Review: The Sun Down Motel by Simone St James

The Sun Down Motel

by Simone St James 

Publisher: Berkley

Pages: 327

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

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…

Kritters Thoughts:  Two timelines which at times were hard to keep straight, but they went hand in hand.  One in 1982 where Vivian is on her way to NYC and ends up stopping in a small town of Fell, NY and ends up as the night clerk at a motel.  In 2017 her niece Carly goes to this small town to figure out the mystery of her missing aunt and maybe even solve a few other mysteries at the same time.  

For me the hardest part about reading this book was keeping straight the investigation that Vivian ends up doing of the mysteries that had just occurred before she arrived into Fell and the investigation that Carly ends up doing where she concentrates on Vivian's disappearance, but the other missing ladies come into play during the book.  This was one of those books that I took a bit of notes to keep the storylines straight.  

I don't want to spoil some key ingredients to this book, so I will keep this light and brief.  I read a lot of mystery/thrillers, but for me this book almost felt close to the horror side of things.  There was definitely some grit and gore, but more - just don't want to spoil things!

For more than one reason, this book is the perfect read to pick up for a Halloween weekend.  It took place in November in 1982 and I suggest you read it in the fall season for peak enjoyment!  

Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Ebook 2020 Challenge: 113 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Berkley.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.