Stylish magazine editor Jules and rising TV star Will are getting married on a remote Irish island which is owned by a nice couple named Freddy and Aoife (pronounced EE-fa). Friends old and new have been invited to make the choppy sea crossing to the wee island to attend the wedding. The celebration has been planned down to the last boutonierre by Jules, a bridezilla if there ever was one, and by wedding planner Aoife. Despite the meticulous preparations, everything goes wrong, and one of the people on the island will not leave the island alive.

There is debauchery, adultery, threats, massive amounts of drunkenness and some cocaine highs, betrayals, old wounds unhealed, a suicide attempt, and as at every wedding, families barely on speaking terms with one another. There are twists and turns and fear, especially when the electricity goes out, and it's not just one person with a score to settle by murder.

Definitely an enjoyable novel, will be liked especially by those who like locked-room mysteries. My only complaint is that I didn't like the ending, but that's just me. I want my endings wrapped up perfectly with red ribbons and no loose ends, and this book didn't give me that. I think that's my fault, not the author's, for wanting everything tied up in a nice package. Definitely a good read. ( )

This is an over-hyped locked-room mystery which will bring to mind Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None and Murder on the Orient Express.

Guests gather on a remote Irish island to celebrate the marriage of Will Slater, a television star, and Julia Keegan, an ezine publisher. The narrative alternates between now (the wedding night) and the previous day. The reader knows that there will be a murder victim but his/her identity is not revealed until the end of the wedding night. One of the people present is a killer, but it turns out that several people have motives.

The book is narrated from five points of view, with one more addition towards the end. We hear from Jules, the bride; Olivia, Julia’s half-sister and maid of honour; Johnno, Will’s best man; Hannah, the wife of Julia’s best friend Charlie; and Aoife, the wedding planner and owner of the venue. Each of these gradually reveals his/her personality and secrets. Most have also suffered a major loss in their pasts from which they have never fully recovered. It also becomes obvious that appearances are deceiving because there are tensions among these people.

The setting is very gothic. The island is isolated and spoken of as “the dead place, the haunted isle.” There are ruins that have “dark, gaping windows . . . like empty eye sockets.” There’s an ancient graveyard and a dangerous bog. More than one character senses ghosts. And of course there’s a dark and stormy night. It’s as if the author wanted to check off every gothic element. Even the wedding cake has a “ceremonial disemboweling” after which “deep red sponge gapes from within.”

The reader must be willing to suspend disbelief. The many connections among the characters, especially with the victim, require the reader to accept coincidences. The book is often described as a thriller, but I didn’t find it particularly suspenseful. I guessed the victim early on and the killer is always the one who reveals the least. Despite the author’s many red herrings, I found the book fairly predictable.

The ending is not totally satisfying. There’s such a slow buildup and then the murder takes place and the book ends quickly thereafter. The fates of some of the characters are not what I would have preferred.

This novel was the 2020 Goodreads winner for best mystery/thriller and a Reese’s book club pick so that should have warned me. It’s no more than mediocre fluff best chosen for a vacation read.

Note: Please check out my reader's blog (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/) and follow me on Twitter (https://twitter.com/DCYakabuski). ( )

read

At a wedding on a small deserted island off the coast of Ireland, tensions are rising. As the wedding progresses and becomes rowdy simmering secrets are revealed, all motives for murder. The victim is truly "villanous".
The murder doesn't take place until the end of the book. The question is not "whodunit?" but "why?".
It is a page-turner! ( )

Well, this was certainly fun! I’m not really a mystery genre reader, but on the recommendation of a fellow reader, I accepted the lend of this well-written, twisty book. I am generally pretty adept at figuring out where the plot is going and what is around the bend, but in this case, not once but twice, a huge twist knocked me off my feet. Quite enjoyable, The Guest List, a quick read, and one I would recommend. ( )