Wylie has made a career out of true crime. Telling the stories behind heinous murders and more and giving voice to the victims. For her latest project, she’s taken up residence in a home that was once the scene of a terrible slaying.
She doesn’t mind staying in the home. Even when it appears she’ll be snowed in for a few days, she’s not bothered. But when she finds a young child hurt and passed out in the snow, her quiet retreat becomes a little more than she bargained for.
Gudenkauf’s latest plays out in multiple storylines. Wylie’s, present day; the crime itself; and an unnamed girl being held captive with her mother.
Wylie is a divorced mom whose son has recently chosen to stay with her ex. Which is why she’s on her own as she finishes her latest project.
The case in question is the murder of a family in a small farming town. The killer was never caught. And yet, Wylie isn’t worried.
But that all changes when she finds a kid outside in a snow storm. And then the power goes out and Wylie finds herself not only playing host to an unexpected houseguest, but playing nurse and maybe even protector to a child who won’t answer any of the many questions Wylie has about how he got to the remote farm in the first place.
I found the premise of this one pretty intriguing but I do have to say that it didn’t take much to start to figure out the twists. I enjoyed reading it nonetheless!
The remote setting, a snowstorm, no power, no way of contacting anyone, and no way of escape made for tense reading and the chapters outlining the case made this book candy for me! These are a handful of elements guaranteed to draw me to a story (elements that I found I really couldn't get enough of, which led me to binge a number of snowed in reads this winter!).
Ultimately, while (as I mentioned) I'd teased out most of the big twists on my own, I found this an engrossing story with a conclusion that felt like it hit all the marks I wanted it to.
The Overnight Guest is out now from Park Row Books. If you're looking for a chilling read (literally and figuratively), you should definitely add this to your must-have list!
For more on Heather Gudenkauf and her work you can visit her website here. You can also like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
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