The Sun Down Motel
by Simone St. James
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AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERSomething 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 isn?t right at the motel, something haunting show more 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. show less
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A Perfect Mix of Ghost Story and Murder Mystery!
The first thing I did when I finished this book was to look up all of Simone St. James’s books!
This is a masterfully crafted work and I just fell right into the murky atmosphere of the Sun Down Motel. The motel had always sat in the wrong part of town, and attracted the wrong sort of people ... some of whom never left.
Some books struggle to be scary. Some struggle to move along fast enough. Some don’t develop their characters enough to make the reader care about them. But St. James sets each scene beautifully and I regretted each time I had to set the book down because other life duties called.
The story is told from two different times - the story of Viv in 1982, and of Carly show more (Viv’s niece) in 2017. Right from the start we know Viv went missing from the Sun Down Motel in 1982. We also know the town of Fell, NY, (home of the Sun Down Motel) has had many girls go missing in the past — some found dead, others never seen again, and some that barely made the back pages of the local newspaper. Jumping between the two timelines works really well as we watch Carly try to solve the mystery of what happened to her aunt while we also watch her aunt rushing headlong into her fate. In both timelines the Sun Down Motel (nearly unchanged after thirty-five years) serves as the spooky backdrop, complete with its own other worldly residents.
This story works as a murder mystery, a serial killer thriller, a coming of age drama, and as an atmospheric ghost story. If you are able to squeeze in one last quick trip to the beach this year, pack this one along with your towel and sunscreen. You won’t regret it!
4 out of 5 stars! show less
The first thing I did when I finished this book was to look up all of Simone St. James’s books!
This is a masterfully crafted work and I just fell right into the murky atmosphere of the Sun Down Motel. The motel had always sat in the wrong part of town, and attracted the wrong sort of people ... some of whom never left.
Some books struggle to be scary. Some struggle to move along fast enough. Some don’t develop their characters enough to make the reader care about them. But St. James sets each scene beautifully and I regretted each time I had to set the book down because other life duties called.
The story is told from two different times - the story of Viv in 1982, and of Carly show more (Viv’s niece) in 2017. Right from the start we know Viv went missing from the Sun Down Motel in 1982. We also know the town of Fell, NY, (home of the Sun Down Motel) has had many girls go missing in the past — some found dead, others never seen again, and some that barely made the back pages of the local newspaper. Jumping between the two timelines works really well as we watch Carly try to solve the mystery of what happened to her aunt while we also watch her aunt rushing headlong into her fate. In both timelines the Sun Down Motel (nearly unchanged after thirty-five years) serves as the spooky backdrop, complete with its own other worldly residents.
This story works as a murder mystery, a serial killer thriller, a coming of age drama, and as an atmospheric ghost story. If you are able to squeeze in one last quick trip to the beach this year, pack this one along with your towel and sunscreen. You won’t regret it!
4 out of 5 stars! show less
I am not a fan of horror, but I'm a big fan of old-fashioned ghost stories, when read in broad daylight. I've been a big fan of Simone St. James' ghost stories since I first found The Haunting of Maddy Claire, the first of ... five?... historical ghost stories. She branched off in a new direction with The Broken Girls, going with a dual time-line plot, which I read hesitantly, but enjoyed thoroughly. The Sun Down Motel is another such book: a dual time-line mystery firmly rooted around a haunted place, this time a hotel that was pretty much doomed before it ever opened its doors.
I'm still a fan of St. James - I think this was a riveting read, and I devoured it in 2 sittings (daylight hours, all of them), but it wasn't as good as some of show more her others for two reasons, both purely subjective. The first was the heavy handedness of the message: that women have always been, and sadly will always be, to some extent, vulnerable and expendable. This is as unavoidable a fact as it is an inexcusable one, but more subtle writing would have had more powerful an impact. Instead, there were times - just a few - that I felt like I was the choir and I was being preached at. This wasn't a massive issue; it was just enough to pull me out of my head and the story a time or two.
The second reason is almost silly: the ghosts. They were almost exactly my right level of scary, but, and it took me some time to figure this out, they didn't have quite the effect on me as the ghosts in her previous books, because they never really focused on the main characters. These hauntings were almost the remnant-kind: they were there acting in an endless loop, whether anyone witnessed or not, although there was a trigger. The main ghost communicated with the historical time-line mc, but only once without being pushed into it by Viv. The other ghosts communicated with the present day mc, Carly, but benignly. They were spooky, absolutely, but at a remove, so that they fell just short of spine-tingling.
And I guess, as I write this I was left unsatisfied by Nick's story; it felt like it should be going somewhere and it didn't. I'm also disappointed that there was never an explanation for the present-day entry in the guest book of one James March who registered the day Carly and Nick had their first real experience with the Sun Down Motel. That was a BIG little thing to leave hanging with no follow up.
But overall, it was a good story; I liked that both Viv and Carly had solid friendships in their timelines; I liked that Nick was her support from pretty much page 1, and I liked the investigatory process of the mystery plot, even if I thought Viv was a reckless idiot. The story sucked me in, and I remain a solid fan of St. James' books. show less
I'm still a fan of St. James - I think this was a riveting read, and I devoured it in 2 sittings (daylight hours, all of them), but it wasn't as good as some of show more her others for two reasons, both purely subjective. The first was the heavy handedness of the message: that women have always been, and sadly will always be, to some extent, vulnerable and expendable. This is as unavoidable a fact as it is an inexcusable one, but more subtle writing would have had more powerful an impact. Instead, there were times - just a few - that I felt like I was the choir and I was being preached at. This wasn't a massive issue; it was just enough to pull me out of my head and the story a time or two.
The second reason is almost silly: the ghosts. They were almost exactly my right level of scary, but, and it took me some time to figure this out, they didn't have quite the effect on me as the ghosts in her previous books, because they never really focused on the main characters. These hauntings were almost the remnant-kind: they were there acting in an endless loop, whether anyone witnessed or not, although there was a trigger. The main ghost communicated with the historical time-line mc, but only once without being pushed into it by Viv. The other ghosts communicated with the present day mc, Carly, but benignly. They were spooky, absolutely, but at a remove, so that they fell just short of spine-tingling.
And I guess, as I write this I was left unsatisfied by Nick's story; it felt like it should be going somewhere and it didn't. I'm also disappointed that there was never an explanation for the present-day entry in the guest book of one James March who registered the day Carly and Nick had their first real experience with the Sun Down Motel. That was a BIG little thing to leave hanging with no follow up.
But overall, it was a good story; I liked that both Viv and Carly had solid friendships in their timelines; I liked that Nick was her support from pretty much page 1, and I liked the investigatory process of the mystery plot, even if I thought Viv was a reckless idiot. The story sucked me in, and I remain a solid fan of St. James' books. show less
I was very impressed with what Simone St. James did with this book. She's written something that manages to be thought/anger-provoking, is driven by strong female characters and delivers a thriller/supernatural mystery that is tense and exciting.
The rhythm of the story is set by switching the narrative between two timelines, thirty-five years apart, but with the action in both taking place in the Sun Down Motel, at the edge of the small town of Fell, New York. The 1982 timeline is told from the point of view of Viv Delaney, a twenty-something woman who takes a casual job in a strange town to fund her travel to New York and finds herself entangled in something strange. The 2017 timeline is told from the point of view of Viv Delaney's show more niece, also twenty-something, who has taken a job at the motel to investigate her aunt's disappearance.
The two women differ in their attitudes, their motivation and the level of risk they're willing to take. They are linked by Viv's disappearance. Knowing Viv will disappear but not knowing why or how is a major driver of the tension in the book.
In both timelines, all the main characters are women. The men are almost all either threats or obstacles. Viv and Carly both find their perceptions altered by working the nightshift at the Sun Down Motel. I loved the descriptions of the detachment from reality that comes from working nights. I recognise that feeling of being surrounded by the world but not being in it because the rhythm of your life is different. Here's a description of the impact on Viv who is away from home for the first time:
'Night people were not the same as day people. The good people of Fell, whoever they were, were sound asleep at three A.M. Those people never saw the people Viv saw: the cheating couples having affairs, the truckers strung out on whatever they took to stay awake, the women with blackened eyes who checked out at five A.M. to futilely go home again. These weren't people suburban Viv Delaney would ever have seen in a hundred years. They weren't people she would ever have talked to. There was an edge to them. A hard collision with life that she hadn't known was possible in her soft cocoon. It wasn't romantic but something about it fascinated her. She didn't want to look away.'
The 'didn't want to look away' statement turns out to be key to understanding Viv's character and the intent of the book.
I started off preferring Carly's segments because I found them harder to classify. They had menace but I didn't know what the menace was. Viv seemed more like a character in Steven King's Castle Rock. By the half-way point that had changed. Viv had become a force: clever, brave, increasingly angry, a combatant with empathy for the losses suffered by others. Carly remained an amateur sleuth, too convinced of her own safety, too distant from the people around her. Viv was a warrior powered by rage. Carly was a true-crime buff driven by curiosity.
'The Sun Down Motel' is original enough to be hard to classify. It's not a ghost story. It is a thriller with ghosts in it but its essence is something different. For me, the heart of this story isn't about seeing ghosts but about seeing the violence that men do to women and refusing to look away. It's a book that is powered by rage at how we accept the murder of women, how we try to attribute the violence done to them to some flaw in their character or something inappropriate in their behaviour or simply a failure to be 'sensible'.
In the same way that this is a story with ghosts in it but is not a ghost story, this is a story with a serial killer in it but it's not a serial-killer story. This a book that deals with a man who hunts and kills women and gets away with it. It's not the get-inside-the-complex-mind-of-the-killer fall-in-love-with-Hannibal-Lector kind of serial killer book, that glamourises the serial killer and works off the premise that to catch the killer, you have to become him. Simone St. James keeps the focus on the women who were killed. They are always named. The life that was taken away from them is always shown. The indifference of the world to catching men who kill women is a thread that connects the two timelines.
This is a book where the violence of the men and their sense of entitlement to that violence, is damning not just because of what the men do but because it's taken for granted. A man killing women, while not being seen as acceptable, is not unexpected. A man threatening and hurting a woman is seen as so commonplace that it's not worth reporting. This institutionalised blindness isn't specific to 1982, it continues today. In the UK, three women a week are killed by their male partners yet there is no special initiative to deal with this. This kind of institutionalised blindness isn't achieved through poor eyesight. It can only be sustained by persistently looking away.
In my view, 'The Sun Down Motel' is a story about what happens when women refuse to look away; when they listen to each other; when they hold the men accountable. I think this is why all the main actors in the story are women. They don't need to get into the mind of the serial killer; they need to get into the minds of the women who were killed. The first indication of this is the conversation between Viv and a woman PI were they talk about how an attack on a woman called Bettie made the women of Fell afraid. The Pi says:
'Because we were all Bettie, for a few weeks at least, y'know?'
Viv's reaction is key:
Viv swallowed and nodded. 'We're all still Betty,' she said. 'At least I am.'
Later, after Viv finds out more about what has been going on, she finds herself speaking into silence on a phone at the motel in the middle of the night, wondering if she's talking to the spirit of a dead woman. She says:
'I'm so sorry. I don't think anyone has been as sorry for you as I am. I looked at your picture and you could be me. You could be any of us. You didn't deserve it. None of us do. It's wrong. I don't know what else to do except try to make it right.'
I don't want to give the plot away. The book has a couple of good twists in it. They're the kind you almost see coming but don't really and which then change your whole understanding of the story. I thought all of that was handled skillfully.
I was less pleased with the ending. Its content seemed a little mismatched to the tone of the rest of the book. It was less stark and less daring. Still, I wasn't the one writing the book and this ending definitely worked.
I strongly recommend the audiobook version of 'The Sun Down Motel'. Kirsten Potter and Brittany Pressley take a timeline each and both of them do an excellent job. Click on the SoundCloud link below to hear a sample.
https://soundcloud.com/penguin-audio/the-sun-down-motel-by-simone show less
“She knew what the 11 o'clock news would say: There was a killer on the loose. People should lock their doors. Women should look over their shoulders, try not to be alone at night. Parents should look out for their daughters and always know where they are. Women should carry a whistle or a flashlight. Because if you were a woman, the world was a dangerous place.
This was an absolutely wonderful story. Full of suspense, tangible fear and dodgy questionable characters. I was completely pulled in. It's told from two timelines - Viv from the early 1980's and Carly from 2017. Viv went missing in the early 80's and Carly is her niece, going back to the place she went missing and trying to understand how and why...and who.
The story is an show more absolute race. You slowly get to know Viv and Carly through their day to day interactions and moments in Fell, New York. The story is eerie and definitely makes reading it until late in the night (early in the morning?) the perfect setting to get nice and spooked.
Although the story was wonderful and the writing so good, my favorite part was the overall feeling of threat and violence that every women in the story feels. It reinforces the knowledge that we haven't changed that much, have we, from early 80's to 2017. Women are still warned to park under lights, don't go around alone, don't leave your drink unattended at a bar or party. Don't dress like you "want" it, don't be too flirty or too cold or too......female. Or it might catch up with you. It resonated so much with me and just tied me to the story and made it so much more real for me. I absolutely loved it. So glad I read this one. show less
This was an absolutely wonderful story. Full of suspense, tangible fear and dodgy questionable characters. I was completely pulled in. It's told from two timelines - Viv from the early 1980's and Carly from 2017. Viv went missing in the early 80's and Carly is her niece, going back to the place she went missing and trying to understand how and why...and who.
The story is an show more absolute race. You slowly get to know Viv and Carly through their day to day interactions and moments in Fell, New York. The story is eerie and definitely makes reading it until late in the night (early in the morning?) the perfect setting to get nice and spooked.
Although the story was wonderful and the writing so good, my favorite part was the overall feeling of threat and violence that every women in the story feels. It reinforces the knowledge that we haven't changed that much, have we, from early 80's to 2017. Women are still warned to park under lights, don't go around alone, don't leave your drink unattended at a bar or party. Don't dress like you "want" it, don't be too flirty or too cold or too......female. Or it might catch up with you. It resonated so much with me and just tied me to the story and made it so much more real for me. I absolutely loved it. So glad I read this one. show less
If ever you wanted a story to make you think twice about staying in a hotel, The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James is for you. In fact, it is a pretty fitting story right now since we should not be traveling anyway. After all, a haunted hotel where bad things tend to happen will all but eliminate any wanderlust.
I don’t know why, since I adored Ms. St. James’ other novel Broken Girls, but The Sun Down Motel surprised me with its impressive mix of suspense and quirk. It is one of the few dual narrator/dual timeline stories that I thoroughly enjoyed in recent years. Plus, there is an unexpected feminist element to the story that I loved.
It takes a lot for a story to get under my skin, but The Sun Down Motel spooked me quite a bit. I show more will confess to having to set the book aside a few times because a particular scene was bothering me. I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I kept reading.
I will admit to deducing the ending before the reveal. I beat the reveal by a few pages, and I am perfectly okay with that. Mysteries I can solve a few pages before the author unveils the answer never bother me. Plus, there are so many other aspects of the story to enjoy of which the mystery’s resolution is one small part.
The Sun Down Motel is a chilling and impressive suspense novel that keeps you on your toes with its many shifts and twists. With its elements of feminist revenge and haunted motel vibe, it makes for a great self-isolation read that will help you while away a few hours. It might also cure you of any desire to travel right now, something we all need as we head into our second week of self-isolation. show less
I don’t know why, since I adored Ms. St. James’ other novel Broken Girls, but The Sun Down Motel surprised me with its impressive mix of suspense and quirk. It is one of the few dual narrator/dual timeline stories that I thoroughly enjoyed in recent years. Plus, there is an unexpected feminist element to the story that I loved.
It takes a lot for a story to get under my skin, but The Sun Down Motel spooked me quite a bit. I show more will confess to having to set the book aside a few times because a particular scene was bothering me. I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep if I kept reading.
I will admit to deducing the ending before the reveal. I beat the reveal by a few pages, and I am perfectly okay with that. Mysteries I can solve a few pages before the author unveils the answer never bother me. Plus, there are so many other aspects of the story to enjoy of which the mystery’s resolution is one small part.
The Sun Down Motel is a chilling and impressive suspense novel that keeps you on your toes with its many shifts and twists. With its elements of feminist revenge and haunted motel vibe, it makes for a great self-isolation read that will help you while away a few hours. It might also cure you of any desire to travel right now, something we all need as we head into our second week of self-isolation. show less
If you are looking for a book that will raise goosebumps then The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James would be a great one to pick up. This excellently developed mystery story with supernatural elements added blends suspense with horror and the result was a riveting story that played out over two different time periods. Set in a small town in upstate New York, we visit both in 1982 and in 2017. In 2017 we follow along with Carly who arrives in Fell searching for answers about the disappearance of her Aunt Viv 35 years ago. And of course we also meet and follow Viv’s story in 1982.
Both these women end up working as the night clerk at the Sun Down Motel, and both soon know that something is terribly wrong at this motel. Strange noises, show more lights that flicker on and off, doors that open and shut, and visitations from the dead are regular occurrences but beyond this, the real horror is that in 1982, Fell seems to have been the home base of a serial murderer. A number of woman’s bodies were discovered, one was even found on the grounds of the Sun Down, and she has become a regular spectre haunting the motel and being particularly active when a certain travelling salesman checks in. Viv has gets caught up in the drama and vows to stop the serial murderer. Thirty-five years later, Carly suspects that the serial murderer may have gotten to Viv and she is searching for answers.
I was totally enthralled by this book with it’s strong sense of place, 1980s memorabilia, and the sheer creepiness of the motel. The two story lines were equally well done making The Sun Down Motel an excellent horror/suspense read. This was the first book I have read by Simone St. James but I am very happy that I have a couple more by her on my shelves. show less
Both these women end up working as the night clerk at the Sun Down Motel, and both soon know that something is terribly wrong at this motel. Strange noises, show more lights that flicker on and off, doors that open and shut, and visitations from the dead are regular occurrences but beyond this, the real horror is that in 1982, Fell seems to have been the home base of a serial murderer. A number of woman’s bodies were discovered, one was even found on the grounds of the Sun Down, and she has become a regular spectre haunting the motel and being particularly active when a certain travelling salesman checks in. Viv has gets caught up in the drama and vows to stop the serial murderer. Thirty-five years later, Carly suspects that the serial murderer may have gotten to Viv and she is searching for answers.
I was totally enthralled by this book with it’s strong sense of place, 1980s memorabilia, and the sheer creepiness of the motel. The two story lines were equally well done making The Sun Down Motel an excellent horror/suspense read. This was the first book I have read by Simone St. James but I am very happy that I have a couple more by her on my shelves. show less
It is the middle of the night in August 1982 and 20-year-old Vivian Delaney is fleeing her unhappy suburban Illinois home, trying to make it to New York City and an acting career. Running out of money, she hitches a ride and when the driver’s hands wander into areas they shouldn’t, Vivian demands to be let out immediately. Unfortunately, it is in the middle of nowhere, i.e. Fell, New York.
Down the road is the Sun Down motel where she begs for a room to rest. Instead, she gets a job offer—in exchange for a room, Vivian can work the night shift in the run-down motel. Built in the late 1970s with the promise of big things to come, the motel has slid into disrepair as the high expectations never materialized.
Vivian takes the job. show more Working the night shift anywhere can be daunting, but when no one stays at the motel except drug dealers, drunk wives or cheating husbands, time can work against you.
Vivian ultimately finds another 20-year-old girl, Jennifer who also works at night and is looking for a roommate. So, Vivian moves in. But things aren’t calm in Vivian’s life, especially at night. The vacant motel has strange goings on…doors opening and closing, lights going off, the smell of cigarette smoke when no one is there. Apparitions appear on the balconies of the motel. Vivian learns that in the last 4 years three girls have been murdered and no one has been brought to justice. As the summer ends and the autumn begins, Vivian puts two and two together and gets the feeling that someone using her motel is the killer.
Move forward to 2017. Carly Kirk’s mother just passed away and Carly has inherited a bit of money. Unexcited about college, she decides to leave Illinois and sets out to Fell, NY, the last place her aunt Vivian was last seen. Vivian disappeared one night in 1982 (before Carly was even born) and was never heard from again. Carly’s mother, Vivian’s sister, would never talk about her sister, the black sheep of the family. But the aura of her beautiful aunt and her mysterious disappearance has captured Carly’s mind.
As fate would have it, Carly got a job at the Sun Down motel…the night shift. More coincidentally, she moves into the same apartment that Vivian inhabited 35 years earlier. Carly’s roommate, Heather, is a fount of information on the goings on in Fell, specifically the deaths of 4 young girls in the late 70s and early 80s. As Carly works her night shift, motel doors open and close, lights go on and off, cigarette smoke wafts through the air and ghosts appear.
While my description of these occurrences may not send shivers down your spine, believe me, they sent shivers down mine. Neither Vivian nor Carly are satisfied with the status quo. They need to investigate and find out what’s going on and why.
Vivian’s story, told in third person in 1982 and Carly’s story, told in first person in 2017, are populated with strong, maybe even headstrong, women who will not take crap from people. There is a load of creepy people, both within and outside the motel. The decrepit motel which hasn’t changed in its 30+ year existence, is a character unto itself.
As Vivian’s and Carly’s lives converge, although 35 years apart, the mystery and thrills remain.
I’ll admit that about two thirds of the way through the book, I sort of knew part of the ending, I clearly did not know the whole ending. Simone St. James has a way with words and a way with plot line. She will keep you reading and keep you guessing and keep you squirming throughout. I’ve read two of her books and I’m looking forward to reading more. show less
Down the road is the Sun Down motel where she begs for a room to rest. Instead, she gets a job offer—in exchange for a room, Vivian can work the night shift in the run-down motel. Built in the late 1970s with the promise of big things to come, the motel has slid into disrepair as the high expectations never materialized.
Vivian takes the job. show more Working the night shift anywhere can be daunting, but when no one stays at the motel except drug dealers, drunk wives or cheating husbands, time can work against you.
Vivian ultimately finds another 20-year-old girl, Jennifer who also works at night and is looking for a roommate. So, Vivian moves in. But things aren’t calm in Vivian’s life, especially at night. The vacant motel has strange goings on…doors opening and closing, lights going off, the smell of cigarette smoke when no one is there. Apparitions appear on the balconies of the motel. Vivian learns that in the last 4 years three girls have been murdered and no one has been brought to justice. As the summer ends and the autumn begins, Vivian puts two and two together and gets the feeling that someone using her motel is the killer.
Move forward to 2017. Carly Kirk’s mother just passed away and Carly has inherited a bit of money. Unexcited about college, she decides to leave Illinois and sets out to Fell, NY, the last place her aunt Vivian was last seen. Vivian disappeared one night in 1982 (before Carly was even born) and was never heard from again. Carly’s mother, Vivian’s sister, would never talk about her sister, the black sheep of the family. But the aura of her beautiful aunt and her mysterious disappearance has captured Carly’s mind.
As fate would have it, Carly got a job at the Sun Down motel…the night shift. More coincidentally, she moves into the same apartment that Vivian inhabited 35 years earlier. Carly’s roommate, Heather, is a fount of information on the goings on in Fell, specifically the deaths of 4 young girls in the late 70s and early 80s. As Carly works her night shift, motel doors open and close, lights go on and off, cigarette smoke wafts through the air and ghosts appear.
While my description of these occurrences may not send shivers down your spine, believe me, they sent shivers down mine. Neither Vivian nor Carly are satisfied with the status quo. They need to investigate and find out what’s going on and why.
Vivian’s story, told in third person in 1982 and Carly’s story, told in first person in 2017, are populated with strong, maybe even headstrong, women who will not take crap from people. There is a load of creepy people, both within and outside the motel. The decrepit motel which hasn’t changed in its 30+ year existence, is a character unto itself.
As Vivian’s and Carly’s lives converge, although 35 years apart, the mystery and thrills remain.
I’ll admit that about two thirds of the way through the book, I sort of knew part of the ending, I clearly did not know the whole ending. Simone St. James has a way with words and a way with plot line. She will keep you reading and keep you guessing and keep you squirming throughout. I’ve read two of her books and I’m looking forward to reading more. show less
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ThingScore 100
This is a story of darkness, violence, and obsession, of human monsters and supernatural warnings. In short, it’s a true St. James thriller, where the (unsettling, creepy) ghosts are secondary to some very real-world threats and the female protagonists are stubborn and driven.... St. James dedicated the book to the “odd girls, the nerdy girls, and the murderinos,” and the story that show more follows is absolutely a macabre love letter for that audience. This is a true-crime-inspired novel full of pathos for the girls who didn’t survive—and righteous fury on behalf of those who fought back and sought justice to the bitter end. show less
added by Lemeritus
n this engrossing supernatural thriller from St. James (The Broken Girls), 20-year-old Carly Kirk sets out from her Illinois hometown determined to find some answers 35 years after her aunt Viv Delaney vanished while working the night shift at a seedy upstate New York motel.... Though the story’s spectral aspects may strike some as heavy-handed, there’s no doubt about the shocking, show more satisfying denouement. Horror fans will also want to check this one out. show less
added by Lemeritus
added by AlisBookNookCorner
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Author Information
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Some Editions
Awards and Honors
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Sun Down Motel
- Original title
- The Sun Down Motel
- Original publication date
- 2020-02-18
- People/Characters
- Carly Kirk; Vivian Delaney; Graham Kirk; Heather Atkins; Alma Trent; Cathy Caldwell (show all 13); Victoria Lee; Betty Graham; Nick Harkness; Callum MacRae; Marnie Clark; Jamie Blaknik; Jenny Summers
- Important places
- Fell, New York, USA
- Dedication
- For the odd girls, the nerdy girls, and the murderinos. This one is yours.
- First words
- The night it all ended, Vivian was alone.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Hours later, when I lay warm in bed with Nick's arm over me, I turned toward the window in the darkness. I watched the snow fall for a long time before I finally fell asleep.
- Publisher's editor
- Perez, Danielle
- Blurbers
- Sager, Riley; Mason, Jamie; Hillier, Jennifer
- Canonical DDC/MDS
- 813.6
- Canonical LCC
- PR9199.4.S726
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 2,706
- Popularity
- 6,843
- Reviews
- 141
- Rating
- (3.93)
- Languages
- 5 — English, German, Italian, Polish, Spanish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 21
- ASINs
- 6