Review of "The Dinner Guest: A Novel of Suspense" by B.P. Walter

 

Charlie and Matthew Allerton-Jones are a gay married couple raising their son Titus, who's fifteen-years-old.





Until recently, things seemed fine in the Allerton-Jones household, which has the advantage of close ties with Charlie's parents and his godmother Meryl.

Then Matthew is stabbed to death at the Allerton-Jones' dinner table, and a young woman named Rachel calls the police and admits to the murder. However, we're immediately told that she didn't do it.



To unveil what happened and why, the book skips back and forth between twelve months ago, when Charlie and Matthew met Rachel, to the present. 

A year ago, Rachel was working in a Yorkshire gardening center and barely making ends meet when she happened to come across Charlie Allerton-Jones' Instagram account. The account - which featured myriad photos of Charlie, Matthew, and Titus - galvanized Rachel, who pulled up stakes, moved to London, and managed to 'accidently' meet Charlie and Matthew.



Matthew, who was a friendly sort, invited Rachel to join his book club, which met once a month in the posh home of one of the members.

Rachel grew up in difficult circumstances, could only afford an apartment in a rough area of Pimlico, and was unaccustomed to mingling with London's 'elite', but she eagerly accepted the book club invitation. Rachel then proceeded to inveigle herself into the lives of the Allerton-Jones' and their friends. Before long, Rachel was even offered a job by Charlie's godmother Meryl, who seemed to want to give the girl a boost up.



Though most people in the book club liked Rachel, something about her made Charlie uncomfortable. Thus Charlie constantly griped to Matthew about the young woman being around. However, Matthew said Charlie was just being a snob, and pooh-poohed his concerns.



As the story unfolds we learn why Rachel was drawn to the Allerton-Jones', her clandestine back story, and the secrets other people are keeping.

Toward the latter part of the book, we discover why Matthew was stabbed, the identity of the killer, and what happens after the homicide. Meanwhile, Charlie's father - who's a 'fixer' for the rich and powerful - tries to make sure his son and grandson are absolved of any blame.



The book is character driven, and the protagonists all have personality flaws. Matthew is sneaky and evasive;



Charlie is naïve and willfully blind;



Titus is irresponsible and rebellious;



and Rachel has all sorts of troubles.



The big reveal and its aftermath aren't quite credible to me. I also have trouble believing how lightning fast Rachel ascended in society under the auspices of Charlie's godmother. I simply don't think this would happen in real life.

Thus, the book is only so-so for me.

Thanks to Netgalley, B.P. Walter, and HarperCollins Publishers for a copy of the book.

Rating: 3 stars