Book cover of An Unwanted Guest

Book description

AS FEATURED ON BBC RADIO 2: 'Properly gripping' Romesh Ranganathan

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER from the number one bestselling author of THE COUPLE NEXT DOOR.

'Crafted like a vintage Christie and just as tense, this will be a smash hit.' Heat
'Tense. Unpredictable. Unputdownable. Shari Lapena's novels are domestic noir…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

2 authors picked An Unwanted Guest as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

The Trope: The Locked Room Mystery

The first locked room mystery I ever read was Agatha Christy’s, And Then There Were None. I fell in love with the trope. I’m a complete patsy for any story that holds a group of unsuspecting characters captive and starts killing them off individually.

Shari Lapena uses a ski resort and a snowstorm to do just that. This book is a fabulously creepy and claustrophobic read for a winter night. 

This book surprised me based on the twists involved with the characters’ relationships with each other, especially for three of them.

The fact that they were all trapped in the same location helped raise the stakes for everyone suspecting each other of the crime. Those that trusted each other might even cover up for each other – with later plot reveals showing what happened otherwise.

This made it hard for me as a reader to figure out which characters were innocent or guilty, but I enjoyed the challenge of figuring out who did it! 

From Claris' list on mysteries stuck in isolated areas.

If you love An Unwanted Guest...

Book cover of The Pet-Sit

The Pet-Sit by Carol Moreira,

A decades-old secret. A missing woman. A private investigator with everything to prove.

Newly minted PI Paula Moore takes on her first case: find Marion Taylor, who vanished from Portsmouth, England, years ago. Paula’s search leads her across the ocean to San Francisco—only to discover Marion has changed her name,…

Want books like An Unwanted Guest?

Our community of 13,000+ authors has personally recommended 85 books like An Unwanted Guest.

Browse books like An Unwanted Guest

Book cover of Rebecca
Book cover of The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
Book cover of And Then There Were None

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,395

readers submitted
so far, will you?