This is told from different characters views which gives it depth and a readability factor. By this I mean I couldn’t stop reading it. Read in one day and enjoyed it immensely. A solid 4 stars. A great book for the beach.

In “The Fifth Guest”, Jenny Knight weaves a suspenseful narrative that unfolds during a dinner party among old friends. Set in a beautiful house by the river in Barnes, the story revolves around five university friends who reunite on the eve of their flatmate Henry’s memorial. As the evening progresses, dark secrets emerge, and the guests’ hidden pasts come to light. The five friends—Caro, Lily, George, Travis, and Elle—have barely seen each other since their Oxford days. Their student flatmate, Henry Bellinger, died mysteriously on the eve of the Boat Race, leaving them estranged for years. Now, they gather to reminisce over good claret and excellent food. However, the menu includes more than just culinary delights. Over three decadent courses, each guest reveals something they’ve never shared before about the night Henry died. It turns out they are all guilty of something, and one of them might be guilty of murder.The tension builds as facts about their time at university surface. “The Fifth Guest” is a deliciously dark tale of jealousy, betrayal and revenge.

A good read
Five friends
Dark secrets and plenty of twists
Who is the murderer
Thanks NetGalley

A very twisty story about friends meeting up, reminiscing about old times, murder and mayhem. A good physiological story which kept me guessing. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

There's nothing I love more than a '10 years later' thriller as I like to call them. Even better when the past is set at a school. However, this one didn't have me as gripped as they usually do, and it feels like it went on a but, as well having a confusing amount of different character povs. I still enjoyed, just not as much as I had hoped.

The Fifth Guest gathers together five old uni friends together years later on the occasion of a memorial to the sixth of their group, who died back in the old days. And, of course, they all have secrets that they would rather stay in the past, but ‘troublemaker’ Elle has other ideas…

The story is told in alternating chapters from the different friends points of view, and also alternating between the present-day dinner party and flashbacks to events of the past. And the author manages to pack a lot of plot into the pages, with bad decisions and back-stabbing betrayals, strong women and weak men, secrets and lies, bad childhoods and blighted adulthoods.

There are some triggering issues raised, including but not limited to, drug-taking, sexual assault and physical assault, so this isn’t a light, easy read by any means, but the story is pacy and the writing is tight, resulting in a good twisty read that kept me guessing.

While all of the characters start out quite unlikable, some of them continue to get worse the more you uncover, but some grew more sympathetic the better you understood them (I ended up rooting for two in particular to get some form of successful closure – no real happy endings in this dysfunctional group!).

I’d recommend this book to anyone looking for a compelling psychological thriller that will keep you turning the pages to know what happened ‘then’ and what will happen next.

This is a amazing twisty read kept me guessing until the end I just couldn't put it down it kept me up way past my bed time

A party where no one seems to want to be…….what could go wrong!!

Caro is having a dinner party and invites her old university friends but does anyone really want to be there. It is the night before a memorial for one of their old friends who died whilst they were at University and tensions are running high.

Each of the guests has their own secrets but will they share them with their old friends and what will be the consequences.

The story is told via the present and the past, where we slowly learn some of the secrets from the past. I found myself changing my opinion on each of the friends throughout the book, which definitely had me thinking. Who is hiding what and how has it affected them in their lives now. A great twisty thriller with plenty of twists.

A look into five university students and their messy lives! A well executed plot with a duel timeline the story build up suspense which keeps you hooked.

I was interested to read this as the blub sounded quite interesting. A group of old university friends get together twenty years later for a memorial get together for their friend Henry. The book was well written. The plot builds up and you get to know the characters and their lives before and after Uni.

However I didn't care much for any of the stuck up overbearing characters and couldn't care what happened to them in the end as they were not at all likeable but was keen to read on.

3-3.5 stars and I would be keen to see what kind of book comes next from this author. The style reminded me a little of Ruth Ware.

Thanks to Netgalley and HQ for the opportunity to read and review the Fifth Guest.

Jenny Knight is a new author for me, but I guarantee this will not be the last book of hers I read. This has been everything I hoped it would be and more.

We see a reunion go sour with this one. Caro invites old friends to dinner, the night before a memorial. An unexpected guest makes this unravel.

Knight writes in a way that you can’t help but become completely obsessed with this one. The characters are an interesting bunch and I still can’t decide if I’ve loved or hated them.

This is character driven and completely unique. In some areas, I found parts a little slower than I usually prefer- but these moments were helpful in understanding the events and characters.

This has definitely been an enjoyable read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

🌟🌟🌟🌟

"The Fifth Guest" by Jenny Knight is a gripping mystery filled with suspense and unexpected twists. The characters are intriguing, and the plot keeps readers guessing. A thrilling and engrossing read.

This is fabulous - I love love love a story of uni mates reconnecting after a few years apart and seeing where the cracks have come in.

And when they're as well written as The Fifth Guest, its an absolute pleasure to read (and almost impossible to put down). The gang all met at Oxford uni, all keen to prove themselves either to their families, friends or themselves, There are drunken tales of boating crew exploits, glamorous parties, and quieter moments too, and all of these moments are so brilliantly brought to life.

The story is told in two timelines, their Oxford years and meeting up again now. When the housemates reconvene for a memorial, some of the old hurts and dislikes surface, as well as some of the ongoing flirtations and lingering looks. As an onlooker, it is almost painful to read and see the pain that is still just under the surface...

I loved the story, the characters, the setting, everything.

A complicated tale of old university friends meeting in the eve of a memorial. Lots of twists and multiple character points of view lead to a satisfying denouement. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

So good! So good! I literally could not put this book down. I was absolutely dying to get the end to see who did what to who and who was going to do what to who now. I love the way it flips back to the college days to the current day. The fifth guest brings an unbelievable level of tension and terror to the dinner party. It is just such a fab read. I devoured it!!!! Highly recommend!!!

A fabulous read that is written very well using multiple points of view in both the past and present tense. This style of writing adds an extra dimension to the story and really enhances the suspense. An excellent plot with some great characters who obviously are going to have their darkest secrets revealed!

Written in different timelines, this was one of those, “can’t put down” books. Well written and full of twists and turns with a great ending. Highly recommended

A perfect beach read that has layers of mystery and tons of red herrings you won’t know what to think until the very end.

Clever, sharp and darker than I was expected.

I know this book suffers from having a similar premise as many on the market BUT this was seamless,. I would read this next if you love a mystery that is clever enough to escape predictability.

The Fifth Guest was unexpectedly brilliant and thrilling! I couldn't flip through the pages fast enough, and the ending didn’t disappoint. Despite being written in dual timelines (then and now), the narrative never gets confusing, with all parts seamlessly interconnected. The book held me in its grip, providing an utterly captivating experience. The suspense was palpable and the story remained engrossing throughout, making it a highly recommended read.