Note: Thank you to NetGalley, Storm Publishing, and author Sally Rigby for the advanced reader copy of this book. This review will also be posted on NetGalley. What follows is my unbiased review of the book.

The Silent Guest is a stand-alone book and not part of any of the series I’ve been reading by Sally Rigby. I have to say that I was impressed by it, even though I’m not usually one to go for women’s drama. I think if you like Frieda McFadden, then you’ll like The Silent Guest. I kept thinking that while I was reading.

Vivienne Campbell hires Amelia to house-sit and care for her beloved Labradooodle, Willow, for one weekend while she visits relatives up north with her daughter, Lola. Vivienne’s husband, Miles, is an Army pilot and is frequently out of town on secret missions. Amelia was recommended to them by a friend of Miles’, so Vivienne trusts her completely. However, Amelia is not all that she seems.

I didn’t know why Amelia wanted revenge on Vivienne, and didn’t find out until close to the end of the book. Instead, I followed along as Amelia psychologically tortured Vivienne until Vivienne thought she was experiencing early-onset dementia. It was hard to believe that it was that easy for Amelia to do this, but the deception is turned back on Amelia when Vivienne uses a nanny-cam to record what’s happening in her house while she’s out. From there on it’s a case of one of them trying to outdo the other.

The Silent Guest is a decent psychological thriller. I definitely felt like it was in the Freida McFadden vein, as I figured out a lot of the plot early on, while I think some people would see it as a great twist. That was my experience when cajoled into reading a popular McFadden book. Rigby’s style here is also a bit different than what I’m used to reading from her. She really gets into the heads of her characters by having that narrative split between Vivienne and Amelia. In other books, I’ve said she does more telling than showing with the characters. I’m happy to say that in The Silent Guest, it was definitely more show than tell.

My complaints with the book are that both women seem to be living lives that feel entirely fake. Vivienne might be a little obsessive-compulsive with her home, but she’s a wealthy woman with a gorgeous husband who is also a great father, even if he is gone too much. There were red flags all over the place with how she described her home life with Miles, yet she never saw them. Her life seems perfect until she hires the house-sitter. Amelia seems incredibly happy with her partner, even if she hasn’t had as good a life as Vivienne. It reads like something out of a fairy tale at times, with two women who hate each other for no apparent reason.

I think if you like drama with strong female lead characters, you’ll enjoy The Silent Guest. It’s a good thriller with some interesting twists. I prefer Rigby’s murder mysteries, but it’s just that this style isn’t usually what I gravitate towards. I gave it 3 stars, but if you enjoy those types of books, you can add one to that.