The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James
Release: February 18th 2020
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Berkley
Source: Publisher
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The secrets lurking in a rundown roadside motel ensnare a young woman, just as they did her aunt thirty-five years before, in this new atmospheric suspense novel from the national bestselling and award-winning author of The Broken Girls.
Upstate NY, 1982. Every small town like Fell, New York, has a place like the Sun Down Motel. Some customers are from out of town, passing through on their way to someplace better. Some are locals, trying to hide their secrets. Viv Delaney works as the night clerk to pay for her move to New York City. But something isn’t right at the Sun Down, and before long she’s determined to uncover all of the secrets hidden…
About the Author
After years of writing and collecting rejections, Simone St. James’ 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. AN INQUIRY INTO LOVE AND DEATH was nominated for another Arthur Ellis Award, and SILENCE FOR THE DEAD was shortlisted for a Goodreads Choice Award.
Simone spent twenty years behind the scenes in the television business before leaving to write full-time. She lives just outside Toronto, Canada, with her husband and a spoiled rescue cat. She is addicted to sushi, old 1970’s gothic novels, rainy days, coffee, and My Favorite Murder. You can find her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, and Pinterest (though not all at once). Her next novel will release in 2020.
The Sun Down Motel Review:
What did I just read? I could not put this book down! It was intense! I always thought motels, in the middle of nowhere, were shady. But, reading this book made me never want to step near one. The book was just perfect and gave me goosebumps after reading it.
The author did an AMAZING job with the storytelling! There are very few books that make me scared of my surroundings while reading. When I read this book, I actually jumped from seeing my own shadow at night. Some of the scenes are terrifying, especially surrounding the salesman. More than the supernatural events, I found Simon very scary. The motel only made the story even more atmospheric and spooky. I loved it!
Moreover, the author also wrote both the main characters in a very gripping manner. I loved how the story-line switches between Carly and Viv between the two timelines. Both the characters share similar personalities where they want to solve a mystery. However, I found Viv’s story line very creepy, because she does everything by herself. Even though she has Alma and Marnie to help her at times, she is on her own for the most part. I thought she was so brave for going after this person, while experiencing all the strange events at the motel. Carly’s story-line was also very interesting but felt slightly less eerie because she had friends like Nick and Heather to help her.
I have not read any of the author’s previous novels, but if they are similar to the Sun Down Motel, I want to read them all. I loved everything about this book. Overall, this book is one of the best thrillers of 2020!
