The Sanatorium: Reese's Book Club

Well thought out story with equally developed characters. Great setting and atmosphere sets the tone throughout. Little twists and turns keep you puzzled as to what is really going on and who is behind it. Of course there is a a surprise that adds to the story's final outcome. Shocked that this was the author's first book...gives hope that her second book will be just as good or better...

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 Stars (Excellent)Setting: Le Sommet, a luxurious yet haunting hotel high in the Swiss Alps, formerly an abandoned sanatoriumGenre: Locked Room Thriller; Psychological Thriller; Mystery; Gothic Fiction; Crime FictionThe Sanatorium had me hooked from the very beginning. The setting alone—an isolated, snowed-in hotel in the Swiss Alps, formerly a creepy sanatorium—was enough to set my nerves on edge. Sarah Pearse does a great job creating a tense, almost claustrophobic atmosphere that had me turning the pages faster and faster.Elin is a complicated character, and while I didn’t always agree with her decisions, I appreciated her vulnerability and the way her past trauma is woven into the mystery. The tension between her and her brother added another layer that kept things interesting. And while some of the plot points required me to suspend disbelief a bit, I was here for the drama and the eerie vibes.The pacing was solid overall, with a few slow stretches, but the twists made it worth it. I also really liked how the story hinted at the dark history of the building and tied it to the present-day mystery.It’s not a perfect read, but it’s definitely a fun one—especially if you’re in the mood for a wintery, locked-room-style thriller with creepy vibes and a few surprises along the way. 4/5 stars for an atmospheric, edge-of-your-seat experience!#thesanatorium #booked_this_weekend

I liked the premise of this book, I had been wanting to read it for a while. Elin and her boyfriend go to a remote hotel that is a remodeled sanatorium that has creepy vibes. There's a backstory of a missing person who disappeared while there a few years back and that thought lingers in everyone's mind. Is this place haunted or is someone pulling the strings. All in all I enjoyed the book. Some parts I felt like were a little slow, some of the side stories needed a bit of a push but in the end I was satisfied and liked the book.

This mystery users the setting to convey character development and drive the rather small story. The characters are not likable. When driving to the conclusion, I found myself hoping the killer would off the narrator and end the thing.

Detective Elin Warner and her partner Will have come to Switzerland to celebrate her brother's engagement. Issac and his fiance, Laure, have invited them and other friends to come to a new hotel high in the Swiss Alps to help them celebrate, but Elin and Will have been invited to come early. Elin and Issac haven't seen each other in several years and haven't been close lately. Elin is still heartbroken over the death of their brother, Sam, when they were children and still has questions about his death she wants Issac to answer.But things don't go well. The hotel is beautiful but stark like the weather and the surrounding mountains. A blizzard blows in and soon it's announced that the other guests won't be able to make it there. Then Laure goes missing. Most of the other guests make it out of the hotel but the last bus on which Elin and Will were planning to leave isn't able to make the trip because an avalanche has closed the road. Everyone from that bus is stuck until the road can be cleared.When bodies start showing up, the Swiss authorities who can't get there, enlist Elin's help. She is hesitant but as she starts the investigation she starts to feel the excitement of what she is best at. The first body is a maid in the hotel, then others start to die. Can Elin find the killer before others die?Sarah Pearse is an English author who spent years in the Swiss Alps during her childhood. Her knowledge of the area is demonstrated in the feel of the book with its cold snow and ice and the remoteness of the hotel. This is her debut novel and it received many awards. She has turned this book into a series and there are currently three books. Elin is a tortured soul with issues from her childhood and that mystery along with the current one are given answers, some of which the reader won't be expecting. This book is recommended for mystery readers.