The year is 1988. Beth doesn’t know what to expect when her aunt drives her out to Raven Hall. Her parents and brother were killed in a car accident, and since her aunt has a job that takes her away for long stretches, fourteen-year-old Beth can’t live with her. She’d been living at a children’s home, until her aunt told her that she could stay at Raven Hall for a while. The couple who lives there have a daughter about her age, Nina, and Nina could use the company.
When they get to Raven Hall, and Beth meets Nina and her parents Leonora and Markus, she is overwhelmed at the size of the house. The family seems nice, but Beth is on edge, knowing that at any moment she could get sent back to the children’s home. She decides to be on her best behavior so she can stay there as long as possible. As the days go by, that gets easier and easier. Leonora and Markus are kind to her, and she genuinely likes Nina. But there are some things about living there that she has trouble understanding.
Nina isn’t allowed to go to the nearby town or to the local school. Leonora puts both girls into a private school instead. And when Nina’s grandfather comes to visit from America for the first time in her life, she becomes ill and can’t meet with him. Instead, Leonora asks Beth to pretend to be Nina for the visit, and she dresses her up in a dress and braids her hair. The visit goes well, and Nina’s grandfather goes back to the States, but Beth is unsettled by the experience. She is torn between her loyalty to Beth and her desire to stay at Raven Hall and needing to do what Leonora says. But she can’t help but wonder what exactly is going on at Raven Hall?
The year is 2019. Sadie is a smart, beautiful woman in her 20s wanting to be an actress. She has spent years bouncing from audition to audition, trying to find her way in. Meanwhile, she bounces from job to job to keep a roof over her head until her big break. And then she gets the call from her agent. She’s been asked to take part in a murder mystery weekend, acting one of the roles of the story. There is no audition for this one. The role is hers if she wants it. All she has to do is learn her lines and then show up at Raven Hall for the weekend. The salary will more than cover her upcoming rent payment. Why would she even consider saying no?
Before her trip to Raven Hall, Sadie is provided with a suitcase full of clothes for her character and some information. More information about her role and about the mystery itself will be provided throughout the weekend. That way no will be able to give anything away.
The clothes are beautiful, and a chauffeur shows up to drive her to Raven Hall in style. Once there, she meets the hostess (another actress, like her) and finds her room. As they gather for drinks, more of the participants show up. A lavish dinner follows, with more clues for them to ponder between courses. But as the evening wears on, Sadie starts to wonder if something besides a murder mystery is going on. Several people feel ill after the meal, and then one guest disappears. Sadie was excited to be offered this job, but what if Raven Hall has secrets it doesn’t want to share?
Emma Rous, author of The Au Pair, is back with another domestic slow burn thriller that will leave you on edge until the very end. There is a lot going on in this story, but the characters hold onto their secrets until the very last pages, so you are left trying to find the answers before you can completely wrap your head around what the questions are.
The Perfect Guests is one of those books that gets under your skin and won’t let go. Unraveling all the connections at he end takes a few moments of silent meditation to understand and process, but it’s a twisted ride that is worth your time. I enjoyed this story and found myself not wanting to let it go, but I had to set it aside from time to catch up with the chilling revelations. Fans of a slow chiller will want to add this one to their library.
Egalleys for The Perfect Guests were provided by Berkley Publishing Group through NetGalley, with many thanks.
