Aubrey Spencer loves photographing classic old buildings and abandoned places that hold old secrets. The Hotel Seabrink, perched overlooking the sea, is one such place. Currently abandoned but scheduled for a major renovation, it has a torrid history. Back in the 1920s it hosted A-list celebrity clientele, and now the locals insist it is haunted by the ghosts of two young women who died there. When Aubrey goes to photograph the site before the renovation begins, she bumps into a man named Dimitri Petroff, a minor online celebrity who shares her fascination with old buildings, the Hotel Seabrink in particular.
When he is found dead the next day at the base of a cliff, the police are quick to close the investigation. But Aubrey feels unsettled by locals who claim he was murdered and that it’s not the first time someone interested in the hotel was killed. As she digs deeper into the property’s dark history (and its origins as an asylum) as well as Dimitri’s professional rivalries, she becomes mired in an unsolved murder case from several decades earlier, one with eerie parallels to the contemporary case. But someone is determined to keep her from discovering the truth—at any cost. (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.)
Asylum Hotel is the perfect mix of suspense and psychological thriller, all wrapped up within an engaging ghostly read that kept me on my toes from start to finish. The entire time, I kept picturing the book turned into a small screen made for tv movie, or even a larger screen theater experience.
There is a supposed curse at the Hotel Seabrink; if someone spies the ghost in the attic, they die within 24 hours. For Aubrey, she questions whether that has anything to do with what has happened to Dimitri, if he truly ever saw an apparition to begin with, or if there is something deeper involved. Aubrey doesn't believe in ghosts and finds the whole thing to be a bit ridiculous, but there are some unexplained events that happen while she's at Hotel Seabrink that makes her question everything.
What happens next is fast paced and downright scary. From being followed to receiving threats, to seeing things that are unexplained and unreal, Aubrey tries to hold it all together while figuring out the true roots and secrets behind the hotel and the surrounding town. I enjoyed the descriptive details about the hotel and the town's scenery, with a lot of natural backdrop that made me feel like I was right in the thick of the rural California wilds. When everything came to a head and truths were revealed, I was surprised by the revelation! It wasn't what I expected.
Asylum Hotel was perfectly creepy without going over the top, keeping me invested the whole way through. It was a definite five star experience!
When he is found dead the next day at the base of a cliff, the police are quick to close the investigation. But Aubrey feels unsettled by locals who claim he was murdered and that it’s not the first time someone interested in the hotel was killed. As she digs deeper into the property’s dark history (and its origins as an asylum) as well as Dimitri’s professional rivalries, she becomes mired in an unsolved murder case from several decades earlier, one with eerie parallels to the contemporary case. But someone is determined to keep her from discovering the truth—at any cost. (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.)
Asylum Hotel is the perfect mix of suspense and psychological thriller, all wrapped up within an engaging ghostly read that kept me on my toes from start to finish. The entire time, I kept picturing the book turned into a small screen made for tv movie, or even a larger screen theater experience.
There is a supposed curse at the Hotel Seabrink; if someone spies the ghost in the attic, they die within 24 hours. For Aubrey, she questions whether that has anything to do with what has happened to Dimitri, if he truly ever saw an apparition to begin with, or if there is something deeper involved. Aubrey doesn't believe in ghosts and finds the whole thing to be a bit ridiculous, but there are some unexplained events that happen while she's at Hotel Seabrink that makes her question everything.
What happens next is fast paced and downright scary. From being followed to receiving threats, to seeing things that are unexplained and unreal, Aubrey tries to hold it all together while figuring out the true roots and secrets behind the hotel and the surrounding town. I enjoyed the descriptive details about the hotel and the town's scenery, with a lot of natural backdrop that made me feel like I was right in the thick of the rural California wilds. When everything came to a head and truths were revealed, I was surprised by the revelation! It wasn't what I expected.
Asylum Hotel was perfectly creepy without going over the top, keeping me invested the whole way through. It was a definite five star experience!
Thanks to Berkley for the book in exchange for an honest review.
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