booklistqueen's profile picture

booklistqueen 's review for:

The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse
4.0
adventurous mysterious fast-paced

 Having taken time off from her job as a detective, Elin Warner agrees to attend a celebration of her estranged brother's engagement. At a minimalist Swiss five-star hotel that used to be a sanatorium, Elin immediately feels on edge. When her brother's fiancée disappears and a girl is murdered, all the guests begin to panic after a storm shuts off access to the remote hotel. Now, Elin must use all her skills to find out what is going on.

I know some reviewers are called this Reese Witherspoon book club pick overhyped, but I was completely captivated by this thriller. I absolutely adored the setting and would love to see it come to life someday in a film adaptation. I can see Elin being a hard-to-love narrator since her PTSD keeps her on edge and slightly apart, but she made a great unreliable narrator. Admittedly, the motive for the murders was a bit convoluted, but all I can say is that I thought it was the perfect quick winter thriller to sink into on a snowy weekend.