The Ninth Guest

by Tess Little

We believed he had died from an overdose. There was no reason to suspect otherwise . . .

When Elspeth is invited to her ex-husband Richard's fiftieth birthday party, she's expecting a star-studded event for the famous British film director, full of A-listers and hangers-on. But she arrives to find just seven other carefully selected guests in attendance.

A surreal evening ensues, orchestrated by the charming yet manipulative host, culminating in what will surely become a night to remember . . .

Because by morning, Richard will be dead, and every guest a suspect.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction

308 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2021

Reviews

[Charlie Appleton · Rating 1 out of 5]

Things that are more interesting than this book:
- the life cycle of an ant
- drying paint
- counting the hairs on a dog
- a speech by Boris Johnson
- a yummy mummy YouTube channel

[sarah☆彡 · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars || i don’t even know where to start fr that ending was shockingly poor. yes i’m starting my review with the ending because i cant get over it and how it basically wrecked my perception of the whole book. the whole time reading i was waiting for something shocking or a major plot twist as it was a murder mystery but it ended in the most abrupt and random way that i literally feel like i wasted sm time reading this?? this was the most anticlimactic murder mystery i think that has ever been created and yeah some of it was interesting and funny and the writing was decent but what tf was that ENDING??? the actual murder situation was actually stupid too and was barely looked into even though it was the main plot point???? and the CONSTANT flash backs drove me crazy i cant. also that mf octopus was the most pointless piece of shit fr bro what was the point??? what was the actual point help i’m so done with this book. CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE BLOODY OCTOPUS BEING A FREAKING MURDER SUSPECT FROM ELSPETH IS SHE DUMB PLS- like her reasoning was there but think about it you dumb ass i’m uhhgbfbf. and she was such a pick me fr like girl just speak to the dinner guests stop acting emo cause your daughter didn’t come no one cares fr. sorry for the rant but worst book i’ve read so far this year 😟

[Charlie Gamble · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of a meh ending tbh, was expecting a big twist, nice enough

[Chloe Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

The reviews for this book worried me slightly as they weren’t that favourable! However, I actually enjoyed this book. It was a bit difficult to follow because it flit from the present to the night of the party without making it clear which took some time to get used to. Also there’s no chapters!! I liked Elspeth’s character and I found her to be very normal and relatable, which made reading from her point of view enjoyable. It quickly became clear that she had suffered at the hands of Richard. I was a bit concerned about where the story was going to go when it was implied that the octopus could be a murder suspect 🤣 it did give a very creepy vibe to the book though! I had my suspicions of who the murderer was, but obviously I was wrong 🤣 I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would!

[Abi 🫶 · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was painful to read ngl, the time jumps were so confusing at first it took me a good while to understand them. I don’t see the point of Persephone and the final reveal was kind of lack lustre. The final page with Elspeth opening up to the media was cool though, but I was so close to DNFing this book. I’m glad I finished it though (also did it seriously have me thinking a octopus murdered a man wtf?)

[caz.readz · Rating 1 out of 5]

If a book can make you think that an octopus may be a murder suspect is it really a good read?! I found this really tedious to read and felt it could have been a short story rather than a novel. I did like the flipping from the present to the past initially but then it just seemed to drag out. Not a book for me.

[Michaela · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible.

Not sure what I expected but it think an octopus could have committed murder.

I hated all the characters. Especially the daughter. What a drag. Everyone was so up themselves.

Not for me.

[Alison · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got about a third into this book and just couldn't read anymore! Was far to slow for me and not much happening!

[Renita D'Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written

[Carol Ball · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well what can I say about this book???? I had seen the reviews so wasn’t expecting something amazing …….. however I did hope that it might be something interesting. A good psychological murder. Nope it’s just about someone being murder by people who hated him


Positives
It’s an ok story, mostly well written with some diverse characters. It looks at abuse in different forms physical, psychological etc

Negatives
The ending is appalling - no explosive interesting reasons for his death. No unexpected revelations !!
No amazing creative way of killing him

The octopus 🐙?????? Don’t understand why it’s such a big part of the storyline
Pointless

The non investigation into the death ??? No explanation as to why certain people were arrested or not arrested

The constant flash backs of Elspeth - poor & not relevant

Don’t waste your time reading this book - sorry

To the author : you have the bones of a book that could have been absolutely amazing. Needs more blood, guts, intrigue & revelations about some of the characters. They were all diverse but just a bit wet! The octopus needs to either be involved in some way or removed from storyline
(Or at least explain why it’s relevant)

[Angela johnston · Rating 1 out of 5]

Would have give minus 3 if I could.

[Book Bunny 666 · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ninth guest
In this book we follow Elspeth as she get invited to her ex husband Richard's 50th birthday party. She expected a bit party with crowds of people and music blaring, but when she arrives it's only her and seven other carefully selected guests.
It's an uncomfortable evening for her, Richard's being manipulative as always until the moment they all pass out asleep, only to wake up and find Richard dead. They are all now murder suspects.
We follow Elspeth both in the present and the past. In the present we follow her being questioned by the police and her trying to figure out all that happened that evening leading up to his death.
In the past bits we first relive the evening before Richard's death, and then back 10 years to his 40th birthday which is the one which made Elspeth split from him, and then even further back to how they both met.
We find out just what kind of guy Richard truly is.
I would of enjoyed this book a bit more if it did have chapters, as if your a chapter before bed kind of person this book isn't for you.
Also of your looking for a book with a big twist and turn, this is not the book for you, but if you can go into knowing this, then it's a very good read, to discover someone past, and why the guests do want him dead.

[Madeline Symonds · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mehhhhhhhhhhh
Was really waiting for a twist considering it was documented as “very intriguing” and that the author “is a modern day Agatha Christie” …
I was really excited for the octopus aspect but …
There were a lot of twists, none of them good however
I mean it gripped me enough to finish it.
Deffo a book to read if you’re trying to get into thriller, as it isn’t very thrilling but written like a fan fiction. I guess Tess learned how to write on wattpad ??
Probably wouldn’t recommend and will re-donate to a charity shop.

[Stacey Crampton · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was an immense struggle to get into. It required me to sit and push through in my final sitting as it wasn’t exactly a page turner. It had so much potential but the finale left me disappointed. The title of the book made me think perhaps the murderer was someone who wasn’t one of the suspects. I guess in some ways that is true, but it didn’t have the great ending that you come to expect from the genre. Lacklustre, long and hard to follow are my criticisms. Potential is the only reason I kept reading.

[Happilykira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay so the reviews on this really scared me, but i really enjoyed this book!! it was a good amount of mystery, and i think the switching between past and preset was great to help you better understand the characters and not give away too much at once. i loved the added character of the octopus which didn’t seem to be a favourite, but i thought this added a really cool eerie type of vibe! i don’t really read these types of books so i’m glad this was my first one!

[Annette Hoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elspeth is invited to her ex-husband Richard's 50th birthday party along with 7 other people and a octopus to his rather unique house. The story centres around his death and who is guilty.

The characters were interesting and well developed.

I did enjoy it but it was confusing when the story would go back in time with no warning in the chapter and then forward again.

but the ending was a bit disappointing.

[Janaya Kabamba · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well crafted book that really does make you question everyone and everything. I love these type of stories and this was definitely not a let down! It'll have you guessing the whole way through and yet you'll still never figure out the ending until you get there. Really well written and captivating

[Erica Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ninth guest by tess little really good book. I am going to give it 5 stars with most definitely be reading again fast paced book 308 pages. The book was really good it took me into the world and very descriptive. If you want a good book to read then this is a good book to pick up, will be picking it up again in the future.

[Ellenor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book and how the characters developed throughout. The switching between the past and present gave the book a great depth. My only complaint would be that the book had no chapter numbers which was different to the usual, however it did give the book a good flow.

[Basic Book Bitch · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found it difficult to finish this sluggish book. The premise was appealing but the prose dragged and the characters weren’t convincing. More humour and more cynicism would have helped. In spite of its outré set-up, it was terribly earnest

[Catherine Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good read however due to the narrative setup and the book being split into 3 Acts rather than chapters it's not really the kind of book to pick up if you're in the habit of 'a chapter before bed' but more of 'a few hours of me time'.
Loved the twists and turns

[Lizzy Young · Rating 2 out of 5]

I struggled with this book all the way through but decided to push on and give it a chance.
I didn't feel connected to any of the characters and the ending where it wasn't actually murder? Very bland.

[Isabel · Rating 2 out of 5]

i enjoyed the book although struggled to get into it at first. was more focussed on the characters than solving the murder, which still proved interesting but i would have enjoyed a bigger twist at the end. the octopus was my fav

[Lisa ⫩ cats+books · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't enjoy this book at all. Wasn't interested in any of the characters and kept waiting for some big twist that just didn't come. And the octopus? Why?

[Emma · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absolutely dreadful 😅

[Izzy Greenlaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slow start, got sooo good towards the end

[Joanna Stacey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dnf. I just couldn't get into it at qll!

[Jessica Jeanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fine. Easy enough read. Definitely read better murder mysteries though. I also don't understand the octopus obsession???

[Cara · Rating 1 out of 5]

The no chapters thing is not for me

[Lynsey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Drags on, gave up & never finished it 🫥