The House Guests: A Novel

by Emilie Richards

Overview

"A compelling page-turner one won't want to put down.”—New York Journal of Books

Two women. Two families. Two lifetimes' worth of secrets.

In the wake of her husband’s sudden death, Cassie Costas finds her relationship with her teenage stepdaughter unraveling. After their move to historic Tarpon Springs, Florida, Savannah hates her new town, her school and most of all her stepmom, whom she blames for her father’s death. Cassie has enough to contend with as she searches for answers about the man she shared a life with, including why all their savings have disappeared.

When Savannah’s rebellion culminates in an act that leaves single mother Amber Blair and her sixteen-year-old son homeless, Cassie empathizes with the woman’s predicament and invites the strangers to move in. As their lives intertwine, Cassie realizes that Amber is hiding something. She’s evasive about her past, but the fear in her eyes tells a darker story. Cassie wonders what the woman living under her roof is running from…and what will happen if it finally catches up to her.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780778331865
Publisher:	MIRA Books
Publication date:	06/29/2021
Edition description:	Original
Pages:	544
Sales rank:	483,745
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 7.80(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

USA TODAY bestselling author Emilie Richards has written more than seventy novels. She has appeared on national television and been quoted in Reader’s Digest, right between Oprah and Thomas Jefferson. Born in Bethesda, Maryland, and raised in St. Petersburg, Florida, Richards has been married for more than forty years to her college sweetheart. She splits her time between Florida and Western New York, where she is currently plotting her next novel.

Editorial Reviews

04/12/2021

In this serpentine thriller from Richards (the Ministry Is Murder series), Cassie Costas moves from Manhattan to Tarpon Springs, Fla., her hometown, with her 15-year-old stepdaughter, Savannah Westmore, after her husband’s death. Savannah detests the place and manifests her unhappiness by making friends with the wrong crowd. When the girl finds a handmade purse containing $800 in a parking lot, she lets her friends persuade her that the money should be spent on a party to be held at her house while Cassie is out of town. On returning to her now trashed home, Cassie discovers the distinctive purse among the rubble and determines its true owner: Amber Blair, the single mother of a 16-year-old son. As a result of losing the money, the pair have been evicted from their humble apartment. Deciding to right Savannah’s wrong, Cassie invites them to live with her until Amber can get on her feet. Both women are hiding dangerous secrets that will alter their lives. The carefully constructed entwining of Cassie and Amber’s stories offers some genuine surprises. This is pure soap opera of the best sort. Agent: Steven J. Axelrod, Axelrod Agency. (June)

Publishers Weekly

This engrossing and suspenseful novel encompasses the trials of two different families who come together, demonstrating the meaning of family is not just determined by blood ties… This is a compelling page-turner one won't want to put down.”—New York Journal of Books

"Fans of suspenseful domestic drama will love Richards’s tale of secrets, lies, and the ties that bind people."—Library Journal, starred review

“The carefully constructed entwining of Cassie and Amber’s stories offers some genuine surprises. This is pure soap opera of the best sort.”—Publishers Weekly


"Cleverly plotted with appealing characters...highly readable."—Booklist


"I love settling down with a book by Emilie Richards, knowing I can turn myself over to her for a story that's both infinitely readable and emotionally deep. In A Family of Strangers, Emilie seamlessly mixes intrigue, romance and emotional drama as she puts family ties to the test with a protagonist you won't soon forget. You'll root for Ryan Gracey to do the right thing, even as you struggle along with her to determine what that right thing might be. A page-turner to the end!"—Diane Chamberlain, New York Times bestselling author of The Dream Daughter

"A Family of Strangers is an absolutely riveting, thrilling read. I could not put it down. The suspense starts with the first line and does not let up until the last sentence. Emilie Richards writes electrifying family drama. There are deep emotions and startling secrets on every page. This one will keep you up all night."—Jayne Ann Krentz, New York Times bestselling author

"Richards deftly shifts from women's fiction into domestic suspense, but she doesn't sacrifice the emotional acuity that her fans expect. Ryan's relationships are at the heart of the story, and the few shocking reveals are sensitively handled and presented as part of the difficult process of coming to terms with longstanding family secrets. Readers of relationship-focused domestic-suspense authors such as Lisa Jewell will enjoy Richards' pivot into the genre."—Booklist on A Family of Strangers

"I emerged at the last page as a better and more thoughtful person."—Catherine Anderson, New York Times bestselling author, on When We Were Sisters

"Emilie Richards is at the top of her game in this richly rewarding tale of love and family and the ties that bind us all. One Mountain Away is everything I want in a novel and more. A must-buy!"—Barbara Bretton, New York Times bestselling author

"Richards creates a heart-wrenching atmosphere that slowly builds to the final pages, and continues to echo after the book is finished."—Publishers Weekly on One Mountain Away

"Emotional, suspenseful drama."—Library Journal on No River Too Wide

"Portraying the uncomfortable subject of domestic abuse with unflinching thoroughness and tender understanding...[No River Too Wide] offers important insights into a far too prevalent social problem."—Booklist

"A juicy, sprawling beach read with a suspenseful twist."—Publishers Weekly on Fortunate Harbor

"A multi-layered plot, vivid descriptions and a keen sense of place and time."—Library Journal on Rising Tides

From the Publisher