The Overnight Guest: A Novel

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Fully realized, wholly absorbing and almost painfully suspenseful...The journey is mesmerizing.” —New York Times

Heather Gudenkauf author of The Overnight Guest was born in Wagner, South Dakota, the youngest of six children. At the age of three, her family moved to Iowa, where she grew up. Having been born with a profound unilateral hearing impairment Heather tended to use books as a retreat. Heather became a voracious reader and the seed of becoming a writer was planted. The story involves a true crime writer who is staying in the house where a horrendous crime took place years ago. While there, a snowstorm (and this is an Iowa snowstorm) occurs, white-out conditions, and no electricity. The writer, Wylie, hears a vehicle crash, and goes outside to investigate. She finds a tiny boy half frozen in her yard. Next she finds a woman trapped in barbed wire and also half frozen. Wylie Lark is a true crime writer, staying in a secluded farmhouse in a small town to write her latest novel. Years earlier, vicious killings took place at the same exact farmhouse. Now, as a terrible snow storm rages outside, Wylie should have plenty of time to settle in and finish the book…until she finds a young child outside in the snow and brings him inside so he doesn’t freeze to death. The tightly woven, perfectly paced, suspenseful story that gave me a nagging feeling as the layers unfolded, I should be able to figure out who this overnight guest is. My mind was racing, trying to keep up with the pace, knowing that the reveal was coming. I almost pieced some things together only to find the author was one step ahead of me. I enjoyed forming some theories about how the timelines and characters come together.A woman receives an unexpected visitor during a deadly snowstorm in this chilling thriller from New York Times bestselling author Heather Gudenkauf. Heather graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in elementary education, has spent her career working with students of all ages and is currently a Literacy Coach, an educator who provides curricular and professional development support to teachers. And in the case of The Overnight Guest, I’d say yes, it was. Finally, about two-thirds of the way through the book, I could see (maybe?) where things were headed and I was willing to go there.

Heather Gudenkauf has been on my must-read list for years. The comments Carol Fitzgerald made about THE OVERNIGHT GUEST in the Bookreporter newsletter got me even more excited than usual for her latest thriller. I am pleased to report that not only was I not disappointed, it is easily one of the most addictive novels I have read in quite a while.Y'all, this novel is intensely-gripping. It follows both Wylie's present timeline, as well as the perspective and timeline of a girl who lived in the house at the time of the gruesome murders.

There is one more crucial storyline threaded into this book. But what kind of a friend would I be if I spilled the beans?! You’ll just have to let it unfold as you read along. No spoilers here!.🤫 It isn't the dark you should be afraid of it's the monsters who step out into the light that you need to fear." Chilling, gripping, and gaspingly surprising. The oh-so-talented Heather Gudenkauf has created a modern day In Cold Blood. Her unforgettable characters reveal a devastating story that will chill you to the bone, and then break your heart. With a brilliant structure, an authentic sense of place, and gorgeous storytelling, Gudenkauf proves she is the queen of the rural thriller.” —Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today bestselling author of Her Perfect Life Shrewd readers or avid thriller fans will know this is probably not the last we see of this strange lady. However, your wheels will be turning trying to figure out who she and the boy are and the connection they may have to the brutal murders that took place over 20 years ago. You can try to figure it out, but I hazard to guess that Heather Gudenkauf may very well be one step ahead of you.Wylie, a true-crime writer, is finishing up her latest book about two murders and a missing teenage girl that occurred about twenty years prior in the town of Burden. And she has decided to complete this project in the isolated farmhouse where it all happened. What a w And don’t get me started on the outright stupidity of the final conflict/fight scene between two of the characters involving some of the biggest thriller cliches ever … malfunctioning gun anyone?

There are two timelines and I enjoyed the earlier timeline the most. The present day timeline was interesting, for the most part, but towards the end of the story, I liked it less and less. Too many coincidences and dumb things done. But worst of all for me was Wiley. I didn't care for her hysterics (I'm not saying whether they were justified or not). Wiley doesn't seem very good at interacting with people and her voice acting made her come across as a shrill shrew. I felt like she'd be abrasive if I was reading the story so I think the narration would have worked better for me if the acting was toned down. Too much Wiley was not a good thing for me. The last seven days had been quiet. Too quiet. There were no burglaries, no serious motor vehicle accidents, no meth explosions, not one report of domestic abuse. Not that Blake County was a hotbed of lawlessness. But they did have their share of violent crimes. Just not this week. The first four days, he was grateful for the reprieve, but then it seemed downright eerie. It was odd, unsettling. For the first time in twenty years as sheriff, Butler was actually caught up on all his paperwork. The Overnight Guest has three different narratives, involving multiple points of view (not my favorite):Wylie pressed her fingers to her throat as if she could pry away its cold grip. Night had finally found her unprepared, and Wylie felt she might suffocate. We want you to feel at home during your time living in University Accommodation and understand that having friends to stay is part of that. However, the safety and comfort of everyone living in our residences is extremely important, so we have some rules in place for overnight guests to keep you, your flatmates, and your guests safe and happy. True crime writer Wylie Lark likes to get right into the scene with her writing. She's actually staying at the location of several long ago murders as she finishes up her latest book. She's isolated herself from everyone and now there is a winter storm that shuts down travel. Power and telephone lines could be next. Not to worry, she has enough of everything she needs to last a few days before she'll need more supplies. Sometimes what you believe is not always the truth. And the truth.....well, it's far more than the human mind can handle. The Overnight Guest is an atmospheric and gripping thriller about a missing teenage girl linked to a horrific crime and the true-crime writer who attempts to unravel the missing pieces.