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Completely addictive, riveting, and engaging, The Sun Down Motel is the latest supernatural thriller from Simone St. James. A dual timeline tale of two women thirty-five years apart looking for answers to a series of disappearances, it contains the eerie, haunted tone I expect from this author’s work together with an excellent, engrossing mystery which had me finishing the story in a single sitting.
In 1982, a fight with her mother has young Viviane – Viv – Delaney fleeing her small Illinois hometown for New York City. A hitchhiking experience gone wrong lands her in quiet Fell, NY at the Sun Down Motel, a rather shabby roadside inn. The owner is in the office, frustrated that an employee has quit and she will have to work all night after having been there all day. She makes a deal with Viv: Viv can stay for free, if she agrees to take a nap for the next few hours and then cover the graveyard shift. It’s a good bargain for the fiscally challenged girl and she accepts. She finds herself staying in Fell and working at the Sun Down for more than just one night, developing a deep fascination with the history of the place and the creepy events that take place when daylight fades and the Sun Down spooks come out to play. She is especially interested in the years old murder of a young woman whose body was found at the motel’s construction site when it was first being built.
In 2017 Carly Kirk sets out from her Illinois hometown determined to find some answers regarding her Aunt Viv who vanished while working the night shift at a seedy upstate New York motel. It’s as if Fell has been waiting for her. She quickly makes a friend of Heather, a fellow murderino, who wants to help her find out what happened to her aunt and luck results in Carly filling the vacant position of the graveyard shift at the Sun Down, the same job Viv held before her disappearance. Carly begins to retrace Viv’s last days, slowly realizing that it isn’t just the mystery of one young woman she is investigating, but many. It seems Fell had a big problem in the 80s, a killer who had moved carefully, silently among them murdering girls at will. Is he why Viv vanished? Or do the strange occurrences at the spooky hostelry hide something else, something ageless, angry and deadly which is still actively looking for victims?
There is no gradual buildup of suspense with this story. The very first line of the novel is “The night it all ended, Vivian was alone.” and the tension just ratchets up from there as we become increasingly obsessed with what ended and what happened to the solo Vivian. The Sun Down, the titular center of our tale, is a large part of what creates the narrative’s aura of apprehension. It abounds with inexplicable scents, sounds and spectral apparitions from the moment we first enter. But it’s not just the building. The whole town seems to be under a baffling sense of menace, as if the community is simply waiting for – and willing to accept – the next weird, incomprehensible event to occur. This dire atmosphere serves as a deliciously ominous backdrop to our rather sinister tale.
The heroines serve as both a calming antidote to the gloomy ambience and as a catalyst for the final, explosive events. Obviously, their interest in the deaths/disappearances of young women are the spark that drives our story, but they are delightful, funny, quirky young people who serve as a reminder that good can conquer evil. Carly and her friends, especially, add light to this otherwise dark tale. Heather, like Carly, is a woman with an interest in true crime. Unlike Carly, she has no personal connection to it, just a deep fascination with solving real life puzzles. Her idiosyncrasies are endearing and her quiet, thoughtful nature offsets some of the frantic pace of the plot. Carly is an utter joy – humorous but intense, and intelligent. Early in the story she meets the gorgeous but emotionally damaged Nick, who has his own tragic tie to Fell and his own peculiar penchant for the Sun Down. Their romance adds a sweet note to what could easily have been a horrifying, bitter story. All three of them bring unique skills to the investigation and become deeply involved in seeing the mystery through to its end.
Viv’s portion of the novel is understandably darker. One of the first things she tells us is that it’s “always girls who ended up stripped and dead like roadkill. It didn’t matter how afraid or how careful you were – it could always be you.” Naturally, a woman with such a macabre viewpoint would have friends who skirted the more dangerous areas of life. Those friends are awesome but a large part of the tale hinges on what happens to/around Viv so I don’t want to give anything about her storyline away. I will say that she is utterly wonderful. Strong, resourceful, bright, beautiful – she’s an amazing young woman. My heart was pounding as I neared the end of the book since I both wanted to know and feared what happened to this glorious girl.
Ms. St. James has perfected her prose style for these gothic mysteries, and her atmospheric storytelling delivers a truly vivid sense of imminent danger with every turn of the page. She skillfully combines both elements of the tale – the supernatural menace and the real life villains – to convey the intense sense of peril felt by the heroines. Some writers tell you a story and others invite you into one. With this book, Ms. James definitely does the latter. I was especially impressed that she was able to do this in a modern setting. Our high-tech western society tends to dispel any belief in things/events that don’t have practical, logical explanations but the author weaves the paranormal elements so adroitly into her text that you don’t need to believe in ghosts to accept the Sun Down Motel is haunted.
I’ve enjoyed all of Ms. St. James’ novels to varying degrees but The Sun Down Motel is easily one of my favorites. I have no hesitation in recommending it very highly to anyone who even thinks they might be in the mood for a good mystery and is willing to open their mind to the idea that there are indeed more things in heaven and earth than they have dreamt of .
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Warning: The comment thread has MAJOR spoiler for this book!
Grade: A
Book Type: Gothic
Sensuality: Subtle
Review Date: 16/02/20
Publication Date: 02/2020
Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.
I've been an avid reader since 2nd grade and discovered romance when my cousin lent me Lord of La Pampa by Kay Thorpe in 7th grade. I currently read approximately 150 books a year, comprised of a mix of Young Adult, romance, mystery, women's fiction, and science fiction/fantasy.
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SPOILER: I have a lingering question about Nick’s father. I had been thinking as I was reading that there would be a link between his father hearing voices and going on a homicidal spree against his children to the ghostly rage in town and the evil incarnate of the serial killer. In the end though the side story of Nick’s father wasn’t incorporated into the main stories. Did that surprise anyone or was I over reading?
Also, in the end I was a little surprised by how fond so many people were about Fell, NY. I just didn’t see anything remotely appealing about that place but so many good reasons to pack up and get the hell out of there, lol.
Yes and YES to answer your questions, Lol.
I had completely forgotten that I had expected there to be some connection between Nick’s family and the motel. Why did he get relief sleeping there? Was it Fell? Or the hotel specifically? What was wrong with the father?
I don’t get the appeal of Fell AT ALL. It’s not like it’s some beautiful old gracious home or a scenic small town. Having traveled on family vacations in the late 70’s and early 80’s where we stopped at the new versions of those hotels (which were fine and all) I have no desire to tour them or go running back. I also have zero desire to live in the murder capital of anywhere.
Your points make me think even more that St. James may be circling back to Fell in the future. It’s such a big part of the story, almost another character and she definitely left some things open ended. While I don’t want to live there, I wouldn’t mind reading about Fell again sometime.
I had the thought that maybe Nick’s father was the lawyer that got Victoria’s boyfriend and the homeless man off. Maybe he knew the truth and it finally made him snap?
That’s an interesting take. The story seemed to connect the murder to his family life – he said at one point it was all just too much – but it would be intriguing if he was tied to the case somehow.
I *think* those who were fond of Fell were fond it because it fit the darkness in them. That’s what Heather says anyway. I would imagine though that plenty of people did indeed get the heck out of there once they had the chance.
I was curious too about Nick being able to sleep there but wondered if it had something to do with Betty seeing him as a fellow victim and helping him sleep. She appeared at the foot of his bed once, he saw her and then fell straight back to sleep. I wondered if maybe she was helping him out because she saw herself in him???? Impossible to know for sure, of course but everyone else had a very different reaction to seeing Betty. They tended to be terrified.
I finally finished and am circling back to comment on this book. I really enjoyed it a lot. It had shades of some of my favorite Barbara Michaels novels (another author I love who was never afraid to write a strong female characters). I enjoyed the sweetness of the small touches of romance that was included. It wasn’t a lot and it never detracted from the mystery or the whole creepy ambiance. If I have one small complaint it’s that everyone gets a follow up at the end except for Heather. She just melts off as the action happens and it’s never mentioned if, after all her help, Carly is still friends with her. If Carly was a guy instead of a young woman in the story I would accuse the author of just making Heather a plot device. Having lived through and remembering the early 80’s as well as I do I could really appreciate the setting and how it was portrayed.
SPOILERS***************************
I thought it was an interesting choice to have Viv all of a sudden go and confess to the “crime” after all that time and I am not convinced that she would have gotten that much time if she said he attacked her, especially since the DNA evidence linked him to most of the crimes.
Was the author saying that as a woman, of course Viv could never truly get away with the crime, no matter how well deserved? I think of how many movies have the hero with the questionable morals get away with his crimes while Viv is expected to break down in the end and “do what is right.”
I already lent my copy to a friend so I can’t double-check this, but I’m *pretty* sure I recall that in the very last chapter/epilogue, Carly mentions that she and Heather still spend time hanging out, even after she moves out of the apartment. Sort of blink-and-you’ll-miss-it, but I’m nearly certain it was there.
I remember it said something about Heather being understanding that Carly was moving into her aunt’s apartment but apart from that I don’t remember her being mentioned again. I only read it once so I will have to double check. I was curious to see how Heather was doing without a roommate and after being exposed to things that she felt were attractive to her, yet detrimental.
The epilogue says three things specifically about Heather: 1) “I stayed with Heather for another month, and then I moved into Viv’s apartment on the other side of town. Most people would think it strange that I would take over my aunt’s place after she was indicted for murder – specifically voluntary manslaughter – but Heather didn’t. ‘Why not?” she said when I suggested it. “It fits in with the rest of this weird story.” 2) I lived a quiet life. I read books. I walked. I hung out with Heather. 3) I sighed. I liked Alma, but it was impossible to be friends with her. Heather was more my style.
I took that to mean Carly and Heather remain pretty close. I’m not sure the author could have really offered us closure on Heather’s story – she has some pretty serious issues to work through – but I would love to see another novel set in this locale as Carly said, “It seems like a nice place to kill someone.” :-)
Thanks so much for taking the time to post this!
I had wondered if maybe St. James wasn’t being too concrete about Heather in the end because she plans to revisit her character in a subsequent book. We got a peek at how everyone else’s lives were starting to shape up long term, at least their plans but not hers really. The author has never done two related books that I can recall, and I think I’ve read everything she’s written so far but she put so much detail into Heather I could see her showing up again someday.
Also thanks for the great review! I came back to read it in detail after I finished the book.
You’re welcome!
I had similar questions about Viv’s confession and I wondered if the author couldn’t just let Viv get away with it and had to show us that Viv struggled the rest of her life with the guilt of killing another person, no matter how justified. I certainly think self-defense would apply here and Viv’s ultimate future is left up in the air for us to speculate upon.
Good call on the missing resolution for Heather. I like that Simone St. James was thoughtful and mental health conditions and addiction and that other characters like Carly and Nick were respectful of Heather’s needs.
I had a hard time believing Viv would be convicted. Arrested, originally, I could understand until the DNA evidence came into play. Once it was proven the man was a serial killer, that should have been enough to have seen her released for self-defense. Her greatest crime was obstruction of justice by hiding the body and living under a false ID but honestly, I think given the circumstances she would have received probation for that, not imprisonment.
Yes there was a real life case of a serial killer who killed the older man he had killed other men with. Because he was defending himself he wasn’t charged for killing him (but he was put away for the other young men he had killed).
I really doubt an otherwise innocent person like Viv would be imprisoned for what she did. A young woman alone as the night manager at a hotel with a serial killer who knew she identified him? The public outcry alone would be incredible.
Oh, wow! Just wow – creepy, spine tingling, couldn’t make myself read at night, but soooo good!
I’m in the middle (I’m a painfully slow reader), and I’m finding this one very creepy, more so than her others. I’m questioning my traditional wisdom of reading before going to bed with this one.
I usually read in bed before I fall asleep and last night I decided I would read a different book instead of this one as I didn’t think it would lead to sweet dreams or a restful night, lol. I will try to finish it off during daylight hours if possible.
I don’t know that I found this one scarier than her others but the fact that everything takes place during periods when I’ve actually been alive gave the story an immediacy the others lacked. I read it during the day, for the most part so that probably helped. Hope you are enjoying it in spite of the creep factor.
I think the focus on modern day serial killers reduced the distance I often feel when I read St. James’s books. Women’s bodies dumped off the interstate also feels eerily American and real. I greatly enjoyed the book though and found it well constructed – maybe her best written one yet.
I definitely enjoyed it and as you and Blackjack said, it felt very contemporary and “closer” due to the time period and subject matter. As someone who avidly watched Mindhunter and is not afraid of reading about true crime (except at night) this book definitely hits closer to home. I don’t think there is a woman I know of who wasn’t raised on the advice and with the constraints given to women in these books.
Finished yesterday. So creepy and scary. Loved it.
Yes, so, so creepy and scary!
Woo hoo just got my copy so I will circle back to read the details of the review once I am done. Really excited for this one, have been waiting for something new from this author for a while now.
Wonderful! Like you I’ve enjoyed all of Simone St. James’s books, though some more than others. She’s reliably good though and this one sounds fabulous. The Other Side of Midnight is still my favorite. I’m on the west coast and will get this book delivered to my Kindle at 9pm tomorrow. I’m anxiously awaiting! I’ll come back and read this review in more depth after I’ve finished the book itself.
Hope you like it as much as I did :-)