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The Dinner Guest

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About this listen

 THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

‘Immensely gripping…Stayed up till past 2am to finish this’ Sophie Hannah

Four people walked into the dining room that night. One would never leave.

Matthew: the perfect husband.

Titus: the perfect son.

Charlie: the perfect illusion.

Rachel: the perfect stranger.

Charlie didn’t want her at the book club. Matthew wouldn’t listen.

And that’s how Charlie finds himself slumped beside his husband’s body, their son sitting silently at the dinner table, while Rachel calls 999, the bloody knife still gripped in her hand.

Classic crime meets Donna Tartt in this nerve-shredding domestic noir thriller that weaves a sprawling web of secrets around an opulent West London world and the dinner that ends in death.

Praise for The Dinner Guest:

‘Could not put this book down, kept me guessing the entire way. Wow! A triumph from B P Walter’ Susan Lewis, bestselling author of Forgive Me

‘I couldn't put this down. Suspenseful and well crafted, this is twisty, addictive reading to add to your list’ Debbie Howells, bestselling author of The Vow and Richard and Judy Book Club pick The Bones of You

‘So many secrets and lies and such a compelling story; I had NO idea how this one was going to end, only that I couldn’t stop reading it until I found out’ Jackie Kabler, bestselling author of The Perfect Couple

‘Dark and twisted, The Dinner Guest is a captivating, atmospheric story of secrets and lies set within the world of old-school London money. It had me second-guessing every page. Pure delicious escapism!’ Charlotte Duckworth, bestselling author of The Perfect Father

‘Devoured this … Twisty, compelling and full of deliciously despicable characters, it had me stumped til the final chapters … a smashing read’ Lisa Hall, bestselling author of The Perfect Couple

©2021 B P Walter (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers Limited Crime Fiction Domestic Thrillers Family Life Genre Fiction Psychological Suspense Thriller & Suspense Thriller Marriage Fiction Exciting Crime

Critic reviews

‘Stayed up till past 2am to finish this! Well done, B P Walter – immensely gripping!’ Sophie Hannah, Sunday Times-bestselling author of the Hercule Poirot Mysteries

‘Could not put this book down, kept me guessing the entire way. Wow! A triumph from B P Walter’ Susan Lewis, bestselling author of FORGIVE ME

‘I couldn't put this down. Suspenseful and well crafted, this is twisty, addictive reading to add to your list’ Debbie Howells, bestselling author of THE VOW and Richard and Judy Book Club pick THE BONES OF YOU

‘So many secrets and lies and such a compelling story; I had NO idea how this one was going to end, only that I couldn’t stop reading it until I found out’ Jackie Kabler, bestselling author of THE PERFECT COUPLE

‘Dark and twisted, THE DINNER GUEST is a captivating, atmospheric story of secrets and lies set within the world of old-school London money. It had me second-guessing every page. Pure delicious escapism!’ Charlotte Duckworth, bestselling author of THE PERFECT FATHER

‘I loved this book, full of buried secrets and twists. It caught me from the beginning, and I had NO idea how it would play out, but what a great finale! B P Walter has created three-dimensional characters with such nuance and observation. Wonderful – highly recommended!’ Elisabeth Carpenter, bestselling author of 99 RED BALLOONS

‘A gripping page turner from cover to cover. Richly drawn characters you love to hate and hate to love leading to a finale you won’t see coming’ Michael Wood, bestselling author of the DCI Matilda Darke Thrillers

‘Devoured this … Twisty, compelling and full of deliciously despicable characters, it had me stumped til the final chapters … a smashing read’ Lisa Hall, bestselling author of THE PERFECT COUPLE
All stars
Most relevant
I don't believe you need to like the characters you follow through a novel, but it is useful for them to have some redeeming qualities and reason for us to want to know more about them. It misses the mark slightly on this front for me. The class divide could have been interesting to explore but disappears quickly with Rachel getting a free ride through most of the book. Wish the themes from the last tenth of the novel were a bigger focus as well - I found them more interesting.

Character focus?

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Well written book with twists and turns. Some of the changes in character's behaviour work well but some did not work for me.
At the end of the book felt very detached from all the characters behaviour.

A little disappointing for me

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Very good read. First time I've read one of B P Walters books! Can't wait for the next one

The dinner guest

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Started well, liked the fact central couple are gay men. Male Narrator ok in main role but all the other old Etonians and general posh people sounded anywhere between Essex and Camden town. Very confusing. The story had potential but became increasingly absurd and left me feeling irritated. Lots of things that just didn’t quite make sense. The frequent repetition of the word unseasonably when describing the weather was just one of a number of instances where you wonder if it had an editor. Not a big deal but grating. Don’t think I’d waste a credit on another by this author. The main female narrator was quite good although the end section was dreadful. Annoying story and unlikeable characters.

Annoying story and unlikeable characters

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Loved this so much that a I listened to the entire book in one go. And as the author was a new one for me, I'm making my way through the rest of his books at a lightening speed! I hope he's writing more otherwise I fear the come down. If any TV / Film executives read this, it would make excellent viewing. If you love a well written thriller then treat yourself and listen to The Dinner Guest. You won't be disappointed.

A fabulously sophisticated thriller

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