After the death of the woman who raised him and the realization that the girl he loves will never love him back, young Mark Callahan decides it's time to leave the small harbor town of Miriam's Cove for good. All that remains is one last shift at The Windcrest Hotel, a seaside resort that has seen better days.
Tonight, with a ferocious winter storm bearing down on them, there are few staff and fewer guests, until a last-minute booking takes everyone by surprise. There's a small yellow tour bus bound for The Windcrest and soon the hotel will find itself under siege by something much worse than the storm.
Mark is grieving the loss of his grandmother when the decision suddenly hits him that it's time to leave town. Grandma was the only reason he stayed so long, and the woman he is in love with has no idea how he feels because she's in love with someone else. What's worse is that she and her boyfriend are his co-workers, and it's just too painful to see them together every day. With nothing to keep him, he decides that this will be his last night at work. When we first meet his boss it made me wonder how he managed not to quit sooner!
It should have been a slow night at the hotel, what with the bitter cold and the snowstorm on the way. But some last minute travelers are booked in for the night. A group of sickly-looking elderly people have chosen this night to book their stay. They've come from a nursing home but the hotel workers are told they don't need any supervision or anyone to take care of them.
Things get creepy-immediately upon their arrival but with the snow piling up and the phone service knocked out there really is no escape and no help is coming.
This was a quick and creepy read that explores death, grief, love, and what one may or may not be willing to do for a second chance at life. The cast of characters is small enough to get to know everyone, and they are unique and unforgettable which, makes it easy to keep track of who they are. Winter storms are one of my favorite settings for horror novels. That claustrophobic sense of being trapped with no way to get help just gives me the heebie-jeebies every time. There were also some words of wisdom about grief and mourning which really hit home with me.
5 out of 5 stars
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