Sadly I really didn't get on with this. The tone didn't work for me, and the sort of narrative asides to the reader kept throwing me out of the book. I also didn't like most of the characters! The concept is pretty good, and I think it was decently enough done, it just didn't work for me.

Ten strangers wake up locked inside an old house with no recollection of how they got there. To escape, they must solve the disappearance of a young woman in the next 12 hours. And that’s not all. Someone wants them dead and soon they are picking them off one by one…

Dark, mysterious, funny and heart-poundingly tense, The Other People is a captivating locked-room murder mystery filled with comedy. C. B. Everett showcases himself as an author to watch with this sensational debut. It jumps straight into the action and then barely pauses to catch a breath, keeping me guessing as I read on tenterhooks. Masterfully written, fast-paced, cleverly plotted, complex and intricately interwoven, Everett had me in his thrall from the first page, totally pulling me in and making me fall for his red herrings. I loved how it addresses the reader throughout, making me feel part of the story and pulling me in so deep that I felt as trapped as one of the characters and unable to leave until all my questions had been answered.

The story is narrated by a large cast of compelling, flawed and unreliable characters, giving the reader a glimpse inside their minds but leaving us unsure who or what we can trust. While all of them are well written, I have to say that, for me, it was the Beast in the Cellar who stole the show. Witty, sarcastic and candid, this cryptic character talks to the reader, taking us through the mystery, mocking familiar thriller tropes, philosophising, and warning us to be careful who and what we trust. I lived for their scenes and often found myself laughing out loud during them.

Another thing I loved about this book is how unashamedly it is itself. It is proud of being a murder mystery and Everett reveled in using the familiar murder mystery tropes. I also liked how he explored some of the deeper questions surrounding the genre, such as whether or not we mourn unlikeable victims, and how we want more than ‘just a killer’, preferring someone with motives and inner turmoil to someone who simply wants to kill.

Darkly funny, claustrophobic and suspenseful, this is a first-class thriller that is not to be missed.

The book is suspenseful, dark and atmospheric. The writing perfectly captured the vibe of the book. So there are ten strangers. One of them has bad dreams, delusions, and phobia. While they have no memory how they got inside the old house. Their world turns upside down when the unthinkable begins to happen, a young woman disappears, and gruesome murder happens. Expect the unexpected, atmospheric twists, and devilishly mystery.

Thanks to the Publisher.

A group of strangers wake up at a country house with no memory how they got there. To escape they must solve the disappearance of a young woman. However there is a killer also in the home. Why were these people chosen and can the other people be trusted?

I liked the concept of this book, especially with the description Agatha Christie meets Shutter Island. However I found that I wasn’t that enamoured with the start as it seemed a bit confusing due to the amount of characters introduced in the first person and took some time for the dialogue to start. It then remains difficult to keep the characters in check and they also felt slightly flat. I didn’t really feel invested in the story most of the way through and it felt slow, however the twist at the end was pretty good and made my rating a bit higher. Even though this wasn’t fully for me I appreciate what the author was trying to do and it was certainly a bit different to the usual locked room mystery. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

Ten strangers, an old creepy mansion, secret passageways and a race against time to save the life of a young woman - this book had me hooked from the start with it's modern take on classic murder mystery tropes. I don't want to go into too much detail about the plot because this is a book that you need to go into blind to get the full impact, but I will say that I did not see that end coming and I read a LOT of mysteries and crime thrillers.

The Other People is an incredible cross-genre story with a locked-room mystery at it's heart. It was like a mix of an Agatha Christie novel and the Saw films but with the brilliant added extra of the narrator breaking the fourth wall which is a style I personally love. In this case, the narrator not only talks to the reader, but also helps to explain the story with recaps and breakdowns of various tropes, it's really very clever.

The story had a darkness to it and some gruesome murders but this was mixed perfectly with some really funny moments - I mean, a beast in the cellar who says things like 'Lordy do!' is always going to be a winner! My only gripe with the book is that one of the characters comes from Kettering which is mentioned several times - if you've seen the James Acaster 'Kettering Town FC' sketch then you'll understand what I had to do every time I saw this word - it added about two hours onto my reading time! All joking aside, this was a 5 star read containing all of my favourite elements of mystery and horror stories, the writing was compelling and I love the fact that it brought something completely different to the table.

Strangers in a house keep dying one by one, murdered by an unknown person.

I wanted to like this one so much based on the description! It sounded right up my alley. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy the writing style at all. The characters were ok... But like just ok. I didn't really care about anyone's fate. The reveal seems to be the main crux of this book, but it comes so late that the rest of it was just not enjoyable before then.

This book had me absolutely enthralled!

Locked in a mansion and with only 12 hours to find a missing girl, the tension is immediate and gripping. As the characters attempt to piece together the clues, people start dying—one by one. With a killer clearly among them, the people realise they must trust no one, question everything, and try to stay alive long enough to figure it all out.

This book had me absolutely hooked from the first page. And the big question lingered the whole time: who will survive, and what about the missing girl?

This is a must-tead for psychological thriller fans - it will keep you guessing until the end.

Thank you to NetGalley, C.B. Everett, and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read this as an ARC.

WOW! Just WOW!

Oh how I love a locked room mystery. With a twist. With a twist that I didn’t see coming.( if you know me you know twists very very rarely get me) it would be 5 stars just for that alone, but it actually deserves the 5 stars for so much more. The writing is absolutely fantastic. There is a great mix of characters, and the story really drags you in, I couldn’t put this book down!

This had such a fantastic premise and offers a new spin on the locked-room mystery set-up. It is compulsive reading with an explosive final third.

What on earth did I just read! WOW! My mind is BLOWN!

I can't be the only avid reader who craves something completely different and unexpected in my psychological thriller reads? If that's you, here's your next read! A locked room mystery but with one hell of a jaw dropping twist - and even better, you don't get it until the very end, so You. Just. Can't. Stop. Reading!

I was gripped by the writing and so immersed in this weird situation, with absolutely NO CLUE about what or why, I was totally mesmerised.

10 strangers wake in a huge mansion with no idea how they got there. They are given 12 hours to find a missing girl, but as they start searching for clues, they are gradually being picked off and murdered. They can't trust each other because one of them is a killer. Who's next and who will be the one left standing? And what about the missing girl?

The 10 characters were a real mix; Kyle, a uni student, glamorous businesswoman Diana Landor, aggressive ex-cop Len, single mum Cerys and the rest of them, who you will get to know when you read the book. Some likeable, some absolutely vile and lots of in-betweens.

A really brilliant read!

5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley C.B. Everett and Simon and Schuster for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I really did not enjoy this. I found it very confusing and depressing. The characters are very mixed and not at all likeable. It is also claustrophobic in the extreme, so anyone who suffers from that please be aware.
It was not for me, sorry.

I couldn’t put this book down! This is an Agatha Christie fan’s dream. I will admit it does take time to get into but I think that’s because there are so many characters to remember. I would say it’s a fast pace book which makes it hard to put down because you just want to know what’s happened. It is dark, twisty and slightly gruesome book was such a great read

***advance review copy received from NetGalley in return for an honest review***
This is a murder mystery unlike any you’ve read before.
When I started reading this, I wasn’t taken by the first few pages - something about the style, or the way I wasn’t sure of the genre of the book - but I’m so glad I persevered anyway because this is an excellent book and a fantastic read that I’ll be thinking about for a good while.
A definite recommend to anyone who enjoys a murder mystery but is looking for something to turn the genre on its head.

The Other People was a quick read, and was intriguing I liked the whole premise but could not get behind the way it was narrated, it wasn't for me.
I did enjoy all the chaos and the ending and twist too was great.

This was a ride! I really liked the setting and Everett's descriptions were very cinematic. The twist was very unexpected!

There is much to enjoy and appreciate about "The Other People". The multi-POV works well and Everett offers some distinctive storytelling ploys to set the apart from the majority of similar genre pieces. The best ploy Everett uses is the fourth-wall breaking narrator who appears frequently to both explain and develop the story.

Unfortunately, some of Everett's attempts don't always come together to make the whole greater than the sum of its parts. The murders, and mystery and engaging but the ending is likely to divide opinion. For me, it was too similar to a film from the early 2000's and felt obvious, some will find the twist compelling and mind-blowing.

So, "The Other People" is an enjoyable read but one that is likely to lead to mixed opinions.

Prepare for a grisly, psychological countdown in this locked house thriller with a twist you won’t see coming. In true ‘And Then There Were None’ fashion, it follows ten strangers being picked off one by one. Can you solve the mystery before the characters do?

When the central group wakes up in an old gothic mansion with no idea how they came to be there, they are tasked with locating a missing girl, trapped somewhere on the premises. But when bodies start to pile up and time begins to tick down, the guests begin to suspect each other. The killer could be any of them.

I’m a sucker for a plot like this. It’s told in short chapters and multiple POVs, with pauses for regular interludes from the ‘Beast in the Cellar’ (the most interesting POV, in my opinion). The story centres on the characters, keeps you guessing and nods to all its tropes and genres, bending expectations in lots of clever ways. It’s also full of creepy ideas, like portraits that turn grim when their subjects die and a terrifying child who plays with an eyeball. I did guess the killer, but not the twist, which was an interesting experience as a reader!

That being said, it’s incredibly gloomy. This is the opposite of a cosy murder mystery. It’s dark, depressing, often abrasive and full of harsh and violent opinions (please check the triggers - there are MANY). You step inside the minds of a wide variety of people, but not one of the characters feels hopeful, likeable or good, and there’s a lot of discussion of meaninglessness. At times, I found the pacing slow and the exclamations, prejudices and dialogue repetitive, but I did keep reading until the end and I appreciate the skill of the overall concept.

Moreover, if you have an interest in psychology and gothic literature, and don’t mind exploring the darkest sides of the human mind, you‘ll likely enjoy this.

This is a gripping thriller that keeps readers on the edge of their seats from start to finish
The plot is filled with unexpected twists and turns, making it impossible to predict what will happen next.
The writing is both engaging and suspenseful, with well-developed characters that add depth to the narrative.
The pacing of the novel is perfect, with just the right amount of tension to keep readers hooked without feeling overwhelmed.
Highly recommended!

Imagine you wake up in an unfamiliar room with no idea where you are or how you got there. Venturing through the door you discover that you’re locked inside an old country house with nine strangers, none of whom know what’s going on either. Once you’re all gathered in one room, a woman enters and introduces herself as Amanda. She explains that a girl has been abducted and is imprisoned somewhere within the house. Twelve hours from now her oxygen will run out and she’ll die; if you can find her, you’ll save her life and will also find the way out of the house. Amanda has barely finished speaking when she is shot dead. Unless you want to be next, it seems you have no choice but to find the missing girl as soon as possible.

This is what happens to student Kyle Tanner, executive Diana Landor, retired policeman Len Melville, mother and baby Cerys and Monica Herbert, military man Captain Saint, warehouse clerk Sylvia Moult, thief Iain Wardle-Roberts, stripper Ramona O’Rourke and child molester Desmond Blaine. As these ten people begin to search the house for the hidden prisoner, they start to get killed off one by one. Is the murderer one of the ten – or are there other people in the house as well?

This book is being compared to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None – and there are some obvious similarities – but it reminded me more of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton. Like the Turton novel, this one requires the reader to accept an unlikely scenario that feels contrived and implausible, which is something some readers will be happy to do and some won’t. In this case, it does all make perfect sense by the end of the book, but in the meantime you have to be prepared to be patient and just go along with the plot.

The novel is narrated by all ten characters (well, nine – baby Monica only gets a few sentences), with the perspective switching rapidly between them throughout the book. We hardly get to know some of them before they are killed, but the ones who survive further into the book become more developed as characters. None of them are very pleasant people, though, and I can’t say that I really enjoyed being inside any of their minds – particularly not Desmond’s! There’s also another narrator, one who’s known only as The Beast in the Cellar, who interrupts the story now and then to speak directly to the reader, make observations and, I suppose, provide some humour. I found these chapters fun at first, but they quickly started to irritate me.

I was expecting a stronger murder mystery element to the book, so I was surprised to find that the characters don’t actually seem to have much interest in looking for the abducted girl and just wander around the house arguing with each other and wasting time. It’s not really the sort of book that has clues and red herrings and where you can try to work out who the murderer is. The real mystery is the one surrounding the house itself, why the characters have been brought there and why those ten in particular have been chosen. I came up with lots of theories while I was reading, but didn’t come close to the correct answer.

This is definitely a book that needs to be read right to the end to be fully appreciated, then. It was only when the truth was revealed that I understood some of the things that had confused or annoyed me earlier on. It would be interesting to read it again from the beginning, with the knowledge of how it ends, but I’m not going to do that as I have far too many other books waiting to be read! It’s a fascinating book, though, even if it didn’t entirely work for me.

this one was SO fun!! inspired by agatha christie’s novels, lots of different people - of all ages, races, backgrounds etc wake up to find themselves in a house with no way out. After a mysterious woman arrives, and is then immediately killed, they are against the clock to try and solve a murder mystery case before they all follow suit and get murdered…. ⠀
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the plot was very clever, and whilst i guessed the ending it was still fun to see it all play out, especially with added twisty details that i didn’t see coming. ⠀
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would recommend for all my other fellow thriller fanatics out there! 🍂