A review by abercrombie1986
The Hotel by Emily Shiner

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 

What a cat and mouse game that for most of the book, I didn’t know who was the cat, who was the mouse and what the game was.  There were multiple POVs all set in the present, and everyone had a secret that I did not know what the secrets were.  Of course the book is set in a snowstorm in the mountains of Maine, where one couple desperately needs some money to keep their B&B afloat and the other has rented out the entire B&B to try and work on things.

It started out so nice, with a couple and their infant son that were likable.  Then things just progressed into an action packed adrenaline filled frenzy fraught with danger.  I suspected a few of the twists and had no idea what had happened with a few more.  And the twists started about a a quarter of the way from the end and just kept twisting and turning.

Emily Shiner writes books that remind me of Frieda McFadden and Daniel Hurst.  The popcorn thriller you can see playing out in your head that keeps you on your toes.  This one definitely fit that bill.  It was an easy quick read that had me waiting to see what would happen next.  Another great read for fall.