The House Guest: A completely unputdownable psychological thriller with a shocking twist

I let her into my home. And now she's destroying my life...

I open the creaking oak front door of my beautiful country house to see a stranger on my doorstep. The woman is stunning with glossy red hair and flawless make up. 'Can I help you?' I ask.

That was my first mistake.

Alexis tells me she is a distant relative and shows me a DNA match on her phone. She has no family and would love to get to know us. My husband Hugh invites her in to join our dinner party. As we drink wine, she opens up about her sad childhood. Her amber eyes are mesmerising and I can see my husband is being drawn in by her story. Then she asks for our help.

Saying yes was the second mistake.

As Alexis and Hugh spend time together, swimming in our luxurious pool and playing tennis in the sunshine, my husband grows distant and the deep cracks in our relationship begin to show. And when our house guest gets me to open up about my marital problems, I start to wonder why she's really here.

And then I discover a secret about Alexis that makes my blood run cold.

Am I being paranoid? Or will inviting Alexis into our home destroy my marriage? And is it too late to get rid of her, before she puts our lives in danger...?

An absolutely addictive and unputdownable psychological thriller that will keep you guessing until the last page. For anyone who loves Ruth Ware, Freida McFadden and Claire McGowan.

What readers are saying about Alison James:

'One word: WOW ... Brilliant, fast-paced and it kept me guessing throughout... Perfect... From the very first page I was drawn in and I couldn't put the book down, it was so good I read it in a day ' NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Absolutely unputdownable ... I loved everything about this book... I found myself desperate to come back to the book ... I would 100% recommend this... my favourite book of the year so far.' @amandasbookcase, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐