The Sanatorium: The spine-tingling #1 Sunday Times bestseller and Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick (Detective Elin Warner Series)

This was a gift for Dad, who liked so looking at others by this writer and chapters

I started off absolutely loving this book as it contains two elements that I love in a mystery. Firstly, it is a form of locked-room mystery in that the characters become cut-off from the outside world so you know the killer must be on the premises. Secondly, I love novels that feature a building that is a mysterious character in itself. This novel takes places in a former hospital that has been turned into a high-end hotel that gets cut off from the world by an avalanche. The author does a fantastic job of building up the suspense in the first part of the novel. I loved her descriptions of the landscape and the hotel. The hotel's back story is also fascinating. The novel started to fall apart halfway through for the following reasons:- Elin is such a frustrating character. The emotionally damaged detective is a staple of many crime novels. Unfortunately, Elin is such a mess that it becomes frustrating to read about her yet again falling apart or see her yet again freeze out her loving boyfriend. There is a big secret about Elin's past that is revealed at the end of the novel but I expect many people will guess it early on.- there are so many holes and unexplained events in the plot. After I finished the book I constantly found myself thinking 'but why did x do that' or 'but how did y get there'. There are incidents in the book that are discussed in a lot of detail and then never referred to again.- there are so many unrealistic and unlikely events in the novel. I am generally happy to suspend my disbelief to some degree when reading crime novels. However, there were so many moments in this novel that made me roll my eyes. For example, Elin phones the local police asking if she can investigate the crime and the police do not even check her credentials with the UK police. She could have been a fantasist or the killer!- the author is clearly hoping to write a series based around Elin as there is a mystery about Elin's previous job that is never explained and then there is a frustrating epilogue that is clearly supposed to be a cliffhanger. I think most crime series novels can be read as standalone novels so I do find it frustrating that a big part of Elin's story is not explained because it will presumably be used in another novel.

This book has the perfect isolated setting. Set in the Swiss Alps, you think it would be an idyllic place to spend time in this refurbished building that is now a bespoke hotel, when it’s cut off from the outside world, you could feel the temperature not only drop on the outside but on the inside when someone goes missing.This was a slow burn story to start with but due to the shortish chapters, before you know it, you are right in the thick of things and caught up with the disturbing events that are happening at the hotel. The story twists and turns as revelations happen throwing everything into turmoil as you think its headed in one direction only to be thrown into another.Elin is a character with more than one demon to try and conquer, one from her past and one more recent. For a detective, she comes across quite weak to start with but it isn’t long before she is fighting to stay in control of what is happening as with no one else able to get to the hotel in an official capacity, she takes it upon herself to get behind what is going in.The Sanatorium is an atmospheric read that will give you chills. The more sinister that things become at the hotel, the more on edge I felt. The author knows how to draw you right in with a creepy beginning and I couldn’t wait to see what secrets this building was hiding within its walls. From what I can gather, I believe this is the first book to feature Detective Elin Warner of which with how this one ends, it has certainly left me keen to read more!

I went into this book not really sure what to expect as I’d seen quite a few poor reviews. I think those reviews put me off reading this for a while to be honest, but it proved to be a real page turner for me.One of the best things about this book is the eerie setting of a luxury hotel on the site of a former Sanatorium. The hotel is surrounded by a dense forest and eerie mists shroud the grounds. The abundance of glass creates a feeling of being watched and vulnerable.There’s one road in and out of the isolated location and in the event of bad weather the police and emergency services are unable to reach the hotel.When people start to disappear and a body is found the sense of isolation really sets in. The guests and hotel staff are sitting ducks, anyone could be the killer and anyone could be the next victim.I liked the alternating points of view at the start of the book, switching to the first victim, teasing that they know the killer. This made me want to read more and unravel the mystery. Who is the person in the mask? And what is their motive?I really connected with Elin but at the same time there was a mystery about her, some past issues weighing her down. I could feel her discomfort of being in the hotel, the eeriness of being cut off and trapped in a building steeped in history and suffering.Overall, whilst I wouldn’t say the book was scary it was definitely creepy and I thoroughly enjoyed myself unraveling the mystery of the Sanatorium.

What a fantastic read gripping until the end look forward to more from this author

Full of suspense and twists and turns. Read right to the end!