Hotel California - Book Review

Hotel California - Book Review

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Posted 2023-12-21 by Jennifer Muirheadfollow


Hotel California is a collection of short mystery stories by various authors. As with any anthology, some stories are better than others, but overall it is a solid collection.

New Kid in Town by Andrew Child

This is a new story about Jack Reacher, the main character in the best-selling series of crime novels by Lee Child, which was also the basis for the television series Reacher. Andrew Child is Lee Child's younger brother.

I've never read any of the Reacher novels, but I enjoyed this story so I might have to track them down. It's about a man trying to mind his own business in a small town in the middle of nowhere, who gets roped into the disappearance of a young woman. It gave me Elmore Leonard vibes, which I mean as a great compliment.

Life in the Fast Lane by Don Bruns

This one is the story of an ex-army sniper turned hitman weighing up his personal moral code. I enjoyed it.

Wasted Time by John Gilstrap

A politician's life is turned upside down when his jailbird brother turns up and blackmails him with secrets from his past.

This one wasn't quite as strong as some of the other stories in the collection, but it was okay.

Victim of Love by Reed Farrel Coleman

Vincent Love, an intellectually disabled survivor of a childhood in the foster system, works at a kiosk in a strip mall selling face masks. One day he finds a mask that temporarily changes his face and personality while he is wearing it, which leads to another, darker discovery.

This odd, original story was both sad and horrifying.

Pretty Maids All in a Row by Heather Graham

Two tour guides stumble across the corpses of several murder victims in a New Orleans cemetery.

I found the writing style of this one a little awkward and stilted.

Try and Love Again by Amanda Flower

A small-town mystery, set on an island of Ohio's Lake Erie Coast.

It was slow-moving but kept me interested.

The Last Resort by Rick Bleiweiss

This was another story about a hitman. I liked the set-up, but thought the part about him kissing each of his victims goodbye was cheesy.

Hotel California by Jennifer Graeser Dornbush

The story of a TikTok star headed to Los Angeles who stops for the night at a remote hotel filled with celebrities.

This story is a fun riff on the Eagle's song of the same name. The author pulled off the conceit with style.

Hotel California is a very readable collection of short stories, with an interesting mixture of realism and speculative fiction stories. If you like this one you might also enjoy Take-Out And Other Tales of Culinary Crime by Rob Hart.

Disclaimer: I was given a complimentary copy of this book by Blackstone Publishing, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Published: October 4, 2022

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83067 - 2023-06-11 06:37:21

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