Author: Juliet Blackwell
Publication: Berkley (July 29, 2025)
Description: When a mysterious figure shows up in the photograph an architect takes of the derelict Seabrink Hotel, ghostly encounters and murder are unleashed.
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.
My Thoughts: Aubrey Spencer is taking a break from her career as an architect after the death of her father and a problem with one of her buildings. She has always been interested in photographing abandoned places.
When she hears about the abandoned Hotel Seabrink, she is intrigued. There are lots of local legends about the place including ghosts and curses, but there is almost no information about the hotel on the internet.
She meets Dmitri while she is exploring and taking pictures of the old building with its sulphur springs in the basement and largely intact furnishings. He is there exploring the possibility of using the hotel in his upcoming Netflix series. He's a successful YouTuber with lots of followers.
The two hit it off and even spend the night together. But the next morning he's missing from her bed and soon discovered at the base of Dead Man's Bluff. The local police want to write it off as a suicide, but neither Aubrey nor Jasper, the paramedic who repelled down to get the body believe it.
When Aubrey starts getting notes telling her to stop investigating, she calls on her friend Nikki to come be with her. However, Nikki is being trailed by her stalker ex-boyfriend Ty who just adds more complications to the investigation.
This story was spooky but with elements of humor too since Nikki has a vast store of information learned from horror movies that she keeps mentioning. I enjoyed this atmospheric story and its intriguing setting.
I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.
I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.
This sounds like an intense read combining history and murder.
ReplyDeleteOh nice! This sounds like a fun read! I loved Juliet's other paranormal mysteries! Still need to finish one of those series but this is already on my list too! Very nice review!
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