The Sun Down Motel

"The Sun Down Motel" is an an novel which is part ghost story/part mystery told in a dual timeline format. The novel is written in alternating chapters and is written from the perspective of 20 year Vivian "Viv" Delaney (in the third person) and 20 year old Carly Kirk (in the first person.)

The book begins in 1982 with 20 year old Vivian "Viv" Delaney working at the Sun Down Motel in Fell, New York. Vivian is fairly new to Fell after arriving there from Illinois and she is working at the hotel while planning to move to New York City to become an actress. By the end of the first chapter, Viv has vanished from the Motel and from Fell under mysterious circumstances.

The second chapter in set in 2017 and introduces the reader to Carly Kirk, Viv's niece who has arrived in Fell on a mission to solved her aunt's Viv's mysterious disappearance. Carly become obsessive in her hunt to solve her aunt's murder and along the way, she is assisted by like minded people include a woman named Heather, Sun Down Hotel guest Nick Harkness, and fellow library researcher Callum MacRae.

By the end of the novel, the source of the hotel ghosts are revealed, Viv's disappearance is explained and Carly gets a renewed interest in her academic studies by deciding to study criminology instead of business.

Although I'm not a person who usually reads ghost stories or mysteries, this novel provides enough interest and intrigue that it invites the reader to continue reading until the last page.

The author was recommended to me by a friend. I enjoyed the her writing style and may check out her other books. This one was interesting, but I kept waiting for something really interesting to happen - it finally did about 95% in, then things really came together quickly.

✮✮✮½

Creepy at its best.

Thanks Sun Down Motel for ruining 2 nights of sleep

Solid and the right length for the story to unfold without padding.

This is the second book by this author that I read this year and this time I knew what to expect, at least when it comes to paranormal threads. So many people like this book and I can see why. Still, this book is very intense at times. And I started reading it when I didn't need it. So I put it aside for a while and it took me some time to finish it. Fortunately, it wasn't because I didn't like it.

I usually don't like it when a book is told in two time perspectives, past and present. But this time it worked really well. I found both timelines to be equally interesting. And they had the same amount of exposure, which is very important to me. Also the main characters of both timelines were equally interesting to me.

Speaking of the main characters, I really appreciate Viv and Carly. They may not always make the best decisions and sometimes take unnecessary risks, but I never felt like they were doing anything really stupid. They are just very determined to find out the truth. And although they often take risks, they usually behave rationally and in accordance with their character.

I will not say that I fully understand the whole paranormal thread in this story. At times it gave me shivers down my spine, and I don't like being scared, I don't like horror movies for example. That's why I thought this book was pretty intense. It wasn't meant to be read on a vacation by the pool, which is how I tried to start reading it. Although reading it later on dark winter evenings probably wasn't the best idea either.

However, I think the paranormal thread added a lot of uniqueness to the story. Because the story itself is not particularly unique. But when I read this book, I didn't see it at all. And still, I don't think that's a flaw in the story. I really liked the ending and the explanation of what happened to Viv.

Overall, I think it's a very well-written story. I am not surprised that it has brought so many fans to this author. I will probably read her other books as well.

Two timelines deciphering the strange deadly mysteries that lurk inside The Sundown Motel. 1982 sees Viv Delaney leaving her old life behind to seek the bright lights of New York City. She gets a job at The Sundown Motel to fund her escape, and is never seen again. 2017 tells the story of Carly Kirk, Viv’s niece, and her quest to solve the mystery of her long lost aunt.

The story had me gripped from the first few pages. I found the twin protagonists both extremely likeable and relatable. Viv’s timeline filled me with dread, as each layer of her fate peeled away. I came attached to the character and read on in blind optimism that her fate would not be as grim as suggested. I found The Sundown Motel to be a very immersive experience, when reading alone at night it felt as if I was on the night shift myself, hearing and seeing the same strange happenings as the lead characters.

In short, The Sundown Motel is a very engrossing and fun story that I would highly recommend to anyone that loves getting lost in a good mystery. It’s well written, has two compelling female leads, and a rich cast of well rounded interesting characters.