The Sun Down Motel

A couple of years ago I read and thoroughly enjoyed Simone St James' book, The Broken Girls which was a creepy and engaging read. Now with her much anticipated latest book, The Sun Down Motel, this Canadian author is back with another eerie story, this time set in a moldering old motel in a small town that has more than its fair share of secrets.

This is a very atmospheric story with a strong paranormal aspect that sets a creepy tone pulling readers into a mystery with sinister motel guests with axes to grind and a decrepit old motel which felt like a character in its own right. The story has great pockets of suspense and a cool setting, but I wish that the eerie inhabitants were used better to maintain that menacing feel.

The story is told by two characters - Viv in 1982 and her niece Carly in 2017. I enjoy dual POVs, but I found that Viv and Carly's voices sounded so similar that it was often hard to distinguish between them. Granted, it didn't help that they both worked at the same place, had similar roommates and were amateur sleuths digging into the same crimes. Due these overlaps, there was some redundancy in the story telling. The energy ramps up as things come together but the ending felt rushed and not quite as twisty as I had hoped.

This is an atmospheric whodunnit with a side of supernatural and a spectacularly striking cover. And while it wasn't quite the scary page turner I had been expecting, it was a good read from a Canadian author whose books I will continue to eagerly look forward to reading.

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Author: Simone St James

Genre: Suspense, Canadian

Type: Hardcover (336 pages)

Source: Personal copy

Publisher: Berkley

First Published: February 18, 2020

Book Description from GoodReads: 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 ...