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The Sanatorium
If you are into novels that are a murder mystery with a Gothic-style and happen to be set in the wintry setting of the Swiss Alps, then I have the read for you – ‘The Sanatorium ’, a debut novel nonetheless by Sarah Pearse.
I will tell you that I was not sure this one was going to be to my liking because of the main character and some of her traits that bugged me early on. I admittedly found her initially annoying and a whiner but I am so glad I finished this read as everything made sense, including her personality and habits, in the end.
The story is about a police detective- currently on leave – and her boyfriend who are invited to spend time with her somewhat estranged brother and his fiancé in a sanatorium-turned-hotel called Le Sommet. Creepy already right? Well it does get even more so as horrific events begin to take place, all while the visitors of the hotel are trapped due to a snowstorm and avalanche that has the hotel blocked from anyone getting to it. There are several stories within the main one but they do all tie in together. One of the stories does explain why Elin, has the fears and personality she does – her younger brother, Sam, drowned when she and her other brother Isaac were with him when the ‘accident’ happened. Elin has distanced herself from Isaac as she believes him to by guilty of what happened to Sam. Needless to say this topic does come up quite a bit in the story. But it is not the main story and I think the author put together an original plot that keeps you engaged and wanting to read more and more. I have to say I especially liked the ending as it could potentially lead us to more adventures/mysteries with Elin.
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