Avery Greer lives in the small tourist town of Littleport, Maine. Avery lost both of her parents in an automobile accident at a young age and recently her grandmother. Not dealing well with the stress in her life she hasn’t always made the best life decisions as a teenager and many of the locals look at her will disdain. Her life changes when she makes friends with one of the wealthy summer tourists, Sadie. Sadie’s parents own most of the property in the little town. Many were surprised when they took Sadie under their wing and gave her a job managing the rental properties. Sadie and Avery were inseparable throughout the summers.
In the summer of 2017, the end of the year bash for the local college age adults is in full swing but Avery can’t find Sadie. When the police come and let them know that Sadie has been found on the beach dead from an apparent suicide Avery can’t believe it. The police are certain since they found a suicide note in the trash can and they matched it to her journal, but Avery knows that Sadie didn’t keep a journal.
In the summer of 2018, Avery starts investigating on her own. No one else is looking but she knows that there is a killer among them and will stop at nothing to find out who it is. Especially since she feels like she is being watched this summer, but by whom?
The book starts out with immense promise and there was a mystery there that unravels slowly. There weren’t a lot of clues so the ending was a surprise. As Avery found out certain revelations, I had a hard time following the story as it just didn’t seem to flow but that was only a couple of times. There were twists and turns that keep the story interesting and I wanted to find out what really happened to Sadie but the story just lacked pizzazz for me. It has a great premise and it did keep me entertained.
The Last Guest House has a run-of-the-mill plot with resurfaced memories and a few awkward interactions thrown in. The ending isn’t completely obvious or horrible but I’d say it isn’t a remarkable novel either. If you like the genre, I think it is a good beach type read to keep you entertained.
Rating: *** 1/2 Stars (I liked it)
- Laura, Library Director
ARE YOU AND THIS BOOK A GOOD MATCH? DISCOVER MORE WITH NOVELIST APPEALS! The Last House Guest
GENRE: Thrillers & Suspense TONE: Menacing; Strong Sense of Place STORYLINE: Intricately Plotted WRITING STYLE: Compelling; Descriptive CHARACTER: Well-Developed LOCATION: Maine SUBJECT: Coastal Towns; Female Friendship; Friends' Death; Murder Investigation; Rich Families; Secrets; Small Town Life; Social Classes; Suicide; Suspicion; Tourism; Women Murder Suspects
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