The Perfect Hosts by Heather Gudenkauf

 

My thoughts

I always enjoy this author's books. She has never let me down. 

The Perfect Hosts is another great one. Edge of your seat last few chapters and guessing all the way through.

This book is about a gender reveal party. A party for the rich, ultra rich, couple who are having a baby. Everyone is there. Even some that were not invited. The couple are Wes and Madeline Drake. It's also about a horrible thing that happened thirty or so years prior. When a teen girl went missing and her brother was beaten almost to death. So in a way it's two stories in one with the main focus being on the gender reveal...

Madeline and Wes have been married eleven years. They seem like the ideal couple... Until they don't. A lot of secrets come out. A few people show up after the explosion that have big surprises for the Drakes. One being Madeline's step sister Lucy. The other is a young women Mellie, who was hurt at the gender reveal explosion. She was a waitress at the event. She has secrets and intends to have what she wants no matter what. 

You get a sense of all the characters and why they do what they do. You pretty much know them pretty well by the end. At first I didn't much like Lucy but did understand why she might be angry at her sister. Until I found out what she was really intended. Then I kind of thought she was a great sister. 

This book is literally explosive. It holds your interest. It keeps you wanting more. To know who did what and why. 

There is spousal abuse in this one so be warned.

Another well written page turner from one of my favorite authors. 

Thank you @harlequintradepublishing & @harlequinaudio for this book.

4.75 stars 

About

A couple’s gender reveal party turns deadly and everyone is a suspect in this gripping thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of The Overnight Guest.

Is it a boy or a girl? They would die to know…

Madeline and Wes Drake have invited two hundred of their closest friends and family to their sprawling horse ranch for the most anticipated event of the year: a “pistols and pearls” gender reveal party so sensational it is sure to make headlines. But the party descends into chaos when the celebratory explosive misfires, leaving one woman dead and a trail of secrets.

As the aftershocks of the bloody party ripple across the small town, Agent Jamie Saldano is brought on the scene to investigate. Battling his own demons from the past, Saldano unearths a web of deceit spun around the Drakes. The appearance of some unexpected houseguests only deepens the mystery. And as tensions mount, it becomes clear that the explosion wasn’t just an unlucky accident. But who was the target, and why? As the shadow of a killer looms, the happy parents-to-be must unravel the truth before it’s too late.