Words like ‘un-put-down-able’ and ‘page-turner’ are so often overused, but in the case of Simone St. James’s new thriller, The Sun Down Motel, those words are spot-on perfect descriptors!
Those who enjoyed her previous book, The Broken Girls, will immediately remember the ghost-story vibe that she expertly imbues into her work. There are other similarities between the two novels, including the dual timelines running throughout, with each timeline populated by members of the same family. In both books, the main character of the current-day timeline is seeking answers to some family mystery that no one can, or will, provide.
But the characters in The Sun Down Motel feel more dynamic, more memorable, and more vivid than in her previous book. The story driving the book forward is clearer and more exciting, as well.
Written in a very cinematic way, in that I was already picturing this as a movie before I had finished chapter two, this is a story about an out-of-the-way motel in upstate New York where Viv Delaney disappeared in 1982. It’s now 2017 and her niece Carly, who has always been fascinated by the mystery of her Aunt Viv, is at a point in her life where she thinks it’s the right time to get the answers she has always longed for. She soon finds herself following in her Aunt Viv’s footsteps, literally, in hopes of solving this disappearance that has always haunted their family.
Carly quickly finds out Viv was trying to solve some mysteries herself, and as the chapters alternate between these two women we see just how strong the parallels of their two lives have become. St. James unravels the story at just the right pace to keep you turning pages late into the night.
There is also a great cast of characters that will keep you guessing who to trust, who to be wary of, and who just might save the day.
And I absolutely have to mention the dedication St. James included in this book. “For the odd girls, the nerdy girls, and the murderinos. This one is yours.” I have never felt more recognised.
The Sun Down Motel is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers as of February 18th 2020.
Will you be picking up The Sun Down Motel? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | 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 best-selling and award-winning author of The Broken Girls.
Upstate New York, 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 so9mething isn’t right at the Sun Down, and before long she is determined to uncover all of the secrets hidden…
