11/15/2021
In this riveting thriller from bestseller Gudenkauf (This Is How I Lied), Oregon writer Wylie Lark retreats to an unoccupied, isolated farmhouse in Burden, Iowa, where two people were murdered and a little girl went missing in 2000. The murders and disappearance are the subject of her fourth true crime book. During a major snowstorm, Wylie discovers a bleeding five-year-old boy in her front yard with remnants of duct tape on his mouth. She can’t contact the sheriff because her utilities are out due to the storm, so she brings the boy inside, tends to his injuries, and tries to get him to tell her what happened, but he’s frightened and refuses to talk. Wylie goes outside to collect firewood, but on returning she finds she’s locked out, and, through a window, she sees a woman with a hatchet. Wylie’s frantic efforts to save the boy alternate with flashbacks that reveal in suspenseful increments what happened in the farmhouse two decades earlier. This twisty tale builds to a satisfying conclusion. The talented Gudenkauf consistently delivers. Agent: Marianne Merola, Brandt & Hochman Literary. (Jan.)
08/01/2021
Known for her small-town thrillers, the New York Times best-selling Gudenkauf here takes us farther afield, with true-crime writer Wylie Lark snowbound in a remote farmhouse where two people were murdered and a little girl vanished. Then she discovers a shivering child outside her door and gets the distinct feeling that she is being watched.
2021-10-27
A contemporary mystery may hold the key to a 20-year-old murder and abduction case.
As a blizzard rages across the Iowa plains, true-crime writer Wylie Lark steps outside with her dog—and discovers a half-frozen child in her front yard. When revived, the boy shows clear signs of abuse and trauma, so Wylie braves the elements to see if perhaps he's been in a car accident. Sure enough, a truck crumpled in the ditch leads Wylie to another body, a clearly injured woman, also almost frozen to death. Who are these two strangers who are willing to risk their lives to run away from something—or someone—in the midst of such terrible weather? Intercut with this unspooling mystery is another that took place 20 years earlier in the same small town: A family was murdered, their daughter the only survivor, and the daughter’s friend went missing the same night and has never been found. Gudenkauf offers a third narrative strand, told from the perspective of a young girl who lives with her mother and fears the occasional visits of a brutal, abusive father figure. Of course, all of these narratives will share a solution in the end. Up to this point, the suspense that Gudenkauf creates and builds into each separate story is masterful, terrible, and absolutely addicting. The problem: the solution feels arbitrary and, ultimately, disappointing. There are no clues leading the earnest reader to the answer, just an author’s deus ex machina. Despite an actively plotted climax and a gesture toward a hopeful ending, the unknown is the lifeblood of this novel; once the truth comes out, the energy, originality, and interest wink out, too.
Tense, taut, and terrifying—until the reveal. Read the first 43 chapters and be satisfied.
"Heather Gudenkauf is a master of suspense. Weaving together three narratives in an explosive and shocking denouement, The Overnight Guest will have you glued to the page and leave you wanting more." —Liv Constantine, international bestselling author of The Last Mrs. Parrish
“The Overnight Guest is not only compelling, it’s addictive. Flawlessly plotted, the story unfolds in layers, each one more shocking than the last. I’ll be thinking about this book for a long time.” —Samantha Downing, bestselling author of My Lovely Wife and For Your Own Good
“Heather Gudenkauf’s The Overnight Guest is a tightly woven braid of a novel guaranteed to raise the hairs on the back of your neck and keep you turning the pages deep into the night. Set inside a storm that you will feel beating against your windows, the present and the past will collide in an ending you won’t see coming. Atmospheric, fast-paced and perfectly plotted, I devoured this and you will too.” —Catherine McKenzie, USA Today bestselling author of I’ll Never Tell and Please Join Us
“With The Overnight Guest, Heather Gudenkauf once again demonstrates she’s a true master of suspense. Atmospheric and claustrophobic, tense and twisted, this chiller will make you hold your breath as you turn the pages. Cancel your plans when you start reading this one because you won’t be able to put it down.” —Hannah Mary McKinnon, internationally bestselling author of Sister Dear and You Will Remember Me
"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
"An isolated farmhouse, a deadly snowstorm, and a small child found in the snow—those are the ingredients for Gudenkauf’s latest up-all-night thriller. Scrupulously plotted and layered with multiple narratives that culminate in some explosive surprises, The Overnight Guest is Gudenkauf at her best. A chilling and heart-stopping stunner." —Kimberly Belle, international bestselling author of My Darling Husband
"Masterful, terrible, and absolutely addicting...Tense, taut, and terrifying.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Riveting…This twisty tale builds to a satisfying conclusion.” –Publishers Weekly
“Fully realized, wholly absorbing and almost painfully suspenseful...The journey is mesmerizing.” —New York Times
04/01/2022
Gudenkauf's (Before She Was Found) locked-room thriller stars true-crime writer Wylie Lark, who's renting a remote farmhouse where a double murder occurred 20 years ago; she hopes to get a feel for the community where the crimes took place and to write uninterrupted in much-needed seclusion. Not long after arriving, Wylie is snowed in by a blizzard and comes upon an injured child. The traumatized child won't speak to Wylie, but as they wait out the storm together, Wylie finds that the child's presence has triggered long-buried memories of her own devastating childhood and the terror she thought she had forgotten. Wylie begins to question everything she thought she knew about the fates of her own family and best friend and ultimately discovers that she and the child she rescued from the snow have a tragic connection. In this audiobook, Brittany Pressley performs all the characters well and with perfect distinction and credibility. VERDICT Probably a better read than a listen, as the main characters have frequent flashbacks, and the thriller's multiple POVs can be disorienting.—Laura Brosie
Narrator Brittany Presley takes listeners through the frightening experiences of Wylie Lark as she finds herself trapped in a snowstorm during the writing of her most recent book. Stuck in a quiet cabin that is a former murder site, Wylie soon discovers a child with a shaved head and no protective gear out in the snow. When she spots a vehicle on fire not far away, she realizes that her cozy dream of riding out the storm may lead her to the center of a true-crime mystery she thought she had left behind. Pressley’s narration is sharp and smart. Her delivery of emotional passages and expert timing ensure that listeners stay on the edge of their seats for this thriller. V.B. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
Narrator Brittany Presley takes listeners through the frightening experiences of Wylie Lark as she finds herself trapped in a snowstorm during the writing of her most recent book. Stuck in a quiet cabin that is a former murder site, Wylie soon discovers a child with a shaved head and no protective gear out in the snow. When she spots a vehicle on fire not far away, she realizes that her cozy dream of riding out the storm may lead her to the center of a true-crime mystery she thought she had left behind. Pressley’s narration is sharp and smart. Her delivery of emotional passages and expert timing ensure that listeners stay on the edge of their seats for this thriller. V.B. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
