The House Guest    by Hank Phillippi Ryan Order:  USA  Can Forge, 2023 (2023) Hardcover, e-Book     Reviewed by Hilary Williamson After eight years of marriage, Alyssa Macallan's wealthy, powerful husband Bill has subtracted her from his life, with 'a lift of his chin and a slam of the front door and a squeal of Mercedes tires.' He's taken every single friend with him. Reassessing her life in a bar in Weston, Massachusetts, Alyssa starts chatting with Bree, whose troubles seem even worse than her own. Alyssa is uncomfortable alone in her sixty-five hundred square foot mansion. Bill had signed a legal agreement to stay away, but there are often signs that someone else has been inside. Wanting company, and to help Bree, Alyssa asks her to stay in the guest house. Bree checks an ancestry site for DNA matches and finds a possible brother listed. They seek him out, learn from Dez Russo that he has died and that Bree inherits a huge estate. Is this real or might it be a scam? It certainly distracts Alyssa from her own problems and Bill's petty harassment - that is, until the FBI show up at her door. Layers of complication and confusion follow. No-one and nothing is what it seems in The House Guest, but Alyssa does eventually find out what's going on, as she also finds her way to a better life. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews