The Guest List [Paperback]

Fern Michaels (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2000

Abby Michaels is delighted by her life - her first book is being published, surgery removes a scarring birthmark, she has found a new man, and she has been reunited with her sister - but dark secrets from the past and an unknown enemy could destroy her happiness.

--This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The latest by Michaels (Celebration) is an eventful tale of sisterly love and simmering obsession. When their parents die suddenly under mysterious circumstances, five-year-old Abby Evans and her six-year-old sister, Mallory, are adopted by their dad's friend Donovan Mitchell and his new wife. Troubled Mallory is sent off to an institution and banished from the now-prosperous Mitchell family for more than a decade. Still missing her sister, Abby suffers yet another loss when her boyfriend, Connor, dies suddenly. The sisters are finally reunited in their early 20s, and Abby's life seems complete once again, with a wonderful new man, an opulent house and an instantly successful writing career. Trouble soon arises, however, when Mallory becomes convinced that their parents, along with Connor and several others, were actually murderedAand that Donovan Mitchell is the culprit. Abby bases her newest novel on that idea, and the two young women hunt for the clues they hope will roound out the story and clarify their complex past. The evidence is inconclusive until Abby and Mallory throw a lavish book-completion party, at which a violent encounter leads to the truth. Although the plotting is marred by coincidences, Michaels has crafted a smoothly written, dramatic tale full of incident and emotion. (Aug.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Born with a port wine stain that obscures half her face, Abby Mitchell is dogged by tragedy: her parents die, she is separated from her only sister, a surgical procedure to help her face fails, and her boyfriend croaks. Through all of this horror, she behaves like a saint and is eventually reunited with her sister, the so-called "bad seed." As it turns out, Mallory isn't all that bad, but she does have some disturbing revelations concerning the deaths that follow Abby around. When the sisters throw a fancy party to lure a murderer into the open, they get more than they bargained for. While some of the plot elements in this story are laughable (such as the repeated lack of autopsies on people dying under questionable circumstances) and the whining narration by Jen Taylor irritating, it's difficult to stop listening until the absolute end. Michaels's (Yesterday) message is that happiness often comes with a high price and everything does not always turn out well...something seldom seen in romances. A marginal purchase. Barbara Perkins, Irving P.L., TX
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Zebra (August 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0821766570
• ISBN-13: 978-0821766576
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,858,741 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Fern Michaels is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Fool Me Once, Sweet Revenge, The Nosy Neighbor, Pretty Woman, and dozens of other novels and novellas. There are over seventy million copies of her books in print. Fern Michaels has built and funded several large day-care centers in her hometown, and is a passionate animal lover who has outfitted police dogs across the country with special bulletproof vests. She shares her home in South Carolina with her four dogs and a resident ghost named Mary Margaret.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow....Good Story Good Plot, August 7, 2000

By 

K. Lininger (FOUNTAIN VALLEY, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Guest List (Paperback)

This is a story about Abby. Abby was born with a horrible birthmark on the side of her face. Her dead mother couldn't stand the sight of her and turned her only sister against her. As Abby grows up she is able to overcome her deformity and begins a wonderful career as a writer. Reunited with her sister after many years and developing a romantic relationship after her previous finance dies her life is looking good. But....there's someone out there that doesn't want Abby to be happy.. That person will stop at nothing to get their way. This story has the right amount of suspense to keep you reading. Even though it becomes plainly obvious who the bad person is you want to read how the person is put down...

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mesmerizing storyline, August 18, 2000

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Guest List (Paperback)

When Abby Evans Mitchell and Mallory Evans were little children, her father informed their mother that he was leaving her. Before he could leave, his wife apparently died from a heart attack. Feeling distraught, he killed himself from the guilt of "killing" his wife. His best friend "Uncle" Donovan marries his girl friend Carol and they adopt the two-orphaned stepsisters. They move from New Jersey to Charleston. However, Mallory fails to adapt, behaving very poorly. Based on Carol's insistence, Donovan exiles Mallory to a cold institution.

Years later Abby falls in love in college to a young man who ignores the port wine colored facial birthmark that mars her visage and returns her feelings. Carol rejects Abby's boy friend, who suddenly dies from a heart attack. Abby graduates and begins a career as a mystery writer. She and Mallory reconcile and share her home. However, other people die and Mallory tells Abby that she thinks Donovan killed their parents. As they work together on Abby's new book based on their parents' deaths, someone tries to kill both of them.

THE GUEST LIST is an exciting relationship drama with a deadly mystery at its core. The story line is fast-paced and the characters are fully developed so that the identity of the killer remains in plain sight yet difficult to see past the mask that hides the psychopathic behavior. Fern Michaels, author of bestsellers such as FINDERS KEEPERS and YESTERDAY, has written another triumphant tale that will exhilarate fans of romantic suspense.

Harriet Klausner

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Quick read - but not her best, September 8, 2000

By 

M Curran (Ambler, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Guest List (Paperback)

I can only think that this was a book that Fern Michaels wrote but couldn't get published and now that she's successful they decided to release it in paperback. The story on the book jacket sounds better than the actual story. In fact, the book jacket description isn't even accurate. The main character is appealing and sympathetic which kept me reading. It was a nice easy read, something of a page turner--great for waiting in line or for soccer practice to be over.

However, if you are looking for a mystery that is going to keep you in suspense--forget about it!! I had the ending pegged a third of the way through. You're only reading to confirm what you already know. Fern Michaels can do much better.