I was not quite sure what to expect in this book as i am a die hard murder mystery girl and the murder mystery in this book was only a minor sub plot. This book far exceeded my expectations, i absolutely loved it, it was super fast paced and had some fantastically developed characters that i thoroughly enjoyed. The story was so unique, well thought out and suspenseful. The ending was amazing. This is one of those books where you are so taken into the story and the lives of the characters you are actually sad when its over. Im going to rank this book in my Top 20 list, i could not put it down and stayed up far far to late finishing it. I am definitely going to seek out other books by this author. I highly recommend giving this book a read. Add it to your "Want to Read" list on Goodreads because you do not want to forget about this one. Thanks to #netgalley for my early edition to read and review, i feel very privileged to have been one of the early readers of this amazing book

This is a thought-provoking book which challenges us to ponder the question “who will be with you at the end of the world, and what kind of a person will you be?”-(Emily St.John Mandel). This question applies to the survivors of a nuclear holocaust, and to a historian, Jon Keller, in particular. This is a compelling, fast-paced book which covers 73 days beginning when news of the ‘end-of-the-world’ by nuclear bombing of major cities reaches guests and staff at a hotel in Switzerland.

Jon has been attending a work-related conference at the Swiss hotel surrounded in a forested area. He is in an unhappy marriage and missing his children back home in California. He is ignoring an email from his wife when the room erupts in chaos. Guests are receiving push messages on their phones that nuclear war has broken out. First, they read that Washington has been destroyed, then Munich, London, New York, Berlin and Scotland. Then the internet connection goes down. The ensuing panic and shock cause some to commit suicide. Conference attendees flee the hotel in a desperate attempt to get home, ignoring the fact that likelihood that all means of transportation have ceased. Their survival is unknown.

Jon decides he must keep busy in order to hold on to his sanity. He records his impressions and events over 73 days, where a total of 20 hotel guests and staff remain behind. The remaining people are diverse: from different countries, a variety of languages, races, cultures and political beliefs, occupations and talents.

When there is a problem with the water supply, Jon and another discover the body of a young girl in the water tank. An autopsy determines she was probably murdered prior to being dumped in the tank and died at approximately the time news of the nuclear devastation was initially announced. Jon is determined to solve the mystery of her death. He starts to question the other occupants in case the killer is still at the hotel.

Some are keeping secrets. Jon himself is an unreliable witness, having gaps in his memory of what he saw and heard during the shock and panic of the first news reports. The characters react in different ways. Some show admirable courage and leadership, some display kindness and cooperation, others become aggressive and violent or sink into depression.

With no further news and no hope of rescue, it becomes necessary to venture out to the nearest store for supplies of food and medicines. Any trip outside the hotel grounds places them in danger from others lurking in the forests or store. On a later run, three of the bravest men do not return and a search is organized.

A word about the hotel. It has an unsavoury reputation and a past history of murders and suicides. There are stories of ghostly apparitions, unregistered people wandering the halls at night, and a notorious serial killer who once lived there. Adding the supernatural element to the story was irrelevant. I thought the final couple of pages were disappointing. Overall this book kept me enthralled, and I was very much involved in the outcome for its major characters. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys dystopian stories. This one was combined with an intriguing ‘locked room’ mystery.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC in return for an honest review.