MYSTERY GUEST

After a teen is murdered, three people confess to the crime in this work translated from Dutch.

The search for the truth about who killed Maria is complicated by her own secrets. Back in July, Maria wasn’t looking forward to a summer with her brother, Ferris, who would be home on probation. And then there was Mike, also back in their small town for the summer, although Maria desperately hoped to avoid him after “all that trouble.” When a terse text message—“Bored?”—arrives from an unknown number bearing the name “Mystery Guest,” Maria’s curiosity gets the better of her, and she engages, agreeing to play a game that ends up revealing secrets and setting Maria at odds with her family and her girlfriend, Pip. After Maria’s death, the truth finally comes to light—not only about the past, but the present, too. This intense, fast-paced narrative will capture readers’ attention from the outset, although a secondary, unresolved storyline feels distracting. Despite a lack of complexity and character depth, the intricate plot twists and use of multiple perspectives create addictive intrigue as the stakes rise for Maria while she tries to figure out who the Mystery Guest is. Even with the absence of dynamic characterization, the novel’s thrills make for a quick read that wraps up in a satisfying ending. The cast presents white.

A heart-pounding mystery that drops readers into the action from the first page.