***3.75 Stars***

Four people are at dinner - Charlie, his husband, their son, and Rachel (a relative newcomer to the group) - and one ends up murdered.

That is the first page.

The following jumps back and forth to the year prior to the murder giving us their back stories and possible motives and to the immediate aftermath where the survivors are being interrogated by the police and how they are processing the death.

Charlie never liked Rachel. Everyone thinks he is being paranoid. Is he justified in his dislike? You’ll have to read to find out.

So many secrets. And what that does to you and your relationships.

I really liked this when I read it. This is my kind of beach read. Not to deep, but a also a page turner. Everything sort of works. I guess. I really liked what comes after the reveal. I thought that was super well done. Huge props for the LGBTQ representation.

But after I finished reading it and gave it some thought, I felt manipulated. Of course all books are manipulating you to an extent. But I didn’t like how I was manipulated here. I can’t really say more without spoiling the plot.

I would recommend this, but you can’t just think to hard about it.

Delightfully twisted! This thriller featured a cast of characters that readers will definitely be intrigued by. You’ll constantly ask yourself who the sinister character is, the one with a hidden agenda perhaps, or maybe someone with an unexpected connect to the past… highly recommend!

Stunning, slow burn of goodness. Two dads, newly angsty teen and a new Book Club friend. What an amazing thriller. I adored the ending too! Wow!!

This was such an enjoyable, slow-burn, character-driven domestic thriller full of unlikeable characters filled with secrets and revenge and a delicious twist. Loved it!
A huge thanks to Netgalley, Harper 360, and the author for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

An unusual and diverse thriller, "The Dinner Guest" by BP Walter kept me up reading all night with a fast plot and compelling characters. Following the murder of a much beloved husband, a quirky blended family (and their acquaintances) struggle to keep dark past secrets under wraps. Blending multiple POVs and time-lines, "The Dinner Guest" explores how love and hate can be two sides of the same coin.

For me, I enjoyed the gay husband couple with their adopted son that dominated this spooky novel. A wonderful, sweet family dynamic harbored dark secrets that threatened to kill--quiet literally. The most compelling part of this novel was the dynamic, complex characters. The characters' (especially Charlie, Matthew and Titus) personalities, lives, and motives felt extremely authentic and genuine. The characters living, breathing personalities made each revelation even more shocking and painful. While not particularly gruesome or disturbing, the realistic family and martial drama made the novel feel real and tangible. I could almost imagine this happening to someone I know.

This was sadly a DNF book for me. I just think domestic thrillers are very hot or miss for me and I look for something a little different in mine. I do think the general story of the book is extremely interesting but I just expected more.

I just loved this book, all the way up to the conclusion. The alternating narrators and timeline keeps the story interesting, but the ending is not plausible based on the character development of the murderer. It felt very abrupt and unexpected, but not in a good way. I still give this book 4 stars because I enjoyed it thoroughly up to murderer's reveal.

I really enjoyed the overall plot of this book, and am a sucker for flashbacks and utilizing different times of the character's life to build anticipation of "the event". The main characters, Matthew, Rachel, Charlie, and Titus, each had their own dynamic the reader was trying to figure out throughout the plot which made it a more interesting read. Every time a little nugget of information was shared with the reader, I stopped being able to put this book down. Foreshadowing is definitely a thing in this book, giving the reader an idea of what *might* come next.

I will say the only thing I did not like is the last few chapters of the book, I thought ending the book at the jail visit would have left it on a much better cliff-hanger, but it still found another one in the end!

Overall, I really enjoyed the pace, characters, and plot development of this book. Given this is a thriller, it is not one that kept me up at night, unless you consider finishing a book in the "wee" hours of the morning the case.

Do you by chance remember every book you’ve ever read where the epilogue totally ruined the entire rest of the book for you? Where the book was all right, maybe even pretty solid, but then you read the epilogue and it plummeted right into the toilet? I’ve had a few of those, and this book right here is a prime example of a book whose epilogue made me so mad I would’ve been throwing the book across my room (had I been reading a physical copy).

I was having a decent time reading this book, in spite of it being too long by about 75 pages or so (in my opinion). Even though it wasn’t the best of writing and wasn’t as engaging as some other suspense novels I’ve read this year so far, it was entertaining enough and interesting to keep me reading for the over 400 pages this thing lasts (which is why I say it should’ve been shorter). It was even headed for a really good ending… and then there was the epilogue. I mean it when I say the epilogue just undid all the good things the book did.

I guess the takeaway is: Beware epilogues. Especially in thrillers. Thrillers largely don’t need them and are better off without them.

Thanks to NetGalley, Harper360, and One More Chapter for allowing me early access to this title in exchange for a fair and honest review. Due to personal policy this review will not appear on social media or bookseller sites due to the 3 star or lower review.

The book begins with a family dinner. Charlie and his husband Matthew sit down with their 15-year-old son, Titus. Rachel joins them at the table and shortly after Matthew is stabbed to death in his seat at the dinner table. Rachel, holding the bloody knife, calls the police and confesses to the murder. This book kept me guessing the whole way through. What a great twisty thriller I can't tell much more without giving away spoilers, but you will want to keep turning the pages to find out how Rachel fits into their lives. This character-driven domestic thriller is sure to keep you turning the pages well into the night.

Read this if…you like morally gray characters and a good revenge story.

Charlie and Matthew have a seemingly perfect life. They are the adoptive parents of Titus, who seems to be a good kid. They meet Rachel, who seems to be a harmless stranger, and invite her into their lives. One night, the four of them sit down for dinner, but only three will walk away from the table. A cold-hearted murder reveals a myriad of secrets and lies, proving that nothing and no one is ever quite as it seems.

This was one twisty whodunit! Told from the perspectives of Charlie and Rachel, I thought the plot was well developed. Readers are introduced to the murder quickly and the story jumps back and forth in time between the year before the murder and the year after. The author did a good job of weaving all of this together and I didn’t have any trouble following the timeline. I did find it difficult to connect to the characters because every single one was awful in his or her own way. I wanted someone to root for, but there wasn’t anyone who was entirely innocent. Other than that, I enjoyed the story and how everything connected together at the end.

A big thanks to Netgalley, Harper 360,, and the author for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5/5 (rounded up)

Thank you to Harper, One More Chapter, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Dinner Guest by B. P. Walter is a slow-burn domestic thriller with an amazing twist! The story revolves around Charlie, whose husband Matthew and adoptive stepson Titus make the perfect picture of "gay marriage." But then, a young woman named Rachel ingratiates herself into their lives. Who is she? And why did she stab Matthew with a bloody kitchen knife?

Here is a gripping excerpt from the Prologue:

"My husband Matthew died on an unseasonably chilly August day at dinner time. We had been together for just over ten years, married for five, and yes, we did love each other. But love changes over time, and in those final moments when I knew he was dying, well, I must confess that through the horror and the blood and the shock, the love I felt for him wasn’t quite as profound as I would have expected. Even after everything that had happened. Back when we married, the thought of losing him would have sent a wave of devastation through me. It would have been barely comprehensible. And I thought it would always be so. It took the worst to actually happen for me to realise that things don’t always play out like you think."

Overall, The Dinner Guest is a delightful domestic thriller with a jawdropping twist. One highlight of this book are the main characters. I like that the main couple have a book club and shop at Waterstones. I also like how the main couple are gay. I thought it was refreshing to see this in the domestic thriller genre. Another highlight is the mystery, which is like a train heading into a crash. The book really keeps you guessing about who Rachel is. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of domestic thrillers, I highly recomend that you check out this book, which is available now!

Wow, such a good psychological thriller! This is well written and well thought out. This book will
keep you both engaged and guessing the whole time. It’s told from multiple perspectives and I think that sped it up even more. You won’t be able to put this one down.

The Dinner Guest will keep you on the edge of your seat! The book opens when a murder and the killer confessing. It is told from multiple POV and in the present and the past. The author gave the right information at the right time to move the book forward. Rachel enters the life of two fathers and their child. One of the fathers welcomes Rachel with open arms and the other is suspicious. This creates tension in the story and kept me wanting to learn more about the suspicions. I'm very glad the author titled each chapter with whos POV it was and a timeline with the murder as the center point. It was very helpful piecing together what happened and trying to figure out the twist. I was surprised at the ending and loved it!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC for an exchange for an honest review.

Interesting, I enjoyed i.t.

I did not finish this book and stopped reading at the 45% mark. I found the characters to be shallow with no depth to their personalities. I also found the plot to be unoriginal and it felt like something I had already read or watched on a TV show. I probably would have finished the book if the characters had depth or it the plot had some original twists in the first section of the book.

The Dinner Guest
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 5/24/22
Author: B. P. Walter
Publisher: One More Chapter
Pages: 416
Goodreads Rating: 3.69

Thank you to NetGalley and One More Chapter for providing a copy of the book for me to read in exchange for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: Four people walked into the dining room that night. One would never leave. Matthew: the perfect husband. Titus: the perfect son. Charlie: the perfect illusion. Rachel: the perfect stranger. Charlie didn’t want her at the book club. Matthew wouldn’t listen. And that’s how Charlie finds himself slumped beside his husband’s body, their son sitting silently at the dinner table, while Rachel calls 911, the bloody knife still gripped in her hand.

My Thoughts: The chapters are average length. There were two narrators, Charlie and Rachel, told from their POV. There were so many suspicions, secrets, questions, and definitely lies. Walter takes you on a wild chilling ride throughout this book. The character development was out of this world, the author does such a good job of not only developing the characters but making you form hate/love opinions of the characters. The writing was suspenseful, creative, and just plain amazing. This was a face-past thriller, which is my most favorite kind. The plot was fantastic! This book releases next week and I highly recommend you pre-order this book

Wow, talk about making a lasting impression.

I was so incredibly impressed with The Dinner Guest. I will have to say that the cover completely drew me in. The simplicity yet mystery had me intrigued and I was crossing my fingers and praying to the book gods for an approval.

When I heard the chime of my email ding with my special "netgalley" alert, I peered with one eye, hopeful it was an approval and not a denial .

Well, well, well, look what we have here.... AN APPROVAL!!! woohoooooo, cue the happy dance, my feet have not hit the ground . The delight was unreal and I could not wait to get started.

This book is twisted, dark, and has all the key components for a best seller. I can not wait for the world to see what this book holds.

This book needs to be on everyone's radar and I would absolutely love to see this turned into a movie. The Dinner Guest, screams blockbuster hit!

BP Walter, I have my eye on you.

FIVE STARS!

Who stabbed Matthew at the dinner table? Was it his husband Charlie, his son Titus, or Rachel who has confessed? Except, she didn't, did she? This tale of secrets, lies, jealousy, and murder is told by Rachel and Charlie in turn. Charlie thought everything in his life and marriage was tootling along just fine until Rachel turned up. He didn't trust her, didn't like her, didn't understand why Matthew did. And he wasn't happy when Matthew invited her to dinner. This might sound like a classic trope-y set up and it is but the twists are good. Power through a slow spot in the middle knowing that there's going to be a surprise. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

4 people have dinner: Charlie and Matthew the perfect couple, with their 15 year old son, Titus. And Rachel, the stranger who worms her way into all their lives. Behind the scenes, they are all keeping secrets from one another and no one is who you think they are. When Matthew ends up stabbed and murdered that night, Rachel calls the police and tells them she did it. But did she really?
This is a very slow burn with a lot of flat points but enough peaks to keep me interested. The first part of the story goes very very slowly-almost to the point of DNF, but once it picks up, it really does! He ending was less than stellar however it is still worth the read.
Thanks to One More Chapter and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.