What a very bizarre whodunnit. This is a story that had so many different directions it could have gone that it was impossible to put it down until the very end! Tess Little has done a great job in captivating the reader and not letting go. This is a must read thriller!

I received a complimentary copy of The Last Guest from NetGalley.  Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Quite the mystery! First I have to acknowledge the very cool title, which had me guessing for quite some time, but then took on a double or possibly even a triple meaning. Great book! I was enthralled with the dynamics between the host and the guests of the extravagant self-thrown birthday party. It seems that all of his “friends” had reasons to deny him friendship, so a seemingly self-inflicted death appeared malicious. (Even the 8 legged pet was a possible suspect!) Perfectly executed novel. I will happily read from this author again!

This whodunnit takes place in the Hollywood Hills so I was immediately interested. Sadly though, this book never captivated me and I found it quite disappointing. Hardly any likeable characters, no big twists and turns, no big suspenseful moments, and a very anti-climactic ending.
The book is told through two timelines, and I struggled at times to figure out which timeline I was reading as there was no label for each section.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing a digital ARC of The Last Guest in exchange for an honest review. The expected publication date is October 5, 2021.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House/Ballantine Books for the arc of this book. I liked the start of the book, and it was promising. We meet the characters, none of whom seemed really likeable and get a glimpse of a swanky Hollywood party. Strangely, without warning, we were in a different timeline. On my Kindle, it coincided with a new page, so I went back to make sure I hadn't missed a date or a header. Very confusing. Then at many points I couldn't tell what was being told to the police and what was just inner remembrances. I found the first-person narration eventually got tiresome - so much of Elspeth's thoughts and feelings, but not much of anyone else's. This bogged me down for a while and hearing a different POV would have been welcome. The Second and third parts of the book really picked up though. I got interested in the story again. Overall, the story was good (some trigger warnings) and the writing was good. I looked up other books by this author, and her previous one is called The Octopus, and this book is just a repackaging! 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

3.5 stars

Richard Bryant, a successful film director, celebrates his 50th birthday with a celebration at his home. He invites a few friends/colleagues and his ex-wife, Elspeth. Elspeth is reluctant to attend but eventually agrees to join. Elspeth is surprised to find only seven guests at the party—plus an octopus named Persephone. The party continues into the night, but come morning, Richard would be found dead. All the guests seem to have a motive to kill, but who would have killed him?

The story unfolds at Elspeth is drawn into the murder investigation by the police. Told through a non-linear timeline, we are provided flashbacks from Richard’s party and the early years of Richard and Elspeth dating.

I found the plot to be unique and well-written. I enjoyed reading about Persephone and learned a lot about octopuses! The ending, however, fell a bit flat.

I wouldn’t necessarily categorize this as a mystery or thriller. It centers more on abusive relationships and how secrets from our past can affect our future and others.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Random House/Ballantine Books for providing my review copy.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Last Guest by Tess Little is a dark mystery that will satisfy your Agatha Christie cravings. The story revolves around a fancy dinner party that ends with the host dead. The protagonist, Elspeth Beth, is the ex-wife of Richard Bryant, a famous Hollywood director. She goes to the birthday dinner at the request of her daughter, who ends up not attending. There, she meets 7 other guests who Richard invited. The other guests include friends, strangers, actors, and Richard's new partner. When Elspeth wakes up the next morning, Richard is dead. Which of the guests did it? And what was their motive?

Here is a chilling excerpt from the Prologue:

"We believed he had died from an overdose. There was no reason to suspect otherwise: limbs limp on the couch; pink vomit splattered across his shirt, dribbling from the corners of his mouth; the Gucci belt, the residue-stained needles—our own memories, in flashes and throbs and waves. We did not call an ambulance. The flesh was cold to the touch.
It had been my fingers stroking his stony neck for a pulse. With none to be found, I looked up, caught Honey’s eye, gave the nod. The others were lifting their heads. I would have to tell them, I realized, as Honey crept over their stretching arms, slipped the cellphone from his back pocket, and disappeared around the corner."

After I read that excerpt, I knew that I had to keep reading to find out who the murderer is. I love Agatha Christie mysteries, and when I saw that this book was compared to her works, I knew that I had to read it right away. I did see some similarities in the eclectic cast of characters and the various dark motives that each had to be the murderer. Nobody is safe from suspicion. I did take off 1 star because I really had to push myself through the middle of this book. Also, I was disappointed by the ending of the book and the reveal of the murderer. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of mysteries, you can check out this book when it comes out in October!

Thank you to Random House and Net Galley for giving me an ARC of this novel, which I was anxious to read. The description sounded intriguing, but I found the execution a little disappointing.
The story is told in first person from the point of view of Elspeth, a one-time actress visiting L.A. from New York to attend the 50th birthday party of her former husband, Richard, a stereotypical domineering Hollywood director. Her grown daughter Lillie is supposed to meet her there; it was Lillie who persuaded Elspeth to attend the party in the first place. The intimate guest list consists of shallow Hollywood types connected with Richard's most recent film, with whom Elspeth has little in common. There are also a couple of old friends whom she hasn't seen or talked to since her divorce from Richard a decade ago.
My first question was, once it becomes apparent that Lillie isn't going to show up, why does Elspeth stay at the party? It doesn't seem like she's having a particularly good time or making a connection with anyone there. Seeing Richard stirs up some painful memories of their rocky marriage.
But she does stay. She continues to drink herself into a stupor and ends up spending the night. As do all the guests. And in the morning, Richard is dead. The cause is an apparent heroin overdose, but on closer examination, the police conclude he has been murdered. All of the party guests are suspects.
Elspeth stays in town, living at her daughter Lillie's house, during the investigation. The narrative then alternates between interrogation scenes at the police station and flashbacks from the party.
Act II opens with Richard's memorial service, which is co-hosted by Lillie and Richard's live-in boyfriend, Honey. Another pretentious Hollywood party, in the same location, including the same guests who were at Richard's 50th. Interspersed with scenes from the memorial, we get flashbacks of a different decadent Hollywood party full of drugs, excessive drinking, and shallow conversations: Richard's 4oth birthday, which marked the end of his marriage to Elspeth.
In Act III, after an arrest is made at the memorial service, we get flashbacks of Elspeth's early career in L.A. and her courtship with Richard. It's a stereotypical story of a beautiful, but poor, teenager who leaves home to find fame and fortune in Hollywood, and then catches the eye of a handsome, up-and-coming director who launches her career, sweeps her off her feet, and then becomes abusive.
While the writing is excellent, I didn't feel much of a connection with any of the characters, including Elspeth. Probably the most interesting character was Persephone, Richard's sentient, giant pet octopus, who has been caught on film escaping from her aquarium every night. Elspeth becomes fascinated with octopuses after the party, and the reader learns quite a bit about them as well.
I'd recommend this book for readers who enjoy stories about the glitter and the dark side of Hollywood.

This is a very good debut with lots of nuance and a strong point of view. The information about the octopus was fascinating. Elspeth is a well drawn character who makes complicated decisions for complicated reasons. I look forward to more from this author. Highly recommended for mystery/thriller readers who are looking for something without a pat ending.

Interesting read. . Tess Little takes us into the Hollywoodish entitled elite for a powerful story where I didn’t care for the characters but the writing kept me reading so kudos to Little, an author I haven’t read before.

Man, I really wanted to love this but what a mess. An octopus was a suspect at one point. An octopus! I didn't end up liking or caring about anyone, it looped around and dragged on forever. By the end, I was hoping it was going to be an "and then there were none" situation so I didn't have to read about them anymore..

Elspeth Bell reluctantly agrees to attend the 50th birthday party of her ex- husband, Richard Bryant, for the sake of their daughter. Richard is a well known Hollywood director who has launched careers, including Elspeths’. She was expecting his usual blowout party but learns that he has invited just 7 guests and he makes each a target during the evening. After a night of too much drink and narcotics, the guests wake up to find their host dead.
The only one who witnessed what happened? Persephone, the giant octopus that Richard keeps as a pet.
As the investigation unwinds, Elspeth is holed up in her daughters apartment reliving her past and the secrets she kept. Each of the guests had a reason to hate Richard but would they frame Elspeth as well?
This is a locked room mystery with an inordinate amount of attention on the octopus( who in all honesty was the most interesting character).
I felt this dragged and the ending fell a little flat. I did not connect with any of the characters, they were all self absorbed and boring. The emotions were stilted and the ending a bit rushed.

I was looking forward to this book-being compared to Agatha Christie, but was very disappointed. This was a slow moving story, with pages that I just skipped(which is something I really don’t like doing).
Elspeth attends the 50th birthday party of her ex-husband. The small group of guests party through the night and upon wakening, discover the ex-husband is dead. The story goes back and forth through Elspeth's life, in trying to give the reader connections to why things have happened. Some of these were confusing, while others made complete sense.
I just felt overall that the story was slow, for so few characters, I didn’t feel I knew them and the ending was a let down. Not like Agatha Christie at all.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC, in return for my review.

I found all the characters on this novel not likable. The victim, Richard, was really despicable, as revealed through the chapters. There are several suspects in his deaths including his ex wife Elspeth. She is the main narrator in the story. There are current prevalent issues thw story covers. I just found it ok. My interest kept waning as the story progressed.

This book started out so good, but some how fizzled out for me. Towards the end, I had to push myself to finish. I think it could’ve been so much more.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the eARC for an honest review.

It is rare these days to find a book that gives thrills and chills and humor and great characters but this book is that, all that. and so much more! I literally could not put it down. Thank you author, for keeping me awake for two nights in a row!

Richard, a big name in LA, is hosting his 50th birthday party. His ex-wife Elspeth is invited, and although reluctant to attend, she at least knows her daughter will also be there. When she arrives, she expects a large crowd, but is surprised that only 7 other guests are there. She is given a tour of the very modern home, the center of which is a enormous tank with a very unusual inhabitant. The food is also surprising as Richard has selected for each guest a meal that links them in some way. Elspeth finds the whole evening quite bizarre, especially as she cannot contact her daughter. Then the host himself is dead,and all the guests are suspects.
I thank Netgalley, the author and publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Last Guest had me sneaking in chapters anywhere I could-on lunch break, in between calls, until I fell asleep book in hand at night. Told from Elspeth’s perspective and switching back and forth between the present, the past and one fateful party night, I was itching to see how everything tied together.
Elspeth attends her ex-husband’s 50th birthday party after years without speaking and attempting to forget the gritty details of their marriage. Richard is always a lot to deal with, but this party is particularly strange. When the night ends in tragedy, Elspeth is left to grapple with her hazy memories and a homicide investigation.
I loved Tess Little’s writing style. This was a dark thriller and I couldn’t put it down!

I will also be posting this review to my booksta @aksbookbites on pub day
I received an ARC of #TheLastGuest by #TessLittle courtesy of #NetGalley and #RandomHouse for my honest thoughts and opinions.

Thank you, NetGalley, for an advanced copy of this novel. The Last Guest is suspenseful, heartbreaking, and has you on your seat until the last chapter.

Without spoilers, I really wish the ending to this story had been given more weight. There were kernels of greatness that if expanded on, would have made for a more dramatic and suspenseful book. The story line looses some oomph about halfway through, but that doesn’t make the book any less enjoyable. I really enjoyed this one and could easily see it as a movie!

The Last Guest is an interesting murder mystery but difficult to follow with the author going back and forth between past and present scenes with no chapter divisions, just paragraph intentions. Many times you wondered who the narrator was Many lives were affected by the victim making the story similar to an Agatha Christi novel.