The Guest

B.A.Paris does not disappoint!
This is a stupendous twisty domestic thriller so perfectly created and plotted that I am breathless.

Iris and Gabriel begrudgingly take on a house guest when Laure, of their closest couple friends turns up from leaving her husband Pierre Pierre has revealed a secret child in an argument and wants to stay with them while she determines her next steps. Soon Laure's few days turns to a few weeks and Iris and Gabriel are looking for any excuse to get out of the house. Fortunately Iris befriends a new couple in the village. Before long they are sharing everything, even their gardener. But when someone dies, there are just too many coincidences and too many secrets. If you like domestic thrillers don't pass this up! It's utterly perfect!
#StMartins #TheGuest #BAParis #Twistytwist

I love B.A. Paris books so this was a no-brainer request for me! Iris and Gabriel are a happy couple and daughter Beth is in Greece doing humanitarian work when they meet Esme and Hugh who've just had baby Hamish. Gabriel is hiding a secret about Charlie, a young boy he discovered at the bottom of a quarry who died in his arms and is petulant at home which worries Iris. But their new friendship with Esme and Hugh brings them joy, as does friend Laure who has come to stay with them after her husband, Pierre admits he fathered a child with someone else. And from here the secrets begin to pile up...as do the lies and convoluted tales that each tells himself "may" be true! This is.a thriller to end all as I found myself gasping at each turn of the page!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

The Guest is about Gabriel, Iris, and Laure. While Gabriel and Iris were on holiday Laure took it upon herself to stay as a houseguest in their house. Laure and Pierre had an argument. Over the twenty years of Laure and Pierre being friends with Gabriel and Iris they’ve made a habit of staying at each other’s homes while on holiday.
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Although, Lauren’s timing wasn’t the best given Gabriel’s emotional state. He recently lost his dog, his father, and Charlie. For some reason he was really bothered by Charlie’s death. As a surgeon he expected to be able to help Charlie. Instead he watched Charlie take his last breathe before confessing something that troubled Gabriel. His state of mind is frazzled trying to process everything that’s been happening. Having Laure at their home has added to the pressures already on his plate. To distract himself he begins working in the garden as a promise to his daughter Beth. Then Iris hires Joseph to help. Gabriel is disappointed because this project was therapeutic for him.
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Iris meets Esme and Hugh and having them as friends helps alleviate some of the pain of dealing with everything. It’s a nice change of pace having Esme’s pregnancy to focus on while their daughter Beth is away.
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Once again BA Paris crafted an amazing thriller. In the beginning it’s about Laure and her devastated mindset regarding Pierre. As Gabriel continues with his own battles Iris focuses on Laure while Gabriel focuses on Pierre. There are many components integrated in this story with many working parts. All the while readers get a sense of the subtle inclination of something disastrous brewing in the background. The indirect clues that something’s not adding up has readers on the edge of their seat anticipating the inevitable.
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This was a well executed story. The timing is perfect for this type of storyline. BA Paris writes a convincing and thought provoking story. Her writing style lines up with my reading style. It’s been a pleasure reading The Guest.
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Mind blown by that twisted revelation. I never expected that outcome. Wow! What an incredible epilogue. BA Paris you rocked my world from beginning to end. A spectacular read.

In The Guest, B. A. Paris serves up the ingredients for a perfect psychological thriller: a devastated husband who witnesses a young man take his last breath; a family friend who appears unannounced because of her husband's admittance to an extramarital affair; a couple down the street who hire a gardener with a questionable past. As usual, Paris has constructed a whirlwind of a narrative which focuses on a married couple and their complex relationships.

Gabriel and Iris have returned home from a much needed vacation. Gabriel has been recovering from the death of his father, a beloved dog and the untimely death of a young man. Gabriel had been out for his morning run and had found Charlie, an 18 year old guy, at the bottom of a limestone quarry, apparently a victim of a bicycle accident. Charlie was still alive and uttered a message to Gabriel before he died. This message has haunted Gabriel and has led to his emotional withdrawal and ultimately a strained relationship with Iris.

Upon returning home they discover that a close friend, Laure, has taken it upon herself to move into their home temporarily because her husband, Pierre, has admitted to an affair and a child from that encounter. Although they are close with Pierre and Laure, Laure's presence starts to grate on Gabriel and Iris. She ends up staying for weeks, trying to insert herself in their daily routine and claiming she can't reach Pierre.

As a welcome diversion, Gabriel and Iris befriend Hugh and Esme, a couple that recently moved in down the street. They are working on renovating their home and outside gardens. To this end, they have hired a landscaper, Joseph,
who has been recovering from a drinking problem.. On Hugh and Esme's recommendation, Gabriel and Iris hire Joseph to help Gabriel with their garden. Over time, Joseph's past starts to rear its ugly head.

Unfortunately, there's no end to the series of terrible events that ultimately unfold. Paris is masterful at showing how the bonds between people can ultimately fray as past secrets are exposed. This is another terrific novel from B. A. Paris that will be devoured in one sitting.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of "The Guest" in exchange for my honest review.

This book - as all of Ms. Paris' books was absolutely brilliant! The twists and turns that lead to the explosive final chapter are the best ever. Ms. Paris has also crafted the world's most annoying houseguest in Laure - she chooses to enter a home where her friends are away, she sleeps in their master bedroom instead of one of the guestrooms, she wears Iris' clothes, rearranges Iris and Gabriel's kitchen drawers to how she prefers them, walks around in the nude, follows Iris everywhere and answers calls on her mobile and doesn't give Iris the messages.

The story starts at the christening of baby Hamish. 2 couples - Iris and Gabriel and Esme and Hugh (Hamish's parents) are celebrating when a loud explosion rocks the house. The story then picks up 6 months earlier and we learn that Gabriel a doctor found a young man, Charlie Ingram at the bottom of a quarry - still alive but died before help arrived. Gabriel is wracked with guilt because he lied about Charlie's final words. Arriving home from Scotland they find that there is someone in their house. Their friend Laure has left her husband Pierre because he claims to have fathered a daughter with another woman. We then meet Esme who along with her husband Hugh have just moved to the village and live in the house that Iris coveted. Joseph a young man who is also a recovering alcoholic is working as a gardener for Hugh and Esme. Pierre doesn't answer his mobile, return any messages that Gabriel leaves for him and this is not like him.

Laure finally goes back to Paris to talk to Pierre but when she can't find him at home, instead of waiting for him, she returns to England. When Laure disappears they wonder where she is. We also learn that Paris police have located Pierre. There are so many wonderful clues that misdirect the reader. You will be convinced of what happened and then another clue will lead you in a totally different direction. The story then arrives at the point where it started - the explosion and another body is found. With a body count of 3 in 3 months - the reader will finally find out what really has been happening in this book and it is a fabulously brilliant conclusion that I personally did not see coming.

This book is worth much more than 5 stars as B.A. Paris never disappoints!

This book opens with introducing the reader to Iris and Gabriel. They have returned from a holiday to find their friend, Laure, in their house. Laure. What follows next is the unraveling of what is going on with Laure and her husband, Pierre. Just when Iris feels like she is going to lose her mind because Laure is everywhere, all the time, she meets a new couple in their neighborhood. With each Tuen I’d the page, there was another twist or turn to the story. Just when I thought I had figured out what was going on, I was surprised again. The end of the boom was a complete shock and I would agree with a other review I read - you need to read this book so that you can get to the ending and fit all of the pieces of the puzzle together. It is definitely worth reading.

B.A. Paris is back with another twisty, psychological thriller that will have you hooked from page one. I won't get too into the plot, as it is complicated, and I don't want to give much away. What I will say is if you want a shocking ending this is the book for you. I rarely read thrillers where I don't guess what is happening, but this one blew my mind! I just did not see it coming, yet it totally made sense. I love a book that surprises me, and this one did that perfectly. Thank you so much to the publisher, and the author, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Never saw the end coming. Couldn't put this book down. Loved everything about it, the plot, the characters, the twist.

A gripping psychological thriller . This one will hold your interest from the start to the finish. It was a wild ride that I didnt want to end. This was my first read from Paris and it did not disappoint. I received this book as an arc in exchange for my honest review. I cant wait to read another book from Paris.