The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda

Hello everyone.

I hope you are enjoying your holiday season, no matter what you celebrate. To quote the magician in Frosty, things here are "busy, busy, busy" as I suspect they are for you.  For the rest of the year, I'll try to hold back on the jibber jabber and get on with thoughts about books instead of housewife stuff. I know your time is extra valuable this time of year!

A few months ago I read The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda. I delayed writing any reviews on this book as I wasn't sure how I felt about it.  Finishing this story I felt ....blah....on the other hand I was satisfied.

This is the story of woman, Avery, who lives in a coastal town in Maine. Avery handles vacation rentals in this paradise for the wealthy. Suddenly, Avery's friend Sadie is found dead. The police insist Sadie's death is a suicide but Avery is not so sure. The story is easy to read, engaging from the very beginning and all around pleasant as far as who-dun-its go.  I really liked it. Yet when I completed The Last House Guest, I was underwhelmed. Since I knew the story was good, I couldn't figure out why. I think the issue for me is that this book is listed as a thriller. I actually googled the genre "thriller". This certainly qualifies. For me, though, a thriller is when I can't stop flipping pages; when my heart is beating fast because someone is running for their life or is hiding in a closet about to be found out. Something quick and tense. This book is not like that. For me, this is a really good story with a big old mystery at the heart. Once over the lack of adrenaline rush, I realized I really did like this book.

If you want a great mystery, this is definitely a book to check out. If you want your heart pounding so fast you almost faint, take a look at my kitchen after holiday cookie baking....it's the worst kind of thriller!