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The Guest Room: An utterly unputdownable psychological thriller by [Rona Halsall]

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Rona Halsall

The Guest Room: An utterly unputdownable psychological thriller Kindle Edition

by Rona Halsall (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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‘OMG… Incredible… Once I started, I couldn’t put down and simply had to read in one sitting… I loved this fast-paced, captivating thriller and would happily give it more than five stars if I could… Definitely one of my favourite reads of this year.’ Nicki’s Life of Crime ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

You think you’re safe in your home. You’re wrong.

When Steph’s husband of thirty years, Andy, walks out with barely a word of explanation, she’s left alone in the family home. Both of their children moved out years before, and although her daughter visits often, her house no longer feels like the warm, happy, laughter-filled home it used to be.

Then she begins to hear noises in the night, finds open windows she knows she left closed, items moved. Is someone trying to scare her? She tells herself it’s all in her imagination: who would want to scare her when she’s never hurt a single person in her life?

But then her front window is smashed, and she knows someone’s out to get her. So when a young man named Noah helps her fix it, and she discovers he’s fallen on hard times, Steph impulsively offers him a place to stay. He reminds her so much of her beloved son, and she wants to help him. Also, if he is there, she won’t be alone.

Before long Noah is living in her daughter’s old bedroom, paying rent, and getting his life back on track. Andy and her daughter are furious. But Steph feels secure at last, and that’s what matters.

Until the strange things start happening once again. And Steph realises that she’s in more danger than she could have ever imagined…

And her home will never, ever feel safe again.

The most twisty and unputdownable psychological thriller of the year – perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Mark Edwards and Gone Girl.

Readers are loving The Guest Room:

‘Oh my days. What a book!!… WOW!!!… One hell of an adventure!!!!!!! I sped through the book… the next thing you know you have finished the book and it’s nearly 1am!!… She creates believable characters, gives you some red herrings to grill and then pulls the rug from out under you with a plot twist! Just love it!!!!!’ Zooloo’s Book Diary ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘O.M.G. This book blew my socks off. It was just brilliant! I love a book that slaps you into shock in the end. This was one I will remember… 10 stars.’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Loved, loved, loved it!!!… A gripping, edge of your seat read to keep us guessing right up until the end!!… The plot twist was goooood!’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘My oh my, where to start....... Ohhh, a tense thriller that kept me glued right to the end… Man, this one is a good one… What an excellent book.’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Wow!… This book got into my head… When I thought I had it figured out, the plot went in a very different direction with a shocking ending… Many twists and turns and dark corners in the story… Unforgettable.’Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Wow! What a crazy twisted story!… BAM!! What a twist!… Suspense, intrigue, action, and many twists and turns! I definitely recommend reading this book!’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Will grab you from page 1 and keep you engrossed until the very end. I LOVED all the twists and turns and thought I knew exactly how this was going to end but boy was I wrong!’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Gripping… My jaw hit the floor… I’m still reeling… I was on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next… Compelling, tense and utterly riveting… An outstanding thriller.’ Emma’s Biblio Treasures ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Print length

292 pages
Language

English
Publication date

31 January 2022
File size

1687 KB
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Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09KY7NWB2
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bookouture (31 January 2022)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1687 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 292 pages

Best Sellers Rank: 10,107 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- 263 in Psychological Fiction (Books)
- 351 in Psychological Thrillers (Kindle Store)
- 445 in Psychological Thrillers (Books)

Customer Reviews:
819 ratings

About the author

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Rona Halsall

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Rona is the author of Best Selling psychological thrillers published by Bookouture. She loves a puzzle to solve, so now she writes them... her challenge is to find domestic storylines with twists that keep her readers guessing right to the end.

She has been a bit of a nomad during her adult life, moving around the north of England. Then she settled in Snowdonia, North Wales where she brought up her family while working as a business mentor. She now lives on the Isle of Man with her husband and two dogs.

She is an outdoorsy person and loves stomping up a mountain, walking the coastal paths and exploring the wonderful glens and beaches on the Island while she's plotting her next book. She has three children and two step-children who are all grown up and leading varied and interesting lives, which provides plenty of ideas for new stories.

To find out more about Rona and her novels, visit her website: https://ronahalsall.com/

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Customer reviews

5 star		46%
4 star		31%
3 star		16%
2 star		5%
1 star		2%

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Top reviews from Australia

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Kate

You think you know who it is... wrong

Reviewed in Australia on 10 April 2022

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First time reading Rona Halsall. The Guest Room is full of assumptions. Steph thinks her way through this story, at times you're led down the wrong path by her thoughts. The phase over thinking it is definitely something this character does. Steph is annoying for being so naive, too nice for her own good. Thinking that she can sort things, or that once reported it will be the end of her troubles, however that naivety is quite irritating and you feel like you want to shake her.
Several times I assumed I knew who was behind the disturbing things that occurred but towards the end it becomes clear who it really is.

I struggled with this story being about a lot of Steph's thoughts, her over caring daughter and a husband that didn't seem to be clear about why he had left her.
The ending was wrapped up rather neatly

Helpful

Chilling and Disturbing

Reviewed in Australia on 30 January 2022

You think you're safe in your own home...you're wrong.

Steph has always thought she a pretty good life with husband Andy but after almost thirty years together and a multitude of rows fraught with misunderstanding, Andy walks out filing for divorce soon after. Her grown-up children, Bea and Max, have long since flown the coop so, now in her fifties, Steph finds herself living alone for the first time in her life. And she intends to make the most it.

But living alone isn't all it's cracked up to be. For Steph is a nurturer and she thrives on helping others and being there for them. But now she suddenly finds herself on her own and she isn't quite sure what to do with herself. She works at a local homeless shelter where she feels she is most needed...an environment in which Steph thrives. But it doesn't provide the money she needs to take out a mortgage to buy Andy out of his share of the house. And no amount of discussion with Andy will shift her stance on remaining in this house, where all her memories are...not to mention her son Max. What if, after leaving abruptly in the middle of the night ten years ago to join the army, Max finally comes home only to find they've moved? But Andy is intent on selling and finds every opportunity he can to try and change her mind. But Steph is adamant. She is staying.

And then strange things begin to occur. Returning home from work she finds clear signs there has been an intruder. The stale smell of cigarettes. A window left open she knows she had closed. And a cigarette butt on her living room floor. The feeling that someone has been in her home....and yet nothing was taken. The police are called, a report is filed and she is given a crime number. End of. Until a few days later a brick is thrown through her front window. Steph feels uneasy. Someone is trying to frighten her. But who? Andy wants her out but surely he wouldn't stoop to this...would he?

When she stumbles upon young Noah in her shed, she offers him a feed if he helps her board the window until the glazier can come the following morning. Steph recognises Noah from the homeless shelter and having fallen on hard times after dropping out of university, she impulsively offers him a room. He'd be doing her a real favour actually. The security of having someone there will make her feel less vulnerable plus the rent will help her towards taking out the mortgage she needs to pay Andy. However, the problems don't go away but merely increase and Steph is really beginning to feel scared. Who would want to frighten her so much?

A real page-turner, THE GUEST ROOM is a chilling and disturbing read highlighting the vulnerabilities of the main character, Steph. I had to shake my head at some of her impulsive decisions and although I understood her motives they were borne out of naivete and idealism. Not everyone can be taken at face value yet that is just what Steph does. I was sympathetic to her plight even if I wanted to shake her at times.

There is a real sense of foreboding and a creepy atmosphere throughout where the tension is clearly palpable. I was sitting on a knife-edge waiting for the heart-pounding tension to dissipate and yet the twists keep coming. Although there were many suspects, I had two clear ones in my mind as I sifted for clues throughout the debris that was now Steph's life. When the reveal came, it was with a slow build that the reader became suddenly aware at the moment Steph did, though I sat there thinking..."At last the penny drops!!" No, I wasn't surprised but it was indeed a shocking twist...and yet it wasn't even the last one either.

The jaw-dropping twists that pepper throughout make THE GUEST ROOM an engaging and compelling read you won't want to put down. I thoroughly enjoyed it, though I did find the start a little slow with the constant domestic disputes between Steph and Andy. I can't wait to see what Rona has in store for us next!

Perfect for fans of domestic thrillers such as Ruth Heald, Shalini Boland and Lisa Jewell.

Helpful

Slow and predictable

Reviewed in Australia on 2 February 2022

I’ve read and enjoyed four previous books by Rona Halsall but this one was very disappointing.

After 30 years of marriage Steph is living alone in the marital home after husband Andy left having suspected her of having an affair. Her children are grown. Son Max left at 18 and hasn’t been heard of since and daughter Bea has married a wealthy man and lives reasonably close. Steph has never really lived alone and is feeling a little out of sorts. Then a series of incidents occur: and open window upstairs which leads to rain coming in and the carpet being ruined, then a brick through the front window and so on.

Steph suspects any number of people of trying to get her out of her home which Andy wants to sell but she digs her heels in. She is enjoying her new found freedom. Steph works at a homeless shelter and meets a young man, Noah who reminds her of her son Max. Long story short, she invites Noah to stay at her place until he can sort himself out. He is ever so grateful. But the hits keep coming. Until the biggie - one night she wakes up smelling smoke and next thing Noah is carrying her out of her blazing house.

I really didn’t enjoy this book. To put it bluntly, it was boring. None of the characters were that well developed, the plot was thin and the culprit was pretty obvious pretty early on. Steph as a character seemed like a bunch of contradictions and also very weak. Actually none of the characters were particularly likeable but my main issue was that it was awfully predictable. Thankfully, it was also a quick read. Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

Helpful

A chilling read

Reviewed in Australia on 1 February 2022

“You think you’re safe in your home…You’re wrong”

Rona Halsall has delivered another chilling and nail biting read with The Guest Room. A real page turner, it is always an adventure reading a book from her as she pulls you into the story bringing it all to life where you experience it all as her characters do.

A great job has been done in creating a very tense and creepy atmosphere throughout and there were many times I jumped at the littlest noise as I read through the night. I was invested in our lead Steph and was empathic to her plight, although you do question her naivety at times. The twists and turns keep everything interesting and with writing that is engaging, makes for a really compelling read. I throughly enjoyed this book and I look forward to what Rona will give us next.

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

TeresaNik

Compelling read!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 31 January 2022

Verified Purchase

You think you’re safe in your home. You’re wrong.

Steph's thirty year marriage to Andy is over, her daughter Bea is married and she is just getting used to living alone and gaining her independence when strange things start happening in her home; the smell of cigarettes, noises during the night and open windows that she knew she had closed, then a brick is thrown through her front window. In her work at a homeless shelter she meets Noah, a young man who is down on his luck and before she realises it, she's offered him her spare room and a chance to get back on track, Andy and Bea aren't happy with this arrangement but it makes Steph feel safe, especially when things seem to calm down, then things escalate and she is certain that someone won't rest until they've driven her from her home, but who would do that to someone as kind and caring as Steph?

This latest thriller by Halsall is authentic and the characters are realistic, many of them I didn't care for and felt were untrustworthy, I loved Steph for standing her ground and not allowing her family to walk all over her, but at the same time she was too trusting and a little naive. The story is fast paced with lots of twists, turns and many red herrings thrown in along the way which added to the intensity of the situation and kept me guessing for quite a while, I did figure out who the perpetrator was but this didn't dampen the thrill of the ride in any way for me, I raced through this book in a matter of hours and have to admit to shedding a tear in a particular chapter towards the end. This is the fifth book I've read by this author and they just keep getting better. If you like a compelling read that keeps you on the edge of your seat then this is one for you.

9 people found this helpful

Kindle Customer

unputdownable

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 February 2022

Verified Purchase

I read this book in a day. It's one of those books that you just keep on reading because you need to find out what is going to happen next. I have read all of this author's books so far and have enjoyed every one of them. Highly recommended.

10 people found this helpful

LinT

Brilliant read!!!!!!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 February 2022

Verified Purchase

Absolutely loved this book. No need to spoil it for you by writing a huge description but I could not put this down! kept me interested right until the very last page! I will now read more from this author. Loved it!

9 people found this helpful

Kindle Customer

Gripped from page 1

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 February 2022

Verified Purchase

I bought this book on a whim and have thoroughly enjoyed it.
The plot is very predictable but then it's not .
Gripped from page one I highly recommend this book .

8 people found this helpful

Amazon Customer

Totally fantastic page turner👏🙌

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 February 2022

Verified Purchase

I have read all of Rhona Halsall’s books and all are gripping stories.This met all my expectations and more….gripping from start to finish and no way of predicting the twist at the end.Can not recommend this book highly enough.Looking forward to the next one now!

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The Guest Room: An utterly unputdownable psychological thriller Kindle Edition

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