The Dinner Guests by Kiersten Modglin
Blurb
Six friends.
A lifetime of secrets.
One terrifying game.
When a group of friends receives unexpected invitations to a dinner party, they see it as a chance to finally meet the bizarre and reclusive new neighbor whose home is enshrouded in layers of security.
As the drinks are poured and dinner is served, the group begins to realize things are not what they seem.
What starts out as an innocent night of fun soon becomes a seemingly calculated game filled with cryptic messages and chilling revelations.
With no way out, the guests are forced to play along in hopes of escape.
Friendships fray, loyalties are tested, and the secrets they’ve kept from each other are revealed one by one.
Six friends walk into the house that night.
Will six friends make it out?
My Review
What was it all about
The Dinner Guests by Kiersten Modglin was a fast-paced thriller with claustrophobia and desperation in every chapter as 6 best friends sat down at the table on their neighbor’s invitation.
A tight-knit cul-de-sac where they all knew each other had a vacant house which was soon occupied after a lot of renovation with cameras and added security covering every inch of that place.
The 6 besties couldn’t escape the curiosity that clawed out to know what was happening behind the walls of the new home.
How it made me feel
The first 80% was absolutely thrilling. Think locked room mystery followed by escape the room game where clues would cause the group to think and the solution would lead to the door opening.
The intrigue was added when a couple of friends went missing.
The game had become personal, and the hosts were serious about playing it. Each clue led to a leap in my pulse rate as my brain cells scrambled to try to make sense of it.
The Good
The writing was so apt for a thriller where each word caused me to get swallowed into the game the characters were playing.
Every clue led to rise in stakes where I got to know the bonds of friendship between all the six. Out of this only one was truly innocent. You would have to read the book to know that.
The scenes written were well linked with the storyline as the pages scrolled by. I too had to keep counting to see if all were accounted for in each chapter.
The twists in the story made my jaw fall to the floor in shock. The identity of the perp, the deep secrets that this group was hiding were absolutely one of the best reveals in a thriller.
The Bad
My biggest grouse was the ending after that 80%. It was fun until it was a locked room solve the clues to get out kind of a thriller. Once the identity and secrets were known, the story dragged more than it was needed.
At some point with the gun and fight and the tunnel, it became ridiculous for me. Revenge was a dish best served cold. I too believed in that adage, but here it went to the point of unbelievability.
The Conclusion
An entertaining, page-gripping thriller that would intrigue any fan of this genre to leave everything and try to solve the puzzle that were the Dinner Guests.
Book Links
Book Details
Publication Date: May 2022
I downloaded the digital version of the book from an online retail, and this is my journey down its pages, straight from the heart. STRICTLY HONEST and UNBIASED.
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One Response
Good separation with the good and bad, but the last 20% sounds like a let down.