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The Deadly Guest: A Horror Novel
INCLUDES BONUS HELL'S FLAMES The Deadly Guest It's Michael's 40th birthday and his partner, Luca, has booked them into the most lavish hotel in the city for a night of luxury. Good food, plentiful drink and - straight from Michael's "bucket-list" - a surprise visit from his free-spirited friend Vasia, for a dream threesome. At least that was what Luca had initially planned. Unbeknownst to him, Vasia and Michael aren't quite the friends Michael had insinuated and sharing Michael is the furthest thing from her mind. What should have been a night of pure lust-filled enjoyment soon goes to Hell, for all those in the hotel, soon after Vasia shows her true colours... Hells Flames A bonus novella following on from the catastrophic events of "The Deadly Guest".
- GenresHorror
155 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 3, 2020
93 people are currently reading
124 people want to read
About the author
Matt Shaw
529 books2,203 followersBiography
MATT SHAW was born, quite by accident (his mother tripped, he shot out) September 30th 1980 in Winchester hospital where he was immediately placed on the baby ward and EBay. Some twelve years later (wandering the corridors of the hospital and playing with road kill when he was on day release), the listing closed and he remained unsold, he was booted out of the hospital to start his life as a writer and hobbit – beginning with writing screenplays and short stories for his own amusement before finally getting published when he was twenty-seven years and forty-five seconds old.
Once Published weekly in a lad's magazine with his photography work, Matt Shaw is also a published author and cartoonist. Has to be said, can be a bit of a flirt and definitely, without a shadow of a doubt, somewhat of a klutz.
Favourite books
"Roald Dahl's Collection of Short Stories"
Tim Burton's Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy
Anything, really, written by himself. Because he is that good.
MATT SHAW was born, quite by accident (his mother tripped, he shot out) September 30th 1980 in Winchester hospital where he was immediately placed on the baby ward and EBay. Some twelve years later (wandering the corridors of the hospital and playing with road kill when he was on day release), the listing closed and he remained unsold, he was booted out of the hospital to start his life as a writer and hobbit – beginning with writing screenplays and short stories for his own amusement before finally getting published when he was twenty-seven years and forty-five seconds old.
Once Published weekly in a lad's magazine with his photography work, Matt Shaw is also a published author and cartoonist. Has to be said, can be a bit of a flirt and definitely, without a shadow of a doubt, somewhat of a klutz.
Favourite books
"Roald Dahl's Collection of Short Stories"
Tim Burton's Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy
Anything, really, written by himself. Because he is that good.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 23, 2025
This felt like the set up from a Stephen King novel. Just a ton of characters introduced in this mysterious hotel, and you're reading on, as all these horrific scenes unfold, wondering what is happening? And how are all these people linked? There are also some very graphic and vivid sexual situations in here, so if you're not into it, beware, but if so, bon appetit. Now I didn't love the ending, which seems to be a 50/50 gauge with my experience with Matt Shaw's books. I also didn't care for the mini-sequel that comes right after Deadly Guest either. Both stories just seemed like they built up to something really fun, but then the conclusions were very 'meh.' On the positives, there is a good amount of bloodlust and gross stuff that should please any horror fan. Think small. With many legs. COCKROACHES!! And if there is one thing you can always guarantee from Shaw, it's that he thinks outside of the box and you can never really tell what kind of twists and turns are in his tales of the macabre. Some are hits, while others are strikes, but at least he's swinging the bat.
April 6, 2020
Great
Great read. It has you captured from the get go. The characters are great and you feel like you are with them seeing and doing as they are as you read. Loved the burning side, how awful would that be to never be able to much of be touched in your life again, without hurting them or even killing them. Well I never get a bad read from Mr Shaw. His books always engrossed me and have me thinking. I'd definitely recommend this book and any of his others. As I said I've never read a bass one yet.
Great read. It has you captured from the get go. The characters are great and you feel like you are with them seeing and doing as they are as you read. Loved the burning side, how awful would that be to never be able to much of be touched in your life again, without hurting them or even killing them. Well I never get a bad read from Mr Shaw. His books always engrossed me and have me thinking. I'd definitely recommend this book and any of his others. As I said I've never read a bass one yet.
March 18, 2020
I picked this up because I fancied something short and a little trashy - an easy read and I think it did the trick. I could have read this in one day easily if I hadn’t had to do some work.
So the story.. we have an array of characters all staying in the same hotel and we see their stories unfold. At first it is like several little nightmares, one in each room which is nice and interesting and means we get a few fun scenarios going on at once. Then it gets darker and the nightmare is more of a group deal. Then I feel like the story just fizzled out, it could have been a fantastic ending and book.
This is as I said trashy and a fun read for anyone who likes horror but it is a little bit gross, a little hardcore at times and also features some sexually explicit stuff at the start (nothing weird). So not for the squeamish. This is horror but pretty unbelievable at the same time which makes it kind of fun. However please note if you don’t like bugs this might not be the book for you!
I do have two small complaints. It doesn’t say until you start the book that although it is a stand alone book there are recurring characters from the book “How Much To..” that annoyed me as it is mentioned often in the book and I would have liked to have known this before I bought it/started reading. My second complaint is regarding some shoddy proofreading going on which really detracts from the enjoyment of a book.
Anyway not a bad read, not amazing but what I wanted at the time. Parts of it I really liked but I didn’t love the ending, it was a bit simplified, could have been a slightly longer book and ended with something to finish it off properly.
I think this deserves a 3*/5, it’s ok.
By the way the kindle book I had included the novella “Hell’s Flames”, I read it - it is the what happens next from The Deadly Guest, it was pretty mediocre for me, it’s too short to have much substance and after the first couple of pages it is pretty predictable. If I rate that book it would be a 2*/5.
So the story.. we have an array of characters all staying in the same hotel and we see their stories unfold. At first it is like several little nightmares, one in each room which is nice and interesting and means we get a few fun scenarios going on at once. Then it gets darker and the nightmare is more of a group deal. Then I feel like the story just fizzled out, it could have been a fantastic ending and book.
This is as I said trashy and a fun read for anyone who likes horror but it is a little bit gross, a little hardcore at times and also features some sexually explicit stuff at the start (nothing weird). So not for the squeamish. This is horror but pretty unbelievable at the same time which makes it kind of fun. However please note if you don’t like bugs this might not be the book for you!
I do have two small complaints. It doesn’t say until you start the book that although it is a stand alone book there are recurring characters from the book “How Much To..” that annoyed me as it is mentioned often in the book and I would have liked to have known this before I bought it/started reading. My second complaint is regarding some shoddy proofreading going on which really detracts from the enjoyment of a book.
Anyway not a bad read, not amazing but what I wanted at the time. Parts of it I really liked but I didn’t love the ending, it was a bit simplified, could have been a slightly longer book and ended with something to finish it off properly.
I think this deserves a 3*/5, it’s ok.
By the way the kindle book I had included the novella “Hell’s Flames”, I read it - it is the what happens next from The Deadly Guest, it was pretty mediocre for me, it’s too short to have much substance and after the first couple of pages it is pretty predictable. If I rate that book it would be a 2*/5.
May 29, 2021
Creepy crawlies get under my skin. If you have things against bugs, especially cockroaches, this story would get under your skin, too. It was neat how Shaw incorporated past characters from How Much To into this story.
February 19, 2020
Good read.
I liked how the story incorporated different characters. It was enjoyable to read. I could not put it down. Matt Shaw is one of my favorite authors.
I liked how the story incorporated different characters. It was enjoyable to read. I could not put it down. Matt Shaw is one of my favorite authors.
September 1, 2023
This book is a hard one to rate. I really enjoyed the start with some interesting characters but wanted more. I also was glad that the focus changed to the hotel and we were going down a different path. There was a good build up but then we had an abrupt end when we could have had more to fully explore the story. This story felt like a cross between the book Palmetto and the film The Cabin at the End of the World. Good writing and good story but I needed more from the characters and the story.
A short sequel follows and this was more a 4* read. Short and punchy with a good dollop of gruesome deaths.
A short sequel follows and this was more a 4* read. Short and punchy with a good dollop of gruesome deaths.
August 11, 2022
Lovers of supernatural and horror movies are in for a treat.
The before
A nightmare from a child begging her aunt not to leave
An alter
An upside down cross
The darkness entity demanding human sacrifices
The here
A hotel built over the premises
A time to either conduct business or pleasure
A couple celebrating a 40th birthday with a surprise that ends up in murder
A place where no one returns home
The exchange
To ensure hell does not break through
One day, each year the entity demands to be fed
Read if you dare
The before
A nightmare from a child begging her aunt not to leave
An alter
An upside down cross
The darkness entity demanding human sacrifices
The here
A hotel built over the premises
A time to either conduct business or pleasure
A couple celebrating a 40th birthday with a surprise that ends up in murder
A place where no one returns home
The exchange
To ensure hell does not break through
One day, each year the entity demands to be fed
Read if you dare
October 18, 2023
awesome
Really enjoyed this, fast paced, excellent characters, excellent well written story.
Kept me turning the pages and read the whole thing in one sitting as couldn’t put it down x
Really enjoyed this, fast paced, excellent characters, excellent well written story.
Kept me turning the pages and read the whole thing in one sitting as couldn’t put it down x
February 5, 2020
Deadly guest
Read in a couple hours and did the whole Drabble thing 😚😚. K the ending was weird - actually the whole thing was weird per matt Shaw thanks again for the read
Read in a couple hours and did the whole Drabble thing 😚😚. K the ending was weird - actually the whole thing was weird per matt Shaw thanks again for the read
March 3, 2020
Nice
This was an interesting book but strange too . Dealing with patients who are ready to die is hard work.
This was an interesting book but strange too . Dealing with patients who are ready to die is hard work.
June 3, 2020
Again Matt gave me the Willies.
Will tell my friends to read this great story.
Will tell my friends to read this great story.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews