JP Pomare is making a name for himself as a writer of twisty, psychological crime thrillers that focus on complex domestic situations threaded through with sinister or malevolent subtext. His latest novel The Last Guests (Hachette 2021) is Pomare at the top of his game, and makes for perfect holiday reading, especially given the setting involves an Airbnb.
There is something already unsettling about renting out your house to strangers … or staying in a domicile frequented by others but not monitored like a hotel. The idea that someone might install cameras into such a dwelling has long been a fear of both homeowners and renters alike … and The Last Guests brings this fear dramatically into focus.
Lina and Cain are struggling financially, especially since Cain was injured in active service, and their dream to start a family remains frustratingly out of reach. The idea to rent out Lina’s inherited holiday lake house to tourists for weekends seems like a solution to at least their monetary problems and Cain throws himself into the role of renovator with a renewed passion and increased self-esteem. But both Lina and Cain have secrets … and when it appears someone is watching their most intimate moments, each is frightened of what else might be revealed.
This is a page-turning, electrifying read that will keep you up at night wondering about unreliable narrators, the motivations of suspects and the innocence of victims. It is truly tense – the dialogue is authentic and natural, and the action pulls you forward with an increasingly ramped up series of frightening, violent or unsettling events. As with all of Pomare’s books, as a reader you are constantly asking ‘what would I do in such a situation?’ And as with all good crime novels, you will be kept guessing at the twists and turns until the final page.
This book also asks (but doesn’t necessarily answer) a lot of interesting questions about cybercrime, cybersecurity, privacy, consent and the black hole of the dark web.