usually do. The intrigue is there but the characters are just not likeable. Intrigue.

I was excited to read this book, but it didn't hit the mark for me and I found it to be a boring read. It centers on Elspeth, who travels to attend her egomaniac movie director ex-husband's 50th birthday party. The next morning, the ex-husband is dead and Elspeth, as well as the other guests at the party, are all suspects. There is a bit of a side story here as well regarding what happened in Elspeth's marriage as well as her relationship with her daughter.

My primary issue with the story is that I felt that I never got to know any of the characters, including Elspeth herself. I had no idea why they did the things they did or what kind of people they were. Also, much of the dialogue was Elspeth's inner dialogue, which made the story move very slowly.

I do think the writing was lyrical and even haunting at times, especially when describing the scenes and the overall dynamic related to the octopus.

Overall, this wasn't the book for me and I hope others have a better experience. I didn't really find it suspenseful and even when I found out what really happened, I just wasn't that invested. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was lucky to receive an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and opinion. This book caught my attention with the cover and that description - locked room..yes, I'm intrigued. I loved this book and felt myself reading just one more page until I finally finished it late into the night. This will keep you guessing all the way until the very end. So good!

After starting The Last Guest, I realized that this book was going to be more than the description implied. I am mostly a mystery and thriller genre reader, and what they often have in common are short chapters with cliffhanger endings. That isn't the case here.

To assist my fellow readers, let me say first that this book is much more than a murder mystery. Second, there are no chapters, only Acts I, II, and III. Third, the story is told from Richard's ex-wife's POV. Fourth, the plot focuses on Richard's party, Elspeth's relationship with her ex-husband, and her life in the aftermath of the murder. The plot moves between these timelines, and that is what threw me off when I started. No ten years ago, or now, or the night of the party chapters.

Elspeth has been through quite a bit at Richard's hands, as have all the other guests at his birthday party. Anyone of them had a motive and the opportunity to kill Richard. As the story progressed, we learn more about the suspects and their interactions with Richard and it became painfully clear that his use of his power and privilege was extreme.

I realize I am being vague, but to say much more would be giving important plot points away! Read this knowing that there is much going on under the surface and watch this shocking story unfold.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention Persephone, Richard's octopus who was one of my favorite characters!

One of my favorite creatures, an octopus features prominently in this story, albeit as one of the few things that kept my interest. Although the story is described as an Agatha Christie-type mystery, I have to disagree. Her books are engaging and intriguing, while this one left me wishing that more characters had perished. They are simply not likeable nor did they garner any sympathy with me. I kept waiting for revelations, something to ramp up the drama, but it never comes.

Richard is a Hollywood director originally from England and he is throwing a 50th birthday party for himself. He has invited an eclectic group of people, including his ex-wife, Elspeth. She only attends to be with her daughter, Lillie, who now lives in LA as an actress, across the country from New York, Elspeth's home. But Lillie never shows and Elspeth is stuck with an ingratiating group of mostly strangers, including her husband's new partner, Honey. Awkward small talk is made, the drinks begin to flow and the next thing Elspeth knows, she has awakened the next morning to find Richard dead. Most of the guests despised him anyway, as his controlling personality bled into his work as a director - everyone felt his wrath and no one is surprised that he finally pushed someone too far.

Everyone is under suspicion and we wait to see who is guilty. Elspeth stays with Lillie throughout the investigation, yet Lillie barely says two words to her mother, too busy planning Richard's memorial and grieving with Honey. Elspeth becomes obsessed with watching octopus videos and thinking back over her time with Richard. I suppose there are revelations about their interactions, but it's not a surprise and honestly, you expect worse. There is barely a climax, as I doubt anyone will be shocked by the outcome, but instead, simply satisfied to discover that they were right. There's just not enough 'thrill' in this thriller. The reader shouldn't care more about the octopus than any of the humans, yet I did. She tried to escape from Richard earlier than anyone else. Yet humans are the more intelligent creatures? Not in this story.

Based off the description, I was hoping for more supernatural elements in the story. It's more character-driven, but the characters leave a lot to be desired.