‘He is anybody, everybody, nobody.’

Lina (a paramedic) and Cain (a former member of the NZSAS) could do with some extra cash. Cain convinces Lina to put the home she has inherited from her grandfather at Lake Tarawera in New Zealand, on WeStay to rent out thus generating some additional income. While she is initially reluctant, Lina agrees. What could possibly go wrong? Well, as it turns out, plenty. Both Lina and Cain have secrets which the reader learns as the various threads of this story are untwisted.

But first, imagine your every move being caught on hidden cameras? Cameras installed in bedrooms and bathrooms, technology to cater for the tastes of every voyeur, or to track your every move. Lina quickly becomes caught up in a nightmare, while Cain is trying to deal with some demons of his own.

But strange things start happening, and secrets have a way of intruding into the present. One early action by Lina becomes a dangerous vulnerability as she constructs a very shaky house of cards to try to keep it secret. There is a twist in the tale and an ending which caught me by surprise.

‘Sometimes it’s the quietest alarms that shake you most.’

If you have ever worried about covert surveillance, and you enjoy tension-filled twisty tales, then you may also enjoy this.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Australia for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

Hugely impressed by In The Clearing, I’ve been looking forward to reading J.P. Pomare’s newest release, The Last Guests.

Set in New Zealand, The Last Guests is told primarily from the perspective of Lina, a paramedic married to Cain, an ex-SAS soldier turned personal trainer. Though their five year marriage has had its up and downs, stressed by PTSD, a gambling addiction, infertility and the resulting debt, the couple remain committed to each other, and their plan for a family. When friends of the pair, who aware of their financial struggle, suggest Lina rent out the home she inherited from her grandparents at Lake Tarawera through the short-stay accomodation site WeStay, Cain is enthusiastic about the idea. Lina is less so, the house is to eventually be their family home and she’s uncomfortable with the risks of opening it up to strangers, but let’s herself be persuaded. She relaxes when the first few guests come and go without incident, but Lina is about to discover the real threat to their future comes from closer to home.

The Last Guests is probably one of the more unpredictable thrillers I’ve read in a while. Though not quite flawless, convincingly led in one direction, I almost developed whiplash as the plot twisted and turned offering more than one surprise as Pomare unraveled the secrets held by his characters.

Lina is particularly vulnerable as her secret threatens to surface, and her anxiety is palpable as she attempts to stop it from happening. I liked the complexity of her character, Lina may initially be judged harshly and she doesn’t make the wisest of choices, but there isn’t any malice in her, so I was invested in her fate.

One of the elements I think Pomare excels at is creating an atmosphere of anticipation that ebbs and flows from uncertainty and unease to dread and shock. In part this stems from the way he turns the intimate and ordinary into provocation and a threat.

This novel is certainly guaranteed to make you think twice about booking a short-stay rental in a private home. There are known risks in using services like AirBNB, Stayz and FlipKey, most often they are fairly benign -the accommodation may not live up to its description, or the host may try to extort extra charges, but there have been incidences where guests have learned of hidden cameras, not just in spaces like the living room and kitchen, but also in private areas, such as bedrooms and bathrooms. In The Last Guests Lina discovers not only have such camera’s been secreted into her lake house without her knowledge, which is creepy enough, but the feed is one of thousands being live streamed to a site that offers paying subscribers a voyeuristic window into the lives of unsuspecting people.

Tense, thrilling and compelling, The Last Guests is another stunning novel from Pomare.

Secrets and lies. #3wordbookreview

I wanted to love this as I really enjoyed In the Clearing but this one didn't really do it for me. And I'm beginning to wonder...why does JP always narrate from a woman's pov??