Upstate NY, 1982. Every small town like Fell, New York, has a place like the Sun Down Motel. Some customers are from out of town, passing through on their way to someplace better. Some are locals, trying to hide their secrets. Viv Delaney works as the night clerk to pay for her move to New York City. But something isn't right at the Sun Down, and before long she's determined to uncover all of the secrets hidden…

I try not to make grandiose predictions, but if The Sun Down Motel is any indication of the quality of thrillers we can look forward to in 2020, then we are on the cusp of a very, very good year for reading. Simone St. James has crafted a winning recipe: start with a nod to the Stephen King small-town setting, add a pinch of domestic suspense, throw in a dash of amateur sleuthing, and stir until the spirits slither out.

Carly is a young woman on the hunt for her aunt, who went missing a few decades ago. Her detective work takes her to the sleepy backwater town of Fell, New York, where she tries to retrace her aunt’s steps by taking the same night clerk job that the woman occupied at a decrepit old motel called The Sun Down. Yes, this is the part in the book where you’ll be screaming at the main character to pack her bags and get the hell out of there; naturally, she does no such thing. Instead, she starts putting her nose where it doesn’t belong and getting acquainted with the motel’s ultra-creepy history, as well as a few of its unwanted, supernatural guests…

This is one of my favorite reads of the last few months: a propulsive mystery with some freaky elements that is also a proper spookfest. For a uniquely scary tale that is the very definition of fun, look no further than The Sun Down Motel.