Confession time: I used to hate mysteries with supernatural elements. Then I started reading Simone St. James. I’m a latecomer to St. James’ work, but in the relatively brief time I’ve been following her, she has transformed my reading habits. Beginning with St. James’ breakout novel The Broken Girls, and similarly reflected in her brand-new suspense novel The Sun Down Motel, St. James’ trademark blend of very earthly intrigue and otherworldly suspense has utterly won me over. In St. James’ hands, the psychological thriller gets a welcome makeover: her books are fresh, utterly addictive examples of the very best in mystery-meets-ghost story, and The Sun Down Motel is my favorite book of hers yet. Masterfully straddling two timelines, The Sun Down Motel drops readers into a small town in upstate New York—a place where time seems to have stood still, and the ghosts of the past might be a bit more literal than you’d imagine. Following a young woman who travels to Fell, New York in pursuit of the truth about her aunt’s mysterious disappearance in the same town, The Sun Down Motel will entrance with a rich sense of place, 80’s nostalgia, and an utterly gripping - and genuinely creepy - mystery. Here we have a compelling family drama, a modern ghost story, and a gripping mystery all wrapped up in one irresistible package. I loved The Sun Down Motel, and I’m betting you will, too.