Review By Gabrielle
Murder at the Hotel Orient is a fun romp of a mystery.
Favourite Quote:
“There’s magic in small cities, and when you aren’t looking, they move the sidewalks around. You never know who you might run into.”
Book Synopsis:
In modern Vienna, the infamous Hotel Orient glitters at the heart of the city, luring lovers inside for an evening of debauchery. Behind its velvet curtain, cameras are forbidden, aliases are required, and every guest has something to hide.
For those seeking illicit liaisons, Sterling Lockwood is the perfect concierge. Sultry and poised, she’s the ultimate keeper of secrets, including her own.
But when dawn breaks and two of the anonymous guests are found dead in their suite, Sterling must break the Orient’s sacred code of discretion, turning detective to find a killer and clear her own name.
Alongside Fernando, her quick-witted friend and bellhop, Sterling steps beyond the hotel’s stained-glass doors, venturing from grand coffee houses where power whispers between porcelain cups, to dimly lit bars where the curious seek rapturous oblivion, and risking everything to solve an impossible case.
Check into the Hotel Orient and prepare for a thrilling case that will leave your heart pounding. Don’t be shy, darling, ring the bell . . .
Review:
This book is just such a good time. Right from the dedication, which reads:
“For Mr. Husson, my fourth-grade teacher, who made me promise to dedicate my first book to him.
I’m sorry it’s so slutty,”
I suspected this book would be very fun, and I was right. It’s quirky and funny and delightful. Better yet, it’s based on a real hotel that exists, and although this is a work of fiction, that fact had me intrigued.
Sterling is a really interesting character. She’s voluptuous and sensual and an expert at using her wiles to get what she wants. She’s devious and also rather mysterious. She hints at a past she doesn’t want discovered. She’s also more sympathetic and emotional than she lets on. I really enjoyed reading her.
There are a lot of other great characters as well. A lot of them, we don’t get to know as well, but there are some real quirky gems like Rita, the senior lounge singer who still works every night despite her age and leaves a trail of sequins in her wake.
One of the characters we do get to know pretty well is one of the detectives assigned to the case, Andreas. He’s a good foil to Sterling. Staid and grumpy, he’s the sort of fellow who really enjoys paperwork. Watching Sterling befuddle him completely is a lot of fun.
Perhaps my favourite character, though, is Fernando, the hotel bellhop and Sterling’s best friend. He’s a walking, talking contradiction. I loved him immediately. The relationship between Fernando and Sterling was really heartwarming. I couldn’t get enough of the two of them together.
And of course, there is the hotel itself, which is very much a character in this book. Everything about it is delightful, and I loved all the descriptions Alessandra put in the book; it makes it feel like you are really there. There are even floor plan diagrams at the start of the book.
The mystery itself was well plotted and, for the most part, well paced. There was a point at about the two-thirds mark that things got a bit confusing and felt like a bit of a slog, but I got through that, and it picked up again. There are plenty of twists and turns. Things wrap up with enough resolution to feel satisfying while leaving enough open for a sequel or series. According to her website, Alessandra sold this in a two-book deal, so I’m hopeful we’ll see more of Sterling Lockwood in the future.
As a debut novel, Alessandra has proven she has a unique voice. I’m looking forward to her next work already.
Thank you, Simon & Schuster Canada, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
