Jonathan Santlofer: Ten Perfect Guests

Jonathan Santlofer joins Carol Fitzgerald to talk about his latest thriller, TEN PERFECT GUESTS, which is a Bookreporter Bets On selection. He describes the book as a classic whodunit featuring 10 characters brought to an isolated island for a memorial, with an inheritance at stake. Jonathan wanted to use all classic tropes — locked room, large cast, hidden motives — without a detective figure. He explains that managing 10 distinct characters was more difficult than anticipated, requiring a character chart and careful differentiation so readers would not need to look back. The novel is written in the third-person omniscient perspective, allowing access to all characters' inner thoughts, with the final section shifting to the killer's point of view — which expanded unexpectedly to 35 pages. Jonathan also discusses his next project, the third book in his art-thriller series, which he is working on now. Our Latest "Bookreporter Talks To" Interviews: Hank Phillippi Ryan: https://youtu.be/6EjQPzlBOxw Shari Lapena: https://youtu.be/AZykCEM0ojE Chris Bohjalian: https://youtu.be/VnRpBPFctY0 Nadia Hashimi: https://youtu.be/uxVRLLQY1oA Sophie Chen Keller: https://youtu.be/bWMs3VWUC4A Ben Reeves: https://youtu.be/Jsr5c3WQPuQ Rachel Beanland: https://youtu.be/6Piw8q7pGkc Lisa Scottolin: https://youtu.be/9MsfXILFZ_Y Our Latest "Bookaccino Live" Book Group Events: Bruce Holsinger: https://youtu.be/wwQjtlPePBQ Wally Lamb: https://youtu.be/-eMtMznKoVE Laura Dave: https://youtu.be/RRWrSjdxyrc Lisa Ridzén: https://youtu.be/dleYdLoh0bY Patrick Ryan: https://youtu.be/keazeWK1lto Lily King: https://youtu.be/_yo2x2ZA0B0 Sign up for newsletters from Bookreporter and Reading Group Guides here: https://tbrnetwork.com/newsletters/ FOLLOW US on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bookreporter Website: https://www.bookreporter.com Art Credit: Tom Fitzgerald Edited by Jordan Redd Productions