THE LAST GUEST

5 stars out of 5

Right up front, I'll say this is one of the strangest, for wont of a better word, books I've ever read. More to the point, I spent several "chapters" (of which, notably, there are none, BTW) telling myself it was bound to get less confusing. Long before the end, though, I decided that not only was this a good story, but in a sense, a real work of written art.

The confusion, I should explain, mostly came because of those non-chapters. There are something like four different "scenarios" - starting with the self-planned 50th birthday dinner for Hollywood director Richard Bryant during which all his guests (with the exception of his pet octopus, Persephone) get totally drugged out and Richard ends up totally dead. But, I assume on purpose, there's no delineation other than a couple of hard carriage returns between the scenario shifts. Without warning, I'd read two or three pages wondering what the heck was going on until finally I discovered I was reading about a whole new time and place. That said, once I realized what was happening and what the clue was to the switcheroo (i.e., those extra carriage returns), everything began to make sense.

And from then on, I was hooked; in fact, I was somewhat in awe of the skillful writing. The story is told by Elspeth, an actress and former wife of Richard - till she left for early-on unexplained reasons and he married a young Black man who goes by "Honey." Richard, known for his volatile temper almost as much as his directorial prowess, has invited just a few of his closest friends (enemies?), including Elspeth. After he proceeds to humiliate most of them, the ever-flowing drinks and drugs send everyone (except perhaps Persephone) to La-La Land. Problem is, Richard doesn't wake up.

Although there's some question about his death, the police conclude it was a murder; as such, the list of possible killers is limited to the not more than a handful of party guests. Elspeth didn't wake up until after the others, so she's fairly certain it wasn't her (although goodness knows she had plenty of motives). But who did it, and why?

The rest of the book looks at interactions between Richard and each of the other characters, none of whom is particularly likable and all of whom had means opportunity to do the deed (even the tanked-up Persephone can't escape suspicion). As Richard's true character begins to emerge, their motives - all based on hatred of the despicable Richard - become apparent as well. But who is the guilty party?

I know, but I'll won't say another word except that finding out was a totally enjoyable experience. Many thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy. Well done!

The Last Guest by Tess Little (Ballantine Books, October 2021); 336 pp.