From the Publisher's Synopsis:

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

Trust me when I say, I need no more impetus to pick up a book than lines like this in a synopsis. This is the exact set-up I love for a Mystery-Thriller. No matter how times I read them, they never get old for me. I have fun seeing how each author brings their own style and ideas to this classic set-up, and this one is definitely unique. No one can deny it that.

In The Other People, we have 10-strangers waking up and finding themselves in a locked country house. They have no recollection of how they got there, and yet they have personal items with them, and each of their rooms seems to have been designed with their individuality in mind.

They're tasked with solving the disappearance of a young woman, who none of them know. They must rescue her before time runs out. And I mean that literally. There's a timer ticking down every moment. Adding stress to the already stressful circumstances is the fact that a killer is stalking the house as well, and no one is safe from their dark designs. As the bodies start dropping, pressures rise and everyone is driven to wits end.

While The Other People had a very promising start for me, my enjoyment level ended up being all over the place over the course of the story. It had a great set-up and I loved the full cast of unlikable characters. They were all so different, what had brought them all together? I also thoroughly-enjoyed the meta-feel of it. It was delivering me a trope-filled Locked Room Murder Mystery, and it knew it. It felt like we were celebrating that fact together.

Unfortunately, it did start to lose me toward the end. I still feel like it was a good book, it just wasn't consistent enough for me to give it a higher rating. Frankly, I'm sad about it considering the strong start. It did have one very unconventional perspective that I really appreciated though; the omniscient nature of it was refreshing and I thought it added to the overall intrigue. I don't know. I would still recommend this, for someone looking for a classic-feeling Locked Room Murder Mystery with a Psychological Thriller twist.

Thank you to the publisher, Atria Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I liked the risks the author took with this, and I would definitely be interested in reading more from them.

A locked room mystery, so if that’s your jam you may like this one more than I did. I’m hugely opposed to having things be the voice in a book and this one also has that. The characters were not pleasant and I struggled to find things I liked in any of them. The twist was good, but by that time I just wanted it to be over. Thanks to NetGalley for the read.

There were way too many characters to keep this straight. I did not find it engaging and didn't like that I couldn't figure out what was going on.

This sounded good but there was a large cast of side characters and try as I might I just could NOT get into the story. It was good on audio with a full cast of narrators but even that didn't help. Life's too short so moving on. I ended up DNFing at around 60%. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this one in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I found the characters to be annoying and unlikeable. I also found the twists to be obvious and just not good overall.

I hope others love this one!

While The Other People may not resonate equally with all readers, it offers a compelling and distinctive reading experience that is likely to captivate those open to its particular narrative style and thematic ambitions. From the outset, the novel establishes a gripping premise, immersing the reader in a mystery that sustains tension and intrigue throughout the text. The central enigma—why ten strangers have been brought to an isolated mansion and who is responsible for their entrapment—serves as the driving force of the plot and is skillfully paced.

Suspense is masterfully sustained across the narrative arc, creating a persistent atmosphere of unease. Though it functions within the well-trodden “locked-room thriller” tradition, The Other People subverts predictability through innovative plot developments and a startling conclusion. The climax—unexpected, emotionally charged, and intellectually provocative—defies typical genre resolutions. It is likely to polarize readers, provoking strong responses that fall on either end of the spectrum: admiration or frustration.

A word of caution is warranted regarding the novel’s depictions of violence. The deaths portrayed are rendered in graphic, often disturbing detail, more characteristic of horror literature than conventional thrillers. Readers sensitive to such content may find these passages challenging; however, for readers accustomed to horror tropes, these elements will likely enhance rather than detract from the immersive experience.

Among the most compelling narrative devices employed in the text are the chapters delivered from the perspective of “The Beast in the Cellar”—a cryptic, sarcastic, and darkly humorous figure whose identity remains concealed until the final pages. These interludes not only offer pivotal clues and narrative momentum, but also introduce incisive social commentary and psychological reflection. While at first seemingly digressive, these thematic layers are ultimately integral to the novel’s philosophical underpinning, adding depth and resonance to what might otherwise be dismissed as genre fiction.

It is strongly recommended that readers avoid the official synopsis, which prematurely aligns the novel with a well-known literary and cinematic predecessor. Such a comparison imposes a reductive frame that may undermine the experience of discovery that this book so effectively cultivates. Entering the narrative without preconceived parallels allows for a more authentic and impactful engagement with its twists and revelations.

In sum, The Other People is a bold and unorthodox thriller that experiments with form, voice, and genre conventions to deliver a narrative that is both intellectually stimulating and emotionally arresting. Its polarizing ending, richly drawn characters, and metafictional wit position it as a noteworthy contribution to contemporary suspense fiction.

Ten strangers wake up in a strange estate in this locked room mystery. In order to leave the house, they must find and rescue a missing woman. However, a killer stalks the halls of the estate, silently killing guest after guest. And don’t forget about the monster in the cellar…..

This was a very strange book. It jumps from guest to guest, including the monster in the basement. The ending was unique and I did not guess the situation at all.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for a copy of this novel.

This book was kinda okay. Didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me but the writing was interesting as well. Not for everyone.

I was so excited for this book. It has so much potential! I just did not feel it, you know? I did not care about any of the people in the house. I didn't care about the house. I did not even care about how they got there.
It just did not fit me.

My full review will be posted shortly.

This was a book I was excited about reading, but it was not what I expected. I will say that the ending totally blew my mind!

Interesting premise, "meh" execution honestly. I think there's a lot of potential to be found here, however I just didn't connect with any of the characters or the story the way I thought I would— it just seemed to be missing that spark. Would still recommend to others because perhaps this just wasn't the book for me, but ultimately I found it to be a bit of a chore to get through.

This was enjoyable but I didn't find myself hooked on this as much as other novels in this genre. I thought the premise was interesting but I struggled to connect with the characters.

Thank you NetGalley! I loved this book! My first by this author. The premise is what drew me to it and it delivered. It made me laugh and feel for the characters

Thanks to #NetGalley and #Atria books for the book #TheOtherPeople by #CBEverett. I enjoyed this book filled with murder, suspense and twist so crazy you won’t believe them. Ten people are chosen to participate in a game where they have twelve hours to locate a missing girl. After twelve hours her oxygen runs out. People are dying one by one. Who will survive and can they rescue the girl?

I feel like I need to talk through this one with someone else who has read it. It took me by surprise, to say the least.
<i>The Other People</i> started off weird and slow. Enough that about a few pages in, I was contemplating whether I wanted to keep going. I'm glad I did. What started off feeling like a nasty prank turned into a haunted house of horrors. Ten people are locked in a spooky, dark mansion with endless hallways and secret passages. Some people hear voices that others don't. Some people see things that others miss. Then they start dying one by one. No one can be trusted. Not even the people who might be in the house moving the dead bodies once they are left alone.
There were parts that I was completely fascinated with, but others - like when it felt like I was reading some sort of thesis on gothic literature - I just wanted to skim and get past. But throughout it all, there was a real sense of claustrophobia. It was discussed throughout but it really manifested off of the pages. It had my heart rate up and then the end... The end had me floored. And like I said above, I still need to process this.

In theory, the synopsis sounded amazing. In reality, the execution was done poorly and honestly was a concept seen before.

The characters and writing felt flat. The stakes felt high, but none of them reacted as if they even cared. Everyone felt static. The twist explained some things, but also felt like an excuse for under-developing everything up to that point.

Unfortunately, for me, this wasn’t an enjoyable experience. Others may find this story more interesting and unique.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Atria Books for a copy!

The locked room concept is fun. Unfortunately this was really slow with not a lot to make me connect with the characters. I wasn"t expecting a horror story with quite so much gore.

The premise of the book drew me in, I liked the suspense and the concept of the locked room mystery but not so much the gore and graphic detail. Overall an entertaining story.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
#NetGalley #TheOtherPeople

A closed door mystery that turns into a horror story. A group of people wake up in an old English mansion. They do not know how they got there and cannot get out of their rooms. Suddenly the doors are unlocked and the group assemble for dinner. A woman named Amanda comes in and says they were gathered to find a missing woman who will die if she isn't found in time. The missing woman is next in line to a serial killer who already killed several young, blond women and she is running out of time. The group doesn't know each other and cannot imagine why they were chosen. The different characters narrate in alternating chapters with some chapters narrated by someone calling themselves "The Beast". The Beast knows what is going on and dribbles out the information along with some humor and possible clues.

The author does a great job of creating an atmosphere that is dark and claustrophobic. As the characters move around the house in search of Claire they encounter creepy, dark rooms, trapdoors and hidden dark corners. During part two of the book we begin to feel that something very strange is going as the characters are encountering rooms decorated like their rooms at home, meals that suit their taste magically appearing and some of them are killed off in brutal ways. As the characters begin to forget their life outside the house and to lose all sense of time, the reader feels unsettled as well.

There is a big twist that explains everything but it was pretty obvious what was going on. I liked the creepy darkness of the story but after the twist some of the characters didn't seem to fit what was going on especially the woman with the child and the pole dancer from Texas. There is a lot of gore, depictions of child abuse and torture and a view on mental illness that is problematic. Thank you to the Publisher and to NetGalley for a copy of this ARC for review.

Stop me if you've heard this one - A group of strangers are marooned in a locked house, somewhere remote, and one by one, they start to get knocked off. They don't recognize each other, they don't know why they're there, and they all realize that, just maybe, the secrets they keep dear are the reason they're being targeted next...

C.B. Everett's THE OTHER PEOPLE certainly does not sound imaginative at first glance. And, let's face it, after Agatha Christie's AND THEN THERE WERE NONE, it's hard, but not impossible, to make a one-by-one novel really stand out. But it's possible: Look at Glass Onion and Murder by Death. But I'm here to proudly declare that THE OTHER PEOPLE joins the ranks of breaking the mold of the genre for a truly jaw-dropping, stupendous read. The type of novel where every clue you need to solve the case is available as you open the book, and yet, you'll never see it coming. Everett writes his characters with a pitch-black sharpness that makes them downright unlikeable, but, ultimately, doesn't it make them more satisfying to see knocked off? As you jump from character to character—The corporate monster, the stripper, the wide-eyed student, the infant (!)—you'll learn important details that ladder up to the novel's explosive (and probably divisive) ending. Themes explored in this story are far more sinister than its counterparts, and while you can compare it to a Glass Onion or a Knives Out for its uniqueness, it definitely is a much darker read than the cover suggests. I will be thinking about this one for a long time.