The Guesthouse by Abbie Frost
The Guesthouse by Abbie Frost
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Harper Collins
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Thanks to @netgalley and @harpercollinsuk for the ARC.
Today is also my stop on the blog tour - thanks to Harper Collins for gifting me a physical copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
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Description
Seven guests.
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One killer.
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A holiday you'll never forget…
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You use an app, called Cloud BNB, to book a room online. And on a cold and windy afternoon you arrive at The Guesthouse, a dramatic old building on a remote stretch of hillside in Ireland.
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You are expecting a relaxing break, but you find something very different. Something unimaginable. Because a killer has lured you and six other guests here and now you can’t escape.
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One thing’s for certain: not all of you will come back from this holiday alive…
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I really enjoyed this book! It was atmospheric, tension building, fast-paced and the characters were brilliantly formed.
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All the guests staying at the Guesthouse are connected somehow and slowly but surely all the threads become interwoven with each others. Although, I managed to guess who Lucy was, it didn't stop me enjoying the reveal and the narrative. I will say this though I did not guess the twist which involves a member of the staff so to speak!
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The characterisation of the guests was excellent - you loved certain people from the off, distrusted who you were meant to and there was the feeling of being mislead by others. The guesthouse itself became a character - also how big is this house with its hidden basements and swimming pool?
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The concept for this story is certainly not a unique one, both in the past i.e. Agatha Christie and more recently Lucy Foley, but it is definitely a great example of how it can be done right!
Abbie has also kindly done a Q&A with me to go alongside my review!
1) We all have to admit that people who write crime fiction come up with some gruesome aspects in their work. Where do you get your inspiration from?
For me it can be anything. Often an idea or a character simply pops into my head. Usually along with the question – what if? Like many crime writers I’m addicted to true crime books, documentaries and podcasts and the germ of a plot might be suggested by one of these. And, of course, I’m a voracious reader of fiction from the past as well as the present. So, The Guesthouse was influenced by the kind of country house mysteries very popular during the golden age of crime.
2 )What was your day job before your writing took off and how do you think it has affected the books you create?
As a teacher of young children my favourite thing was reading to my classes. I am so in awe of the best writing for young readers that I have never tried to write a children’s book, but I hope the soaring imagination of these authors has rubbed off a little on my own work. I was also an actor and I think this has strengthened my use of dialogue in particular. I still act out all my scenes!
3) Who is your favourite author at present?
An impossible question to answer so I’ll pick a contemporary crime writer whose work I love: Tana French.
4) What is your favourite of all time?
Again impossible, but I’ll go for Wilkie Collins because he started the psychological crime genre and his characters are so brilliant.
5) Is there a genre of books you just can’t stand?
No. If a book has an interesting premise and is well written then it’s for me.
6) If you were only allowed to read one book for the rest of your life what would it be?
It would have to be a huge poetry anthology – probably The Map and the Clock, compiled by Carol Ann Duffy and Gillian Clarke. I never tire of reading poetry and this anthology includes many narrative poems, so my love of story would be satisfied too.
7) How does the ‘location’ i.e. geographical area play its part when you are writing a book?
It’s one of the most important elements. Atmosphere is crucial in my books.
8) Describe your day when you are writing?
I would like to be very disciplined and work for a set number of hours or produce a certain number of words each day, but I’ve found that doesn’t work for me. Instead I tend to wander the house doing odd jobs that keep my body occupied and allow my mind to roam. I write whole scenes in my head, then rush to put them onto the page. I work a scene at a time then start each session rereading and tinkering with that scene before going back to mindless activities while I plan the rest. Eccentric maybe, but it seems to do the trick.
8) Can you give us any clues about the book you are working on?!
Not really, I have two stories on the go and they’re both at such a fragile stage that talking about them might kill them. All I can say is that one is inspired by an American true crime documentary and the second involves an incident from my own life.
9) How important do you think the blogging community and social media is in the book industry?
More and more important. I am in awe of the bloggers who read so much and work so hard to get the word out about authors, particularly the less high-profile ones – all for the love of books. They/you are my heroes.
Social media is crucial and writers have to use it nowadays. It can be time-consuming, but it’s rather wonderful when you’re working alone with your laptop to feel you have a community of (mostly!) friendly folk at your fingertips.
And finally a bonus question! Okay what would rather have as a method to kill off a character - a hundred penguins descending on a person or one solitary shaving nick which led to an infection and death? Why did you choose what you did?
That has to be the most unusual question I’ve ever been asked! As I’m unlikely to set a book in Antarctica I think the penguins are out of the question. So, it would be the infected shaving nick – it’s how the curse of Tutankhamen apparently killed Lord Carnarvon so I rather like that idea.
So far out of all the authors I have asked these questions to Abbie is the only one who has got the link with the bonus question and the death of Lord Carnarvon! Gold stars all round!
