simonestjames – Between The Pages Book Club

Blurb; The secrets lurking in a rundown roadside motel ensnare a young woman, just as they did her aunt thirty-five years before, in this new atmospheric suspense novel from the national bestselling and award-winning author of The Broken Girls.

Upstate NY, 1982. Every small town like Fell, New York, has a place like the Sun Down Motel. Some customers are from out of town, passing through on their way to someplace better. Some are locals, trying to hide their secrets. Viv Delaney works as the night clerk to pay for her move to New York City. But something isn’t right at the Sun Down, and before long she’s determined to uncover all of the secrets hidden…

My Review; This one took me a while to read through the borrow box library app but well worth every page. It’s a mystery/paranormal/Thriller/crime all in one. It’s told between two characters aunty Viv back in the past who vanished into nowhere with no answers to where she went or if she is even alive. Then in the present day through her niece seeking answers about what happened to her aunt Viv and what really happened all those years before. She finds herself following her aunties footsteps but everything is not as it seems. Ghosts. Hauntings. Deaths. A travelling sales man. Can she figure it out all these years later? Can she reveal all the hidden secrets. Is her aunt still alive? A brilliant outcome, unexpected and jaw dropping. Highly recommend. A well deserved four stars from me. Brilliantly written. Gripping.

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Blurb; Vermont, 1950. There’s a place for the girls whom no one wants–the troublemakers, the illegitimate, the too smart for their own good. It’s called Idlewild Hall. And in the small town where it’s located, there are rumors that the boarding school is haunted. Four roommates bond over their whispered fears, their budding friendship blossoming–until one of them mysteriously disappears. . . .

Vermont, 2014. As much as she’s tried, journalist Fiona Sheridan cannot stop revisiting the events surrounding her older sister’s death. Twenty years ago, her body was found lying in the overgrown fields near the ruins of Idlewild Hall. And though her sister’s boyfriend was tried and convicted of murder, Fiona can’t shake the suspicion that something was never right about the case.

When Fiona discovers that Idlewild Hall is being restored by an anonymous benefactor, she decides to write a story about it. But a shocking discovery during the renovations will link the loss of her sister to secrets that were meant to stay hidden in the past–and a voice that won’t be silenced. . . .

My Review; Fiona is a journalist trying to figure out the death of her sister Deb in the past. She was found deceased on Idlewall Halls Field. Fiona turns to investigation mode and dives into the haunting past of the school and the pupils who attended, but what she uncovers is more than she ever expected. As Fiona continues investigating her personal relationships start to feel the strain. Fiona is one determined character who won’t give up until she has answers.

The story flicks from the past in the 1950s of Idlewild Hall and to the present with Fiona, this is clearly stated at the start of each chapter so there is no confusion. The story focuses on idlewood Hall which in the past was a fully functioning girls boarding school. However, now it is abandoned with the intent to be reopened and revived by an out of town buyer…

There’s a story behind how each of the girls came to be attending Idlewood Hall and some are utterly heartbreaking. Each girl has their own battles and past, alongside having an unpleasant, haunting stay and experience at Idlewild Hall.

There’s plenty of rumours and gossip about Idlewood Hall being haunted and bodies being buried on the site… But what is the real story? A brilliant read, one I enjoyed. A real mystery, gripping and haunting story that sucks you in.

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