mtngirl4 's review for:

An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena

3.0

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This mystery is inspired by Agatha Christie's [b:And Then There Were None|16299|And Then There Were None|Agatha Christie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1391120695l/16299._SY75_.jpg|3038872] only modernized, and not half as well done. This is a cast of random characters, none terribly likable, each with a demoralizing secret, trapped in a mountain resort with a power outage during an ice storm. Slowly, a killer is picking them off, one by one. I read this book in one day, not because it is a riveting page turner, but because I was on vacation and had the time, and also because it is a pretty easy read. The story was okay, I wasn't sure who the killer was until about three quarters through, and I really liked the little twist the author throws in on the last two pages, but the story wasn't shocking or intriguing or exciting enough to merit more than 3 stars. I think that is because the characters weren't really very developed. They all had backstories that were touched upon, but not enough for the reader to be invested in any of them, or to be that believable. Gwen's back story is completely inconsequential and there is really no reason for it even; I guess just to give the reader a reason to question her character, which is the reason behind all the backstories, but it just seemed superfluous to me. Anyway, it's a good, quick mystery to read on vacation, but not inspiring enough to pick up another of this author's books.