Macmillan Audio Review of Hank Phillipi Ryan's The House Guest

Those who know me well know that Hank is a go to author for me I've loved everything she's ever written and I think The House Guest is her best yet!
I'm so excited to share with you all my Macmillan audio review.
Enjoy!

ASIN: B0B64H341P
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Release Date: 02-07-2023
Length: 10 hours, 46 minutes
Source: Publisher for review
Buy It: Audible/ Chirpbooks

ADD TO: GOODREADS

Overview:

Library Journal * Starred review "Bingeworthy!"
Publishers Weekly "Ryan is a master of suspense!"
GOODREADS A Most Anticipated Thriller 0f 2023
BOOKBUB A Most Anticipated Thriller 0f 2023
CRIME READS A Most Anticipated Thriller 0f 2023

The House Guest is another diabolical cat-and-mouse thriller from USA Today bestselling author Hank Phillippi Ryan―but which character is the cat, and which character is the mouse?

After every divorce, one spouse gets all the friends. What does the other one get? If they're smart, they get the benefits. Alyssa Macallan is terrified when she's dumped by her wealthy and powerful husband. With a devastating divorce looming, she begins to suspect her toxic and manipulative soon-to-be-ex is scheming to ruin her―leaving her alone and penniless. And when the FBI shows up at her door, Alyssa knows she really needs a friend.

And then she gets one. A seductive new friend, one who's running from a dangerous relationship of her own. Alyssa offers Bree Lorrance the safety of her guest house, and the two become confidantes. Then Bree makes a heart-stoppingly tempting offer. Maybe Alyssa and Bree can solve each others' problems.

But no one is what they seem. And the fates and fortunes of these two women twist and turn until the shocking truth emerges: You can't always get what you want. But sometimes you get what you deserve.
"The House Guest is great! Twists, turns and backflips--and sticks the landing. What a pleasure to read." --James Patterson

MacmillanAudio · The House Guest by Hank Phillippi Ryan, audiobook excerpt

My Macmillan Audio review:

The Houseguest
Hank Phillipi Ryan

 

Ryan takes her audience on a non-stop from beginning to end rollercoaster ride where when the passengers expect the ride to stop it simply changes directions, takes a 360 loop and starts all over again, but don’t get too dizzy because to follow the subtle hints you’ll need your wits about you. Hank gifts her readers/listeners with a solid plot, fluid narrative, amazing scenic backdrops, exotic locales and characters that range from mundane to over the top and each one is unforgettable. Alyssa is the absolute star of the novel and while she may seem naïve to some she’s actually a refreshingly humble designer wearing classy leading lady. On the other hand, Bree, the “houseguest” and other female lead is more of a mystery and a bit harder to pigeonhole. The novel moves at breakneck speed from the beginning until just before the end when Hank does a cool down to allow her audience to get their breathing back under control. Fans of this amazing storyteller, the novels of JT Ellison and Lisa Gardner and lovers of twisty turny chilling thrillers will stay up all night to get to “The End” of this unputdownable read.

Narration:
A great narrator can make or break a novel and Stephanie Willing does a bang-up job with Hank’s new novel. She inserts the right expression and emotions in all the right places making her listening audience moan, gasp and bite their nails. She also does a great job with all the voices both male and female making the audio version of this thriller the way to go!

With no explanation Alyssa McCallan is tossed aside by her uber-wealthy and well connected husband Bill, with a nasty divorce on the horizon she decides to drown her sorrows in a not so up-scale bar where  she’s positive she’ll never run into anyone she and Bill knows. Instead she meets Bree a woman who may just have more problems than Alyssa does and makes a perhaps rash decision to not only take her under her wing but make her “The Houseguest”. But after inviting Bree to stay in her guest house Alyssa starts suspecting someone is entering her home when she’s gone and wonders if maybe Bill is messing with her. If that’s not enough, not is all as it seems with her new houseguest and she’s left wondering is she going crazy or is someone really out to get her?

 

About the author:

USA Today bestselling author HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN has won five Agatha Awards in addition to Anthony, Macavity, Daphne du Maurier, and Mary Higgins Clark Awards. As on-air investigative reporter for Boston's WHDH-TV, she's won 37 Emmys and many more journalism honors, and her work has resulted in new laws, criminals sent to prison, homes saved from foreclosure, and millions of dollars in restitution for victims and consumers. She's the host of CRIME TIME on A Mighty Blaze, and co-host of The Back Room and First Chaper Fun. A past president of National Sisters in Crime, her novels include Her Perfect Life, Trust Me, The Murder List, the Charlotte McNally series (starting with Prime Time), and the Jane Ryland series (which begins with The Other Woman). Ryan lives in Boston with her husband, a nationally renowned civil rights and criminal defense attorney.