This author has a way with writing ghostly, atmospheric reads. This is my second by her and I found it somewhat similar to The Broken Girl, which I read a couple of years ago. Spanning two different timelines, this one runs in the early 80s and then in 2017. (Hello good old '80s vibes - I am never unhappy about these kinds of references!) Carly has arrived to Fells and The Sun Down Motel to see what may have happened in the disappearance of her aunt, Viv and ends up finding out way more than was expected.

This story has a delicious dark, eerie and ghostly feel to it. I don't think I'd ever work the night shift at a hotel that's practically in the middle of nowhere. And I certainly wouldn't do it after noticing weird happenings - smells, noises, doors opening... um, yeah. No thank you! I do appreciate that these ghosts aren't here to just scare the reader, or the characters - they're here for the purposes of the mystery within.

I do think that there was a bit of repetitiveness. I'm not sure if that's just because of the dual time lines reflecting each other between Viv and Carly to meld their stories together or if there was just a sense of continuity that could *sometimes* make me wonder whose story I was reading. I didn't find anything crazy or OMG as I was reading but this isn't that type of read, in my opinion. What we get is a thoroughly atmospheric and at some points, extremely spooky, read. And this is what this author does SO VERY WELL.

If you're looking for a slow burn of a ghostly story, this is the read for you. The type of read you don't need a big twist to keep you satisfied, but I do wish I had a little bit more from the ending.

St. James has quickly become a favorite author of mine with her realistic characters, suspenseful mysteries, and her ability to weave in a slight, sometimes spooky paranormal element to almost all her stories, her books have the perfect blend of genres that are sure to please even the toughest of critics.

With settings and places that take on a personality and life of their own, The Sun Down Motel was by far a read that kept me on edge with ghosts galore, a murder mystery decades old and a disappearance that was every bit as thrilling as the rest, this truly was a read that was every bit as hard to forget as it was to put down.

It has been a long time since I sat down and read a book cover to cover in one day. I could not put down The Sun Down Motel by Simone St James. Carly sucked me into her life to find out what happened to her Aunt Viv. Who knew it would require each of them, two women from two generations, that had never met, to connect through the haunts of a rural roadside motel. The motel has never changed, the horrors are ever present, and the writing will make you jump. The only thing is I could not close my eyes and hide under the covers because I had to keep going. Creepy & Fantastic! Thank you Net Galley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC! #thesundownmotel #netgalley

Yet again, Simone St. James has nailed creepy ghost story. 

The dual timeline begins in 1982, where Vivian Delaney finds herself landing in small town Fell, NY, and working at a the eerie Sun Down Motel off Old Number Six Road as the night clerk. It doesn't take long for Viv to realize the motel is haunted, and delving into the morbid recent events of the town, she learns just who their identities are. The more she finds out about the murders happening in Fell, the more determined she is to put a stop to it, before she becomes the next victim. 

Thirty five years later, in 2017, Carly Kirk is determined to get answers. Her mother never uttered a word about the disappearance of her sister, Vivian, and now Carly wants to uncover the truth in her family's past, once and for all. She begins retracing the steps her aunt took- living in her old apartment, working nights at the Sun Down... anything she can do to help figure out why her aunt disappeared all those years ago. However, the deeper she dives in the historical paper stacks in the Fell library, the more dead bodies she discovers. 

St. James wrote another page-turner that scared me *just* the right amount. Although there was a lot of repetitive discoveries and information shown due to the dual timeline, I enjoyed the way the story unfolded. The mystery was more focused on Viv's disappearance and less on the murder suspect, which I appreciated- it felt more realistic from Carly's standpoint, making the dual timeline conclusion climactic, rather than a way to unravel two stories and make them converge at the end. I don't want to say too much and give things away, but I will say the conclusion was satisfying and I enjoyed the supporting character's and their roles in the novel as well. 

Overall, I would certainly recommend the read, and if you loved The Broken Girls, you'll definitely love The Sun Down Motel. 

*This review will be posted on my blog on February 13, 2020, at www.thelexingtonbookie.com.*

I recieved an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book and will recommend it often!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this advance readers copy

Generally speaking I’m not into paranormal books , but I really enjoyed this paranormal / mystery /thriller

Although I was skeptical a bit at the beginning, I have to say that I really enjoyed this book, and without giving away the details, I though the ending was done really well! .

Simone St James did a great job of creating the characters. And I loved the strong bonds of friendship that evolved throughout the book.

4.5 ✨

It lived up to all the great reviews that I have read. It was a well written spooky mystery. Now I have to read all the other books by this author. I will put this on the staff favorites shelf at my library.

ARC provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

Completely addictive, riveting, and engaging, The Sun Down Motel is the latest supernatural thriller from Simone St. James. A dual timeline tale of two women thirty-five years apart looking for answers to a series of disappearances, it contains the eerie, haunted tone I expect from this author’s work together with an excellent, engrossing mystery which had me finishing the story in a single sitting.

In 1982, a fight with her mother has young Viviane – Viv - Delaney fleeing her small Illinois hometown for New York City. A hitchhiking experience gone wrong lands her in quiet Fell, NY at the Sun Down Motel, a rather shabby roadside inn. The owner is in the office, frustrated that an employee has quit and she will have to work all night after having been there all day. She makes a deal with Viv: Viv can stay for free, if she agrees to take a nap for the next few hours and then cover the graveyard shift. It’s a good bargain for the fiscally challenged girl and she accepts. She finds herself staying in Fell and working at the Sun Down for more than just one night, developing a deep fascination with the history of the place and the creepy events that take place when daylight fades and the Sun Down spooks come out to play. She is especially interested in the years old murder of a young woman whose body was found at the motel’s construction site when it was first being built.

In 2017 Carly Kirk sets out from her Illinois hometown determined to find some answers regarding her Aunt Viv who vanished while working the night shift at a seedy upstate New York motel. It’s as if Fell has been waiting for her. She quickly makes a friend of Heather, a fellow murderino, who wants to help her find out what happened to her aunt and luck results in Carly filling the vacant position of the graveyard shift at the Sun Down, the same job Viv held before her disappearance. Carly begins to retrace Viv’s last days, slowly realizing that it isn’t just the mystery of one young woman she is investigating, but many. It seems Fell had a big problem in the 80s, a killer who had moved carefully, silently among them murdering girls at will. Is he why Viv vanished? Or do the strange occurrences at the spooky hostelry hide something else, something ageless, angry and deadly which is still actively looking for victims?

There is no gradual buildup of suspense with this story. The very first line of the novel is “The night it all ended, Vivian was alone.”  and the tension just ratchets up from there as we become increasingly obsessed with what ended and what happened to the solo Vivian.  The Sun Down, the titular center of our tale, is a large part of what creates the narrative’s aura of apprehension.  It abounds with inexplicable scents, sounds  and spectral apparitions from the moment we first enter. But it’s not just the building. The whole town seems to be under a baffling sense of menace, as if the community is simply waiting for - and willing to accept -  the next weird, incomprehensible event to occur. This dire atmosphere serves as a deliciously ominous backdrop to our rather sinister tale.

The heroines serve as both a calming antidote to the gloomy ambience and as a catalyst for the final, explosive events. Obviously, their interest in the deaths/disappearances of young women are the spark that drives our story, but they  are delightful, funny, quirky young people who serve as a reminder that good can conquer evil. Carly and her friends, especially, add light to this otherwise dark tale. Heather, like Carly, is a woman with an interest in true crime. Unlike Carly, she has no personal connection to it, just a deep fascination with solving real life puzzles. Her idiosyncrasies are endearing and her quiet, thoughtful nature offsets some of the frantic pace of the plot. Carly is an utter joy - humorous but intense, and intelligent.   Early in the story she meets the gorgeous but emotionally damaged Nick, who has his own tragic tie to Fell and his own peculiar penchant for the Sun Down. Their romance adds a sweet note to what could easily have been a horrifying, bitter story. All three of them bring unique skills to the investigation and become deeply involved in seeing the mystery through to its end.

Viv’s portion of the novel is understandably darker. One of the first things she tells us is that it’s “always girls who ended up stripped and dead like roadkill. It didn’t matter how afraid or how careful you were - it could always be you.” Naturally, a woman with such a macabre viewpoint would have friends who skirted the more dangerous areas of life. Those friends are awesome but a large part of the tale hinges on what happens to/around Viv so I don’t want to give anything about her storyline away. I will say that she is utterly wonderful. Strong, resourceful, bright, beautiful - she’s an amazing young woman. My heart was pounding as I neared the end of the book since I both wanted to know and feared what happened to this glorious girl.

Ms. St. James has perfected her prose style for these gothic mysteries, and her atmospheric storytelling delivers a truly vivid sense of imminent danger with every turn of the page. She skillfully combines both elements of the tale - the supernatural menace and the real life villains - to convey the intense sense of peril felt by the heroines. Some writers tell you a story and others invite you into one. With this book, Ms. James definitely does the latter. I was especially impressed that she was able to do this in a modern setting. Our high-tech western society tends to dispel any belief in things/events that don’t have practical, logical explanations but the author weaves the paranormal elements so adroitly into her text that you don’t need to believe in ghosts to accept the Sun Down Motel is haunted.

I’ve enjoyed all of Ms. St. James' novels to varying degrees but The Sun Down Motel is easily one of my favorites. I have no hesitation in recommending it very highly to anyone who even thinks they might be in the mood for a good mystery and is willing to open their mind to the idea that there are indeed more things in heaven and earth than they have dreamt of .

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A really interesting mystery that did a fantastic job of blending paranormal into an already spooky story.

“Poltergeist” meets Bates Motel in the new paranormal thriller from Simone St John. Following two narratives in 1982 and 2017, both involve plucky inquisitive heroines, the twist here is in the near current day, young Carly is searching for her long missing, believed to be dead Aunt Viv, who mysteriously disappeared from the tragedy prone hotel nearly thirty odd years before. With me so far? The young Viv, sidetracked on route to New York, ends up working the night shift at the creepy motel and before long she beings to experience enough paranormal madness to hire Zelda Rubinstein to get them to go into the light. But while Carly takes the same job her Aunt had one thirty years before to try and solve her disappearance, Viv stumbles on what she believes is a killer on the loose as a history of unsolved female victims have piled up in the town of Fell. The book really took flight for me at the midpoint as both stories move to convergence and relies less on the tepid ghosts and more on the traditional thriller model, with enough twists by the end to keep you guessing. Begging for a big screen or television adaption, it’s a fun female driven thriller that makes the women smart and not just the helpless victims.

4.5 stars

“If every person who disappeared came back, wouldn’t the world be full of ghosts?”

This book had me hooked immediately. We have Viv, a young girl working overnights at the Sun Down Motel. In an alternating storyline, we have Carly, Viv’s niece, working at the Sun Down 35 years ago later. Viv disappeared before Carly was born and now Carly is retracing her footsteps, ready to solve this mystery decades long mystery.

There was so much I loved about this book. The armchair sleuthing, the alternate (yet very similar) timelines, the supernatural aspect, the friendships. It was eerie and it was a true crime lovers dream. I couldn’t stop reading because I had to know what happened to Viv while desperately hoping Carly wouldn’t meet the same fate.

I only have one complaint about this book. As Carly takes a walk in the past and follows the same path Viv took, I sometimes found myself forgetting which story belonged to which girl. They were almost TOO similar. But I was so invested, I didn’t bother me too much.

If you like mysteries with a touch of the supernatural, definitely give this book a go!

The Sun Down Motel 🏚

A huge shout out to my friends over a @berkleypub for a copy of The Sun Down Motel in exchange for my review! #partner

When @katieladyreads kept raving about this one I just knew I had to get my hands on it!

Mini synopsis: Carly returns to the last place her aunt was seen to try and discover what happened to her. Unbeknownst to her, she is about to relive everything her aunt went thru.

This book was the perfect spooky store. It was fast paced and full of action and left me guessing at every turn.
I loveddd the ghost aspect of this book. I feel like so many thrillers lately have been all based off murders but they never speak of the afterlife and this one did a KILLER job at linking the two (I’m punny I know).
I loved the way the author went between both the past and the present and two different characters all while making the chapters flow smoothly.
The only reason this one wasn’t a 5⭐️ read for me was because I just felt like the last chapter was a little off.....

Thanks again for the reading rec @katieladyreads and thanks to my friends over at @berkleypub!!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is the way a book should be! Spooky and entertaining to the max!


I love everything about The Sun Down Motel. I could see it in my head happening like a movie. A movie which I probably would be too scared to watch.


The book begins in 1982 with the disappearance of Viv Delaney, a young woman from Chicago who has stopped at the Sun Down Motel while she was on her way to NYC. Viv decides to take a job as the night clerk for the motel but she soon realizes that something very wrong is happening at this place. The doors of the rooms open on their own accord, she can smell smoke when there's no one smoking, noises and voices are heard in the middle of the night. Then, she learns Fell is a town full of secrets. Multiple women have died and Viv starts believing their deaths might all be related.


In 2017, Carly Kirk is a college student who recently has lost her mother. She decides to take a trip to Fell, NY. She is in search of clues as to what happened to her aunt at The Sun Down Motel in 1982. When she gets to Fell, she finds a roommate, Heather. Heather is a night owl who likes true crime, just like Carly does. In order to investigate her aunt's disappearance, Carly decides to take the job her aunt once had, as the night clerk for The Sun Down motel. Not long after, eerie things start happening to her. Carly with the help of Heather, and a stranger, Nick Harness, knows she must find out the truth of what happened at the motel the night Viv disappeared.


Such a good book. Great story with great writing. Excellent plot and characterization. I was completely immersed in this novel. I highly recommend it.


Cliffhanger: No


5/5 Fangs


A complimentary copy was provided by Berkley via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. There aren't many books that scare me anymore. This book was CHILLING. OMG, the author did such an amazing job with the atmosphere of that creepy hotel. I could almost smell the smoke from the mysterious man. Then ether was the creepy boy by the pool and then there was Betty, who was freaking pissed off that her killer was running loose. There were times that I literally had goose bumps while reading this book.

The book goes back and forth between two POV's: there is Viv in 1982 and there is Carly (Viv's niece) in the present, trying to figure out what happened to the aunt that she never knew. It was interesting to see that virtually nothing had changed at the hotel between 1982 and 2017. The hotel had no computer or Internet or credit card machines or online booking system or anything -- it was like time just stopped. All the ghosts and everything at the hotel lead both Viv and Carly to the discovery of some unsolved murders in the town. It was interesting seeing how both women reacted to the events of their time -- you could tell they were family because they were so similar. Both girls went down the rabbit hole of trying to find a killer and trying to figure out what was going on. And yeah, Betty the ghost definitely helped both women with that. The suspense built to a fever pitch and by the end of the story, I was on the edge of my seat. This was my first book by this author, but it will not be the last. Excellent read!

And you thought the Bates Motel was creepy? Welcome to THE SUN DOWN MOTEL a rundown, secluded place where many checked in, but they didn’t all check out. That mystery would send two young women on a terrifying mission for answers, decades apart.

Viv Delaney was the night clerk in 1982. It became her mission to uncover the dark secrets the motel held. Thirty-five years later, her niece would follow in her footsteps, perhaps unearthing the final mysteries, finding more answers than she bargained for.

Simone St. James must have the heart of mystery greats deep within as she paints a dark tale of death, dirty little secrets and hidden truths concealed beneath decades of time. Feel the atmosphere that engulfs this tale in every page and revel in the brilliance of an ending that holds the final, unexpected twist of this riveting thriller.

I received a complimentary ARC edition from Berkley! This is my honest and voluntary review.

Vivian’s dreams of a fresh start in NYC are put on hold when she finds herself in sleepy, small town Fell. Viv begins working at The Sun Down Motel, which she quickly realizes is haunted… by ghosts in need of her help. Vivian goes missing, and thirty years later her niece Carly heads to Fell to solve Viv’s disappearance. Carly soon learns the mysteries surrounding her aunt’s disappearance are still very present in Fell.

This was solid. Good but not great, I was pretty into what the heck was happening here. I actually thought the book could have stood alone without the paranormal vibes, but the ghosts didn’t ruin anything for me. The alternating timelines were very effective – Vivian’s story unfolded to the reader while Carly’s research simultaneously lead her to the same realizations. I liked the themes of women getting the job done without help, but also liked the lowkey budding romance involved. Would recommend, but not quite with the same levels of hype I’m seeing.

I really enjoyed this paranormal murder mystery about a woman investigating the disappearance of her aunt by taking a job at the same creepy motel her aunt worked at 30+ years after said disappearance occurred. The narrative structure and alternating timelines were well-written, the mystery kept me entertained without lagging, and I found myself rooting for all of the characters (worth noting all of the main characters are bad ass females who can solve their own GD mysteries without the help of a man!). A solid thriller with a touch of the supernatural.

Wow, what a book. What first caught my attention was the cover. After reading the synopsis, I was drawn in, especially since it takes place near where I reside. Reading Simone's work before, I was expecting a good, spooky read but this blew me out of the water. The story was so well told.

I know it’s only January but <i>The Sun Down Motel</i> might be one of my favorite books this year. It grabs you from the first chapter and takes you on a wild ride - so wild you don’t want to put it down to work or sleep or drive (I did, of course. I’m not a crazy person).

<i>The Sun Down Motel</i> doesn’t change. It’s the constant that remains, between the dual perspectives we readers are presented with, as we learn the story of Vivian and Carly.

Vivian is a night shift clerk a The Sun Down in 1982, having run away from home and landed in Fell, NY on her way to NYC. Carly is Vivians niece and arrives in Fell in the present day, after her mother’s sudden death, to try to find out what happened to her mysterious aunt. All Carly knows was the Viv was last seen in Fell in November of ‘82 and then she was gone. Missing. Like a string of other women who were murdered around the same time. But Viv’s body was never found.

Chock full of murder, second guesses, ghosts and two strong female main characters, <i>The Sun Down Motel</i> is a necessary read, especially for my true-crime junkies.

So, this is one of those buzz books and, more often than not, buzz books just don’t live up to the buzz.

This one does.

This is one of those perfect reads that you just don’t want to put down. Heck, I was sneaking reads while at work because I simply had to know what would happen next.

There are two timelines here and (truly a shock) each timeline is terrific! Usually, I love one and tolerate or hate the other. In this case, I was thoroughly entrenched in both of them.

Our main characters are both a little Nancy Drew, but in a more modern and very likeable way.

I loved our ghost story and our mystery equally.

Simply, the author crafted the book wonderfully, giving readers an engaging experience and a true five star read!

*ARC via Net Galley