S. F. Prescott

An eerie hotel, a murder of crows. Perfect for fall!

Stephanie Wrobel grew up in Chicago but has been living in the UK for the last four years with her husband and her dog, Moose Barkwinkle. She has an MFA from Emerson College and has had short fiction published in Bellevue Literary Review. Before turning to fiction, she worked as a creative copywriter at various advertising agencies. Darling Rose Gold is her first novel.

Published September 17th, 2024

I’m already a huge fan of Stephanie Wrobel so was thrilled to learn she’d written a new book. Her previous novel, This Might Hurt, is still one of my top ten all time favorites. I loved this mystery and the prologue with the crows was perfect at setting the scene, leading me straight to the hotel where the story takes place. Old friends reunite at a Hitchcock themed hotel, owned by the black sheep of the group. Strange things happen and old secrets surface, leading to the discovery of a body. Everyone’s a suspect, and everyone has a secret.

This story was a lot of fun! I love a good mystery, especially when I have faith that the author will deliver exactly what I want. A juicy twist! When the characters were first introduced, their relationship dynamics intrigued me and Wrobel does a great job bouncing between them, revealing past events that might pit them against each another. As it turns out, everyone has something to hide. The author did a great job at flipping my suspicion between the group, and I was genuinely surprised to find out who died. The characters’ and their pasts felt believable and I was very satisfied with the ending.

The pace was steady, and I was gripped throughout. One scene that sticks with me (perfect for the hotel’s theme) is the image of the attic and the vents overlooking each of the guest’s rooms. A+ for creep factor!

For readers who enjoy a twisty mystery, multi POV, and edge of your seat suspense.

Synopsis:

Alfred Smettle is not your average Hitchcock fan. He is the founder, owner, and manager of The Hitchcock Hotel, a sprawling Victorian house in the White Mountains dedicated to the Master of Suspense. There, Alfred offers his guests round-the-clock film screenings, movie props and memorabilia in every room, plus an aviary with fifty crows.

To celebrate the hotel’s first anniversary, he invites his former best friends from his college Film Club for a reunion. He hasn’t spoken to any of them in sixteen years, not after what happened.

But who better than them to appreciate Alfred’s creation? And to help him finish it.

After all, no Hitchcock set is complete without a body.