The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse was published in early 2021. The book is mysterious, slightly ominous, dark, and twisty in all kinds of ways. As usual, I’ll do my best to remain spoiler-free.

The book opens with semi-retired, technically on leave, detective Elin Warner and her boyfriend Will journey to a new hotel and former sanatorium in the Swiss Alps. Elin is invited to the hotel by her estranged brother Isaac and his fiancee (her former friend) Laure to celebrate their engagement. It’s obvious how strained their relationship is from the beginning.

Isaac is domineering and knows exactly which buttons to press to get under Elin’s skin. She, though trying her best, can’t seem to gain her bearings when around him. Elin feels thrown off from the moment she stepped foot into the hotel. Whether it’s because of her brother or her issues that caused her leave of absence, is unknown to the reader and Will alike. 

As Elin feels the pressure build, Laure suddenly disappears, and a chain reaction of events begins. Her detective instinct kicks in to search for Laure and aid her brother. Laure is gone without a trace. The hotel staff, owners, and main characters are growing concerned for Laure; meanwhile, the police are of no help. 

A storm is brewing making the perfect concoction for an avalanche. 

And then, a body turns up. 

Sounds pretty juicy right?

The book is around 400 pages long, and while the chapters themselves aren’t very long, there are a lot of them. Though the book was a slower start at first, for me, it picked up after quite a few chapters. At the beginning of the book, there’s a flipping of character perspectives between chapters, but they aren’t labeled. This is the main, and really only, issue I had with the book. I found the first few times of this happening confusing and a little jarring. Personally, I wish the chapters were titled or had an obvious indicator of what was happening so as to not confuse the reader. 

The character dynamics shift throughout the novel. Some relationships growing stronger and others becoming weaker. The sibling dynamic was most interesting because it explores the complexities of the past and their impacts on the future. *note: I could talk about this for hours, but alas, for the sake of spoilers I won’t.

Elin’s detective abilities are hindered by outside forces and foreign law enforcement procedures. Of course, she still manages to unfold the mystery with one clue, one step, one idea at a time. I’ve read many detective novels, and while there are many whose detectives have more charm from the get-go, Elin’s character has consistent growth to make her character more likable as the story unfolds.

It may be only two years old, but with the success of her first novel, she released a second detective Elin Warner novel, The Retreat, a year later in 2022. You can bet it’s already on my list of books to get.

For all my friends (readers) who like a mystery with a twist, this book is great for you!

As always leave your book suggestions below and have a fantabulous day <3!!

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