The plot of Liza North’s psychological thriller The Weekend Guests is reminiscent of the many stories that are heirs to the Agatha Christie favourite, And Then There Were None. You know the gist: a once tight-knit group of old friends, sorority sisters, wedding guests, spa guests, or the like travel to some distant, remote place and due to weather, earthquake, transit strike – whatever – find themselves isolated with little to do but resurface old grudges and secrets. Mayhem ensues.
However, the plot of this novel is Christie-adjacent, but somewhat different in ways that make it less of a cliché and more interesting. Yes, there is a set of old friends – three men and two women – who were housemates in an Edinburgh apartment during their days in university, in the early 2000s. But now, 18 years later, the cast of characters has filled out with spouses and a girlfriend from outside the tight little group, and, these years later, six kids. Still, they have their secrets – a crime the core group committed years before that turned into a jealously guarded secret among them, never discussed. Now, cracks are starting to appear and revelations could upend their families, careers, lives.
The pivotal person bringing this group together is their magnetic hostess, Aline. The word on her – then and now – is that she always gets what she wants. When she learns their former roommate Sienna is visiting the UK from her home in California, she hatches the plan for a reunion that will not only be a social event but a chance to show off her newly renovated house on the Dorset coast.
Also in attendance will be a married man who was hopelessly in love with Aline back in the day and another man who was equally besotted with Sienna. She’s the only one who arrives without a partner, having left her husband behind – possibly permanently – but brought her twin daughters. Aline, always the one to think of everything, has engaged a nanny to look after the children so that her guests can spend unfettered adult time.
The early parts of the story include flashbacks to their student days, which are interspersed with chapters about their Edinburgh neighbour, a disturbed young man who envies their easy sociability. He clumsily tries to be their friend, spies on them, and succeeds in weirding them out. He’s a late-bloomer at the university, still trying to complete his thesis, and it is not going well. What looks to be easy for these younger students seems impossible for him. Slowly, but steadily, he unravels, and his university career ends in murder.
The settings, especially the Edinburgh of their uni years, are well imagined. As students, they display sophistication blended, at times, with a complete lack of awareness. Some of them haven’t completely grown out of it yet. Aline is perfect, the food is perfect, the renovated house is perfect. But the resentments are building. And the fear growing, as the former roommates gradually reveal that they’ve received postcards hinting that the sender knows about their earlier crime. But who’s sending them? Could it be their crazy neighbour from 20 years ago? They’re scared.
The story moves along at pace, as the cracks in the perfect façade and the relationships widen. It’s a good story, nicely written, and held my interest well. Such a large number of principal characters can be a lot to juggle, but they all come across as unique individuals, believable and in some cases, believably odious.
Also see The Ice Retreat by Ruth Kelly or Helle & Death by Oskar Jensen.
Constable
Print/Kindle/iBook
£2.99
CFL Rating: 4 Stars
