Like The Broken Girls, The Sun Down Motel is another perfect mash-up of ghosts and murder-mystery. This is the story of a run-down motel, the murders of several young women, and two family members trying to figure it all out, 35 years apart. If you're a fan of a good ghost story or haunted house and true crime (it's dedicated to murderinos!) or enjoyed The Broken Girls, this is the book for you! The Sun Down Motel is the perfect creepy setting. It reads like one of those scary movies I love to scare myself by watching. You want to scream at the main character, "Don't go in there!" yet you're compelled to know what happens, as much as they are. This is told in alternating timelines. The two narrators have such similar voices, it was at times hard to distinguish between them. The perfect, spooky read for October!

Interesting plot, lots of twist, do you believe in ghost? St James does a good job with a ghost story told as history and present.

Bestselling author Simone St. James has established herself as an author of paranormal mysteries set in post-WWI England. In The Sun Down Motel, St. James departs from her traditional setting and takes the reader to Upstate New York, with an alternating timeline that moves between the 1980s and the present day.

Carly is the niece of Viv, who disappeared in the 1980s while working as the night-shift clerk at the seedy Sun Down Motel. After the death of her mother, Viv’s sister, Carly travels to Fell to find out more about her aunt’s disappearance. When she takes on her aunt’s old position as Sun Down’s night clerk, Carly discovers that the Sun Down is not just creepy but also haunted. Her investigation of Viv’s disappearance leads Carly to uncover the Sun Down’s secrets.

As a current resident of far northern New York, I felt that the setting was familiar, and Canadian St. James had a knack for evoking the lonely and slightly behind-the-times feeling of living in the tiny hamlets of New York’s Upstate region. Like main characters Carly and Viv, I know the feeling of being an outsider in a place where everyone knows who belongs. And I also know the frustration of running into a local culture that can be a bit weird and unwelcoming. St. James did a great job making this real for the reader, and her choice of setting complemented the spooky paranormal storyline. While this book won’t be released until February 2020, I must say that having the opportunity to read it in October, just before Halloween, was a great experience.

I appreciate that St. James can create a spooky atmosphere in her writing without taking the reader all the way into scary territory. I enjoy being a little thrilled, but true horror writing is always too graphic and frightening for me. As a tender reader, the level of detail was just right, keeping me on the edge of my seat without keeping me up at night.

I found the Sun Down to be an enjoyable, atmospheric thriller, a good fit for those that enjoy murder mysteries with female protagonists, a genre I seek out quite often. While some of the plot twists are a bit predictable, and I wish some of the wrap-up went a little differently, overall, this was a book that kept me reading. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to others.

This is my second by Simone St. James and I thought this was such a perfect, creepy, fall read! I thought the paranormal was great, and not too heavy, since I'm not a huge fan of paranormal in general, but this was normalized well.

This is a dual timeline story revolving around Viv and Carly. Viv is Carly's aunt and had worked at the Sun Down Motel in 1982 but that year working on shift. Her body was never found, but other women's bodies were found as other murders occurred in this town previously. Carly decides she wants to find out what happened to her aunt and gets a job at the Sun Down Motel, same as her aunt.

The story lines were similar so it was occasionally tough to remember what happened when, but I really enjoyed how they uncovered the murders and what happened next. Slightly predictable in places, but overall, a good, solid read.

St James always does an amazing job creating a dark and tense atmosphere for her characters to populate. The Sun Down Motel is a known hot spot of bad activity in a town seemingly forgotten by time. The tale is dark and compelling and makes for perfect October reading.

This old, seedy roadside motel setting had me running to grab this one!

This creepy, haunted motel has a past that it won't let go... slamming doors, traveling salesmen, and many unanswered questions.

I loved the atmospheric setting and couldn't help but think of the Bates Motel. The same type of place you wouldn't necessarily want to check into! I was also picturing the Scooby Doo van about to roll up at any moment to help this girl Carly out.

The two timelines meshed together to solve a 35 year old mystery made this an entertaining who-dunnit. Carly was the amateur detective and was determined to get answers.

While it was a spooky read, I was hoping for a little more spine-chilling twists and creepy turns. For me this one was more of a spooky adventure where Carly is on a mission.

If you are looking for a unique crime read with some ghostly happenings, this one is quite entertaining and perfect for the season.

The Sun Down Motel is Simone St. James' next release following 2018's The Broken Girls. Similar to The Broken Girls, Sun Down Motel has an element of ghosts/supernatural running through it. In fact, at points, this book is downright creepy! This is told through two narrators, Viv, in the third person, and Carly in the first person. Viv's story takes place 35 years earlier, in 1982.
Viv is Carly's aunt and had worked at the Sun Down Motel in 1982 but disappeared in November of that year. No body was ever found, and Carly decides she wants to figure out what happened. Carly drives to the odd town of Fell, New York and also gets a job at the Sun Down Motel. Carly's story parallels Viv's in an number of ways and at times, it is hard to remember which events occurred in which timeline because they are so similar.
With a cast of interesting supporting characters in both timelines, the story of the Sun Down Motel, the town of Fell, New York and the people that get sucked into the town and never leave is revealed. The conclusion of the book wraps up everything in a nice, satisfying way. While some of the revelations were predictable, the story itself was captivating!

In 1987, Vivian Delaney fled her home in Chicago for fame in New York City but was sidetracked in the upstate town of Fell where she began working at the Sun Down Motel. There, she began experiencing strange phenomenon and meeting unusual if not frightening guests as she learned that the most dangerous thing in Fell was being a woman. After being ignored by the police, driven both by curiosity and a sense of justice, Viv begins an investigation into the murders of three of Fell's women. But then, Viv disappears from the motel, her belongings left in the lobby and her car left in the parking lot. She's never found.

Thirty-five years later, Carly Kirk, adrift after her mother's death from cancer, travels to Fell to learn what happened to her aunt Vivian. Carly begins mirroring Viv's life in Fell, unknowingly picking up the threads of her research, and putting herself in the same danger. Will Fell claim her as a victim, too?

A homage to true crime aficionados, The Sun Down Motel alternates between Viv and Carly's perspectives which maximized the suspense. I read lots of mysteries and thrillers, and this scared me like no other. I was terrified for Viv and later Carly, and I trusted no one.

Part of the book requires suspension of disbelief. I just went with it because it made the book that much more enjoyable. I also figured out one critical plot point early. It was still worth it to see how St. James uncovered it, but I think it would have been more satisfying had it been a surprise. I don't know if this was a function of the writing or the fact that I read so many books in this genre, I know a lot of the tricks.

If you enjoy psychological thrillers with strong female protagonists, or if you enjoy the thrill of a good scare, I highly recommend this book.

The Sun Down Motel is yet another chilling ghost story from Simone St. James, who just seems to surpass the level of shiver with each book. St. James’ style is an appealing blend of mystery and horror that straddles that gap between young adult and adult fiction. She consistently delivers some of the creepiest ghosts out there.

Here, the narrative bounces between present day with Carly and 1982 with Viv. Carly’s arrival in the small upstate NY town of Fell to search for her Aunt Vivian, who disappeared in 1982, uncovers old secrets and stirs up some vengeful ghosts at the Sun Down Motel.

This book will keep you hooked from the first chapter to the last.

I have read quite a few books by Simone St. James, and I am always excited when I have a chance to read another of her books. I had very high expectations for The Sun Down Motel, and while it wasn't my favorite St. James book, it was still a solid and an entertaining read.

The book is written in alternating chapters written in the present day and in the 1980s. The plot revolves around the creepy and most-likely haunted Sun Down Motel, and what might have happened to Carly's aunt Viv when she was working at the Sun Down thirty years earlier.

The different times and perspectives worked for me, letting the mysteries unravel slowly as different events unfolded in the past and the present.

I really love a good ghost story, which is one reason why I love St. James. The ghosty elements are very well-done in this book, spooky without being too scary or even silly.

This is another very good book by St. James, and one that I would recommend to others who enjoy mysteries and ghost stories.

I really enjoyed the first two-thirds of this book; there were even a couple times I had to put it down at night because I was finding it too creepy. But, I was disappointed with the last third, which I thought was a bit too predictable, and I felt that the final twist was a bit too rushed. Overall, quite enjoyed it though.

The Sun Down motel was the perfect October read! Scary but not toooo scary, and with two awesome main characters, in would highly recommend this for someone who wants a little fright and a creepy story for Halloween!

My first introduction to Simone St. James was reading her previous notel The Broken Girls, it was one of my top 10 books last year. I went into this with a crazy amount of anticipation and and hoping been another 5* read.

The novel revolves around a young woman, Carly, following up on her long dead aunt Vivian. The family never felt any kind of closure because her body was never found. She just disappeared one night during her late night shift at The Sun Down Motel. In order to understand Carly’s point of view we must be taken back in time to when her aunt disappeared. Meanwhile Carly will get a job at the Sun Down herself in order to try and find an answer.

Here begin some of my problems with this book. Lots of situations happened around the same time in the women’s timelines. I also found things were just too repetitive having to weave the two stories together. At first I was just a little confused about whose story I was reading. As I got into the story I did enjoy the ride but it wasn’t a page turner for me.

Ms. Simoe’s writing here is top notch and the story is a good one. I found the characters to be well described but I did have trouble with believability. I asked myself so many times, why didn’t she just quit? Why would they intentionally put themselves in such danger? In each storyline there is a good friend and a boyfriend.

This novel has Ms. Jame’s signature creation of a ghostly vibe and it’s a good mystery. There were lots of lights going on and off, doors opening and shutting on their own, “smoke scent in the air” and apparitions. Both Vivian and her niece Carly are looking for answers as to what is going on and putting themselves in grave danger.

The ending moved my rating up to a solid 4 and I can definitely recommend it. Ms. St. Jame’s followers won’t be disappointed.

I would recommend this as a “long sit” read in order to keep the timelines straight and to ratchet up the tension and vibe. This is a great Fall and Halloween read.

Publication is set for February 18, 2020.

I received a ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley.

Will post to Amazon upon publication.

My kind of scary story! Ghosts, murders, and some kick ass women doing detective work.

Reminds a lot of being a kid and reading Nancy Drew, though this was more disturbing and creepy.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkeley for the ARC!

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Carly, devastated after losing her mother to cancer, drops out of college and takes on an investigation of her aunt's murder.

Flashbacks between Carly, in the present, and her Aunt Viv, in the past, are eerily interwoven. I got lost in the plot and couldn't put the novel down.

I've read everything by Simone St James so far but on seeing the description for this one I wondered if I would be quite as into it. I love historical mysteries and she's done some awesome ones (Like a post-WWI gothic paranormal mystery set in a creepy convalescent home: I knew before reading it that Silence for the Dead would be my jam) but the 1980's in a motel? Hmmm. And guess what? It is actually everything I wanted.

We've got a dual perspective from the 80's and present day with an aunt (who disappeared back then) and her niece trying to find her. I loved the little touches (like description of clothes) that just made the 80's spring to life. I loved the young, present-day heroine who had a weird infatuation with creepy stuff and true crime her whole life - relatable! And I loved the Sun Down Motel, so atmospheric.

One thing I found to be a neat twist for a story that had ghosts in it was that this was much more mystery than horror. You get some spooky ghostly stuff near the beginning and though we've got hauntings the whole way through, the vibe of them changes from "What's going on? What will these ghosts do?" to "I must find who killed these ghosts", like the ghosts are present but allies. Neat.

Not just that, but this absolutely feels like a feminist paranormal/historical mystery. You've got two strong, active female protagonists; the direct references to so many "dead girls" in the town of Fell, NY (a nod to the entire mystery/thriller genre, I'd say); and a constant awareness of the dangers that women feel around strange men.

I received a free copy from NetGalley/Berkley in exchange for an honest review. And honestly, I'm just sad that not everyone is able to read it right now too!

I’m a huge Simone St. James fan. She is one of the few authors I automatically buy when I see their name. While this one isn’t my favorite book of hers, it’s still a great read.

She used a dual timeline approach to tell the stories of Viv, a young woman working at a seedy motel in the early 1980s as a night shift clerk, and of Carly, her niece who comes to work at that same job in 2017 in order to investigate the disappearance of Viv in 1982 from the Sun Down.

It has the signature St James blend of supernatural creepiness, historical fiction with great attention to detail, and low key romance. She should never ever ever change her formula!

I did feel the first third was slow to grab me and felt a little plodding. But it picked up quickly after that and the last third was absolute perfection.

I continue to be in on whatever else she writes! Thank you to Berkeley and Netgalley for the free advanced digital copy!

4.5 stars for me.

First of all the cover of The Sun Down Motel perfectly describes this dark suspensful book that I could not put down .

It's eerie, the atmosphere is right on point, there is murder, a serial killer, ghosts that can't rest and a hotel that makes you think of The Bates Motel.

The story is told from two perspectives : Viv in 1982 who disappears and in 2017 , her niece Carly who comes to this creepy motel to find out what happened to her aunt.

Don't want to give anything away, suffice to say put this book on your list !!

If you haven't read The Broken Girls by Simone St James, don't miss that one either!

Thanks to NetGalley, Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley for the opportunity to read The Sun Down Motel.

A young woman out to solve a family mystery finds herself in a situation where she is reliving the events from many years ago that led to the disappearance of her Aunt that she never knew. the hotel where the story takes place is spooky and the events makes you wonder why the protagonist is so willing to stay there. Lots of surprises and almost made me believe in ghosts.

“This place is dark.”

“Some of us like the dark. It’s what we know.”

Me immediately prior to reading this book . . . .

If you follow my reviews, you know I’ve been kind of in a book slump – especially when it comes to wrongreading giant hits that everyone else all over the intertubes have been loving. I attempted to lower my expectations before starting this one (I didn’t fall head-over-heels for The Broken Girls so I was trying to be realistic), but damn the cover alone had me like “Hey Girl.” In fact, that was the only thing I knew about this before starting. What I found upon opening her up???

Mysteries that take place in dual timelines. The then is told from Viv back in 1982. Viv left home in hopes of becoming a famous actress in NYC, but ended up as the night watchperson at the Sun Down Motel in Fell, New York instead. The now is told by Viv’s niece Carly. Carly is a hobbyist with a focus on true crime. The fact that her own aunt went poof in the night never to be heard from again is fuel to her websleuthing nature and she has traveled to Fell in hopes of finding some answers regarding Viv’s disappearance.

Then there’s the motel . . . .

With lights that turn on and off, locked doors that randomly get thrown open, yelling and pounding in rooms with no checked-in guests, a little boy who appears sans parents and the occasional smell of cigarettes despite the place being no smoking was just what Momma needed. After all THIS IS HALLOWEEN THIS IS HALLOWEEN! (Which leads me to – WHY THE EFF DOES THIS NOT COME OUT UNTIL FEBRUARY???? It’s the perfect October mystery.)

The entire time I was reading this I couldn’t wait to call my real-life book buddies and tell them . . . . . GUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRL. It didn’t matter that I figured out the twist behind the whodunit, or that there was a moment of the MC running TOWARD danger rather than away, or that regular civilians were trying to solve this old stuff themselves (only without the Mystery Machine). Mainly because the snooping in both the past and the present made sense and it wasn’t like either timeline had a bunch of inside knowledge or outside help. They used things like newspaper clippings, the internet and a dang phone book to link clues together.

Bottom line is I loved every thing about this. It was the perfect book at the perfect time. I read it in about 14 seconds and was pretty bummed when it was over so it gets every star.

ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.