The Sun Down Motel

Simone St. James

5/5 Clues

Viv Delaney went missing 35 years ago. It seems like no one in Fell, New York even tried to look for her. It took four days for someone to even raise alarm that Viv hasn't been seen!

Carley, Viv's niece, enters Fell on a mission: to discover what happened to her aunt. Carley's mom, Viv's sister, just died from cancer. With her gone, Carley feels a need to investigate the family secret that created so much tension.

The Sun Down Motel is infamous. Even the owner Chris doesn't seem to want to enter its doors. Viv worked as the night clerk before her disappearance, and Carley thinks working that same shift will bring her closer to understanding the past.

Simone St. James' The Sun Down Motel reminded me why I subscribe to Book of the Month Club. This was one of my favorite reads of 2020! As coronavirus isolations continue, I find myself with time to catch up on my BOTM books (I have about 7 unread...), and I am so glad I chose this one to be one of the first!

The characters are absolutely wonderful, and St. James' writing style allowed me to feel all the same emotions the characters felt. Once again, I was enamored by the switch between past and present narrations. What can I say, I love that style of writing!

I also had no idea this story would also be a horror and paranormal mix - I simply thought I was reading a mystery/thriller. The horror aspects were wonderful, but it was the paranormal that kept me so intrigued. Ghosts who have a story to tell? Yes, please! The ghosts even allowed me to see the story in my head that much better. They added so much character, mystery, and thrills. I honestly cannot gush about the characters and writing style enough.

There were scenes in this book that had my heart pounding so hard. I read it late into the night last night, and every noise in my room made me jump. I completely lost myself in the pages, and I feel like a part of me is gone now that I've finished the book. I highly, highly recommend this read!

Suggested Pairing (for those paranormal fans); The Shining - Stephen King

Suggested Pairing (for those mystery/empowered women fans): Sadie - Courtney Summers