Book of the week

9/10

Dark, claustrophobic and full of suspense, this is a scintillating read that may keep you awake at night, while its endless twists and turns will keep you riveted.

Abbie Frost has used an intriguing premise, the anonymity of an accommodation booking. In this case, our character uses an app called Cloudbnb to book a room online in a remote old building on a lonely The Guest House stretch of hillside in Ireland. Abbie Frost Frost, who has worked as a teacher, Harpercollins £7.99 actor and scriptwriter, and now as a fiction reviewer, is also a published thriller writer whose work has been shortlisted for various awards.

The story follows Hannah, whose alcoholism is beginning to seep into every avenue of her life after the tragic death of her boyfriend, Ben. In search of an escape from her troubles in London, she heads off to recharge at The Guesthouse, miles away from any form of civilisation, which has no phone signal and is battling a weather system as changeable as the wind… what could possibly go wrong?

Then the other six guests arrive, and events get a sinister feel. There are the creaky floorboards, vivid nightmares, and sounds of a young girl crying through the night which leave Hannah uneasy. But this is just the beginning of the dark and twisted tale, and there is a murderer at large. Will Hannah survive to tell the story?

The reader is instantly drawn in. The well-constructed plot will leave you guessing while luring you further into its dark depths. One of the most striking features is the chilling atmosphere of The Guesthouse, so vividly portrayed it comes across as a character in itself, as escape for Hannah and the other guests gradually becomes less of a possibility.

As events unfold we learn more about each character’s dark secrets – of course they all have something to hide and no one can be trusted. And, while they all seemed completely unconnected from one another at first, as the story develops, so too do links.

The tension builds page by page until the dramatic and explosive conclusion. As much as we fear the killer amongst them, this book also explores the dangers of the internet, and of booking your holiday online.

Generally speaking, The Guesthouse is not entirely original. It can be compared to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None as well as Darcy Coates’ The Carrow Haun – but it is well-constructed and engaging.

Adding her own unique style and intricacies to her story, Frost’s dark, creepy and atmospheric work is relentlessly exciting.

Review by Jamie Wilde.