Hotel Destiny is a ghost story and a mystery. Cole Sackler, the hotel detective becomes the latest victim and his ghost tries to find his killer. The book spans several decades as Cole’s ghost travels through the past to find clues to the murderer. It is an easy read with enough twists to keep you guessing.

I really enjoyed this book. Ghost story, mystery, time travel (sort of), and a quest for knowledge. It had everything. It was hard to put down, and could've/should've read it in one sitting. I haven't read Raymond Benson before, but will need to track down more of his work.

It’s 1985. The latest owner has remodeled the transient hotel to its original glamour. Cole is the night manager and hotel detective for Destiny Hotel. (Before the present owner, the hotel had become a place for prositutes, bums, and others.) There has been several murders before Cole was murder and one shortly before the party. Cole is given a costume for opening night by his new boss. As opening night is Halloween, Cole decides to wear the costume with some reluctance. At the Halloween party, Cole sees a woman offering fortune telling. Cole goes to her with questions he has. What are the questions? He then finds himself in the past at the hotel’s original opening night. What does he find out? He finds himself going back and forth in different time eras. Why?

The novel is a ghost story with a mystery within a mystery. It was an irresistible novel for me to read as I discovered more about his experiences and yet I needed to know more. It’s not your typical ghost story. There is haunting but no haunting. It’s definitely a book to read!

I jumped at this book based on the subtitle. Who could resist a “ghost noir?” The book
Is very well-written and the initial conceit and setup are great, with a spooky, old hotel, a fortune teller and a costume party, just for starters.

From there unfortunately it lost me a little. Though the book was very well-written and fun, I didn’t find it very suspenseful or scary. At times I thought it was more sci-fi where I had been expecting horror, with portals and mysteries and holes and tunnels in the space-time continuum. I think this book will probably hit much harder and better for those who are more sci-fi, particularly those who are time travel inclined, but that’s not so much my jam. Would have been helpful to know from the blurb or the genre listing that this was more the direction of the book, because I don’t often read that genre.

So in summary, well-written, smart book if you’re more into sci-fi and time travel with your horror. For me, it didn’t hit the spot.

Thanks to NetGalley, Raymond Benson and Crossroad Press for the advance copy! This review is honest and my own.

Down these mean streets a ghost must go... Hotel Destiny is a ghost trap. Die there and you won’t go anywhere except down different timelines while always stuck within the hotel’s walls.

Cole is the latest ghost to check in. However, the hotel is jam-packed with other ghosts too. Were they all killed by the same serial killer? Is the serial killer himself a ghost? Who is the mysterious fortune teller? And how does Cole’s twin brother Charlie fit into the story? As the former hotel detective, who could be better at tracking down the clues and finding at least his own murderer?

I absolutely adored this wholly original story. It really is a ghost noir—combining the best parts of both genres. If you are a noir fan, you will enjoy the original setting. If you are a paranormal devotee, the world-building within Hotel Destiny is excellent. Overall, just a great story. 5 stars and a favorite!

Thanks to Crossroad Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.