The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James

I’m excited to tell you about author Simone St. James’ latest release, THE SUN DOWN MOTEL, coming out today.

This sounds like a fascinating story. Here’s some information on it.

THE SUN DOWN MOTEL

By Simone St. James

*Paperback | $16.00

*Published by Berkley

*Oct 20, 2020

*352 Pages | 5-1/2 x 8-1/4

*ISBN 9780440000204

 Welcome to Fell, NY. It’s no usual place.

For decades, the small town of Fell has been a place where girls grow up being warned by their mothers to be careful or they’ll end up like Cathy Caldwell, the girl who was murdered and found under an overpass, or Victoria Lee who was killed and dumped on a jogging trail on the edge of town. There are a lot of dead girls in Fell.

One particular unsolved missing persons case is the reason behind Carly Kirk’s visit to town. Carly has always been fascinated by her aunt Viv, who disappeared in the 80’s while working at the Sun Down Motel before Carly was born. Using a small inheritance from her deceased mother, Carly leaves college to go to Fell and figure out what happened to her aunt thirty-five years ago. 

Soon Carly is mirroring her aunt’s life, working the same night shift at the motel, which hasn't changed since 1982. The guest book is still handwritten, the rooms still have actual keys, and the Wifi is spotty at best. But that’s not the only unsettling thing about the Sun Down Motel. Doors are opening themselves. Someone prank calls the front desk every night with only static on the other end of the line. Lights go out. And then there’s the mysterious smell of cigarette smoke with no smokers in sight.

As Carly uncovers more about the mysterious happenings at the motel and Fell’s secrets, she discovers that Viv had been trying to unravel mysteries of her own—including a possible serial killer working in Fell targeting women. If Carly can find the answers Viv was searching for, she might be able to solve the mystery that has haunted her family for years. But as Carly digs deeper, she puts herself in front of the same dangers that faced her aunt all those years ago.

The story moves between Carly Kirk in 2017 and her aunt Viv Delaney in 1982—two equally fearless women determined to uncover the truth.  James seamlessly weaves together both time periods and crafts a novel so scary and propulsive that readers will find themselves at the edge of their seats, ripping through the pages to connect the dots while simultaneously never wanting the ride to end.

Here’s an audio sample from Soundcloud for your listening pleasure. 

PRH Audio · The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James, read by Brittany Pressley, Kirsten Potter

Meet the Author

Simone St. James is the USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of The Broken Girls, Lost Among the Living, and The Haunting of Maddy Clare. She wrote her first ghost story, about a haunted library, when she was in high school, and spent twenty years behind the scenes in the television business before leaving to write full-time.

She lives just outside Toronto, Canada, with her husband and a spoiled rescue cat. She is addicted to sushi, old 1970's gothic novels, rainy days, coffee, and My Favorite Murder.

You can find her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, and Pinterest (though not all at once). * Photo credit: Lauren Perry

Thanks for stopping by today. Doesn’t this sound like one of those stories you’d have to read only during the daylight hours?