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A review by themysterymaven
The Night Sister by Jennifer McMahon
3.0
3.75
I think what makes this story so interesting are all the carefully curated details that create a mystifying, eerie atmosphere. You have a missing person whose fan letters to none other than Alfred Hitchcock give insight into strange happenings taking place within her home, serving almost as personal diary entries that speak of odd behaviors and dark secrets. Then there’s the home itself, a family-run motel nestled in the hey-day hills of Vermont off Route 66, that boasts a concrete tower side-show attraction. As the tale weaves and winds through alternating timelines, and the motel has presently declined and decayed, the tower is it’s own character in the book, looming like a spectre, hiding clues within the crumbling walls.
Fun fact: Alfred Hitchcock filmed The Trouble With Harry in Vermont, the author’s state of residence, and the movie premiere was held there!!
It’s these curious little selections that add great depth and dimension, making this an overall fun mystery to sort out. Why do the families who own the motel experience never-ending tragedies through the generations? Who hides in Room 4? What lies in wait in the tower? And most of all, in a place that hosts 28 rooms, where is the hidden 29th, hinted at in maps and cryptic messages that are left by someone unknown???
I always enjoy this author’s works. And while I still haven’t settled on whether or not I like the particular ending of this novel, the build-up throughout was both nostalgic and nightmarish in the best of ways!
I think what makes this story so interesting are all the carefully curated details that create a mystifying, eerie atmosphere. You have a missing person whose fan letters to none other than Alfred Hitchcock give insight into strange happenings taking place within her home, serving almost as personal diary entries that speak of odd behaviors and dark secrets. Then there’s the home itself, a family-run motel nestled in the hey-day hills of Vermont off Route 66, that boasts a concrete tower side-show attraction. As the tale weaves and winds through alternating timelines, and the motel has presently declined and decayed, the tower is it’s own character in the book, looming like a spectre, hiding clues within the crumbling walls.
Fun fact: Alfred Hitchcock filmed The Trouble With Harry in Vermont, the author’s state of residence, and the movie premiere was held there!!
It’s these curious little selections that add great depth and dimension, making this an overall fun mystery to sort out. Why do the families who own the motel experience never-ending tragedies through the generations? Who hides in Room 4? What lies in wait in the tower? And most of all, in a place that hosts 28 rooms, where is the hidden 29th, hinted at in maps and cryptic messages that are left by someone unknown???
I always enjoy this author’s works. And while I still haven’t settled on whether or not I like the particular ending of this novel, the build-up throughout was both nostalgic and nightmarish in the best of ways!