What on earth did I just read? From the start of The Other People I was thoroughly intrigued with the locked room mystery/thriller that exuded an And Then There Were None feel. From there, though, it took a left turn. Taking the Grand Dame’s kinder and gentler inspiration, the plot within this complex tale became much more graphic, intense, and horror-adjacent with each additional page. That’s not to say that I didn’t gobble up every word, but it was a far cry from an Agatha Christie novel. You see, the bulk of the book felt somewhat underwhelming until the first jaw-dropping reveal had me almost clapping out loud as my opinion turned right around.

Told from the first-person perspective of nearly all of the personas involved, initially it was a tad bit confusing until I figured out who was who amid this large cast of characters. Thankfully, though, each of them had distinct identities, which ran the gamut from almost root-for-able to truly evil. Alongside a claustrophobic setting and delicious gothic vibe, there was much to love in this original premise. It wasn’t, however, until I reached the last one hundred pages that I fell for it hook, line, and sinker. After all, I was utterly gobsmacked as it all went in a whole other thoroughly unguessable direction, which I felt was simply sublime.

All said and done, though, despite a slow moving first two-thirds and a very over-the-top plot that leaned towards slasher at times, I was utterly blown away by this riveting, unputdownable novel. I do have to say, though, that the twist to end all twists is likely to be rather divisive. You’re either going to love it or hate it by the time it rolls around. Clearly, I was in the love-it side of the equation, but it hugely diverged from what I was expecting in this well-crafted tale. Packed with red herrings, subtle clues, and even a potential supernatural narrator that broke the fourth wall, there was a definite edge to this shocking read that made me a fan. Rating of 4 stars.

Thank you to C.B. Everett, Atria Books, and NetGalley for my complimentary digital and physicals copies. All opinions are my own.

The ending twist was definitely unexpected, but most of the time, I spent trying to make heads or tails of what was actually happening. The characters were unlovable - which seems to be the point. But, most of the character side plots did not click for me. This book certainly falls into The Silent Patient category - folks who liked that book may enjoy this one more than I did!

Thanks to Atria & NetGalley for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is one of those too-clever books; you know the ones. After awhile, the plot stops making physical sense, and you realize you're in for some kind of twist that it'd be near-impossible to suss in advance, probably of the supernatural/scifi variety.

This book is written well enough, and those drawn to the siren call of a book which promises to be like AND THEN THERE WERE NONE (but how close could it get, really?) will enjoy the atmosphere, if nothing else. 10 strangers, gathered in an old, dark house, some spirited away in their sleep from overseas, and none of them has a clue what's going on. Time to set your mind for some 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle shit, OK?

Having a fourth-wall-breaking narrator called The Beast is ... a choice. Probably not a good one. Good thing I'm not C.B. Everett's editor, I suppose.

This goes on longer than it should, with lots of gory detail and diverse methods of death. It's not *terrible,* it's just not anything special. And the ending is frustrating.

I realized today that I hadn't sent in feedback and needed to, and had a hard time remembering most of the book (which to me is a sign that it wasn't spectacular).

2.5 stars rounded up

Thank you to atria books and NetGalley for this arc of the other people.

I liked this one but it wasn’t one that wowed me! Admittedly it was very slow for me at the start. It took a little bit while to get in to but once I did I thought the ending was really great and worth the read!

Since I am not one to give negative reviews, I will leave this short. The idea of this story as a whole was compelling, but unfortunately, the execution fell flat for me. I don't mind multiple perspectives as long as there is a good distinction between each other, and they all felt one dimensional. No one was likable, and I soon started to lose interest. The ending, however, did this a little justice. Overall, for the plot and ending alone, I will rate this three stars.

Thank you, Netgalley and Atria Books, for this ARC.

This had so much potential. I was super into this for the first 75% of the story. I loved the Agatha Christie vibes and liked that bad people were getting knocked off. However, the ending ruined it for me. It was certainly interesting - I don’t want to spoil anything by saying why it didn’t work for me. With that said, the things that I was like “huh?” about throughout the book made sense when the ending came into play.

I always check out the cover of a book before starting to read. I liked what I saw on C.B.'s Everett's new book - The Other People.

Nine adults and a child in a big old house.....

"Ten strangers. An old dark house. A killer picking them off one by one. And a missing girl who’s running out of time…And then there was one."

I liked the Christie reference in the beginning of the book, but it didn't last long. The Other People has a darker feel - no cozy here!

The unknowing is frightening for the ten. Tempers flare as they go exploring the house. But, the house is never the same for any of them.

I disliked all of the characters - except for the child. The behavior of the nine doesn't make sense - they wander around eating, getting a good nap in and more. Not quite the reactions I would have expected. Oh, and don't go down to the basement.

The final revelation is certainly one I could one never have predicted. And it changed what I had thought. Very clever, but sadly it came too late for this reader.

This story pulled me in from the start and kept me hooked the entire time. The mystery and characters brought to life kept me turning the pages.
I raced through the story, reading it in one sitting because I just had to see how it would end.

Oof, this is a tough one to review. I’m a fan this trope but boy, oh, boy is there a lot going on here! Too many character POV’s and none of them very likeable or memorable for me to latch on to.

The twist was definitely twisty and I really enjoyed that. Aside from getting to that, though, it was a tad painful to get to. I found myself setting this down and then picking it back up again, time and again. This could be a me problem because my friend loved it. So, give this a try.

My thanks to Atria Books for this gifted copy!

5 stars and I'm still like WTF?!
Ok I loved this one!! This was so good! It's hard to describe how much I enjoyed this book. It's creepy, twisty, weird and the ending had my jaw on the floor. That twist I never saw coming! I loved the set up of the story and the multiple POVs. Although there are a lot of characters, it was easy to keep track of who was who. If I didn't have to do other things, I would've finished this in a day. There are some disturbing and triggering things in this book so take that into consideration. But l highly recommend this one if the synopsis sounds good to you!!

Ah, the locked-room mystery—one of my favorite tropes. There’s nothing quite like a group of unsuspecting people trapped in a creepy old house, getting bumped off one by one while paranoia runs high. Classic. So, naturally, I was excited for The Other People.

What I wasn’t prepared for? A cast of characters so mind-numbingly ridiculous that I started rooting for the murderer.

What Didn’t Work
-The Characters (AKA Cardboard Cutouts With Bad Decision-Making Skills)
The book bounces between different characters, but none of them feel remotely like real people. Instead, we get a lineup of walking clichés making choices so wildly illogical that I half-expected one of them to say, “Hey, let’s split up!” and then wander directly into the arms of the killer. I lost count of how many times I muttered, Really? That’s your move? under my breath.

- Pacing: Slower Than a Horror Movie Character Running From Danger
The beginning draaaags. It took me forever to get into the story, and not in an ooh, this is a slow-burn thriller kind of way—more in an I’m debating whether to start folding my laundry instead way.

What (Barely) Saved It
-The Ending (AKA The One Good Part)
Just when I was about to write this book off completely, the ending actually surprised me. The twist wasn’t brand-new—I’ve seen similar ones in other books and movies—but I didn’t see it coming, which counts for something. It took the story from tragic dumpster fire to mildly entertaining train wreck.

Would I recommend The Other People? Only if you enjoy reading about wildly unlikable people making baffling choices while you yell at them like it’s a bad horror movie. The twist was fun, but not enough to make up for the slog it took to get there.

10 people wake up in a locked house with no recollection on how they got there. If they want to be released, they need to solve the disappearance of a missing girl within 12 hours. As the hour counts down, they start to get picked off one by one.

I was initially excited about this book because it gave the same premise as And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. It was a slow start and finally picked up about halfway through. I still feel like it fell short.

Honestly, the characters were rememberable (which makes sense since the other characters couldn't remember each other either) so it was hard to stay focused with the multiple POVS.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

First off, thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me an ARC of The Other People by C.B. Everett.

Well, I finished it. I have struggled with where to begin this review because I wanted to try and find some redeeming qualities, but must admit that although I had hoped to like it, I found myself thoroughly disappointed. The synopsis of the book really plays up the Agatha Christie classic locked-room mystery trope, which is definitely something that almost always hooks me in. That being said, Agatha Christie this is not. Classic locked-room mystery this is not. And not even in an original or inventive way considering the "surprise twist" is one that has been used before and far more effectively.

The characters felt flat and didn't inspire me to root for any of them as I just waited for the next one to die. Meanwhile, the omniscient voice/narrator waxes philosophical, psychological and borderline political in an attempt to intermittently sort of guide and explain to the mystified readers what's happening in the house. Just in case the readers happen to be missing any of the giant elephants roaming around the rooms, or just forgot what they read in the last 20 pages. All of this is in conjunction with the characters seeming to just bypass or forget important aspects of the story for long periods of time just makes for a tale that is not particularly coherent and quite tedious.

DNF @ 30%

I can't fathom how the author thought this many characters without any distinguishable traits could have possibly been a good idea. If your characters can't remember each others names, then why should I?

It was also unbearably slow.

Big thanks to the publisher for the early copy!

The Other People by C.B. Everett is a locked room mystery thriller with Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None vibes.

Ten strangers wake up in an old mansion with no idea of how they got there or where they are. All the windows are shut and the doors are locked. At dinner they are informed that they must find a missing woman and they only have twelve hours to do so. But when the strangers start dying one by one, they realize that there is much more to this house and these people than what they think.

So I admit that it took me a little bit to get into this book. So many POVs in a novel are sometimes hard to keep track of everybody, but definitely stick with it! The creepy, atmospheric setting really set the stage for some very sinister and brutal acts. The plotting of this book is clever and once I got used to the style of writing I was engaged throughout. I do like that one of the characters broke the fourth wall in their chapters. I have seen this done numerous times and it is really hit or miss if it works or if it just comes off as cheesy. It definitely worked here! And the ending! Sheesh, don't get me started! Definitely recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley, C.B Everett, and Atria Books for this ARC. Release day is March 25th 2025.

10 people wake in an old house with no recollection of how they got there. In order to be released, they need to solve the disappearance of a missing woman within 12 hours. But within those hours, people are picked off one by one and strange things begin happening.

This book was unfortunately not the most original or exciting story. Every character was developed, but wretched and no one seemed to care about saving the missing woman. The big "twist" has been overdone, but I did enjoy the ending.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Other People was just okay for me. In the beginning I was intrigued. Then it felt like there were a lot of characters to keep track of, some matter way more than others. The twist definitely caught me off guard and wasn’t at all what I was expecting, but also it felt like a letdown and like all the pieces didn’t really make sense. Some story line were more interesting than others and I didn’t consider not finishing, but it was just okay overall.

I sadly DNFed this one around 20%. I just couldn't get into it no matter how hard I tried! I liked the premise of all these strangers waking up in a mansion to solve a mystery murder, but I couldn't keep the characters straight no matter how hard I tried. They also didn't seem that interested in actually solving the murder? The book felt over the top and silly, which is usually my thing but for some reason it just didn't work for me here. The premise was excellent and something I really thought I would love, but the story just dragged a bit and I couldn't get into it. I was really sad to have to DNF this one.

First thank you to atira and NetGalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review

Synopsis: this is a locked room mystery set in an ornate house where 10 strangers are locked up and find out they have 12 hours to find a killer.

What I liked: this book very much pays homage to Agatha Christie and then there were none which is one of my favorite mysteries. The premise is interesting take and it is dark and twisty. However sometimes I felt like you had to suspend too much disbelief for the plot. Overall interesting but not up to the standard it was going for.

Thank you to Simon Audio for the ALC and and Atria for the ARC!

I am a big fan of locked room thrillers, but I had a little bit of a hard time keeping up with this one. I think I would have had an easier time reading instead of doing audio. But it still was a good story, holding my attention trying to figure out how these people were connected and why someone wanted the there.