The Hitchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel is a chilling psychological thriller that delves into the dark undercurrents of obsession and manipulation. Set in a secluded hotel reminiscent of classic horror, the story unfolds as a young woman uncovers unsettling truths about her family and the enigmatic guests residing there. Wrobel’s evocative prose and intricate character development create a tense atmosphere that keeps readers guessing until the last page. With its unique premise and gripping narrative, this novel is a compelling read for fans of suspenseful fiction.

The Hitchcock Hotel had a great premise but very disappointing execution. The Hitchcock Hotel sounded great and a perfect setup for a locked room murder but then it just fell flat. The characters felt like caricatures and nothing felt surprising. Thank you to the publisher for the free ebook to review.

Thank you to Berkley Pub for the digital copy and to PRH Audio for the ALC to review.

Happy Pub Week to The Hitchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel! I have liked her other books and I really enjoyed this one, especially the Hitchcock movie tie in’s, I thought they were great. I started off reading the digital copy but switched to the audio, and once I did I thought the multiple narrators really enhanced the story. The plot did not go or end as I expected, nor did I care much for these characters, but I thought it all worked well and I enjoyed the multiple POVs to get the insights, especially the one at the end. This is a good one to read during spooky season if you are needing one to add to your list, it is a fun and entertaining read!

If you’re looking for a fun mystery/lite horror hybrid for spooky season, you can’t go wrong with this delightfully entertaining offering from Stephanie Wrobel.

This would be a great read for those who like something a little creepy but not *too* scary and without any ick to it. And it’s still fun even if you’re a bit more into scary stuff than that.

I loved the premise for this, and the setup allows the story to unfold with both excellent pacing and sharp plotting. There’s an unusual twist to this that allows it to move in an atypical direction as far as the whodunnit of it all, and it’s surprisingly satisfying in the end.

The book also has an excellent sense of place and the setting is very well rendered, and Wrobel does a terrific job of weaving Hitchcock quotes and tropes into the mystery.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I was immediately intrigued by this one, and I’ve enjoyed Wrobel’s last two books. I loved the Hitchcock themes, the multiple POV, and switch between past and present. It was all so atmospheric 🐦‍⬛

There’s a twist at the end that I 100% didn’t see coming. Which is always a huge plus 👏🏻 while this was twisty and kept my interest, it’s hard to be overly invested in a book when you can’t stand any of the characters. Like..literally none of them. And I didn’t really care what happened to them 😅

This one published earlier in the week - I recommend giving this one a try!

Thanks to @berkleypub for the #gifted copy.

Is this one on your radar?

Clever, sharp, and full of interesting Hitchcockian references. The complicated characters and steady reveal of secrets made for a pageturner.

I loved loved loved The Hitchcock Hotel. This is the perfect fall book. It is a slow burn suspense story about a guy who has a Hitchcock themed hotel and invites his college friends for the weekend. Weird stuff ensues, hints are dropped about things from their college days and everyone is suspicious. So creepy, dark and stressful and yet witty and so clever. I love how it all fit together. I loved how everyone was unreliable. I loved how I had no idea which direction it was going.

28% of the way in and I’m bored and struggling with this one. Ultimately decided to DNF it since the reviews are mid tier. Really cool
Concept bur this was a really slow burn !

Stephanie Wrobel takes the reader into a Hitchcockian thriller in The Hitchcock Hotel. With many movie references, this is part novel and part ode.
Alfred Smettle is a massive Hitchcock fan. His love of the director inspired him to found The Hitchcock Hotel, a sprawling Victorian house in the White Mountains. Part of the service includes round-the-clock film screenings, movie props and memorabilia in every room, and an aviary of crows. To celebrate the hotel’s first anniversary, Alfred invites his college friends to stay free. This will be their first meeting in 16 after they betrayed Aldred in his senior year. But they were all part of the film club, and this would be the perfect place to make amends. Each person carries secrets, and these secrets lead to death as Alfred’s plans go awry.
This is no horror book. It’s a thriller. The novel even quotes essays on Hitchcock’s work being just that. (You will never convince me Psycho isn’t horror though.) In fact, the author uses quotes from Hitchcock and critics and tries to emulate them. There are times Wrobel succeeds and times she falls short. One instance is the idea that what an audience knows that the characters don’t is true suspense, and she tries to give readers the same effect. Except she was holding back crucial information that made me feel confused. I didn’t know who to root for and that is not because they were grey characters (though they are). It’s because I wasn’t given enough information to make a connection with any character and that’s not good for a story. I guess it falls to the quote “always make the audience suffer as much as possible” (Alfred Hitchcock).
The story’s twists and turns are the best part--especially the final one. The story pulls a Psycho, but I won’t divulge how so as not to ruin it. This turn leaves you spinning and wondering what the hell is going on. I enjoyed the conclusion and its justice. I wasn’t big on most of the characters, but it was interesting seeing their part in a murder and their versions of justice.
Overall, this isn’t as Hitchcockian as I would have liked (the author seemed to focus on just a few movies). But the mystery and twists are worth reading. If I were to give a starred review, it would be three stars: enjoyable but I wouldn’t read it again.

Many thanks to @prhaudio and @berkleypub for the free advanced listening copy of this thriller! Below is my honest review. #berkleypartner #prhaudioinfluencer

When Alfred Smettle invites his college film studies friends for a complimentary weekend at his boutique, Hitchcock-themed hotel, it marks the first time they’ve all reunited in nearly two decades. The hotel itself is a spooky homage to Hitchcock’s iconic films, featuring everything from an aviary filled with crows to a room where his movies play on a constant loop. But, as with any great Hitchcock plot, all is not what it seems—and by the end of the weekend, not everyone will make it out alive. Dark secrets from their past are resurfacing, and the six friends are still hiding things from each other.

As a die-hard fan of Hitchcock’s films (with Dial M for Murder being my personal favorite), I loved all the subtle and overt references scattered throughout the story. This is a slow-burn thriller that invests heavily in character development upfront, giving it the suspenseful vibe of Hitchcock’s movies without leaning into horror. While I did guess who was behind it all, the why caught me by surprise, which made for a satisfying twist. Despite being tagged as horror on Goodreads, this felt more like a classic suspense with minimal violence—except for the inevitable deaths, of course!

The audiobook was fun, with three narrators—two voicing individual characters and a third covering the rest. Their performances were excellent and added to the enjoyment of this well-crafted thriller.

Secluded location?
Tense former friend reunion?
Themed hotel?

SIGN. ME. UP.

Okay, maybe not to stay at the Hitchcock Hotel with this crew, but for sure to observe them!

Wrobel does a fantastic job of creating a unique cast of characters who she allows to each individually have a voice in the story as she alternates narrators between all of them. I know for some that this amount of narrators can seem like a lot, but it works really well with the plot and twist revelations in this story.

In addition to a solid group of narrators, Wrobel weaves throughout the story glimpses into the past. From the start the reader wants to know why Alfred would want to bring together a group of his estranged friends and speaking of, why the heck are they estranged? I loved sleuthing along with plot development and trying to guess what new secret would come to the surface.

The Hitchcock Hotel is a perfect choice for crime fiction/mystery/thriller fans looking to escape to an isolated setting filled with intrigue!

Summary: Alfred Smettle has created a one-of-a-kind boutique hotel in the White Mountains, with an Alfred Hitchcock theme and showcasing vintage posters, props and memorabilia, complete with a screening room to watch Hitchcock films. He has invited his college-days friends to come for the weekend and stay. He hasn't seen them all for years - Zoe, Samira, TJ, Julius, and Grace - since he was expelled from college. They have some reminiscing to do, and some scores to settle.

Thoughts: The Hitchcock Hotel tells the story of six friends, linked by their college experiences and the events that occurred shortly before the end of their four years. They went their separate ways, hoping not to see each other again, before the invitation to the Hitchcock Hotel arrived. Like any good mystery, all the players have secrets to hide and hidden motives for participating in a weekend they were dreading. None of them are likeable or good people, but are they guilty of murder? I enjoyed the flashbacks to their college days and the history that unfolded, even more so than the present day storyline. The conclusion and solution to the mystery ties up the loose ends, but is not completely unpredictable. Even so, this is a solid murder mystery to be enjoyed in your easy chair with a good cup of tea.

I loved Darling Rose Gold, so I was very excited for Stephanie Wrobel’s new novel The Hitchcock Hotel. The book tells the story about a group of college friends who reunite at The Hitchcock Hotel, opened by one of the group in the college town. Alfred Smettle, an odd duck of the grou is the hotel owner who is obsessed with Hitchcock and invites his friends from college to the hotel to reunite and settle some old scores. This is the slowest of slow burns as the mystery takes forever to get into and the characters will make you role your eyes over and over again. It’s an interesting premise, but it was just too slow for me. The story never grabbed me.

Imagine, just for a second, what your life would be like, without your friends?

They’re such a huge part of those “formative years”... but not so much, I think, a throughway.

For instance, there are friends you have when you’re a little kid—the ones you play with at recess, or hang out with after school. Everything is easy and fun, and any arguments tend to be trivial (and sorted quickly).

Then the tweens and teens happen, and suddenly you’re a mass of raging hormones, explosive bursts of anger, and buckets of drama-llama angst. Those earlier friends, from simpler times, may—or may not—still be in the mix, because the stakes have gotten much higher, with massive secrets and heartfelt desires to be shared... and kept close. You have your besties... but if just one confidence is broken, any bestie can be relegated to no-man’s land, in a millisecond.

High school is the last stop on the whole friend-making journey for a lot of people. Sure, other very casualfriendships can develop, as adults—work mates, pals of partners, maybe neighbors—but rarely are those extreme peaks of closeness ever replicated again.

Except.

If you go on to university—prolonging the start of “real life”—then the practice of building intense friendships actually continues... growing into some of the deepest relationships, because they blossom when you’re finally getting the chance (or are being forced, YMMV) to figure out who you really are, or want to be.

Stephanie Wrobel delivers a deliciously-complex deep dive into those college friendships—and what happens to them, down the road—in her impossible-to-put-down new novel of suspense, The Hitchcock Hotel.



Who wouldn’t want to spend a weekend—especially fully-comped!—in a beautifully-refurbished boutique hotel (done up as an homage to Alfred Hitchcock, no less), I ask you?

[Okay, maybe I shouldn’t ask that, as—I shudder to even contemplate it—a whole slew of Millennials or Gen Zers may barely recognize the prolific Hollywood thriller director’s name, but art is ART! (Sigh) Rant over...]

Anyway, that’s the question a small group of 38-year-olds find themselves asking, when their former college pal, Alfred Smettle, invites them—out of the blue—to an all-expenses-paid, intimate weekend at his pride and joy, The Hitchcock Hotel... located in the same small town they all experienced college life in, all those years ago.

He promises three days of relaxing, entertainment, and catching up—with himself, an elderly housekeeper, and a couple of other essential staff waiting on them—and no other cares in the world.

For reasons that take a good long while to come out, each member of Alfred’s little circle of friends—well, former friends, at least—finally, reluctantly, agrees to come.

Grace, the whip-smart, driven one, with her super-successful life. Zoe, the other-side-of-the-tracks wild child, whose life is still something of a mess. T.J., the likeable guy who went along with pretty much anything, and finally found his place. Julius, the flashy lad with the silver-spoon (held firmly in cheek), who hasn’t really changed. And Samira, the (mostly) good girl—and mother hen—who always tried to keep the peace, and now tries to make others’ lives more pleasurable.

But what none of them know is why, after not seeing or hearing from Alfred for the past 16 years, he wants to do anything with them... because their last encounters? Didn’t remotely scream “MUST CATCH UP ASAP!”.

Nonetheless, they eventually show up en masse to his admittedly-impressive creation. The hotel is everything a casual Hitchcock fan might want—24/7 showings of the master’s films in a cozy in-hotel cinema room, classic memorabilia and tchotchkes around every corner—and in other ways, provides delights that only the diehards would fully appreciate—like the attached aviary with 50 crows living inside.

It is, they concur, very “Alfred” (as in, both Alfreds).

It’s also, they agree—once safely out of Alfred’s hearing—a whole lot of OTT-creepy.

Even at that, though, they can only guess at what their host has planned. Merely showing off his finally-achieved success? Proving to them that the long hours he spent after college, working his way up from the lowest employee to manager at a La Quinta hotel, have finally paid off? Getting back at them for jabs and slights he took more seriously than anyone really intended?

Or... something else?

Because as much as any of them thought they knew or understood Alfred at 18... 20... 22? They have NO IDEA what this adult version of their one-time close friend is capable of concocting... or why.

One thing is certain, though: they’re about to find out... and experience a weekend not a single one of them ever saw coming.

Also? Not everyone will make it out alive.


The Hitchcock Hotel is, quite simply, one of the best things I’ve read in a while. It’s full of characters that I neither loved nor loathed... instead, they felt very, very real, like people I’ve known my whole life (and could identify with). Author Wrobel describes her characters to a tee, allowing them the freedom to be as accomplished and charming—and as flawed and terrible—as they want.

This book is also atmospheric as all get out... just as you’d hope/expect, given the setting (and famous muse). In the beginning, I longed to visit this cool hotel... but later, saw myself wanting only to veer far wide of its increasingly-ominous presence.

After a bit of a slowish start, it picked up speed, gaining intensity like a fledgling flame that finds a stash of gasoline-soaked dry timber. (Honestly, only a desperate need for sleep kept me from finishing it when I wanted to.)

As for the “who-(what, how, why)dunit”, well... Wrobel left me completely satisfied, giving me enough info to believe the resolution... but also enough room to let me mind fill in any remaining little dark corners.

The Hitchcock Hotel is easily my top pick for Best New Thriller/Suspense of the Fall, and one I’ll recommend regardless of how familiar you are with Hitchcock’s best works. (Although if you aren’t, I’ll also add... get watching! ;))

Happy Chilling Reading!
~GlamKitty

Stephanie Wrobel never ceases to amaze me! From crazy and twisty mother-and-daughter relationship in Darling Rose Gold, to the cultish and cringey This Might Hurt, and now an homage to the Master of Suspense, The Hitchcock Hotel, I can definitely say that she got me under her thumb! She’s a great storyteller - I was immediately drawn to her new novel about 6 friends reuniting in a themed hotel after 16 years of no communication. I’ve not watched a lot of Hitchcock films but now I want to after reading this book. The setting’s eerie, the plot unsettling and the characters are all unreliable. It’s quite a bingeable read despite being predictable. I always enjoy whodunnits and characters that want to exact revenge, bonus if they are unlikable —- I have no qualms if they got killed lol! Add this to your halloween tbr if you fancy an atmospheric mystery with a Hitchcockian feel. A total popcorn read!!!👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Huge thank you to @berkleypub @berittalksbooks @thephdivabooks @dg_reads and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Another book to add to your #spookyseason reading list! It’s almost October and as the book says “October is a month crafted for Hitchcock.” This group of college friends (I use the term friends very lightly) reunite at the anniversary of the opening of the Hitchcock Hotel. Alfred put his blood, sweat, tears and obsession into this hotel and he wanted to share it all with the fellow members of the film club who devoted much of their time to Hitchcock.
Not everything is what it seems and this is definitely best to go in blind!

I had a hard time getting into the story. (It's written in third person.)There were multiple povs and I had a hard time keeping up with who was who. The storyline was slow and didn't get me excited to read. I felt like it dragged. The twists were okay but kind of predictable.

I enjoy a good Hitchcock movie. We often go to Bodega Bay and eat at the Birds restaurant so I was looking forward to this homage but I got so much more!

Alfred Smettle has opened the Hitchcock Hotel. Alfred has always been a fan. He has invited his "friend" group from college up for a weekend. They think they are reconnecting but he has other sinister plans. There are a lot of secrets between the friends that not even they know the extent of and Alfred intends to use that to seek his revenge.

Spooky happenings and of course birds make for a delicious bit of fun. I kind of figured out things toward the end but it was such a twisty story with some truly unlikable characters that I didn't care at all.

Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing for an advance copy for review.

Secrets have never done anyone any good. This story is filled with secrets, scandals, and suspense.

While I am not a Hitchcock aficionado, a hotel based on his works and filled with images and props sounds intriguing. And possibly a bit frightful! Those movies are not always for the faint of heart. The author weaves several plotlines into this book, but they all culminate with death. But whose death? Alfred has reason to want many of his friends in the hot seat, but why? The journey to uncovering the truth will keep the reader on the edge of their seat.

I enjoyed the twists and turns this novel provided. I was kept guessing. The author takes her time revealing the history between the friends, but I think that is what I liked the most: not knowing until near the end. But even as certain aspects are revealed, there are still some twists in the last few chapters that I didn't expect. Perhaps I should have expected something from one character, but there were no clues or hints to point me in their direction.

If you like twisty, suspenseful novels, you will most likely enjoy this one. However, don't expect everything to be revealed to you up front.

We give this book 4 paws up.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest book by Stephanie Wrobel, and including me on the blog tour to celebrate its publication. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

Alfred Smettle is a huge Hitchcock fan. He's also the founder, owner, and manager of The Hitchcock Hotel, a Victorian house in the White Mountains dedicated to Hitchcock and his films. To celebrate the hotel's first anniversary, he invites his former best friends from their college film club for a reunion. He hasn't spoken to any of them in 16 years, since an event in their senior year broke them apart. But no Hitchcock film is without a body.

I'm a big fan of Stephanie Wrobel - have you read Darling Rose Gold? While I am not a Hitchcock movie buff, I appreciate the few I've seen and love the locked-room mystery genre. There are multiple mysteries here - what exactly happened to the group of friends in their senior year? And who is dead and by whose hand? This one kept me guessing until the end, because everyone is keeping secrets and no one is really very likable. The setting was creepy, complete with an aviary full of crows. It's a wonderful homage to Hitchcock and an even better mystery!