Book of the month for February was The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse. The Big Review is below.
***Big Reviews are written from the point of view that you have read the book. If this is not yet you, bookmark the page and come back once you have***
The Sanatorium – the blurb
An imposing, isolated hotel, high up in the Swiss Alps, is the last place Elin Warner wants to be. But she’s taken time off from her job as a detective, so when she receives an invitation out of the blue to celebrate her estranged brother’s recent engagement, she has no choice but to accept.
Arriving in the midst of a threatening storm, Elin immediately feels on edge. Though it’s beautiful, something about the hotel, recently converted from an abandoned sanatorium, makes her nervous – as does her brother, Isaac.
And when they wake the following morning to discover his fiancée Laure has vanished without a trace, Elin’s unease grows. With the storm cutting off access to and from the hotel, the longer Laure stays missing, the more the remaining guests start to panic.
But no-one has realized yet that another woman has gone missing. And she’s the only one who could have warned them just how much danger they’re all in . . .
A hotel with a shady past
Bravo to Pearse on the setting, an ultra glamorous hotel with a shady past, isolated in the mountains. She had a clear vision of the hotel which came across in the writing and didn’t you just know there would be an avalanche! I was immediately reminded of The Hunting Party with its remote location and weather an isolating factor. I don’t think I would have liked to have been a guest with the various medical artifacts on display.
Whereas I liked the setting I found Elin annoying. She was on leave from her job as she had put herself in danger yet clearly hadn’t learned her lesson. Her refusal to even text Will her whereabouts before charging off was eyerolling to say the least. I found she jumped to conclusions really quickly which I suppose explains her suspicions of Isaac who we were expected to do a complete 180 of when all was revealed. I also didn’t like the constant references to her heart racing, sweat pouring down her back or adrenalin pulsing. It’s a stressful situation I get it, but stop referring to anatomical reactions.
It’s unusual for a book of this type to be so female lead. The detective(?), the victims and the murderers. The cold bloodiness of it all was chilling and I found the masks really creepy – it certainly couldn’t be classed as a cosy crime.
My favorite character was Will. Pearse could so easily have squashed his relationship with Elin but they hung on in and I found the ending hopeful for them. I didn’t expect the prologue but was pleased as I just didn’t get Laure pushing Elin. I’m not sure how Pearse will explain the CCTV footage but it certainly cranks the door for a sequel.
Get Involved
If you would like to get involved with the Book Of The Month choices try answering the Book Club questions published every month. Just search in the footnotes section for the ‘Get Involved’ articles. A new book is chosen every month so keep your eyes peeled for the Lowdown on March’s book of the month soon.