CW: Torture, description of sexual assault

I received this book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

High up on the Swiss Alps, a sanatorium turned high-end hotel welcomes Elin and her boyfriend Will as they arrive to celebrate Elin's brother's engagement. But tensions between Elin and her brother Isaac heighten when a snowstorm descends, and Laure - Isaac's fiancée - goes missing. When a body is discovered, Elin's left to investigate while the pool of suspects remain trapped in the hotel together.

I love thrillers and mysteries novels that play along the trope of people trapped in a solitary place together so it has to be one of them, and The Sanatorium did this really well with the added element of the snowstorm to darken the mood, and the creepy past of the sanatorium to heighten the tension and atmosphere.

Elin as a character is one we've all seen before - there is nothing really new about her. She has a past that messed her up, and is something she can't let go of, and she has recent traumas that has increased her anxiety and overall vulnerability. She doesn't come across as a strong character, and at times appears weak and vulnerable. However, I did love seeing the change come across Elin when she switched into police officer/detective mode.

One gripe I had about this book and Elin in particular is I'm pretty sure for the majority of the book all she consumed was a tiny bit of coffee and she maybe had 3 hours sleep at most. I honestly don't know how she kept going. I needed a Gillian Anderson/The Fall detective eating a burger while going through notes moment because god if anyone needed a burger, it was Elin!

I felt gripped by this book, and the story had substance to it though the build up at the start was a bit long. It's not till 50% into the book that the first suspicious body is found, and Elin's investigation really starts.

The murders in this book were also on the gruesome side as well, and there were definitely some that made me feel a bit sick reading how the person was killed. When the masks and dismemberment were added on top of that, it added to the tension and the race against time element to the story.

The ending/reveal wasn't too much of a surprise but I wasn't a fan of the reasons why

I just don't like rape and/or sexual assault being used as a plot device in this way.

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I think for anyone looking for an atmospheric thriller/mystery book with a unique setting, this is perfect.