Today I’m taking part in the blog tour for The Other Guest. My review is written with thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me on the tour and to the publisher for my copy of the book.

Blurb:

Laila and her husband arrive for a week’s holiday in Greece in desperate need of a reset.As Laila sits by the pool she finds herself inexplicably drawn to the other family staying in their resort.Em has no idea who Laila is, or that she has been watching her and her teenage sons and husband so intently.Five days later Em’s world will be blown apart by a horrifying event.Laila thinks she knows the truth of what happened. But in telling Em what she’s seen, she stands to lose everything she holds dear.And what if she’s got it wrong?

Review:

The Other Guest is Heidi Perks’ sixth novel, and in it she takes us to the Greek island of Ixos. It sounds idyllic, and Heidi Perks did a wonderful job of painting the picture of the surroundings and allowing me to imagine myself there, taking in the beautiful landscape, enjoying lots of sun and taking advantage of the all-inclusive bar! But obviously, it’s a crime thriller so the peace and tranquility isn’t going to last, and Heidi Perks is also brilliant at building a story which gives us interesting characters, secrets, lies and a thoroughly compelling plot. 

The story is told mostly through the eyes of Laila and Em, although other echaracters do come in towards the end. I didn’t find either of these characters particularly likeable, especially Laila, who spends her time people watching and jumping to a lot of conclusions. Laila is on holiday with her husband, James, whilst Em is on holiday with her husband, Rob, and her teenage sons, Isaac and Theo. Through their chapters, we learn a lot about their previous lives and the circumstances leading up to their holiday, which allows the author to build a more rounded picture of them and show us why they behave in the way that they do. 

As the novel is set in a holiday resort, there are a lot of suspects for the crime and the story became really interesting as the police started to interview everyone. There are a lot of secrets to come out, and whilst I had guessed some of them, there were others that genuinely surprised me. I also loved the tension and atmosphere the police presence created between not just the guests, but families too.

The Other Guest is available from Amazon.

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