The Lying Guest

by Mahi Cheshire

**PREPARE TO BE TRANSPORTED TO PLACES YOU COULD NEVER EVEN IMAGINE **

A smart, twisty thriller that will transport you to the lush beaches of Sri Lanka ... just be careful who you trust when you visit.

Hardworking and overworked, Anika is a talented surgeon at a London hospital. It’s been some time since she’s had a decent night’s sleep, let alone a holiday. Not ideal for someone with parasomnia – a rare condition, made worse by stress, that can cause sleepwalking.

When a patient dies on her operating table, important people start asking questions and the media and her colleagues turn against her overnight.

It seems her only respite is to escape on a housesitting gig in Sri Lanka and to keep a low profile until the verdict on her case, and her career, is decided.

Despite everything, she’s excited to visit the place she used to summer as a child. But what should be a restorative beach break ends up being a trip back into a murky, haunted past that’s been waiting for her all along.

Anika left for what she thought was a dream holiday, only to find herself trapped inside another nightmare. Will she finally wake up to face her demons?

Genres: Thriller

335 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 20, 2025

Reviews

[Kelly (Little.shropshire.reader) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Lying Guest follows Anika, a talented surgeon working at a hospital in London. She suffers a rare sleeping disorder, which she has kept hidden from her employer. After finishing a long tiring night shift, Anika is asked to help out and stay on to do an operation. Unfortunately, the patient dies on the table, and she now faces the back lash and is blamed for his death.
Unable to cope with being accused of negligence, Anika accepts a job of housesitting a place in her home country of Sri Lanka. Whilst there a murder occurs and old demons start to resurface. Anika starts to question everything and doubts her own mind.

I enjoyed reading this thriller. It was full of mystery and suspense. Split into parts it held my attention, though I did prefer some more than others. I loved the Sri Lanka setting, and it was described beautifully. I also loved how the author wrote parts in the local language and wrote about the culture. I like to learn something about other cultures and found this fascinating insight.

I liked Anika's character. She was very complex. As the story progressed, it showed her in a different light. She became more unhinged and unreliable. I didn't know what was going on. I did work out a few twists, but a couple of big ones towards the end were a shocker. Especially the last one. I did not see that coming..

Overall, I enjoyed this one. Full of lies, family drama, secrets, and it was suspenseful and atmospheric in places with a slight supernatural element in there too.

Thank you, Vintage, for my advanced copy.

[fatima˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was such a great, compelling read! i flew through this in a couple sittings on vacation and it kept me on my toes from beginning to end!

it’s a slow burn but in the best way. even when the plot feels quiet, there’s a constant hum of tension, like something simmering just beneath the surface. for the first half, i kept concocting theories and thinking “when is something going to happen?”, but i couldn’t put it down anyway. the writing pulls you in and holds you there, creating this underlying sense of anxiety that had me turning pages late into the night.

the sri lankan small town coastal setting is absolutely stunning. cheshire paints this beach town with such lush, evocative details that i could practically feel the humid air and hear the waves. against this beautiful backdrop, the abandoned house takes on almost haunting qualities, creating the perfect atmosphere for the story to unfold.

i usually hate flashbacks or dual timelines, but here, the past and present feed into each other seamlessly, and it all builds toward a payoff that’s so worth it. seriously, the last 20% was insane! the twists weren’t shocking just for shock value, but felt organic to the story and satisfying because they were properly set up. i also adored the romance!

i’ll definitely be reading more from mahi cheshire. if you love destination thrillers, i’d highly recommend this!

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Talented surgeon Anika is overworked and overtired. It’s been a while since she last had a decent night's sleep and the last thing she needs is an extra surgery when her night shift should be over. But there’s no one else and it is only a quick, routine procedure. But when her patient dies on the operating table, his prominent family accuses Anika of negligence. As the storm surrounding what happens grows and the hospital suspends her until an inquiry can be conducted.

Utterly devastated, Anika longs for an escape. So when an email lands in her inbox advertising a job caretaking a house in Sri Lanka, it seems she’s found the perfect solution. She’s excited to visit the place she was born and take a break. But she’s also nervous. Because Anika hasn’t returned since the night something terrible happened that she can’t fully remember sixteen years ago. Maybe this will finally give her the chance to finally lay her ghosts to rest. But soon, the holiday that she hoped would heal her turns into another nightmare she’s trying to escape…

Wow! What a rollercoaster this book was! Mysterious, tense and twisty, The Lying Guest certainly kept me on my toes. And that finale! Talk about heart-pounding. Anika is a compelling and likeable protagonist who was easy to root for. She has a rare condition called parasomnia, that can cause sleepwalking, sleep terrors and sleep paralysis and is made worse by things such as stress and sleep deprivation. Anika’s condition has been well managed since she took an experimental medication following the mysterious event that still haunts her. Because of this, Anika and the reader are never sure how reliable she is, adding to the tension and making me question everything. And while her housesitting gig should have been an easy job at a luxury house, she instead finds a dilapidated place with an unsettling atmosphere. Locals say the house is cursed and haunted, which Anika initially shrugs off but soon begins to question when unexplained things begin to happen. But could they be her parasomnia returning?

Eerie, gripping and layered, this is a must for any thriller lover.

[Elaine M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, iI liked the setting in Sri Lanka, the scenery & the culture. I also liked it that I didnt really know what was coming.
It mixed the past of the main character, Anika, with the present & the current dysfunction of her life.
There was a lot going on at some points, but it was really easy to read.
The very last twist shocked me! Didn't see it coming!
I would definitely read another by this author.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Just wow.
So, slightly slower start but as soon as I was into it was I absolutely into it. I was on edge throughout so much of this book which I absolutely love for a thriller.
I was constantly doubting myself and second guessing all the information I knew. And the way information was now/then really kept me guessing at what had truly happened.
The characterisation was great and I really feel that I got to know them on a deeper level. The interactions between them all were brilliant as well, I enjoyed how everything played out realistically and nothing felt rushed for the sake of it being a thriller.
The ending though, I do have to admit that I had near guessed it by 10% left which took some of the thrill out of the ending. But oh my, the last part, pure perfection. It truly shifted how I viewed everything. Brilliant.
Favourite Quote - It will be okay. It has to be.
Favourite Character - Anika

[Lydia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one! It's definitely more of a slow burn thriller which I tend to prefer to the more fast paced ones. I loved that such a large part of it was set in Sri Lanka. The mystery surrounding what happened in the town to drive tourism away as well as Anika's own situation and the flashbacks kept me completely hooked!

I was constantly trying to figure out how everything was connected. Guessed some of the twists but the big ones left me blindsided. It was very clever how it all fit!

There was a lot to this story but I would've liked the hospital events to be developed a bit further, as it felt a bit random. That being said, it did tie together at the end!

Would definitely recommend this one and would love to read more by this author!

Thank you so much Netgalley for the eARC and also Vintage for the physical proof copy :)

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This gripping novel of self-discovery was such an easy read. It moves so quickly, continually making pace to reveal the secrets plaguing the main character’s life. I read an eARC of this book on Net Galley so thank you to the author and the publisher.

We follow a surgeon going through a horrific moment in her career, who decides to escape to Sri Lanka for a few weeks and revisit her past. Our main character has been treated horribly at main points in her life as we learn throughout the book. The trauma of her current issues at work, resurfacing memories and feelings from her past.

This isn’t the first book I’ve read set in Sri Lanka, but it is the one I’ve enjoyed the most. There was something about the small town, the beach, the house that felt so evocative. We explore the main character’s experience of returning to Sri Lanka after living in London for many years and her observations of the local culture. This was a fascinating lens.

We have a compelling mystery, a house that oozes trauma and our main character must try to unravel the past events that have occurred there to keep her own sanity. Alongside we see the character’s history with parasomnia and the anxiety things brings, along with her not being able to trust her own interpretation of events.

I found this such an easy read, fast, compelling, mysterious with a rich setting.

[Tripfiction · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twisty thriller set in SRI LANKA

3.5*



Anika is a surgeon at a London Hospital, she is talented and competent but one patient who comes under her care dies unnecessarily, it would seem.  A simple procedure has gone horribly wrong and because of the patient's high-profile relatives, there will be no respite for Anika until the issues behind the death have been fully established. And someone punished. Anika's name is being dragged through the mud, she is a 'doctor under investigation' and the hospital authorities are beginning to turn hostile. She randomly decides to take a short term job in Sri Lanka, where she will be in charge of a house, carrying out small renovations and generally giving the property some TLC. She is familiar with the island because she has family history there and visited in younger years.

When she arrives, of course, she is taken aback by the dismal condition of the property - straw mattresses, some clean bedding but overall the building it is in a much worse state than she anticipated.

Her first encounter upon arrival is with a local pickpocket, who relieves her of her bag but thankfully not her passport. As she goes out and about, she discovers a beautiful local bay, befriends boutique owner Kavya, and Dinesh catches her eye. By talking to the locals, she gleans details of the house's history, but there is much talk of death and murder, which has kept the tourists at bay, and as she tries to settle into the house, she senses a kind of presence. Things go missing, including her passport and mud appears on a newly cleaned floor - her stay is beset by a gothic frisson - empty perfume bottles suddenly contain liquid, the word 'remember' is scrawled into the dust on a mirror, the electricity flickers on and off, ancient photos appear and then are replaced. She is clear an intruder is at work. The author is very good at creating a haunted house and ramping up the tension of 'the unexpected'.

It also transpires that Anika suffers from parasomnia and has a very scary episode in the house. This is a condition that has dogged her for years and in the past it has affected her life considerably.

Meanwhile another story is brewing which at times feels like a bit of an irrelevance and diverts from the main thrust of the story but all becomes clear soon enough.

Overall this is a decent read that bowls along with a good sense of pace. The initial build-up in London was polished, tightly crafted and gripping and the author clearly demonstrates her talent for writing and storytelling. The Sri Lanka set story is a little more meandering.

It is a regular bug bear of mine that authors choose to set their thrillers in interesting locations around the world (creating a "destination thriller") and then oftentimes fall at the locational research level. Given that Sri Lanka is a closed currency (meaning money cannot be acquired prior to arriving in the country) the following detail in the story is annoying: as Anika is about to pay the taxi fare, she says "I count out the fare in rupee notes, fresh from the foreign exchange in London". Not possible. Anyway, Sri Lanka comes through reasonably well and the author describes food and traffic, and includes short phrases in Sinhala to pep up the authenticity.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anika is an up and coming surgeon at a London hospital. When a surgery goes wrong and a patient dies on the operating table Anika is facing investigation. To make things worse the patient was connected to people in high places, who are pushing for heads to roll. Desperate to escape, Anika takes on a house sitting job in Sri Lanka, a country that holds a lot of memories for her. Unfortunately for Anika the trip isn't the relaxing break she was expecting, and before long secrets of her past are threatening to catch up with her.

There was aspects of this book that I loved, and aspects that I didn't enjoy so much. I think the biggest highlight for me is the setting. Sri Lanka is described beautifully, and I loved how the author used language, food and tradition to help immerse readers in Sri Lankan culture. I enjoy reading about different places and cultures, and this one definitely hit the mark there.

Anika is a complex character. At the start of the book I thought she was a reliable narrator and felt for her in the situation she was facing. As things progressed though I was less sure of how much I could trust her (mainly because she isn't sure she can trust herself). Something about this felt off though, and I had a strong inkling from early on that there was more at play here.

In terms of the plot, that's where Cheshire lost me a little. The start of the book sets the story up to be an interesting medical/legal thriller, and honestly I think that story on its own would have worked brilliantly. Once Anika travels to Sri Lanka things take a very different turn, and I was struggling to see how things would connect back together. In the end they don't really. What happens in Sri Lanka is entirely independant of what happened in London. Whilst I loved the Sri Lankan setting for this story, I feel like there was really 2 books here that were squashed together.

I think there's some great writing here, and I hope that Cheshire keeps writing books with ties to Sri Lanka. It's a country I haven't had the pleasure of reading about previously, and I'd love to learn more.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like Mahi Cheshire's The Lying Guest. I loved the Sri Lankan setting, the protagonist's struggle with returning to her family's country, and, having enjoyed Cheshire's debut Deadly Cure, I know she can write a good thriller. Unfortunately, for me this felt like about three books mashed into one. We start with surgeon Anika, who is suspended from practice in London after a routine operation goes wrong. However, this medical/legal thriller set-up is soon exchanged for a hint of the supernatural when Anika, desperate to escape, ends up house-sitting in a town in Tangalle, on the Sri Lankan coast. Weird things are happening in the house, but Anika is again distracted by negotiations with her identity, and how she should behave as somebody ethnically Sri Lankan who has been brought up British and now barely speaks Sinhala - as well as a hint at a dark family history that led her parents to stop summering in the country. We also move between three different timelines and types of narration. While Cheshire does some interesting, nuanced character work with Anika, the thriller ending brings this to a screeching halt, and doesn't fit with what came before. I would have loved this to have been either another full-blown medical thriller like Deadly Cure, or what it seems is the book that Cheshire actually wanted to write - a more slow-burn novel exploring Anika's reckoning with her Sri Lankan past. She's a good writer, and so I hope her next book falls on one side or the other.

I received a free proof copy of this novel from the publisher for review.

[Kirsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastic, twisty thriller that had me on the edge of my seat. It has it all - mystery, intrigue, love, friendship, ghost story and crime.

In this book, we meet Anika, a surgeon in London who is in big trouble at her hospital and has been suspended. To escape from everything, she decides to take on a temporary job helping to clean and maintain a house in Sri Lanka that is set to be renovated soon. She has a lot of happy memories of spending time in Sri Lanka as a child until something devastating happened, and her family stopped visiting. Anika has some questions that surround this entire episode, and so she hopes that returning to a place that meant so much to her family might help her deal with her past while also keeping her mind occupied from all the drama happening at home. What she finds in Sri Lanka is more than she ever imagined. The house she is to live in is believed by the locals to be haunted by a young woman named Lenore. When strange things begin to happen in the house, she starts to fear that they might be right. With the help of two friends she has made in town, she works to uncover the truth about the house she is living in and the events that occurred there when she was a child.

The book starts off strong and continues with plenty of twists and turns along the way.

From the 75% mark on, it's impossible to put the book down. My chin was on the ground at the epic twists and spine-tingling turns this book takes.

If you love books that will have your heart pounding, you will adore this book.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anika is a surgeon at a London hospital who suffers from parasomnia, a rare condition that causes sleepwalking. When a patient accidentally dies on her operating table people start to ask questions. As an escape she travels to Sri Lanka, near a place she travelled as a child, for a housesitting job. Only things start to take more of a sinister turn and Anika no longer knows if she can trust herself or not.

I really enjoyed this authors first book, Deadly Cure, so was excited to see she had a new one out. I really enjoyed the medical thriller side to this story, however by the half way point this seemed to falter and it became more of your run of the mill thriller. The story is told in different timelines and I liked this, especially the past timeline of Anika.

Anika was an interesting character and I enjoyed watching her develop. I also liked the Sri Lankan setting; the author did a great job at creating an engaging, atmospheric environment. The overall story was a bit of a slow burn and the different storylines were disjointed at times. However I do appreciate that the majority of this was well written and there were some good twists at the end. I hope this author brings out more as I will definitely pick up the next book. 3.5 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

[Sruthi TheUncreditedChapter · Rating 4 out of 5]

FMC, a brilliant London surgeon, finds her life upended when a high-profile patient dies under her care. After her name leaks to the press, she’s suspended and left reeling.

While on leave, she stumbles across an irresistible ad — a chance to oversee the restoration of a grand old estate in Sri Lanka, not far from her childhood hometown. A hometown her family mysteriously fled decades ago. Her memories of that time are fractured — shadowed by something she can’t quite recall — and she’s longed for closure ever since.

But the moment she arrives, things feel... off. The house itself has secrets, and the locals whisper about hauntings. When strange events begin to unfold, she’s forced to question everything — is it a ghost, her guilt, her sleep disorder... or is someone setting her up?

As someone from Chennai now living in the U.S., this story tugged at my nostalgia. The author weaves murder mystery with just the right touch of the supernatural — a perfect balance of thrill, romance, suspense, and drama.

Highly recommend for anyone looking for an eerie, atmospheric read that keeps you guessing till the end.

Available on Amazon (U.S.)

[Elizabeth Currie · Rating 4 out of 5]

In The Lying Guest, surgeon Anika is suspended from work when a routine operation goes wrong, resulting in the death of a patient. Keen to escape the focus the case brings, Anika takes the opportunity to do some housesitting in her native Sri Lanka. But on arrival in the coastal town, she encounters some sinister goings on and she soon finds herself questioning her own mind.

Anika is a fascinating character, decidedly complicated, and as her anxiety increases, so she seems to become more unreliable. I loved the setting - Cheshire really did bring the sights and sounds of Sri Lanka alive and I enjoyed learning about the culture of the country. It was also fascinating to see it through the lens of Anika as she returned after years of living away.

Told over three timelines, the story unfolds gradually as you begin to understand how it all connects. With no shortage of mystery and suspense, and a house at the centre if the story that adds a touch of the supernatural, this is a book that keeps you guessing right to its truly unexpected conclusion, which I thought was supremely clever.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Lying Guest has a strong premise, and there are plenty of good twists and turns throughout. Unfortunately, for me a couple of them were a little on the predictable side and at times I felt the pace was a touch too slow.

That's not to say I didn't enjoy this book. On the contrary, I did. Chesire's writing style is easy to follow, and conjures up beautiful imagery of the Sri Lankan setting - somewhere I'm not used to seeing books set, but absolutely loved. I also really liked the different narratives and timelines, and seeing how they were all connected to the overarching plot of the book.

I also have to praise Cheshire for her ability to create interesting, layered characters who really helped to keep me engaged in the story from start to finish.

This might not be a perfect rating from me, but it is still a solid thriller read from a clearly very talented author who I am looking forward to reading more from.

[Leigh Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Lying Guest” is, simply, a great read. We all can identify with the narrator, the exhausted, overworked surgeon, Anika, whose patient dies on a British operating table. Anika’s scapegoating, disgrace and suspension for the patient’s death is the stuff of horror. When Anika flees to her roots in Sri Lanka and takes a menial job as a caretaker at a spooky, deserted beach-front mansion, we find ourselves facing an even more compelling and mysterious vision of danger.

Who is the strangely absent owner of the mansion? Why are some members of the local village so friendly, and others so hostile? Why is Anika having flashbacks to a compelling story of love and loss between two teenagers? The story builds to a devastating climax – interspersed with romance – as pressure on Anika grows more and more intense.

As Anika says when someone asks her whether she believes in ghosts: ‘I thought I didn’t. But I feel like I’m losing my mind.’ Recommended.

[Farah G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anika is a hardworking surgeon with a slightly murky family background. So, when things go badly wrong after a routine operation goes south - possibly because she'd been working too long a shift - she decides to take up a house sitting opportunity in Sri Lanka.

The fact that even her grandmother, who adores her, warns Anika against returning to the country indicates that there is more at play here than is immediately apparent. But it is only after Anika has returned to the sun soaked Sri Lankan shores that's the full extent of the mystery begins to unfold.

This is an interesting and atmospheric story which transports the reader to Sri Lanka and a town which holds many secrets, some of which are deadly. Thriller readers will love this book, which also throws in complex South Asian family dynamics into the story for good measure.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

[Haxxunne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Revenge as a dish served after midnight
—
In London, Anika’s a surgeon with too little sleep and too many procedures, and one slip of a scalpel might end her career for good. So she grasps at the chance of a homestay near her childhood home in Sri Lanka, a caretaking position for a few months while the dust settles. But the mysteries around the dilapidated house and the drownings of lovers off the nearby beach begin to eat at Anika’s fragile peace, and her condition of parasomnia has her doubting her own actions while she sleeps. Was she really about to leap from the window? And did she really see someone in her bedroom when she’s definitely alone in the house?

Part ghost story, part tale of young love, but mostly a tale of revenge with perhaps a few too many coincidences, this was well-crafted but with some narrative holes. However, the final twist makes up for everything which is why this gets four full stars, despite the use of coincidence and a little narrative hand-waving.

[Helena Bento · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Lying Guest is a gripping, twist-filled thriller that takes you from a tense London hospital straight to the sun-soaked yet unsettling beaches of Sri Lanka. The story follows Anika, a talented surgeon whose life unravels after a patient dies during surgery. When a media storm and professional fallout force her away, she takes a housesitting job back in Sri Lanka, only to discover that horror sometimes follows you home.

What makes this stand out is the atmosphere: Cheshire’s portrayal of Anika’s parasomnia (a sleep disorder) blurs reality and heightens suspense, making you question what’s real and what’s imagined. The pacing is fierce, with layers of mystery and a twisty finale that genuinely surprised me.

If you’re after a smart, atmospheric medical thriller with a haunting setting and a punchy twist, this is a solid 4 out of 5 stars, it kept me hooked right to the end.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hard to categorise this book. It starts in a London hospital. Anika is a surgeon intent - perhaps too intent - on her career. When she is suspended, she retreats to her country of birth, Sri Lanka. The house she caretakes is more ramshackle than reported, with strange noises, unreliable electricity and furniture which seems to move. Suspense romance stuff, as she also meets a man and starts dating him.
The narrative is interrupted by flashbacks and a secondary plot, which didn't work for me as it broke up the flow and I didn't find them very interesting.
The story does pull together but implausibility and coincidence does play a big part in the solution. The denouement is clever, and does leave some uncertainty about exactly what has happened. It would be a good choice for a book club.

[Ing Swan · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 out of 5! I must say when I finally received this signed copy I was ecstatic and skipped the rest on my TBR pile to get to it when I finally finished what I was reading prior.

So what do I think, I love it as evidenced by the time it took for me to read it despite my other worldly duties through the day.

It was great! I thought I expected 2 plot twists just as it appeared, but definitely didn’t expect the last one.

I really enjoyed the Sri Lankan background and that Mahi included the Sinhala language in there, just enough and not too much to make it difficult to process.

I’ve will be lending my copy to my family members and recommending it to the wider community of medics book group!

Oh content warning especially for medics or healthcare professionals: death

Thank you @mahicheshire for persevering in sending a physical copy to me when the first 2 didn’t arrive since before publishing

[Zahra Shah 📚 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did enjoy this story. I thought it was different, original and had a great twist at the end. Additionally I loved the setting of Sri Lanka, and Sri Lankan lead characters,this really made it feel different to other thrillers. The description of the house where Anika was staying personally made me very uneasy. So congrats to the author for invoking that feeling.

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and the publish Random House for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for this honest review.

[Linda Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Anika is a surgeon who has been suspended from her job pending an inquiry into the death of a patient. In order to escape, she takes a short term job as a house sitter in Sri Lanka. When she arrives she discovers that the house is old and in disrepair, and strange things start happening. As Anika starts to get to know the locals there are more incidents that don't make sense. This is a real page turner and the final twist you will not see coming!
Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the premise, I was really looking forward to reading this novel. However it wasn’t for me. Yes there’s a good twist at the end, but the whole novel just seems far too slow placed and drawn out. I’m sure others will love it but I would rate it 2.5 stars rounded up to 3. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK and the author for the chance to review.

[Asha KRISHNA · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked it up because of its Srilankan setting. The book doesn't disappoint, it hooks the reader in and forces them to stay with the story. Although it slows down a bit in the middle, I loved what the writer tried to do, own her culture, heritage, call out the restrictions and deliver a narrative that lingers in the reader's mind.

Great read.

[Debbie Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great sense of place, which is one of my favourite things in a book. Really enjoyed the
story/mystery too.

[SUZANNE ROSE · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Great storyline with a couple of twists I wasn't expecting. It was easy for me to get into and I felt it flowed well.

[Lynseygibs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley, publishers and author for an ARC of Lying Guest.

Great premise, but only hooked me in at the last quarter. Throughly enjoyed the twist.

[Cara bunnypop_bookstagram · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book started slow for me and I didn’t gel with it like I hoped I would but I carried on because from the description of the book it sounded like one for me.
By around 25% in it started to pick up and by 50% in I was enjoying it much more.

The opening scenes set around hospital life weren’t as engaging to me but they were necessary to set the story!

Everything in Sri Lanka was great though and the suspense and almost ‘ghost story’ elements had me captivated. There were a few times reading this in the dark where I got a little spooked and that doesn’t happen often!

The story is told over dual POV’s and different timelines and at first they don’t seem to fit alongside each other so it does feel a little disjointed at first but as you go on you discover more and things start to fall into place and the twist at the end wraps this all up and you understand better!

This is definitely a stick with it if you can book rather than a grips you from the start book!

Thank you to Netgalley and Harvill Secker for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5