The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James

The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James introduces us to Carly, a college student who has recently lost her mother. She leaves college and heads to New York to look into a family mystery that she was never allowed to ask about growing up. Her mother's sister Viv Delaney disappeared from her job as the night clerk at the Sun Down Motel in 1982.

Shortly after arriving, things fall in to place for Carly to stay in Fell for longer than just a few days, perhaps long enough to solve her aunt's disappearance. She stumbles across Heather, another twenty-something looking for a roommate when she goes to see the apartment her aunt was living in when she vanished. When they go to see The Sun Down Motel for the first time, Heather notices a help wanted sign. The motel is looking fora night clerk, and Carly finds herself working the same job her aunt used to have. The motel hasn't changed much, if at all, since 1982.

As Carly works to learn more about her aunt, strange things are happening at The Sun Down. Told in alternating points of view between Viv and Carly, their experiences at work are frighteningly similar. The motel seems to be trying to get a message across to the night clerk, and paranormal experiences are the norm.

I really enjoyed that the author made the motel into its own malevolent character, and that the storyline was creepy without overdoing the ghostly happenings. The details were just enough to get my imagination working in overdrive to fill in the details. As the sun went down and I neared the conclusion, I got kind of creeped out being home alone in the woods, and I find that a great attribute for a mystery novel.

Final rating: ★★★★☆

ATY prompt 16: A book with a building in the title

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