Review: The Dinner Guest, by B.P. Walter

Twisting, turning, and gripping to the last page. This is a fantastic crime thriller by B.P Walter and I can't wait to read more from him.

Walter does an exceptional job of creating a series of characters who are both engaging and horrible. From a chance encounter at a bookshop to a murder at dinner, Walter casually drops clues and hints at his characters motivations and back stories.

This straddles the line between whodunnit and psychological thriller wonderfully.

We start in the rubble of a dinner with four characters. With one dead and one confessing to a murder it should be straightforward but it is immediately clear that under the surface there are secrets we cannot imagine.

Walter's characters are predominantly socialites, Eton alumni, and possessors of generational wealth. It is in this decadent, picture perfect environment that Walter sows so much discord.

The characters are greedy, vain, and seemingly incapable of empathy. A carousel of people who present themselves as caring and kind but are clearly in an echo chamber of high end parties and holidays in the Hamptons.

But what I truly enjoyed about this book was the structure. Walter's manipulation of perspective and the timeline allow him to sucker you in as a reader, as different characters'"truth" is revealed repeatedly shaking what the audience knows to be true.

My only negative is I think that there may possibly have been too many characters who were touched upon but not fleshed out properly. These background characters such as Meryl and the other guests at the book club flutter in and drive the plot in the direction it needs to go but then just disappear again into the ether.

The writing is engaging and easily digestible, whilst the plot pulls you along after a good pace. There was a section in the middle of the story where I was worried it was a good idea that was starting to slip away from the author, but the ending wrapped it up beautifully.

All in all, I found this really enjoyable and I will be adding B.P. Paris to my list of authors who I know can develop a world where I can be completely absorbed.

Rating: 7

Love was the vital ingredient. And when combined with betrayal, the resulting reaction can have the power of a nuclear bomb.