Asylum Hotel - Mystery Review

Goodreads: Asylum Hotel by Juliet Blackwell

Rating: Liked It! (3.5 Stars)
Source:   Publisher

Description:  Aubrey Spencer loves photographing classic old buildings and abandoned places that hold old secrets. The Hotel Seabrink, perched overlooking the sea, is one such place. Currently abandoned but scheduled for a major renovation, it has a torrid history. Back in the 1920s it hosted A-list celebrity clientele, and now the locals insist it is haunted by the ghosts of two young women who died there. When Aubrey goes to photograph the site before the renovation begins, she bumps into a man named Dimitri Petroff, a minor online celebrity who shares her fascination with old buildings, the Hotel Seabrink in particular.

When he is found dead the next day at the base of a cliff, the police are quick to close the investigation. But Aubrey feels unsettled by locals who claim he was murdered and that it’s not the first time someone interested in the hotel was killed. As she digs deeper into the property’s dark history (and its origins as an asylum) as well as Dimitri’s professional rivalries, she becomes mired in an unsolved murder case from several decades earlier, one with eerie parallels to the contemporary case. But someone is determined to keep her from discovering the truth—at any cost.

Genre: Mystery - Paranormal

Why I Picked This Book:  The cover and premise really grabbed my attention and I've enjoyed other books by this author in the past.

My Impression:  This was an interesting read.  I love an abandoned setting and especially one that used to be the go to spot for the rich, famous, and glamorous.  I really enjoyed that Aubrey is a photographer and it made sense that she and Dimitri bonded over their love of old architecture.  

To me, this didn't read like a thriller.  The pacing is a bit slower and while there is a death/possible murder that happens early on as well as an unsettling encounter nothing really started happening until a bit later.  

Blackwell does a fantastic job at setting the scene and at description.  I had a sense of the old hotel from the very beginning and while there is no way I would go exploring in there I would enjoy seeing Aubrey's pictures of Dimitri's videos.  The characters didn't quite shine as much as the setting and I never felt I had quite as much of a sense of who Aubrey was as I wanted.  

This was an entertaining read though not the creepy thriller I was expecting it to be.  I really enjoy this author's historical fiction and mysteries and this was a bit of both.  I'm looking forward to reading more from her.  

Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Absolutely!  There are a number of books that I haven't read by this author and I'm really looking forward to catching up on them.  

Would I Recommend this Book? Yes, though be prepared for the slower pace.  

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *