Did not finish. The characters were all abhorrent from the start, and I couldn't care less what happened to any of them, especially the victim Richard. I could not abide an octopus watching over the action, far too creepy. The writing style was too jumpy, very unsettling, and not in a good way. I wish the author the best in her next venture.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Last Guest is developed from the timeline after the murder and present day. No one is as they seem in this slow burn mystery. I would have liked to have gotten to know the characters more, but was still interested in the outcome. The story had elements of intrigue and brought up some extremely interesting theories of how Richard, the victim, was murdered. Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for my copy.

This would be thriller is reminiscent of the board game Clue. There were a few good aspects like the plot, but most of the book fell short. I felt like having so many main characters took away from the details. Once I was caught up on one character, it would jump to the next and it felt like the book was all over the place. Also, writing the book in the style of a play did not work for me. I didn't like the different "Acts" in the book, and only having Elspeth's POV was cumbersome.

Thrillers like this usually have multiple POVs, but having 8 wouldn't be great either. I think that this novel had great potential but fell flat.

I was given an advanced copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Definitely recommend this book to those who love a compulsively readable who dunnit story with a bit of family drama and unique parallels thrown in for good measure!

This book will keep you guessing until the very last page! If you are a fan of thrillers then buckle up!

In this whodunit, actress Elspeth Bell attends her ex-husband Richard's fiftieth birthday party with only seven other guests - much different than what Elspeth expects. The following morning, Richard is dead and the eight party guests are all suspects. Over the next few weeks, all of the guests are suspected of Richard's murder...but which one did it? I enjoyed the character development in this story, and look forward to reading more from this author! Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for an advanced reader copy of this book for an honest review.

I love the premise of this book. It makes for such an interesting read and the author did such a good job. The story was so well-written and I loved the dimensions to the different characters.

This was an unexpectedly good book that I enjoyed more then I thought I would. This sounded like a very interesting dinner party LOL. Elspeth (Interesting name!) is attending her ex-husband's 50th party. She was hopinh to go under the radar, not realizing there would be less than 10 guests there, including herself! When the unthinkable happens, everyone comes under suspicion while we try to figure out the classic 'whodunnit'.
If you are looking for an easy, and exciting new read, check this one out with a hot cup of you favorite drink!

Richard Bryant, an aging filmmaker, throws an intimate 50th birthday party for himself, inviting eight of his closest friends. The eclectic guest list includes his ex-wife, Elspeth, and seven film industry co-workers and friends who unwitting become suspects in his murder. The story, told from Elspeth's perspective, is a complex whodunit that leaps without warning from one point in time to the next, raising suspicions along the way. Old memories are relived, intimate conversations are recalled in painstaking detail, and police interrogations cast doubts and dispersions. Who did it? Why those eight guests? What was Richard thinking, or planning? With more questions than answers, readers will have to press on to the end to find out!

Thank you to Netgalley, Tess Little, and the publisher for a copy of this E-arc in exchange for an honest review. I was looking forward to this one but sadly it fell flat for me. I was very confused while trying to differentiate the past from the present in some parts. I think maybe the storyline/plot just didnt work for me. You can tell that the author is talented though so I would definitely give another one of her books a shot. I would still check this one out if the synopsis sounds up your alley because it may be something you really enjoy.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

I enjoyed this murder mystery. I especially loved the locked room aspect and that an octopus, of all things, was a viable suspect I was considering. The cast of eccentric characters were really written well, and the main character was easy to root for. While this thriller was a bit on the odd side at times, it was a very enjoyable read.

Fans of literary crime fiction will probably be fans of this book, but, I did not think it was a 5 star read for me.
The ending is what drives my lower scoring review, as well as the 8 main characters you have to follow, which is much too high in my opinion. I would have preferred the author dive a little deeper into just a few of the characters, and use the others in small subplots in the story. I also think the author could have provided a better vibe with the POV shifting to more than just one person's recollections. The long chapters were also not a bonus for me, and I felt bogged down by all the material. Overall, this was a midgrade mystery for me.

There's no question that the author can write well but this novel was disappointing. It was hard to get into and confusing because of the eight suspects. The story felt like it meandered and was probably 20 percent longer than it needed to be. It felt like nothing really happened for long stretches. Thanks for the advance review copy.

A locked room mystery at a dinner party. What could possibly go wrong? An exclusive party at a mansion in the Hollywood Hills...given by a famous producer Richard, for himself for his own birthday...the guest list is long...Richard also gives in to his drinking problem that night. Richard ends up being found dead the next morning and everyone at the party had good motive. Choking on his own vomit he died because of asphyxiation according to the medical examination. But could that man who highly believes his perfect ways and his genius mind dare to take his own life so dramatically?

DNF at 50%. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for a review. Just not for me.

I received a review copy from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

So when I started this novel I was slightly bored. However, within about the first 20-30 pages I was hooked and I raced to the end just to find out the truth.

The story like I stated started off slow, but before I knew it I was questioning everything I was reading… trying to figure out the mystery. At each turn who I thought committed the crime was proven innocent, then I would suspect someone else and boom another twist.

This novel, these characters, this story held my attention until the end. Absolutely loved the twists and the fact that I kept second guessing myself all the way until the end.

Recommend to anyone who wants a twisty murder mystery.

1.5 stars

I feel bad saying it but this one was kind of a dud. I read another review and I couldn’t have said it better that one of the main issues I had with this read was the lack of tension due to the ever changing timelines that happened with no warning, and for a thriller having tepid tension is not what makes an enjoyable or edge of your seat read. The mystery itself was kind of “meh” because it was repeated and shown so many times what an awful person Richard was so it kind of ruled my interest in finding out what happened since we were made to feel a bit unbothered about his death.

ARC given by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Amazing! Loved it and will for sure be reading more by this author! Will make sure to tell others about it as well!

Okay, I've been trying to get through this fully for the better part of the last three months, & I think it's finally time to call it. ~DNF @ 40%.

I'll keep this relatively short - this had such an interesting premise, but the execution didn't live up to the premise whatsoever. This is a slow, slow, slow burn, & while I don't normally mind a slower mystery, it has to keep my attention, & I found this incredibly hard to follow. Larger casts of characters can be hit or miss for me, & in this case I just think there were entirely too many people we had to keep track of - I will say the octopus was definitely intriguing, though. & I do want to give the author credit for the overall idea here - debuts are hard, & while this didn't work out for me, my curiosity is sparked enough to read something else from her in the future!

Thank you so much to Tess Little, NetGalley & Ballentine Books for providing an ARC in exchange for a honest review!

The plot of the book was such a great page turner. The plot of the book was very well written. I truly cannot wait to read another wonderful book from this author. This was a truly great book by a new to me author.