prettylittlewriter: Book Review | The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse

Wednesday 24 February 2021

Book Review | The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse | prettylittlewriter

For any of you that regularly read my blog or follow me on socials, you'll know how much I love a thriller/crime novel.

The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse has been a well received and exciting new release in the UK as of last week, and has also been the book club pick for February by Reese Witherspoon's book club.

I pre-ordered the book a couple of days before it's release date last week, and started reading straight away!

'Elin Warner, a detective currently on leave due to personal circumstances, has been invited to newly-converted hotel Le Sommet, up in the Swiss Alps, to attend her estranged brother's engagement party. When she arrives, a huge snow storm is approaching, and Elin feels extremely uncomfortable. You see, Le Sommet is no normal hotel. Previously a sanatorium for TB patients, the setting is incredibly eerie and spooky. And when people start to go missing, Elin realises that not everything is as it seems...'

I was hooked on this novel from the very first couple of chapters.
We are introduced to a masked killer almost straight away, which when coupled with the middle-of-nowhere snow scene of the hotel, it creates a creepy and atmospheric feeling that continues throughout the book.
It genuinely filled me with terror reading those chapters with the killer; not knowing who they were and what they wanted from the victims.
I could also clearly picture the mask they were wearing, and it reminded me of the many TV shows and horror movies I've seen where the killer has a similar get-up.

Elin is a brilliantly complex character, and as the book progresses, you learn things at the same time as her. We also gradually learn about her past, why she is currently on leave from her job, and why she has such a strained relationship with her brother, Isaac.
The plot is incredibly clever, nothing is as it seems, and everyone in the hotel seem to have secrets. There are also so many twists and turns, you are kept on the edge of your seat at all times.

There was also the addition of an Epilogue at the end of the book, which I haven't seen in any other novels I've read recently, and my goodness was it juicy. You know there is going to be a second book, because how can it possibly be left there?!

The chapters were all quite short too, which really helped keep you wanting to read more, especially since every chapter seemed to end on some sort of cliff-hanger! I ended up staying up till midnight to read some nights, as I just couldn't put it down!