I'll preface this by saying that I hate being critical of anyone who has managed to get a book published or even finished a book. Authors pour their artistic souls into their work, and I recognize how difficult that is. So this is just my own, humble opinion of the first third of this book, as I've chosen not to finish it.

This story focuses on an actress who attends the intimate Hollywood Hills birthday party of her ex-husband Richard, who is the director who launched her career, only to wake up in the morning and find him dead. It's a locked-room mystery that starts off with the promise of an Agatha Christie-style mystery, but for me, the mystery and characters didn't deliver.

Although the writing is really quite good, I didn't take to the story. The pacing is slow, and I didn't find the characters compelling or interesting enough to warrant learning the minutiae of their lives. Now, I typically LOVE unlikable characters, when done well. To me, the dinner party guests -- there are about eight of them -- seemed both flat and unlikable. They came off as shallow and grating to me, and I couldn't tell if that was intentional or not. If it was clear that this was a skewering of the elite, Hollywood types - who themselves are little lost souls - it may have been very engaging! Honestly, sign me up for that. I've lived around those types of people for a long time, and they deserve a good skewer. But instead, this seemed more like an earnest representation of people I'd prefer to avoid: in real life, and in books.

The book description makes mention of David Lynch. While the inclusion of the octopus as a character was interesting and definitely Lynch-ian, that's as far as I'd go in comparison to his semi-surrealist and at times wonderfully disturbing style. There's just more depth and insight and bravery within his work.

To be fair, I didn't finish the book. I made it one-third of the way through, which is what I always attempt to do before closing a book for good. The characters just weren't coming to life for me, and I found myself disinterested in finding out who killed Richard, a character who seemed rather pretentious and possibly deserving of a good kill.

Although this didn't work for me, this may work well for those who like slightly eccentric, slow-burning mysteries.

It came out Oct. 5.

Thank you Ballantine Books for the ARC!

The Last Guest
by Tess Little
Pub Date: October 5, 2021
Ballantine Books

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC.
* Mystery * Thriller * Suspense * Fiction
I love this genre of book.
The Last Guest is a stylish exploration of power--the power of memory, the power of perception, the power of one person over another.
I enjoyed this read and think you will too!
4stars

I really wanted to like this book and I kept hoping that by the end it would improve but it just didn't. The disjointed storytelling flipping between present and past without a qualifier notifying you was confusing and the storylines often got muddled due to this. There was too many characters IMO so I was often confusing them with each other. The pacing wasn't bad but everything else was not great. The ending was unfulfilling at best - which annoyed me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

The Last Guest by Tess Little didn't live up to the hype, for me. I thought it would read like a locked-room mystery, since much of the story takes place at Richard's 50th birthday party and Richard ends up dead by morning. With only 7 or so guests at the party, we don't know who killed him, but we know someone is guilty. I expected to feel the excitement of wondering who was guilty, maybe revealing some dark secrets or motives for each of the guests ... but instead, the story just went on and on until it finally fizzled out at the end.

Elspeth doesn’t want to be here. It’s her ex-husband’s 50th birthday, and she never planned to come to his party, never planned to stay. She was only coming because her daughter asked her to. Lillie had said that she would meet her mother at the party, but she never showed up. It wasn’t until later that Elspeth found out that it had all been a ruse. Lillie had never planned on going to her father’s party. He had only invited a select few. Elspeth was on his list. His daughter was not.

Richard was a successful director, producer, and actor, but he had a reputation. His parties were legendary. For this party, he had only invited 8 guests, including his ex-wife and his current partner, one of his oldest friends from school and the stars of his latest film. For this party, he had a huge catered meal, each dish with special meaning for a guest. There was lots of food and even more alcohol, all consumed under the watchful eye of Persephone, Richard’s pet octopus. It was a party not to be forgotten.

When Elspeth woke up the next morning, she wasn’t certain of everything that had happened. All she knows is that Richard was lying nearby, and he was no longer breathing.

In the weeks that follow, as Elspeth pieces together her own memories of that night, mixed in with memories of her years with Richard. She walks through her years together—when he directed her in her first film, their honeymoon, their break-up. He had not been an easy man to be with. She had moved to New York to be free of him and his broken promises to stay sober. She had taken Lillie with her, to try to protect her daughter, but after graduation, Lille had moved back to L.A. to try acting.

Now Elspeth is haunted by her memories—did they really bring a child’s inflatable pool up from the basement and inflate it, filling it with warm water and bubbles, while they all laid in it, their clothes getting soaked through, a bottle of champagne being passed around? And while she’s waiting for the investigation to come up with something, the secrets coming to the surface, everything she thought she knew being questioned, Elspeth can’t stop herself from watching videos about the octopus. Persephone had been there, had been watching them the entire night. If only there was a way to know what she knew.

But the more time goes by, the more Elspeth learns about her fellow party goers, the more reasons she sees for anyone one of to have killed the man. But will trying to figure out who killed Richard put her in danger? Or will it finally release her and Lillie from his control?

The Last Guest is a atmospheric novel of murder and relationships. It is smart and moody, told with intensity and mystery. Like the fascinating octopus who was the surprise guest at the party, author Tess Little has crafted a story with layers of intrigue, secrets, and lies. It is intense and powerful, drawing you in and holding you deep in these characters’ lives until the very end.

I got pulled into The Last Guest, and I could barely set it aside. It was darker than I expected, but it fit the story. It’s not an easy read, especially once the secrets start bursting forth, but it is lovely and powerful and emotional, and it will linger in your thoughts as the weeks go by. At least it did for me. If you are looking for an immersive experience in a novel, then you definitely need to check out The Last Guest.

Egalleys for The Last Guest were provided by Random House Publishing Group—Ballentine Books through NetGalley, with many thanks.

This book gives me a very strong vibe or murder mystery in a mason like guess who. After a birthday party a man ends up dead the next morning and everyone is a suspect. This leads to looking into everyones business and everyones whereabouts throughout the night. Who did it? Will they find out? I love a good mystery book and this hit the spot.

This is an unusual mystery, and not what I expected. It starts at a dinner party, and when the host ends up dead, only one of the eight guests could have done it.

Although the book is compared to Agatha Christie, it didn't have that vibe at all to me (although obviously it does to some). I had to pay a lot of attention as I read because the story jumps back and forth in time a lot, to similar scenes, but once I knew that was happening, the book was easier to follow.

Although this is certainly a mystery, I think it was even more a character study - looking at things like abuse, entitlement, and power.

I had a hard time putting it down once I got into the story - I really wanted to see what happened, and not just with the murder.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read the ARC.

A debut novel gone wrong

Richard, a famous movie producer, is having a 50th birthday bash, and he invites 8 people as guests who have deeply impacted his life. The next morning, Elspeth (the ex-wife and mother of his daughter, Lillie) awakens to find Richard deader than a doornail. Whodunnit?

These reviews really pain me to write, because I really, really hate to put down anyone’s creative work. That being said, I refuse to lie to the book publishers, authors, and my followers. As a creator myself, I prefer actionable honesty as loving as possible so I will try to provide just that, keeping in mind what the author went through to get a book through to publication.

This book was rather dull, and this book was supposed to be a thriller. What could have been done differently?
1) 8 main characters was WAY too many. At the end of the book, I didn’t care who did it, because I didn’t care about anyone. It would have been much better for the author to pick maybe 3 (max 4) characters, showed some backstory, developed some compassion for the characters, and build up to The Moment.
2) Cut out the overly complicated sections. Early in the book, each of the characters had a card with a picture on it. Also, they each had their favorite dish. Of course, I couldn’t keep track of all of this so I had to get out a piece of paper, wrote down all of these characters, how they knew Richard, what was on the card, and what the dish was. And this was never even used later in the book. Putting this at the very beginning of the book was extremely confusing.
3) The Last Guest was written only from Elspeth’s POV. I know that this style is really overdone, but The Last Guest would have really been better off focusing on 3-4 characters and shifting the POV’s between these characters.
4) This book was written as Act I, Act II, Act III. No! This does not work for mystery/thriller. The only time I have seen this work is in Rebecca, but in all works of contemporary literature, chapters should be shorter, especially mystery/thriller. When the reader starts to approach the end, the chapter should be getting shorter and shorter. It forces the reader to turn the page rapidly, and it gives the physical sensation that the reader is running, part of the story, fully engaged, immersed, HAS to find out what is happening. Three super long chapters just do not work.
5) “Octopus” was mentioned 36 times. (Thank you, Kindle Fire, for the search feature!) This was way too many times.
6) No steam. I mean 0. It doesn’t have to raise to the level of Sally Rooney, but it had no fizzle whatsoever. This isn’t a deal breaker, but it wasn’t a plus either.
7) Develop relationships with other authors. Two of my favorite mystery authors are Riley Sager (author of Home Before Dark and The Last Time I Lied) and May Cobb (author of The Hunting Wives). When I was reading the acknowledgements of The Hunting Wives, I discovered that Riley Sager and May Cobb are friends in real life and help each other with their books! This idea is just marvelous, working with other mystery/thrillers authors! Of course, Ms. Little doesn’t have to befriend only Riley Sager or May Cobb, but I have had the opportunity to interact with both authors so I would be happy to make a twitter introduction.

This author had some interesting concepts, and it could have been decent if it was ripped apart and reformatted. Ms. Little, if you are reading this, I would be more than happy to read your second book before publication if you care for my feedback. My inbox is always open to you. Congratulations on your first novel! Despite this review, you had done what many people have not, and that is something be proud of. As a fellow Creator, there are never failures, only opportunities for learning and growth.

Overall, wait for Ms. Little’s second novel.

The Last Guest sounded intriguing but it fell flat with me. It had no chapters, only a couple of spaces between scenes switching from the death to the present to the past and back. I was never entirely sure if it was a murder mystery or a drug induced hallucination. A group of 8 people are invited to director Richard Bryant's 50th birthday party, a very strange party that seemed like a Hollywood roast only the host was doing the roasting of the guests. The night ends with everyone drunk and drugged and his ex-wife wakes up to find Richard dead. Watching it all is his pet octopus in a giant tank. Creepy! The police have their work cut out for them and all the guests have reasons to be suspects. The book finally became a page turner for me for about the last 10%. In retrospect I can see the comparisons to Agatha Christie and see that this book is a work of art, but it was still only so-so for me. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a copy to review.

Everyone’s a suspect. A glamorous dinner party, a fiftieth birthday of a Hollywood director, and only few guests. In the morning Richards ends up dead and everyone else is left pointing fingers. Is it the ex-wife, the school friend, studio producer, the actor, the new partner, the cinematographer or the manager.
.
I don’t want to give too much away but I love a good whodunnit, however this is a lot more. I went into this one thinking it would be in the vein of Knives out but instead this was a lot darker, full of power plays and control and an octopus, you have to just read it to find out.

*Thank you NetGalley for the ARC*

3.5 Stars

I really enjoyed this book within the first third but it seemed to lose momentum for me. There were some things, like the octopus, that could have been left out and cut the story a little shorter.
I think the characters and writing were okay but didn’t see much development. I would have enjoyed this more if it was more mystery throughout the book not just the beginning portion.

A 50 th dinner party with select guests. Richard has planned every detail and is controlling the content of the evening. Work partners that have witnessed his controlling behavior. His ex wife, his lover, lots of liquor and drugs. And then when they wake up in a drunken haze.- a death or Murder!
Everyone has a reason to kill him, even the octopus. A great who done iit!

Elspeth Bell isn’t sure why her ex-husband, a Hollywood director, invited her to his 50th birthday party. She’s just hoping to quietly make an appearance and leave. However, she is confused to find out she is only one of eight guests. His choice to invite those particular people is unclear, as well. As much as she wants to escape from his large and strange house, made even more discomfiting by the presence of a huge tank holding a giant Pacific octopus, Elspeth ends up staying the whole night. After an odd night fueled by copious amounts of alcohol and some drugs, she and the other guests wake up to find Richard Bryant dead, the apparent victim of a drug overdose.

Overdose or not — and an autopsy shows that his death was likely murder — the death of a powerful and well-known director gets a thorough and well-publicized investigation. Elspeth, whom Richard discovered and cast in one of his artistic dramas when she was young and new to Hollywood, has been out of the spotlight for a long time, quietly living in New York and raising their daughter. But now she has to stay in Los Angeles as she and the other party guests are questioned repeatedly. She continues to wonder why each person was invited — she knew Richard’s old school friend, his longtime manager, and the studio producer, but not the two stars from his new film or the cinematographer. Neither did she know his young new boyfriend. What did Richard want from each of them?

Over the course of weeks and then months, Elspeth learns more about each person and begins to piece together some of the possible answers to her questions. She is also forced to face her past and the troubled marriage she had with this powerful and controlling man. She had hoped to protect her daughter, now 19 and an actress (with a small part in her father’s new movie), but she finds it’s proving to be difficult, and possibly not truly in her daughter’s best interest.

The Last Guest is a mystery, but a stylized and literary one, its surrealism evocative of the film Mulholland Drive. While it does end with a resolution of the mystery, the novel is more an exploration of power, of the psyche of a man who had to be in control, and of the damage he wrought in the lives of those around him. The presence of the octopus, and the frequent descriptions of what octopuses can do, for a while seemed a weird and extraneous element. But it turns out to be an interesting, while still strange, metaphor.

I’m not sure if I would have chosen to read this book knowing all I do now about it, but those who find this kind of literary style appealing will doubtless thoroughly appreciate it.

Excellent story! Totally engrossing!. Looking forward to reading more by this author! Could not put this down!

Closed room mystery with a twist, also a mother-daughter struggle and look at the underside of Hollywood.  Good writing but unfortunately the format of the novel didn't work for this reader.

Story shifts between before, during, and after the incident with only paragraph (page?) breaks.  I found myself having to reread a lot of opening lines because I was not sure where they were in the story. I also don't care for the very long chapter format (acts).  I think that true chapter breaks within the acts would have made the story flow so much better.

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

This whodunnit, murder mystery debut was such a unique read. The book starts with the death of prominent Hollywood director Richard Bryant the morning after his 50th birthday. He is discovered by his ex-wife Elspeth who is one of the eight guests that attended the party. The story then goes back and forth from the beginning of the night of the party to present day as Elspeth tries to figure out who could have killed her ex husband. All the while living with their daughter, who is distraught and facing police questioning.

This book was definitely a little slow for me. I enjoyed the way of writing, and how the story unfolded, just feel like it needed something more. It’s such a unique read reminiscent of Agatha Christie, that I would still recommend to readers!

I am a huge fan of crime and trying to solve a puzzle before the author/end of the book. With Tess Little's The Last Guest, I was surprised. Not necessarily by the ending but by the journey. This isn't your typical mystery. You come to know the characters and the relationships, not just the clues. It was an interesting take on one of my favorite genres.

4.5. This book was odd in the best way. This book starts out super strong with a locked door murder mystery. I always enjoy those types of stories but this was had its own air of uniqueness with the incredibly unsettling use of the octopus and the mystery of this party and why the host invited each of the guests. Overall this was such an enjoyable ride and I highly recommend this book to mystery lovers. I think the pacing would have been better if we got bigger chunks of the party and not as much present day. Also because of how odd and unsettling it was throughout, I wanted more of a bang with the ending. But still such a fun book.

Appearances. Guests of varying loyalties are present when the guest of honor bodies under circumstances hard to explain. Over the course of the investigation and the subsequent memorial service, the host Richard , was a person with a complicated past. He attracted people in his orbit from an early age and was reluctant to let them go. His wife amount this company , his first real find artistically, return reluctantly to the birthday party that’s his last . A daughter present on his last project is a bit too close for Lillies peace of mind. Lillie thought she had walked away only to return and witness his last production. Some answers are too deep to explore unscathed.

This book intimidated me right from the start.
It was written beautifully. The descriptions were worded in such ways that I could picture the scenes perfectly in my mind.
There are no chapters in this book. Just 3 acts, like a play.
INTIMIDATING!

The first act consists of the present tense and alternates to the recent past.
Specifically the night of the dinner party.
It was still easy to follow even without chapters.
The tenses are broken up so you are aware what timeline you are in without actually having to say “Past” or “Today”.

The second act consists of the present tense (which has now moved forward) and alternates to the distant past when our main character was younger and how she met her future (ex) husband.

The third act continues with the past experiences of the narrator and her ex-husband’s relationship while alternating with the current situation.

I wouldn’t say that this book has a lot of plot twists, but it kept you guessing the entire way through.

This book literally had that “Clue” vibe.
Who was the killer?
How did they kill the victim?
With what?

This is not your typical thriller. It’s hard to put into words, but I think of it more of a character(s) development story.
It doesn’t end with this big “AHA!” moment, but it really delves into character background, motivation, relationships, and identity.
It definitely leaves you thinking to yourself “What type of person am I?”

Intrigued? Then give it a read!