THE OTHER GUEST

Three storylines involve the unexpected, suspicious death of a 21-year-old woman in Italy.

Amy is—was—the 21-year-old daughter of a polished couple who run a luxurious Italian lakeside resort. Her sister, Olivia, is 17 and working hard to become the same kind of gracious, beautiful, focused hostess as their mother, Charlotte. Their father, Gordon, dreamed of creating a high-end resort, and now that he’s managed it, his entire focus is on retaining it. Leah, Charlotte’s sister, was very close with Amy and never truly grieved the loss of her niece. She's forced to take compassionate leave at work one calamitous day when everything boils over and her grief at Amy’s death can no longer be contained. The first thread follows the last eight hours of Amy’s life as she plots her secret escape from the resort to Scotland, where she will finally attend college. The second follows Joanna, the head of counseling services at an English university, who's putting her life back together after her long-term partner breaks up with her. The third follows Leah’s visit to the resort nine months after Amy's death as she tries to process her feelings and find some answers despite being stymied at every turn. Author Cooper has created a twisty tale of darkness and light, calmness and storm, rigid facades and underlying messiness as the three storylines unfold independently before resolving together as one in an unexpected fashion.

A thriller that relies on misdirection while dealing with issues of family, love, mental health, assault, and suicide.