The Sun Down Motel | Simone St. James | Horror | Book Review

 

Ever dared to spend a night in a haunted hotel—where every creak in the floorboards might be a whisper from the past? 👻💀

Name of Book: The Sun Down Motel

Author: Simone St. James

Publisher: Penguin

Publication Date: 3 Aug 2023

No. of Pages: 334

Format: Digital

Something hasn't been right at the Sun Down Motel for a very long time, and Carly Kirk is about to find out why . . .

1982

Viv Delaney wants to move to New York City, and to help pay for it she takes a job as the night clerk at the Sun Down Motel, in Fell. But Viv feels that something is wrong, something disturbing and haunting. And then she vanishes.

2017

Carly Kirk has never been able to let go of the story of her aunt Viv. She decides to move to Fell and take a job at the hotel - as a night clerk - to try to get to the bottom of the mystery.

But Carly soon discovers that, before she vanished, Viv believed she was on the trail of something truly sinister.

And if Carly can't work out the truth soon, then she's in line to be the next victim . . .

Simone St. James is the New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Cold Cases and The Sun Down Motel. She spent twenty years behind the scenes in the television business before leaving to write full-time.. Her debut novel, The Haunting of Maddy Clare, won two RITA Awards from Romance Writers of America and an Arthur Ellis Award from Crime Writers of Canada. Simone spent twenty years behind the scenes in the television business before leaving to write full-time. She lives just outside of Toronto, Canada with her husband and a spoiled rescue cat.

My Opinion

The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James is an excellent story revolving around a serial killer. Its atmospheric narrative makes the book even more interesting. The story moves between two timelines, keeping us guessing about what’s coming next. This book had been on my TBR for a long time, and I finally decided to read it. The entire plot is set in a small town with all the creepy vibes. The most chilling moments were the flickering lights and banging doors, which added extra spice to the plot.

I loved how Vivian’s character turned out. She is bold, smart, and doesn’t care much about what the world thinks. Her timeline perfectly interlinks with Carly’s, and it was so exciting to see how their stories connect. The storyline includes some key moments that completely changed every assumption I had made. It was a haunting and suspenseful read.

This book truly deserves 5 stars.

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