Rous has picked an ideal setting for her twisty mystery ... But she doesn’t use her spooky setting to full effect. In an author’s note at the end of the book, Rous (who lives in the region) writes about getting lost in the relatively featureless landscape of the Fens as she travels roads surrounded by “silvery sheets” of water. One wishes that more of these types of details had found their way into the book. The strands of Rous’ story neatly and naturally intersect, as it becomes clear that a tragedy at Raven Hall has led to this strange gathering 30 years later. Rous withholds just enough information about her characters and their motivations to keep readers riveted, saving a few key surprises for the final pages. But the plot begins to strain credulity towards the end with a series of dramatic, rapid-fire revelations about the game and its players. The story would have been just as compelling without some of the more outlandish, out-of-the-blue twists.
... a perfect puzzle involving a house, a family, and the people who come into their orbit. Prepare to be surprised at the twists and turns. Emma Rous writes about generational family secrets like nobody’s business.
Mystery, lies and intense family drama such as only the British can manufacture all crash together in the latest book from the bestselling author ... Full of suspense, The Perfect Guests is a quick and engaging read. It's sometimes jarring to jump between the 1988 and 2019 story lines, but author Emma Rous pulls the strings together like a densely knitted rug at the end.
As in her first novel, Rous entwines the present with the past, and Sadie’s narrative alternates with an account of events that took place at Raven Hall in the late 1980s, as told by 14-year-old Beth Soames, an orphaned teen who is taken in by Leonora Averell, her partner, Markus Meyer, and their daughter, Nina. Passages that seem to take place between Sadie's and Beth’s stories are interspersed as well ... Beth and Nina’s story is absorbing, but Sadie’s narrative never pops. With this kind of setup, one might expect some Clue-esque hijinks at the looming mansion, but alas, it is not to be, and the confusing pile-on of revelations in the final act, as the author connects the seemingly disparate threads, might leave readers with whiplash. An intriguing premise, but this lacks the suspense and sharp plotting of the author's first novel. Call it sophomore slump.
