The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse

I was sufficiently grabbed by the publicity surrounding this book where both publisher and reviewers employ such words and phrases as: ‘menacing,’ ‘eerie,’ ‘spine-tingling’ and ‘a gothic horror.’

The scene – the only scene really – where the action takes place is also promising: a former sanatorium which has been turned into a luxury hotel, despite much protesting from the locals. Of course, there is snow, an avalanche, and yet more snow.

Detective Elin Warner is quite intriguing. She has a professional back story which, though I thought it a bit flaky, does colour her character and informs her actions. She also has a personal history with both her (hitherto estranged) brother, who invites her to the hotel for an engagement party, and another brother from the past. I did find this familial triangle interesting and was keen to see how it resolved itself.

The main plot concerns the disappearance of her brother’s fiancée and events which happen thereafter and a similar such event from the past. The story really focuses on what has been and is going on, who might be next, and who the ‘baddie’ is. So, a classic suspense story.

Unfortunately, after about the first third of the story I didn’t really care about any of the above, nor Elin who I found very hard to empathize with despite the danger she was in and her best efforts to get herself and the other guests out of it. If she was supposed to be a heroic figure, it was lost on me. Her insipid two-dimensional boyfriend didn’t help matters, and I found the other main characters rather stereotypical and uninteresting.

I wasn’t grabbed by the plot twists, nor did I feel any great satisfaction or sense of calm at the end. I suppose I found it all rather laboured, which is a shame as I think the suspense, if handled better, could have had me on the edge of my comfortable lounge seat or even drafty funicular.
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Judging by the Epilogue, Detective Warner will be solving more crimes in the future. On this showing I am quite happy to leave them unsolved… and unread.

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