The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
My main hope going into this book was that I would love it as much as The Broken Girls. I am happy to report, I loved it even more!!!
While The Broken Girls dipped a toe in the supernatural, The Sun Down Motel dives in headfirst and these waters run deep and dark!
In 1982, Viv Delaney ends up in Fell, New York completely by chance.
Her original intention was to head to New York City, but after stopping in Fell, she ends up staying, working the night shift at a roadside motel.
Never one to shy away from the macabre, Viv isn’t scared off when she notices mysterious happenings around her workplace.
The motel itself isn’t the only scary part of her new life, however, the clientele of The Sun Down also leave a bit to be desired. Not to mention the missing and murdered young women in the area.
Viv decides to begin an investigation. She’s going to get to the bottom of what is going on at the motel, and with the missing girls, one way or another.
We follow Viv’s perspective as her time at The Sun Down edges towards her final night, a cold night in November when she disappears without a trace.
We also follow the perspective of Viv’s niece, Carly, who arrives at The Sun Down thirty-five years later.
Things fall into place fairly rapidly for Carly. It’s almost like she was meant to be there.
She gets hired to work the night shift at the motel, just like her Aunt Viv, and ends up living in Viv’s old apartment.
Carly, who is actively researching her Aunts disappearance, will end up discovering way more than she bargained for.
I absolutely loved every second I spent reading this book.
I was a fan of St. James before, but this, was magic for my mind. The alternating perspectives where fantastic. I felt drawn to each woman and comfortable listening to their stories, in their time.
The pacing was excellent. No filler to get through, just meat. It was perfectly plotted as you raced towards the conclusion.
The side characters were all well developed and each added their own dimension to the story. Both Viv and Carly had allies in their search for answers, even though they often felt alone in their missions.
Of course, the atmosphere was fantastic as well, something St. James definitely excels at writing.
Additionally, I enjoyed the theme of particular dangers to women and how that can make you feel powerless to know you always have to have your guard up. That you can be harmed at another’s will.
At the end of the day. Simone St. James is an autobuy author for me. I hope she continues down this same path for a long time to come. She has such a great gift for eerie storytelling and I’m here for it!
Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley Books, for providing me a copy of this to read and review.
I truly appreciate it and have since purchased a finished copy for my shelves. I look forward to seeing what twisted tale St. James will think of next!