A brilliant, well thought out and thoroughly modern mystery with plenty of details about characters and locations to really immerse the reader in the experience. This author writes beautifully and credibly, making some of the darker themes all too real. The undercurrent of a complex family and career history adds depth to the thriller, too.

4⭐️ Another great thriller from J P Pomare with lots of unexpected twists that kept me on the edge of my seat! A great thriller to add to your TBR lists!

Unfortunately I DNF’d this book. I tried on several occasions to get into the book. I don’t like not finishing books but I just couldn’t get into this one even having loved previous books from this author.

I am a big Pomare fan and recently read a great interview with him in the paper - learning he frequents a fav coffee shop of mine in Melbs (fan girl swoon) which is nothing to do with the book or my review of it but hey its not often you might almost bump into a fav author!

Loved the premise of the book - Lina and Cain have a happy marriage, but as with all good domestic thrillers - they both have secrets! needing some extra cash they decide to rent out their lake house, but an unexpected visitor turns their world upside down. The atmospheric setting is typical of the author and his descriptive language brings the NZ location to life in all its gorgeous beauty.

A fab thriller that will have you guessing until the very last page. 4/5 stars and a big thanks you to NetGalley and Author for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A creepy and tense novel about hidden cameras in holiday rentals for online voyeurs. Set in Auckland and Lake Tarawera (near Rotorua), there’s plenty of atmosphere. Lina is a paramedic married to Cain, a war veteran and they both have their secrets from each other. Cain encourages Lina to put the family lakehouse for rent on WeStay( an Airbnb thing) and the complicated plot follows. It’s fast paced and I read it quickly to find out what was going on. The resolution was surprising, I didn’t pick the twist!

After reading In The Clearing, JP Pomare has become a favourite author of mine and is definitely now an autobuy. I couldn’t wait to read The Last Guests, and it certainly didn’t disappoint.

Lina and Cain are struggling for money, so Lina reluctantly agrees to renting out her lake house on WeStay to generate extra income. At first it seems too easy - guests are booking, and the money is rolling in. However, both Lina and Cain have their secrets, and things are about to become sinister….

I’m not going to say any more than that so there aren’t any spoilers, but suffice to say, this book was creepy!! It had me absolutely hooked and at times my heart was pounding from everything that was happening! A must read for all thriller lovers!

A couple of years ago I read Call me Evie and I didn't like it so I decided to give this author another chance and I must say that although still not my favourite thriller .. this novel is better than his previous one.

If you like thrillers to be a bit scary without being too stressful, then this is the book for you. The fact that this can actually happen to you makes this thriller a winner!

Read this one in a day because it had me hooked from the first page. Cain and Lina are a married couple who have certainly experienced some difficult times, to the point where Lina has a one night stand. And if things were bad before, then they certainly got a lot worse after that. when a man is killed. There were so many twists and turns that every time I thought I had the bad guy figured out, I was made to second guess my thoughts. For me, this was a nail biting read and I loved it.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book for an honest review.

Love JP Pomare books and this is no exception!! You know going in it will be filled with secrets and lies, twists and turns and this book certainly had all of that. Great read!!

Loved this book! It was an edge of your seat kind of thriller - because it felt like it could actually happen to me!! Thoroughly enjoyed it and can’t wait for the next J.P. Pomare book

JP Pomare is fast becoming a must-read author in the thriller genre in Australia/NZ. In this, his fourth title, he’s written a unique and contemporary book full of tension.

The Last Guests is told from the first person point of view of Lina, a paramedic married to Cain, an ex-SAS officer who has returned from service with PTSD, a gambling addiction and anger issues affecting the success of his PT business. After some convincing, Lina agrees to make her family home available on ‘Westay’ (a stand-in for AirBnB) for some extra cash. Cue adultery, voyeurism, accusations of drug use, a home invasion and murder.

I must admit I wasn’t really sure who was responsible for the crimes in the book. Along with the plethora of likely suspects and red herrings, Pomare added tension by the bucketload. It simmered along, making the reader fret over Lina’s fate.

Yes, I did cheer on Lina, despite the fact she wasn’t the most likeable leading lady I’ve come across. Cain too was hard to warm to, proving Pomare’s writing was slick enough to keep me interested without adoring the leads.

I loved the setting – Auckland and Lake Tarawera in New Zealand. It made me want to visit the area (but maybe I’ll look for a normal hotel room when travel opens up again though).

The book’s subject matter is quite disturbing at times, most likely due to the realism of the plot. Adding to the authenticity was the fact that not every part of the crime plot was not tied up neatly. Even now, a while after finishing, I’m unsure how I feel about that.

I must mention one thing that I did hate — Pomare’s character name choices. He’s not quite in Chris Hammer’s league but I will admit to often getting Cain and Axel mixed up as me just thinking, ‘the husband is the one with the stupid name’ didn’t narrow it down.

I’m sure Pomare has another hit on his hands. 4 out of 5

I read this book in one sitting, I could not put it down. The twists and turns in this book generally made me scared and I may never look at holiday accommodation the same way again. If you are after a psychological thriller, then this book is for you. Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Australia for a review copy of this book.

I hate to say it but I just didn't get into this book. I didn't like it, didn't read it all and I found it rather weird and disturbing.

Not much else I can say really.

The Last Guests by J.P. Pomare is an absolutely mind-blowing psychological thriller. This is one book you won’t want to miss, it’s intense! It’s also furiously dark and chilling with a voyeuristic flavour. The plot is so realistic, it had me thinking that this could actually happen.

Can one indiscretion lead to something so unimaginable? Somebody out there knows something and secrets have a way of coming out.

Set in New Zealand our main characters are Lina a paramedic and Cain a former SAS soldier, now a personal trainer. The pair agree to rent out Lina’s inherited, secluded vacation home at Lake Tarawera as their friends gave them the ‘WeStay’ (think Airbnb) idea and Lina and Cain could do with the extra cash after all.

The married couple both have their secrets and as the plot ramps up things get dark and the tension heats up. Could they ever anticipate what experience lies ahead for them both?

The author has given a wonderfully executed, exhilarating, modern and perfect thriller and the killer twist keeps you guessing until the end!

Will I ever feel comfortable staying at an Air Bnb again? Maybe not but I’m now going to read every other book this author has written as I also loved his novel In The Clearing!

Highly recommended, you won’t be able to put it down!

Hugely impressed by In The Clearing, I’ve been looking forward to reading J.P. Pomare’s newest release, The Last Guests.

Set in New Zealand, The Last Guests is told primarily from the perspective of Lina, a paramedic married to Cain, an ex-SAS soldier turned personal trainer. Though their five year marriage has had its up and downs, stressed by PTSD, a gambling addiction, infertility and the resulting debt, the couple remain committed to each other, and their plan for a family. When friends of the pair, who aware of their financial struggle, suggest Lina rent out the home she inherited from her grandparents at Lake Tarawera through the short-stay accomodation site WeStay, Cain is enthusiastic about the idea. Lina is less so, the house is to eventually be their family home and she’s uncomfortable with the risks of opening it up to strangers, but let’s herself be persuaded. She relaxes when the first few guests come and go without incident, but Lina is about to discover the real threat to their future comes from closer to home.

The Last Guests is probably one of the more unpredictable thrillers I’ve read in a while. Though not quite flawless, convincingly led in one direction, I almost developed whiplash as the plot twisted and turned offering more than one surprise as Pomare unraveled the secrets held by his characters.

Lina is particularly vulnerable as her secret threatens to surface, and her anxiety is palpable as she attempts to stop it from happening. I liked the complexity of her character, Lina may initially be judged harshly and she doesn’t make the wisest of choices, but there isn’t any malice in her, so I was invested in her fate.

One of the elements I think Pomare excels at is creating an atmosphere of anticipation that ebbs and flows from uncertainty and unease to dread and shock. In part this stems from the way he turns the intimate and ordinary into provocation and a threat.

This novel is certainly guaranteed to make you think twice about booking a short-stay rental in a private home. There are known risks in using services like AirBNB, Stayz and FlipKey, most often they are fairly benign -the accommodation may not live up to its description, or the host may try to extort extra charges, but there have been incidences where guests have learned of hidden cameras, not just in spaces like the living room and kitchen, but also in private areas, such as bedrooms and bathrooms. In The Last Guests Lina discovers not only have such camera’s been secreted into her lake house without her knowledge, which is creepy enough, but the feed is one of thousands being live streamed to a site that offers paying subscribers a voyeuristic window into the lives of unsuspecting people.

Tense, thrilling and compelling, The Last Guests is another stunning novel from Pomare.

Ever get the feeling someone is watching?

Lina and Cain are re-establishing their relationship after a rough patch. Cain is an ex-SAS officer who has been injured during service in Afghanistan. He has had some challenges adjusted to life stat-side and is yet to find his place professionally. Lina would like nothing more than their life to be normalised and free of debt. Her work as a paramedic is stressful and she works long hours in order to make ends meet. When their close friends suggest renting out Lina's family cabin as an AirBNB to supplement their income it seems like sound advice.

Lina and Cain are a couple whose relationship is not reliant on the foundation of truth and honesty. They both have secrets and there is much musing by Lina as she attempts to figure out what is going on with Cain, and how his needs can be met. After an incident of betrayal it appears someone is stalking Lina, and their intention is unknown. Lina and Cain's life as they know it suddenly appears to be in jeopardy and everything begins to unravel.

JP Pomare weaves a tangled tale of lies, deceit and psychological intrigue. Who is watching, and why? What lengths will they go to? It amazes me that Pomare can pack so much into a book of this size and it was a thrilling and engrossing read. Stories about regular people who do irregular things in bizarre circumstances always make for an engrossing read and this book is no exception.

Thank you to Netgalley for the copy of this book to read and review.

Another addictive thriller by J.P Pomare!

As always, the storyline was fantastic. A gripping plot and well developed characters made for an amazing read.

I read this book in one sitting, I just couldn't stop reading.

I definitely recommend this novel if you're a fan of psychological thrillers.

I’ve had significant difficulties with my reading mojo this year, low motivation to read and when I’ve had it, I haven’t enjoyed the books much. As such, I feel like I need to put disclaimers into all my reviews.

I’m 100% sure it’s me and the world situation.

I’m saying that, I really struggle to get into this one. Having read all 3 of the author’s previous works, I knew I was getting into a twisty, disturbing thriller. But I struggled with this one. The dialogue felt a little stilted, and I found it difficult to warm to the characters.

It was around 45% when things began to take off and the action drew me in further.

I was interested in the Peephole aspect, and think that maybe there was an opportunity for more of that in terms of the behind the scenes stuff. I’ve never stayed in an AirBnB, I feel a bit weird about staying in some strangers house, and now I’m definitely not keen on trying it out!

Perhaps this particular offering wasn’t for me, but I will eagerly await the next book.

Thank you to J.P. Pomare, Hachette Australia, and NetGalley for the chance to read an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Last Guests is another superlative thriller from the pen of Australia-based Kiwi author J.P. Pomare. This time around, Pomare explores the dark side of the sharing economy and employs New Zealand's central North Island as a setting.
The book opens with a tantalising scene of a black-clad operative installing covert cameras into a short-stay accommodation property. Following this brief prologue, the story is told mostly from the perspective of Lina, a thirty-something ambulance paramedic who lives with her former SAS soldier -turned personal trainer husband Cain in Auckland, New Zealand. They're happily married, but there are some difficulties they're facing - Cain remains traumatised by his experiences when deployed in Afghanistan, he's having difficulty re-establishing himself in the civilian world and has battled an addiction to gambling, which has placed their personal finances in jeopardy. Meanwhile, Lina is still recovering from having suffered a miscarriage and struggles with resentment for their closest friends, Cain's army mate Axel and his wife Claire, who are not only enjoying financial success, but have just announced their own pregnancy. Lina commits a risky and uncharacteristic act of infidelity, her motivations for which become clearer over the course of the novel.
The narrative is punctuated with excerpts from online discussions in an subscriber-only group for voyeurs called Peephole. Like the subscribers, readers consequently become privy to a different perspective on the novel's characters and settings.
Meanwhile, Axel and Claire suggest that Cain and Lina could generate much-needed additional income by listing their holiday home on stunning Lake Tarawera on holiday letting app WeStay (a similar online model to Airbnb or Stayz.com). Cain is immediately taken with the idea, but Lina is more cautious - the house is her former family home, where she grew up in her grandparents' care, and she's not sure she's comfortable with the idea of renting it out to total strangers. Despite her misgivings, Cain convinces her to give WeStay a go and they prepare the lakeside property for visitors.
At first, things seem to be working out for them, but Lina soon starts receiving troubling text messages and a weekend away at Lake Tarawera turns into a nightmarish experience for herself and Cain. Who's behind the threats to their privacy and safety, and can things ever return to the way they were before?
Given that the pivotal high-action thriller sequence in The Last Guests takes place at around the halfway mark, Pomare structures his plot masterfully to maintain tension and mystery to the end. There's a palpable sense of lurking menace throughout, and plenty of foreshadowing, while several unexpected twists and turns await the reader by the conclusion. While both Lina and Cain are flawed characters, they're sufficiently well-developed to engage the reader's sympathy and investment in their fates. Having visited Rotorua and the beautiful Lake Tarawera region a couple of decades ago, I appreciated the quintessentially New Zealand setting created by Pomare - an aspect of his writing with which readers dedicated to his work will already be familiar.
I'd highly recommend The Last Guests to all readers who enjoy top-notch thriller / suspense, with compelling plots, believable characters and great settings.
My thanks to author J.P. Pomare, publisher Hachette Australia and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this outstanding title.

J.P. Pomare strikes with yet another brilliant mind twisting read with his latest book The Last Guests. As always, be prepared for a wild ride.. Once you get on, there’s no getting off! I read this book in a single sitting! There is positives to a lock down and it gave me a good excuse to do nothing else but indulge in this gripping page turner!

Have you ever stayed in  an AirBNB? Be cautioned! This one might have you thinking like you have never before next time you take off on a lovely little getaway in an AirBNB!

At the onset of this book we are given a “this will suck you in" prologue with a scenario of someone renting an AirBNB house and installing discreet micro cameras in places you wouldn’t even dream of!

In much need of some extra cash to make ends meet, Lisa and her husband Cain decide to advertise Lina's house at Lake Tarawera that she inherited from her grandfather on Westay. Both Cain and Lina have their secrets though and what was supposed to help them out actually becomes their darkest nightmare!

Im not going to delve too much into this one but do know that this is one thrilling read you do not want to miss and its out today so grab a copy and jump on for the ride of a lifetime!