The Other Guest, Helen Cooper
The Other Guest, Helen Cooper
2 Rating(s)
List: $20.00 | Sale: $14.00
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The Other Guest

Author: Helen Cooper

Narrator: Sofia Zervudachi

Unabridged: 11 hr 39 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Published: 07/26/2022


Synopsis

After a shocking death at a luxurious Italian resort, two very different women must question everything—and everyone—they love in order to untangle truth from lies in this twisty, captivating read.

One year ago, Leah’s feisty 21-year-old niece, Amy, mysteriously drowned in the beautiful lake near her family-owned resort in Northern Italy. Now, Leah’s grief has caught up with her, and she decides to return to Lake Garda for the first time since Amy’s death. What she finds upon her arrival shocks her—her sister, brother-in-law, and surviving niece, Olivia, seem to have erased all memories of Amy, and fought to have her death declared an accidental drowning, despite murky circumstances. Leah knows she must look beyond the resort’s beautiful façade and uncover what truly happened to Amy, even if her digging places both her family ties and her very life in danger.
 
Meanwhile, in Central England, thirtysomething Joanna is recovering from a surprising break-up when she is swept off her feet by a handsome bartender. But when she learns that he is on the run from something in his past, and that their meeting may not have been a coincidence, Joanna realized that he may just a bit too good to be true.
 
What follows is a propulsive cat-and mouse game set against the Italian lakeside as the two seemingly-unconnected women are caught up in a dangerous conspiracy.

About The Author

Helen Cooper is the author of The Downstairs Neighbor. She is from Derby and has a MA in Creative Writing and a background in teaching English and Academic Writing. Her creative writing has been published in Mslexia and Writers' Forum; she was shortlisted in the Bath Short Story Prize in 2014, and came third in the Leicester Writes Short Story Prize 2018.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Holly on May 17, 2022

3.5 STARS Multi-layered family drama with an intriguing setting! I loved the premise of two women who don't seem to be connected, but ultimately get entangled in some dangerous situations that reveal their connection. Leah and Joanna are the two women. We don't find out their association until later, w......more

Goodreads review by Melissa (Semi-hiatus for Work) on July 25, 2022

Intriguing and engaging mystery, kept my interest throughout. There are two main storylines here, and it takes some patience to see where the plot is going that brings the two together (and it certainly wasn't in a way I was expecting at all!) Joanna is a British counselor who recently went through......more

Goodreads review by LIsa Noell "Rocking the chutzpah!" on December 22, 2023

My thanks to Penguin Group/Putnam, Netgalley and Helen Cooper. I'll confess that I kind of loved this story. It was engaging throughout, and had enough p.o.v.'s that kept me intrigued. But...that damned milquetoast ending! The conclusion. The big reveal? Yeah, it just didn't sit right with me. I was le......more

Goodreads review by Ceecee on May 24, 2022

3.5 rounded up Leah arrives in Il Mandrino, a luxury holiday village on Lake Garda owned by her sister and brother in law. A year ago Leah’s much loved niece Amy tragically drowns and she is astonished to find that all traces of Amy seem to have been airbrushed out but why?? In addition to this stra......more

Goodreads review by Darla on July 23, 2022

One of my favorite things about this new book from Helen Cooper was connecting the dots. There are two women in the present who seem to be totally unconnected. There is a tragic death that occurred months ago. As we read on, the clues lead us to suspect there is a person or persons that they have in......more


Quotes

“Difficult-to-put down thriller… Brilliantly characterized, boldly plotted, and boasting an ending that readers will think they have figured out only to have everything turned around. The perfect vacation thriller.”--Booklist (starred review)

“[A] strong psychological thriller…Credible characters enhance the suspenseful plot. Cooper remains a writer to watch.”--Publishers Weekly

"In this captivating slow-burner, dark secrets lurk beneath a luxurious lakeside resort in Italy with mysterious connections to a handsome bartender in England. Helen Cooper deftly navigates between what seems like two completely separate narratives bundled in The Other Guest: One involves a murder hushed up by the victim’s own family, and the other involves a blossoming romance. You’ll be hooked on trying to solve this puzzle!"--Reader's Digest

"A luxury Italian resort with a dark side. A cast of suspicious, secretive characters. The Other Guest is an eerie and atmospheric mystery that kept me guessing from start to finish."--Allie Reynolds, author of Shiver

An exquisite setting masks layers of secrets in this captivating thriller from Helen Cooper. The Other Guest is beautifully written, powerfully conveyed, and swirling with mysteries you’ll race to the last page to solve.-–Megan Collins, author of The Family Plot

The Other Guest has got it all: unexplained tragic death, family secrets, romance, and two women on a quest for the truth. Oh, and as an added bonus, it takes place on a gorgeous lake in Northern Italy, so there's that too.”--LovetoKnow.com

“Teased out against the slick and stylish backdrop of Lake Garda, The Other Guest had me simultaneously glued to my seat and wanting to jump on a flight. It served up the perfect combination of glamour, intrigue and sibling rivalry.”—Polly Phillips, author of The Reunion

“A masterpiece of storytelling with twist after unguessable twist. I relished every delicious page. If you can't actually go on holiday, just read this book and you're in a luxury Italian resort, you can smell it, taste it, feel it.”—Lucy Martin, author of Stop at Nothing

"Sinister and beautifully atmospheric, The Other Guest lures you with the promise of a luxury island before revealing its darker, claustrophobic side. I loved it."--L V Matthews, author of The Twins

“Masterfully written, drawing you in to the lives of the fascinating characters as the tension builds and builds. Compelling, perfectly paced, and packed full of suspense.” --Sarah Bonner, author of Her Perfect Twin

Praise for The Downstairs Neighbor

"Fans of British mysteries will love this debut...It is difficult to put down. This is one that readers may not figure out fully, if at all, in advance of the denouement, but the author ties all the secrets together in a most satisfying reveal."--Library Journal (starred review)

“Perfect for fans of twisty plots that’ll keep you guessing.”--Country Living

“[A] heart-pounding debut...Even avid suspense readers won't be able to predict all the twists. Cooper is off to a strong start.” --Publishers Weekly

“Cooper skillfully builds a house of cards, demolishes it, reshuffles the deck, and deals an even stronger hand, while keeping a few cards up her sleeve. An emotionally charged domestic-suspense debut, perfect for fans of Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware.” --Booklist

“Powerfully displays how we often think secrets are the best way to protect those we love, but they often cause more damage than good.”--San Francisco Book Review

"Cooper starts with a bang, with a missing girl and a big house filled with suspects, then holds the suspense high with characters that will keep the reader guessing—and guessing wrong. A gradual unearthing of long-held secrets wrapped in a smoothly plotted page-turner. "--Kimberly Belle, bestselling author of Stranger in the Lake

"Lock your doors, close your curtains, and sink into this claustrophobic tale of families, neighbors and buried secrets. Tense and perfectly paced, this emotionally charged novel will keep you guessing right to the very end."--Emma Rous, bestselling author of The Au Pair