Take a photo of a barcode or cover
outsmartyourshelf 's review for:
The Guest Book
by C.L. Pattison
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
When newlyweds, Charles and Grace, are travelling by train towards St Ives for their honeymoon, their train is delayed by a terrible storm which brings down a tree upon the trainlines. They and the rest of the passengers have to stay the night in Saltwater, the nearest small town, but by the time Charles and Grace get to the town there is only one guesthouse with any vacancies. They thankfully check into the imposing house, but Grace is kept awake by the sound of child crying in one of the other rooms but the next morning they discover they are the only guests. As their stay in Saltwater is indefinitely extended by the bad weather, other strange things to happen and Grace finds a message in the guest book: Leave now. Do not trust them.
This was a gripping read for the most part. There are chapters told from both Grace and Charles's point of view and we learn that they are both hiding things from each other. The author manages to evoke a sense of isolation and almost suffocating oppression around Saltwater: they hardly see any of the other train passengers, the townspeople are reluctant to talk to them about the guest house, and the weather with the mist and fog cuts them off from the outside world. I think it all worked very well and it was well worth reading. I recommend this to anyone who likes slow-burning psychological thrillers.
Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, Random House UK/Vintage, for the opportunity to read an ARC. I am voluntarily giving an honest review.
This was a gripping read for the most part. There are chapters told from both Grace and Charles's point of view and we learn that they are both hiding things from each other. The author manages to evoke a sense of isolation and almost suffocating oppression around Saltwater: they hardly see any of the other train passengers, the townspeople are reluctant to talk to them about the guest house, and the weather with the mist and fog cuts them off from the outside world. I think it all worked very well and it was well worth reading. I recommend this to anyone who likes slow-burning psychological thrillers.
Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, Random House UK/Vintage, for the opportunity to read an ARC. I am voluntarily giving an honest review.