The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James

4.8 (20)
$19.00

Product Details

Web ID: 15418906

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER. Something hasn't been right at the roadside Sun Down Motel for a very long time, and Carly Kirk is about to find out why in this chilling new novel from the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of The Broken Girls. Upstate New York, 1982. Viv Delaney wants to move to New York City, and to help pay for it she takes a job as the night clerk at the Sun Down Motel in Fell, New York. But something isn't right at the motel, something haunting and scary. Upstate New York, 2017. Carly Kirk has never been able to let go of the story of her aunt Viv, who mysteriously'disappeared'from the Sun Down before she was born. She decides to move to Fell and visit the motel, where she quickly learns that nothing has changed since 1982. And she soon finds herself ensnared in the same mysteries that claimed her aunt.

  • Product Features

    • Suggested age range- Adult
    • Format- Paperback
    • Product dimensions- 5.4" W x 8.2" H x 1" D
    • Genre- Horror
    • Publisher- Penguin Publishing Group, Publication date- 10-20-2020
    • Page count- 352
    • ISBN- 9780440000204
  • Shipping & Returns

    • California and Minnesota customers call 1-800-289-6229 for Free Shipping information.
    • For complete details, see our Shipping and Returns policies.

Ratings & Reviews

4.8/5

20 star ratings & reviews

Write a Review
16
4
0
0
0
1 month ago

instantly one of my favs

i was just about to give up on my BookTok recommendations but this book completely redeemed it. slow burn but keep me so hooked that i could not put it down. i loved the writing, the suspense and the characters.

Recommends this product

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

6 months ago

A hauntingly good read...

Simone St. James is at it again in her best novel to date: The Sundown Motel. The readers are pulled in to two different time periods. Past and present where they are shown what happens at and around the sundown Hotel and why the air might linger there. A must read for all paranormal and murder mystery fans a like!

Recommends this product

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

7 months ago
from Texas

Great ghost story/supernatural/serial killer story

This is a great read. Easy to follow murder mystery. Goes back and forth between two different timelines giving you bits and pieces of the crimes and the research behind finding out who the killer is.

Recommends this product

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

7 months ago
from Rio Vista, CA

The Sun Down Motel

I have been in such a mood lately for a creepy, scary story. Not so much a blood and guts horror story, but a truly creepy, scary story with ghosts or a haunted house and evil spirits or some other malevolent, supernatural entity. Instead of hoping for the best with some unfamiliar author or story, I’ve decided to stick to what I know for my fix for a creepy, scary story: Simone St James! I only discovered her earlier this year and this was only my fourth book of hers that I have read, but all of them have been bona fide creepy, scary stories. Well done Ms. St James! The book summary pretty much lays out the whole book and the primary storylines. The story flips back and forth between Viv in 1982 and Karly in 2017. Shortly after taking jobs as the graveyard shift desk clerks, both Viv and Karly begin seeing the ghosts of the three people who died at the motel in the late 70’s and early 80’s. There’s the woman in the flowered dress who’s bloody, bruised and beaten body was dumped on the construction site of when the motel was built. Then there is the young boy who drowned in the pool along with the desk clerk, at the time, who found the boy’s body and who died of a heart attack six months later. In 1982, Viv starts stalking one of the motel’s frequent guests, a traveling salesman, who she suspects is a killer, against the advice of both the only female cop in the Fell police force, Alma, as well as a local photographer, Marnie. Both Alma and Marnie warn Viv that she is getting herself into a dangerous situation. In 2017, Karly starts to go down the same path as her aunt Viv, with the help of a local student, Heather, and a man, Nick, who grew up in Fell, but left town after his father killed his brother, and is now back in town. Nick also sees the ghosts at the motel. The story follows both Viv’s days leading up to her disappearance and Karly’s days spent chronicling Viv’s last days. While Viv came up against people warning her to quit doing what she was doing, Karly comes up against some of the same people lying about what happened back then and definitely appearing to cover up something. The happenings at the motel and the ghosts are most definitely creepy and spooky. A couple of the scenes gave me goosebumps. I listened to the audiobook and the fear in the characters voices got my imagination going. The character development of both Viv and Karly was pretty well done, as well as Alma’s and Marnie’s too. The pacing was steady to fast and the storyline interesting and definitely creepy, Viv’s a little more than Karly’s. The writing was classic St James, with ghosts, creepy building, and scary people. I’m looking at an overall rating of 4.3 that I will be rounding down to a 4star review.

Recommends this product

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

11 months ago

loved it!

the way this book is written, from the point of Vivian in 1982 and her neice Carly in 2017, flows so nicely! the book starts immediately and doesn't have too much back story or unnecessary details, it's just right. I rate 10/10, enjoyed very much and couldn't put it down; the plot twists were amazing too! would recommend!

Recommends this product

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

1 year ago

Suspense …. and ghosts!

Great read! Lots of suspense, from the 1980’s point of view compared to the 2018 point of view…and lots of ghosts! The author brings the reader along the two timelines - finding out the connections and commonality right up until the end!! The ghosts - and who saw them - made me want to keep reading to find out what happened next!

Recommends this product

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

2 years ago
from IL

Spooky mystery!

I was hooked by the dual POV of Vivian, who disappeared in 1982, and her niece Carly in 2017, trying to find out what happened at the Sun Down Motel. There were some chilling scenes as Vivian learns something isn’t right at the hotel—the hauntings were wonderfully creepy. Carly and Viv both had the same investigative drive and passion for justice. Nick was just the right amount of mysterious; I loved him and didn’t know if I could completely trust him for a long time. Great tension throughout this mystery.

Recommends this product

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com

2 years ago
from Delta, UT

Haunting that takes you into the mind of a killer!

In 1982, 20yo Vivian opens the story as she arrives at work for the night shift in Fell, New York at the Sun Down Motel. Thirty five years later in 2017, Vivian’s niece, 20yo Carly, arrives in Fell to investigate her aunt’s disappearance. Vivian is one among several women that are surrounded by unknown circumstances, four others were found murdered. This begins a haunted story that will take Carly through her Aunt Vivian’s last days and into the thoughts of a killer. Excellent story, 5 stars! Likes/dislikes: Spooky hauntings and great writing with alternating points of view between Carly and Vivian. Language: R for 127 swears and 17 f-words. Mature Content: PG-13 for implied sex by mentioning getting rid of virginity. Violence: PG-13 for bloody death. Ethnicity: predominantly white.

Recommends this product

Customer review from barnesandnoble.com