An interesting take on a locked room mystery. But this isn't just a mystery, it's also a treatise on power and memory.

Elspeth arrives at her ex-husband's 50th birthday party to discover a small and unusual group of party guests. After much food and drink, Elspeth awakes the next morning to discover Richard dead, and the rest of the guests either still asleep or just waking up. Who did it? And what about Persephone, the octopus who likes to escape the tank at night? The book alternates between the present (the evening of the party; the trial and aftermath) and the past (Richard's 40th birthday; how Richard and Elspeth met), and so it's a slow reveal as to the power machinations between all the characters.

"When actress Elspeth Bell attends the fiftieth birthday party of her ex-husband Richard Bryant, the Hollywood director who launched her career, all she wants is to pass unnoticed through the glamorous crowd in his sprawling Los Angeles mansion. Instead, there are just 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 of the guests come 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 Elspeth's memories of their marriage that she vowed never to revisit. Elspeth 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."

Thanks to NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have seen several comparisons of this title made to Agatha Christie and, while I think the comparison is apt with a locked-room mystery, it really does not feel like a Christie novel in any other way. So, what I am trying to say is, that if you are going into this one expecting a Christie-like mystery, you may find yourself disappointed. If you take that expectation away, however, I think what lies here is a very strong and even emotional story tied with a "whodoneit".

This is a slow-burn mystery. We follow one character's POV throughout and are introduced to a myriad of other characters. Slowly we start learning about each character and their backstories. We even learn a lot about octopuses (totally did not know that was the plural until this read) as Persephone the Octopus is a character in her own right. That is right, there is a pet octopus in this story and it was my favorite element actually. I did not realize how much I could be alternately creeped out and fascinated by an octopus but here we are.

While this book is very much a mystery, there are a lot of emotional elements to this one. I think the overall themes are well integrated and very much struck a chord, at least with me. While I think you have to be patient with this one, I think it is very much worthwhile. When I got to the end of the story, I was surprised by how emotional I was about this one. It impacted me and surprised me in a good way.

This was a disappointment for me. It was very slow-moving and the style of writing - - jumping between times with no warning - was irritating. The story itself turned out to be sort of blah and the ending left me with - - how weird!!!!!

Richard, a famous Hollywood director, is throwing himself a 50th birthday party and contrary to his parties in the past, this one is intimate with only 9 other guests. Each one connected to Richard through their shared youth or Hollywood. Each guest questioned why they were one of the few friends invited. The next day, Richard is found dead and no one is saying anything. Elspeth, Richard’s ex wife and one of the guests is the one who discovered his death. Based on how she found him, she immediately assumes that Richard has overdosed. Richard had been in and out of rehab several times during his adult life, so this revelation was not shocking. Here begins the closed room mystery and investigation. The authorities determine that contrary to what was originally assumed as an overdose, was actually a murder. Since no one entered or left the house around the time of his death, the killer has to have been be one of the 9 guests.

The story alternates between the night of the party/murder and the current day of the investigation. I was not a big fan of this approach to the story. It felt jumpy and lacked symmetry between the timelines. All of the guests were given some background, but not really enough to be too concerned about any of them. The more revealed about Richard, the more believable it was that one of the guests would want him out of the picture. But who had the most to gain? And how was it accomplished while everyone was in the same house?
The story was interesting and the side story of Persephone, Richard’s octopus, was intriguing. I never did totally connect the dots between the octopus and the murder though. I hoped for her to be more of the final story. I did appreciate the final look at her and I could connect that part with Elspeth. The ending just kind of ended. There was not really a climax. Although I doubted the sincerity of each guest, once the details of the murder were clearer, I didn’t feel much tension about who committed the crime. There also seemed to be some observations that were never fully vetted. Did Richard plan for this night to be his last? What would he gain from that?

One of the underlying themes was that the persona we portray is seldom our true selves. We hide the parts we don’t want anyone to see and hold on to the parts we are proud of. Once several characters were able to reveal their hidden secrets regarding Richard, it felt a little too late. But maybe it was to show that the characters were able to move on after this tragedy and leave a better legacy for their next generation. Overall a good read, but not my favorite type of thriller. I thought the character development of Richard and Elspeth was good, but I wanted more for the guests.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballentine for the ARC to read and review.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A group of former friends, exes, and business associates meet for a 50th birthday party in which the host ends up dead. They all had reasons to want him gone.

I really tried to get into this book. The hype about it being similar to an Agatha Christie page-turner hooked me. Unfortunately, the only thing Christie-like about the book was that all of the murder suspects were in the house at the time of the murder. I gave it until 40% before I gave up so this is a DNF for me.

The beginning was promising: a successful director celebrating his fiftieth birthday with an eclectic group of people is found dead by the end of the party. The invitees weren't his nearest and dearest but an odd group that included his current gay lover and his ex-wife among others who, we later discover, aren't sure why they were even invited. Come morning, the guests wake to find their host is dead from an apparent drug overdose. It's only when the police begin investigating each of them that they find out he was murdered. Told from the ex-wife's point of view, the story switches back and forth between the party and the days following it.

Although the writing is good, the pacing is slow and I just couldn't get into the minutiae of the lives of the guests as the ex-wife begins her own investigation.. I kept waiting for a twist or a hook that would keep me engaged, but neither ever came.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publish Group for an advance copy of this book. The publication date is October 5, 2021.

Elspeth Bell begrudgingly attends the 50th birthday party of her ex-husband, Richard, but after a night of boozing she wakes to find Richard is dead. As the investigation unfolds, every guest comes under suspicion, and the truth about Richard's relationships comes to light.

I really wanted to like this one but sadly it was a big nope. The story didn't get interesting until "Act III" and even then it was (in my opinion) a flop. I don't really want to cite specific reasons for not enjoying this as they're largely spoilers. Suffice to say, this one was not for me.

Thank you NetGalley, Ballantine Books, and Tess Little for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

When Richard invites an elite group of eight to his fiftieth birthday, he has no idea that he will be dead by morning. Each has a reason to kill him, but who is guilty? A rather strange locked room mystery with an eclectic cast of characters, including an intriguing octopus, the story centers around two different parties and their aftermaths, but doesn’t move as seamlessly between time frames as it could have. While not a big fan of this particular story, Little does show promise as a writer and I look forward to reading her future works.

This is the first book I have read by Tess Little and it for sure kept me guessing. This is a whodunit mystery but with a lot of twists and turns throughout.

Elspeth is in L.A to attend her ex-husband Richard's 50th birthday. She is expecting a big bash where she can stop in and then disappear into the crowd. But when she arrives, there are only seven other guests. The night becomes a blur and by morning Richard is dead and all the guests are suspects. With Elspeth being a suspect, she is having to face the memories again she told herself she would never go back to.

The story told is gripping and intriguing, at the end though I wish there was more I felt like it was sort of rushed. When Richard dies, you want to know who did it? Was it an accident or on purpose, who would do that to someone they were close to. Those questions went through my mind the whole time. When I finally found out who did it I was surprised and honestly shocked.

I want to thank Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the Arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Last Guest by Tess Little

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.

Out on October 5.

Sorry to say that I was not able to finish this book. While I love the premise, locked room mysteries are some of my favorites, the book was too much of a slow burn and didn’t quite hit the mark of keeping me entertained or wanting more.

DNF around 35%. Just couldn't get into the writing, the plot, or the characters. I think that this book is definitely a love it or hate it, and unfortunately I was of the "hate it" crowd. I'm not big into literary stuff, so that's my fault for not doing more research into this before I requested it!

If you like Agatha Christie, I think you will probably love this book. Unfortunately, I’m not really a fan.

Like Christie’s books, it’s a small party murder mystery. The victim is a man no one likes so all party attendees are suspect. Some of them are likable, and some not so much.

The beginning was SO interesting (glamorous Hollywood actors, directors, producers) and I didn’t want to put the book down, but eventually I didn’t really care to pick it back up (typical abusive backstories). It took me way too long to finish it, and when I did, I was left with… that’s it?

The idea is great, and the writing is excellent. It just seemed like it was so much longer than it needed to be. Honestly, I think if I read the first and last 20% I would get the whole story and be OK with it.

DNF at 40% in -- I just had a really hard time getting myself to keep reading this one. I am seeing lots of people say they enjoyed it so I think it might be one that is simply hit or miss. Don't let this deter you from reading it, but if you're in the mood for an engrossing, quick paced, exciting mystery/thriller, this is not the book for you.

A 50th birthday party for a director turns deadly and we are taken along for a ride figuring out which of the seven party guests would want Richard dead and who killed him. I did not figure out the culprit and I always enjoy when that happens. I love being surprised while reading a mystery. Unfortunately, even though the writing was lovely, I found the book to be a little slow for my liking.

This novel centers around Richard an abusive controlling husband, his wife is Persephone.
I have to admit, I struggled with this book. I even went back twice to try it again
I don’t do well with weak women in nooks that are from the 21st century.

I hope to get more books from this publisher.
We can’t love them all
Thank you for the opportunity.
.

I found this book slow, repetitive and I struggled to finish it. Lengthy descriptions of octopus videos, that added nothing to the story, just added to my boredom. I don’t mind a slow build and I kept expecting the pace to pick up but it never did. Not recommended

I unfortunately did not finish this book due to it not gauging my interest. I have rated it at two stars simply because I did finish part of the book, but didn’t find it gripping enough to finish in it’s entirety. Thank you for the opportunity nonetheless.

I’m sorry to say this was a DNF for me. I just couldn’t get into the story. It felt flat and boring with clunky writing and uninspiring characters. This just wasn’t the thriller for me.

This was a tough one for me. I LOVE Agatha Christie, so any "locked room" whodunit is something I gravitate towards. However, 'The Last Guest' was a struggle for me, as I felt it had a hard time moving forward, The novel is extremely jumpy without a lot of important details being conveyed. I felt like I learned more about the octopus than any other character! Details and clues were all parsed out in such a slow-moving trickle that it was hard to engage in a meaningful way for me. I do think there was some good initial intrigue, but that the storyline dragged along, as I kept getting pulled out of the story through flashbacks that lacked meaning until way later in the story. Readers who love every little detail being a mystery to uncover may enjoy this novel more than I did. That having been said, Tess Little is clearly a talented writer, and her prose and dialogue were outstanding, and her characters were well-drawn.