Today’s theme is Recipe For A Great Thriller. Be sure to check out the posts on Karma Brown & Lucy Foley too!
Simone St. James hit the shelves in 2012 with her debut, The Haunting of Maddy Clare, and every book has been a shivery delight.
Her first few titles were set immediately after World War I, and since I love that time period, and ghost stories fascinate me, and SSJ is a breath-taking writer, I was destined to be a great fan.
However her last couple books have been more complex timelines, and this year’s release, THE SUN DOWN MOTEL, especially felt like a real departure for her. While it sets firmly in the realm St. James is famous for, and does brilliantly—that is, stories with ghosts— it also lands quite well in tone to the very popular thriller trend, with a pace and rising sense of anticipation tied both to ghostly activity and to the disappearance of a character thirty years ago that her niece would like to solve.
I love all of Simone St. James books. I LOVE all of her books. But I’ve enjoyed watching her spread her wings as a writer, and in terms of complexity and unique elements, this one might be her best yet.
Can’t wait to see what she does next.
Find the books:
Simone St. James @Amazon
The Sun Down Motel @Amazon
THE SUN DOWN MOTEL
Something hasn’t been right at the roadside Sun Down Motel for a very long time, and Carly Kirk is about to find out why in this chilling new novel from the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of The Broken Girls.
Upstate New York, 1982. Viv Delaney wants to move to New York City, and to help pay for it she takes a job as the night clerk at the Sun Down Motel in Fell, New York. But something isnʼt right at the motel, something haunting and scary.
Upstate New York, 2017. Carly Kirk has never been able to let go of the story of her aunt Viv, who mysteriously disappeared from the Sun Down before she was born. She decides to move to Fell and visit the motel, where she quickly learns that nothing has changed since 1982. And she soon finds herself ensnared in the same mysteries that claimed her aunt.
(This review is part of Read-A-Romance Month. Hope you’ll come back every day to check out my book recommendations. You can find the calendar here. Also check out The Romance of Reading, a Facebook “book club” where we’ll have great authors guest hosting every week.)
Some post and image links are connected to an affiliate portal. A small percentage of your purchases support my work and this page. Thanks so much!
Enjoy!