Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC copy. This has not affected my review at all, which are my own thoughts.

So, the premise of this book is if it would be possible to "cure" serial killers, altering their minds so they can be reintegrated in society, mixed in with a high-thrilled mystery (not that hard to decipher, in my opinion). In "The Murders in the Endicott Hotel", a pioneering biomedical company believes that they have cured five imprisoned serial killers by resurrecting a medical procedure: the amygdalotomy. With the approval of a federal court to release them, the company flies the killers and their own staff to a luxurious hotel, the Endicott Hotel, in Alaska for a celebration and a public relations event.

But Daniel Larch, the CEO of the company, is having issues in a lot of open fronts. His stepson catches him having an affair with the company lawyer, the Russians are trying to buy Larch out and get his company and the newly developed medicine, and an aggrieved relative of one of the serial killers’ victims appears unexpectedly at the Endicott Hotel.

A blizzard strikes, stranding them in the middle of nowhere, communications are cut off, and Daniel Larch is poisoned to death. The biomedical company staff find themselves trapped in the hotel with five former serial killers. Walter Churchfield, a former detective, steps in to restore order and investigate it all. Moreover, he is the person to go to and the "responsible adult" when more people start dying.

So, I didn't like this book at all. Like, it was horrible. And some days, when I remember it, I regret reading it. Jesus. Christ.😑

Since I have issues with mostly every aspect of this book, I'll try to keep it short for each one of them, or we'll be here until the end of times. And, to finalize, I'll talk about the only thing that I liked, which, a hint, was a main character.

Daniel Larch dies and everybody is a suspect, mainly, the five former serial killers; maybe they didn't get as perfectly cure as the company thought. But also, some of the other people do have motives too, like his wife, who fins out Daniel was cheating on her or his own brother, who is desperate to find who killed his brother and pleas with Walter to join him in the investigation.

First, the narration is basic, superficial, lacking depth in all the important aspects, such as character development, giving clear and actual motives for the people to kill Daniel Larch (or any of the other victims, really). It always goes to the point, treating the reader as stupid because it spells out everything that happens and that may require and explanation, always telling instead of showing and not letting us (the reader) ponder any given idea for longer than a paragraph to form our own thoughts about the story. I hate it when books do this. Is one thing to give details about the world, explain some scientific concepts that not everybody may be familiar with, but to explain absolutely everything, even the most basic aspects of the story or why a character is breathing, is unnecessary and points to an amateur writing.

Second, the characters. Most of them were reduced to their archetype, not making any relevant addition to the story except be there to have some relationship with Daniel Larch and be able to be a suspect in his murder. Some of them lacked motive and were quickly put aside, by both the investigation and the narration, leaving some threads of the plot unfinished, without resolution. For this, and as the first book of the author, it would have been best either to have less characters but make them more three dimensional so they felt well-develop and their stories could be resolved coherently, or to keep track of it all outside the book and make sure they all have they're little moments to finish the character arcs, even if that make the book a little longer.

In the characters part I also want to talk about some chapters being from the perspective of "The Poet" or "The Killer", chapters that were a bit confusing due to the narration structure, that didn't want to give any detail about the person (understandably so) and yet gave me even more of a headache than anything, really. I understand what the author wanted to do with these chapters, to give us a glimpse into the person that was around murdering the guests and such, but, in my opinion, it failed to deliver what the author wanted these chapters to say.

Finally, I want to talk about the actual murderer. There are various main suspects: the five former serial killers (though, some of them more than the others), Daniel Larch's brother that could have wanted to get his part of the inheritance rather soon, and the aggravated relative of one victim of a killer. But, in the end, through clues and comments from the own characters, the list is reduce to two, until Walter confronts the actual killer and the truth is reveal.

Spoiler warning for this part of the characters, so if you are actually interested in reading the book, skip this one. I'll put another word for when the spoilers are done. This is about who the killer is, a fact that I hated with all my guts and is what actually make me wanted to leave this book behind one and for all and that warranted a one star from me for this book.
First, it was one of the former serial killers, as anyone can pick up from the narrative quite soon, honestly. This gives the message that, yes, the experimental medicine and surgery didn't work out as expected on him (yes, it was one of the man, but I have issue with that too, and I'll tell you in a minute) and so, the bad ones will always be bad. I'm not saying that serial killers are all misunderstood and should be given a free card if they show resentment or something like that. But, in a book like this one, it gives the impression that they are just mindless people that only exist for killing. That may happen in real life, of course, but in a book, to have a killer without a motive is like having a blank page: for me, it doesn't say anything and makes me dislike the book. Even a killer character should have a motive and goal for their actions.

Second, the killer was a drag queen/crossdresser (I know they are not necessarily the same thing, but even this is never really explain) called Gia Ho, except, everybody talk about the character as a man, referring to Gia as "he" and even Gia said "her man" was still alive and fighting strong to come out. The thing is, I don't have a problem with the pronouns per se, but since Gia, literally, appears in two scenes as a BACKGROUND character, it is never define if that's the proper way to refer to her/him or what, But also, you went and make a character like Gia, from a community that is already discriminated and accused of being an issue of our society/the origin of a lot of our actual problems, and didn't think, that maybe, it wasn't the best way to portrait it. Honestly, I would have preferred Gia to stay a background character with no development than... this. Moreover because it also treats men as uncontrollable people and, hence, that's why they kill; at least, that's what I got from the way Gia always talked about "her man" (meaning, that since she's a drag queen/crossdresser she may actually be a man, not a woman, and this is just a performance) like some beast that she couldn't control and would eventually come out as wreak havoc. Anyway, I didn't like this portrayal at all.

End of the spoiler section ^^

One last think I would have liked this book to do is to dwell deeper into the psychology of it all, the scientific aspect of the surgery and how it all could really affect a person, apart from the fact that it could change who they are. Which, sure, but we barely saw any of that in the book, and it was the main premise, so...a disappointment for me.

Anyway, as I said, I only liked one aspect of this book, and that is the detective Walter Churchfield, who goes around looking for clues, the possible murderer and motives. Really, I thought about DNF-ing this book at less than ten chapters in, but I kept reading both to be able to put a coherent review here giving actual facts and reasons to my dislike and because of Walter. His was a character that I liked, well-crafted and rounded, and so I wanted to follow him around. Also, I liked to prove myself right in my theories, so I needed to end the book to know if I was about who the murderer was (though, I'd say, that there were barely any actual suspect that could sustain the doubts until the end, so it was not that hard to fin out).

As you can tell for this rant, I do not recommend this book at all, unless you have a burning desire of tiring yourself dragging yourself through a boring book with little purpose other than say than the bad people will always be bad no matter what.

Very spooky and well written! Enjoyed the storyline and the writing style. Will definitely try the author again. Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy.

ARC provided by Dreameyrie

A chilling mystery set within the walls of an imposing hotel, this novel is an exercise in creeping dread and expertly crafted suspense. What begins as a straightforward investigation into a series of murders soon reveals itself as something far more complex, as dark secrets tied to the hotel’s storied past begin to surface.

The pacing is a masterclass in tension-building, with every turn of the page increasing the sense of unease. The author skillfully manipulates the setting, turning the hotel itself into a character—its labyrinthine hallways and hidden corners become a menacing presence, echoing the secrets that the guests and staff desperately try to conceal. Every whisper, every creak in the floorboards, every fleeting shadow, is infused with the same sense of foreboding that looms over the investigation.

Characters are as layered as the mystery they’re unraveling. Each one hides their own motivations, fears, and regrets, which makes trusting anyone a precarious endeavor. This psychological complexity, combined with the gripping plot, keeps the reader constantly questioning who can be relied upon and what lies are hiding just beneath the surface.

As the investigation uncovers more disturbing truths, the tension escalates to a boiling point. What sets this story apart is its exploration of human nature—the lengths to which individuals will go to protect their own interests and keep their darkest secrets buried. The unpredictable twists and deeply atmospheric storytelling make it clear that no one is safe from their past, and no one can escape the consequences of their actions.

A must-read for lovers of gothic mysteries and psychological thrillers, this novel will pull you into its dark and twisting world, leaving you breathless with anticipation until the final page is turned.

My husband loves locked mystery novels so I thought I would give this one a try. The premise of this book is extremely interesting. A group of reformed serial killers have been released from prison, inciting a political controversy. The idea that rehabilitation is more of a money-making opportunity than a community good seems very real. That said, the character and plot development needed work. I feel like I did not understand anyone's motivations for murder and cared very little about the characters killed. The killer reveal was not a twist so much as a bow quickly tied to end the novel.

An interesting premise but at times it felt a little forced and predictable. I had high hopes for this but I’m just not the targeted audience for it.

The Murders in the Endicott Hotel, by American author David Murphy, is a chilling murder mystery full of action and suspense. It has a very unique premise, one that posits the ultimate solution to crimes committed by serial killers via the amygdalotomy, which, in theory, removes their ability to pose harm to others.

In the story, five imprisoned serial killers went through such a psychosurgery and are now fundamentally rehabilitated, or so argued Pioneer Medical Technologies, the biomedical company that sponsors Project Themis. The company then flies these five individuals to a luxurious hotel in Alaska for a PR event, whose attendees include a group of invited and uninvited guests.

Then, of course, things start to go wrong, beginning with the company's CEO poisoned to death. With all communications cut off, the weather conditions increasingly deteriorating, and their only helicopter pilot murdered, the hotel's guests and staff are being slaughtered one after another. A former detective must race against time and find the killer.

The author clearly wants to provide a comprehensive examination of human psyche through a large ensemble of characters with diverse backgrounds. Readers are given meticulous details of each character's personal circumstances, and the description of their dialogues and actions is often tedious, perhaps in an attempt to invite scrutinisation by those who love detective novels.

Throughout the narrative, the author keeps readers guessing who the killer or killers may be and who is likely to be their next target. More often than not, our attention is drawn to the question of nature versus nurture, as well as how the supposedly reformed serial killers perceive themselves and are perceived by those around them.

With that said, only a couple of characters are better developed to afford us a glimpse of their beliefs, desires, agendas and pursuits. While these are outstanding, the author's no-nonsense approach means there is often a lack of motives and repercussions given about the thoughts and actions of the other characters, which considerably diminishes our interests in them.

All things considered, The Murders in the Endicott Hotel as a story is well executed in the author's attempt to depict the reality mentioned in his preface, which is “made up of folk who are humble, proud, strong, weak, polite, rude, and in possession of those many manifold and often contradictory features that make up the human spectrum, and which...are so contrary and complex as to make it impossible to boil down into a single representative, a specimen who may accurately stereotype the others”. Along this particular line of reasoning, the large ensemble of characters makes good sense and enriches the story as a murder mystery.

But, to take the story to a higher level (such as an excellent psychological thriller), the author can fully utilise its unique premise and give us an in-depth and full-scale probe into the impact and effect of the psychosurgery.

This has such a cool concept. I'm a big fan of whodunnits and murder mysteries and The Murders in the Endicott Hotel is very reminiscent of Agatha Christie's style. It's a locked room situation where everyone is stuck in this hotel in the middle of Alaska during a blizzard so there's no hope of leaving. At first it seems pretty obvious that when they're locked in with five convicted serial killers (reformed or not), one of them has to be the murderer but as more people turn up dead it seems that everyone there has potential motives. It fell a little flat in some areas, though.

There were some parts that were hard to get through, but I pushed through because the story itself was so unique and interesting.
There were A LOT of characters, which is a great thing to have in a whodunnit, but the way the majority of their intros were squished into the very long prologue made it hard to remember who was who.
The writing was also repetitive and at times a little cheesy. As soon as they start looking for the killer, everyone unanimously refers to them as "he or she" and it just felt silly that over the many times they mention the killer the word "they" completely leaves their vocabulary. And when one specific character is the focus, they are described over and over either by their occupation or some random trait of theirs and it felt like a word count was trying to be met over anything.
Then there was the ending that, in my opinion, was not as fleshed out as it could've been. It went a little fast compared to other parts. And the epilogue wasn't necessary.

Overall, I enjoyed the story. It was unique and tense and the high stakes of needing to find the murderer quick was engaging. If anything the premise itself was enough to make me want to finish it and the detective Walter Churchfield was a very redeeming character

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this ARC

This book, while fine in execution, didn't wow me the way I wanted it to. There were far too many moments that felt forced, taking me out of the narrative to examine why I wasn't totally captured by what was happening.

This is very much a Clue, whodunnit story. Its"who?" In the library with an ax, and "who?" In the pool room with a rope, etc. It's kinda predictable and you have to suspend disbelief, but all in all entertaining.
I think the addition of so many characters, and so many unnecessary details were to try to confuse the reader. It was fun. I wouldn't describe this as horror or thriller, even though there's a bit of gore and death, it reads very much cozy mystery with life and death stakes.
All in all I would recommend this to Clue fans, maybe Agatha Christie fans as well.

The Murders in the Endicott Hotel by David Murphy sets the stage for a gripping locked-room mystery with an intriguing techno-thriller twist: can science fundamentally alter a person’s violent nature, or is evil intrinsic and immutable? The novel brims with potential, combining snowbound isolation, morally ambiguous characters, and ethical questions surrounding biomedical experimentation. Unfortunately, despite its ambitious premise, the story struggles to leave a lasting impression due to pacing issues, underdeveloped characters, and predictable tropes.

The setting of The Endicott Hotel—a luxurious yet remote sanctuary in Alaska—immediately establishes an atmosphere of suspense and claustrophobia. Murphy effectively uses the blizzard as a narrative device, heightening the tension as communication is severed and paranoia escalates among the trapped guests. The locked-room mystery format has long been a staple of the genre, and Murphy’s addition of five rehabilitated former serial killers amps up the stakes. Are the rehabilitations real, or has one of these former murderers simply found new prey?

The philosophical question of whether people can truly change is the novel’s most compelling element. The biomedical company’s decision to “cure” serial killers through invasive brain surgery raises interesting ethical dilemmas. The court’s decision to release the killers is disturbing, yet believable within the world Murphy builds. However, the narrative doesn’t dig as deeply into these moral complexities as it could, instead opting for a more traditional whodunit structure that feels overly familiar by the midway point.

Walter Churchfield, the ex-detective who steps up to solve the murders, is competent but largely forgettable. His character lacks the depth and quirks that make fictional detectives memorable, and his backstory is hinted at rather than fully explored. Daniel Larch, the ill-fated CEO, and the supporting cast—including disgruntled employees, opportunistic lawyers, and secretive former killers—offer plenty of potential suspects, but few stand out as fully realized individuals. Instead, they fall into archetypes, which makes the eventual revelations feel more predictable than surprising.

The pacing is another weakness. The novel takes its time setting up the premise, but once the murders begin, the middle portion drags as Churchfield methodically works through the guest list without much urgency. The novel’s climax, though action-packed, feels rushed in contrast to the slower buildup, with some character motivations revealed too late to pack an emotional punch.

Despite its flaws, The Murders in the Endicott Hotel does deliver some genuinely eerie and suspenseful moments, especially in scenes where the characters question whether their own perceptions of morality can be trusted. The Alaskan wilderness, with its unforgiving isolation, serves as a powerful backdrop for the story’s themes of survival, guilt, and the fear of the unknown.

At 3 stars, the novel is a serviceable mystery but lacks the complexity and character depth needed to make it memorable. Fans of locked-room mysteries and isolation thrillers may still enjoy the familiar beats, but readers looking for a fresh take on the genre or a deeper exploration of psychological and ethical questions may come away feeling underwhelmed. Ultimately, The Murders in the Endicott Hotel raises fascinating questions—it just doesn’t quite stick the landing.

Wow… where to begin.

**some spoilers ahead!!!**

First, the formatting was… rather odd. The page numbers and author/title popped up in random places, but on my kindle, there wasn’t an option to read by page vs location. It really confused me at times. Also, in the epilogue, I think there might be a paragraph or page missing? It seems there’s half a sentence at the end of the page, but when I hit next page, it said Chapter 11 and started a whole new paragraph that had nothing to do with the page before. Why have an epilogue if you’re just going to add another random chapter? Very confusing.

This was honestly painful to read. Way too many characters to keep up with, and each chapter could’ve been broken up into like 10 chapters at least. And the characters didn’t start getting proper descriptions until about 20% of the book. So I couldn’t use imagery at ALL until at least a hair color or height was described.

This book would’ve been more interesting, in my opinion, in first person POV and switch for every interaction instead of having dividers 5+ times in each chapter, except for the epilogue. Also, each SHORTER chapter could’ve had timestamps and whose POV it was for ex. “Churchfield, Hotel Lobby, 5:30pm” or “Brooks, second floor hall, 4:00am” so we understand what the heck is going on.

The storyline itself was really interesting, the only reason why I kept reading was because I wanted to find out what happened next. I felt there wasn’t really an attention grabbing twist like I’m used to, but maybe this is a different type of writing that I personally am NOT used to.

Also, why have the big reveal of who the killer is, if the name of the killer is going to be right under the title this whole time? I didn’t notice before reading it, or else I would’ve just not read this book.

Also, when we find out who the killer is, it wasn’t very surprising to me. Anyone could’ve guessed the “message” from the poem lines, I’ve literally seen this in escape rooms before. Why would Churchfield, a highly trained (now laid off) detective for the LAPD, order everyone’s quotes in alphabetical order first instead of order they were murdered?

Lastly, when the author was actively talking about the killer, he would say “the killer” at the beginning of every single sentence. And when he switched it up, he would say “he or she” why not just use ”They” like you did in later chapters? It was honestly bothering me so much (lol).
Just cheesy writing in general. Towards the end (maybe 75%ish through?) a quote was “and his ‘well’ sounded like ‘vell’. Him and his wife are Russian, I kind of pieced that together way at the beginning of the novel.

I honestly have SO much more to say, but I’ve already exhausted myself thinking about this book too much.

—

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Although I do love the idea of the book and the plot, however, I feel too many characters were brought into the fray.
This made character development difficult which led to no connection to the characters or having any feelings if/when they met their demise.

The structure of the book lost me as well. It was a fight to get through.
Also, the book seemed to spoil it's own ending a couple of times throughout the book.

I think this one just needed a little more time and attention paid to it.

Unfortunately this was not my favorite! There was way too many characters and it was confusing. I was intrigued with the storyline but unfortunately as a whole the story was too complicated.

It gave Agatha Christy vibes until the end. I enjoyed most of the story. I was disappointed with the ending. I didn't see the killer coming, so I give the author point for that. I was expecting a different out come and left with questions. Mostly whats with the poetry? Overall it was just ok. I would recommend to someone looking to start reading mystery/thriller.

This book is a gripping blend of techno-thriller and murder mystery that kept me hooked from start to finish. The premise of "curing" serial killers and releasing them into a remote luxury hotel is as unsettling as it is fascinating. The tension ramps up when the blizzard hits, cutting everyone off, and the bodies start piling up. The mix of corporate drama, personal betrayals, and high-stakes survival makes for a fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat read. If you love locked-room mysteries with a sci-fi twist, this one’s worth picking up.

I unfortunately dnf’d this book less than 25% through. The writing style and I were not compatible which disappointed me greatly as the description of this book had me very intrigued. I am giving the book a two star review in fairness to the author. Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book to read & review.

DNf’d at 25%. I wanted to love this book so much given the synopsis caught my attention very quickly.

One thing for me are the chapters are dreadfully long.

I may come back to this book ant a later time and give it another try.

A pharmaceutical company is convinced they can cure serial killers by removing a part of their brain and giving them intense therapy. After claiming 5 such individuals have been rehabilitated, they decide for a press conference with them in a chalet in the Alaskan wilderness. Immediately, bodies start turning up, and they're left to wonder who's responsible.

*****

This was one of the weirdest structured books I've ever read. The prologue was so long and rambling that I wondered why it wasn't just titled Chapter 1. It had so many side characters and views for seemingly no reason. I can say with full honesty that this is the first time I've ever had to write out character names, their roles, and their relations in order to be able to read a book. At 17% in, there were over 25 separate characters that were constantly brought up, sometimes with first name, sometimes last name, sometimes with full name. As someone whose brain is wired to have vivid recall and detailed scenes play out in my mind as I read, I found the way this was laid out to be baffling. There was no consistency in how characters were described. Sometimes there was hair and eye colour, sometimes height, weight and body type, sometimes how they walked or groomed themselves. It left incomplete pictures so the individuals were just a jigsaw puzzle of random descriptors.

From there, we deal with pages and pages of pure dialogue, juxtaposed with walls of descriptions. There was no way to take information in that stuck. It was a mishmash of too much and not enough, all at the same time. There were so many characters that the author couldn't truly dive into each one. Everything was surface level, with corny, stilted, and dry interactions. The characters were so underdeveloped that they felt like how the author thought people would talk who held these roles and descriptions, and not as people first who happen to have these life roles. It was unrealistic at minimum and deeply flawed at best. To top that, the author seems to have an underlying distain for women. At no moment were they brave, intelligent, or insightful. Instead, we saw them be overly emotional to the point of hysterics, shrill, unprofessional, conniving, naive, snarky, and morally corrupt. He treats Gia Koh's drag character poorly as well, as it's so stereotypical and over sexualized to the point that it's offensive.

From there, the answer to the mystery itself was practically spoon-fed to us. By 20% is was blatantly obvious, and even then it was made obvious again at 50% when we get a scene from the perspective of the killer, and then repeatedly shown in clear ways who it was from then on, especially with the poetry. This made the entire book evident about its attempts to misdirect, which ended up causing the pacing to drag.

There were also consistency issues, where an entire scene was presented where one character proposed to another (despite multiple murders occurring over the few days prior), yet these characters were introduced as already engaged in the prologue of the novel. I'm not sure how that got missed, but it was jarring.

In the end, the book was cheesy and overdone, and the climax just wasn't climactic - it was obvious to the point of being lazy. The epilogue styled in "what happened next" was strange, and I could see what the author was trying to do, but it was a rambling mess that continued to drag out the book into a flat finish.

*****

Thank you, NetGalley, and Dreameyrie Publishing. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Despite the mixed reviews I find this a fairly enjoyable read. Loved the atmosphere, the claustrophobic/snowstorm-bound trope. Lots of complex characters and their sinister motives each one being more twisted than the last. Reminds me of No Exit which I also enjoyed.

Wasn’t aware this was about Covid. Covid should not be a topic of fiction as we all lost so much during this time. Family members, community members , nurses and healthcare providers and many elderly unable to get care for devastation from this virus.