A beautiful, eerie hotel in the Swiss Alps, recently converted from an abandoned sanatorium, is the last place Detective Elin Warner wants to be. But her estranged brother has invited her there for his engagement party, and she feels she has no choice but to accept.

Arriving in the midst of a threatening storm, Elin immediately feels on edge. And things only get worse when they wake the next morning to find her brother’s fiancée is missing. With access to the hotel cut off, the guests begin to panic.

But this is only the first disappearance. Everyone’s in danger – and anyone could be next . . .

The Sanatorium

by Sarah Pearse

my review

What an immensely creepy story The Sanatorium is!

The fact that an abandoned Sanatorium has been renovated into a luxury hotel is creepy enough. I’m not sure it would be somewhere I would want to stay but I can understand the curiosity it might arouse in others.

When we first meet Elin, she is travelling with her partner, Will, to this very hotel to celebrate the engagement of her brother. His fiancée is one of the managers of the resort. I don’t think it’s somewhere she would choose to go either, but Will is fascinated by the architecture of the place. Elin finds it unsettling. Little does she know what she’s walking in to.

Already on leave from work as a detective Elin has had a rough time, work wise and with the loss of her younger brother. She’s a troubled soul. This break and celebration should be a perfect opportunity to relax and unwind, or so Will keeps telling her. However, when her brother’s fiancée goes missing all hope of a relaxing break disappears. Adding to that a snowstorm cuts off all access to the hotel. They are trapped.

The story that follows is nothing short of terrifying.

This book is so brilliantly written. It had me hooked from the very beginning and I could have quite happily ignored everything else and read it from cover to cover in one sitting. It’s atmospheric, chilling, and heart wrenching. And that ending! WOW! It gave me goosebumps.

I can’t wait to read book 2, The Retreat. Off to purchase now!

** Many thanks to the author and publisher for my review copy via NetGalley although I did end up reading a paperback copy which I won via a giveaway**