Mystery | Adult

Okay, I’ll admit it. The cover of this book caught my eye and made me want to pick it up. It was on a colleague’s desk, and I snuck a quick peek at the blurb. Intrigued, I added it to a lengthy TBR list, finally got to it this fall, and decided to listen to the story while working on a sewing project. It’s a super creepy ghost story that spans two timelines – 1982, when Viv Delaney is working the night shift at the Sun Down Motel in Fell, NY, hearing voices and seeing doors open and lights fail when there is no reason for any of it, and 2017, when Viv’s niece Carly comes to Fell to find out what happened to Viv nearly 35 years before. Because Viv disappeared one night, and her body was never found. Her sister, Carly’s mother, would never talk about it, and when her mother died, Carly decides to honour her by trying to find out what happened to Viv, and soon gets her own night shift spot at the Sun Down, where she begins to learn that Viv is one of several young women who were killed near the motel. The story alternates between the two protagonists, allowing the reader to decipher clues along with Carly as she gets closer to the truth, and to danger herself. The audiobook producers decided to have two narrators, Brittany Pressley and Kirsten Potter, voice the two female protagonists, Viv and Carly, and that really helps the listener. Carly’s story is told in present tense as well, which is another helpful device for tracking the timelines. The story is complicated, filled with surprises, creepy as hell, and heartbreaking in its portrayal of the carelessness of investigators who didn’t think a victim worthy of their best efforts. There are some great characters who appear in one or both storylines, and Viv’s courage in trying to find out who is killing young women deepens the reader’s investment in the story. It’s suspenseful and atmospheric, and I could hardly wait to get back to the story. And that cover! Still love it. My thanks to the Grand Forks (B.C.) & District Public Library for including this book in its online digital collection, in both e-book and e-audiobook formats. You can also request it in print via interlibrary loan.
More discussion and reviews of this novel: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50484085
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