Hank Phillippi Ryan's finely calibrated psychological thrillers often focus on women in dire straits, feeling alone at their weakest point and not yet knowing their inner strength. That certainly describes Alyssa Macallen, the appealing, lost heroine of The House Guest, Ryan's 14th novel. Alyssa thought her eight-year marriage to uber-wealthy Bill, "a big-deal charity fundraiser," was happy. Their life consisted of galas, high-end restaurants, luxury shopping, a mansion in Weston, Mass., and other houses scattered around the world--until Bill left her without warning or any obvious reason. The lifestyle is gone, and so are Alyssa's so-called friends, every one of whom took Bill's side. Feeling like a nobody, Alyssa visits a hotel bar she knows none of her country-club crowd would set foot in and meets Bree Lorrance, whose problems seem worse. The women begin a friendship. Alyssa, wanting to feel useful and needed, invites Bree to stay in her guest house. Alyssa soon finds her life even more out of control when an FBI agent shows up, claiming that Bill has been committing fraud, Alyssa is being followed and her life is in danger.
Ryan (Truth Be Told; The Wrong Girl) imbues the novel, which careens from multiple twists, with high suspense. Alyssa wonders just how well she knew Bill while believing her new friendship with Bree is strong. Alyssa at first seems naïve, but she begins to trust her own instincts, coming to realize she can have a better life without Bill. Ryan's engrossing The House Guest is a most welcome visitor. --Oline H. Cogdill, freelance reviewer