Features The Big Thrill Recommends: THE GUEST HOUSE by Bonnie Traymore

The Big Thrill Recommends: THE GUEST HOUSE by Bonnie Traymore

Recommended by GA Rivers

THE GUEST HOUSE is Bonnie Traymore’s second psychological thriller in the Silicon Valley series.

Allie’s arrival to Silicon Valley is not quite what she’d expected. Shortly after moving into a tiny guest house complete with an overly friendly landlord, she wakes in the night to observe him dragging a large duffle bag across the lawn. While he blames the incident on the death of his dog, Allie remains wary. As a young female entrepreneur, Allie’s got her hands full trying to start a new company and garner another round of venture capital (VC) funding. As a deaf person with a cochlear implant, her mission of bringing an affordable voice translation and caption device to market is wholly personal.

Allie’s initial funding is from Start-Her, an accelerator for female entrepreneurs funded and led by Laura. Unsettled by her landlord and a tenant’s stark warning to beware of spies, Allie pushes ahead with Laura’s mentorship. Then, she meets a micro-VC associate interested in her company at her landlord’s house. Unfortunately, he goes missing and is soon dead. Laura becomes uneasy with Allie’s living arrangement and suggests she take an apartment at her stepdaughter’s home, which ultimately does little to protect Allie. The story alternates between Allie’s and Laura’s perspectives. While Allie’s challenges lie in the here and now, Laura’s stems from a troubled and lethal family history. As Laura’s crises lurch toward painful resolution, Allie is brutally attacked and shocked by the perpetrator’s identity.

Traymore brings Allie and Laura to life as two strong and caring women, with a cozy touch of romance for Allie thrown in. Challenges faced by deaf people and those with cochlear implants and the demands of navigating the VC arena deliver realism without weighing down the story. THE GUEST HOUSE is an interesting chapter in the Silicon Valley series and will be enjoyed by many.

 THE GUEST HOUSE by Bonnie Traymore