I loved Stephanie Wrobel’s previous two psychological thriller books. She writes such compelling suspense stories that are also character-driven, unique and different from other books of this genre without sacrificing pace and tension. Her books are gripping and pure dread-inducing with nail-biting tension that’s simultaneously thought-provoking and makes you look at the world in a different way.
The Hitchcock Hotel is no different.

The concept of this book does follow tropes that are currently hot (ten years later college reunion + deep, dark secret + an empty hotel setting), but Wrobel does put her own spin on it. The Hitchcock obsessed film nerd who later opens his own Hitchcock themed hotel is intriguing and original. I really enjoyed revisiting Hitchcock movies mentioned in this book alongside my reading of this book. It definitely added to the immersive experience.

The story is from the POV of the group. There’s about six characters with flashbacks to their college years where we know something ‘significant’ happened. Set over one tense weekend the narrative is tight as a drum and zigzags along with such pace that I didn’t want to stop reading. The characters are unlikeable but so juicy to read about. They are meant to be unlikeable. There are twists aplenty and I didn’t guess the final twist which was well done. This is a lighter read compared to Wrobel’z previous two books which I would say were more intense and somber, regardless it is definitely a page-turner that I recommend if you’re looking for a good mystery.

#TheHitchcockHotel #NetGalley
Brilliant!!!
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.
The author has done a wonderful job. I really loved this book. After a long long time a book comes which forces you to give a 5 ⭐ rating. Loved it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Michael Joseph UK for giving me an advance copy.

"They'll be dolls in my dollhouse. I am the child at play."

Meet Alfred (arguably the biggest Alfred Hitchcock fan). A hotel owner (in his eyes) or rather innkeeper, he has invited his five former closest friends from college, whom he hasn't seen in a decade, to join him at his Hitchcock-themed hotel for an informal reunion. He has also given all his staff the weekend off. Cue dramatic music.

Gold star to those who can guess that this is not going to end well for some!

What happened during their senior year that has left some of his guests feeling uneasy about attending? Could it be that they all harbor secrets, and who among them is the most deceptive?

The book is an excellent read with unexpected plot twists.
Stephanie Wrobel demonstrates exceptional storytelling skills, paying homage to the legendary Alfred Hitchcock.

Thank you to NetGalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House UK for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

A group of unlikeable people are brought together at a secluded venue where bad things start happening… Yes, this is a common trope in locked room mysteries but what gives The Hitchcock Hotel a fresh twist and helps it stand out from the rest is the, well, Hitchcock theme. An engaging and fun thriller that will enthral fans of the famous director with more than a few Easter eggs from his movies scattered throughout. And look out for that rug-pull moment that Hitch himself would have been proud of!

Alfred Smettle loves Alfred Hitchcock so much that he opened up a Hitchcock-themed hotel. On the outside, the building itself looks like the Bates family home. Inside, Hitchcock memorabilia adorn the walls.

To celebrate the hotel’s first anniversary, Alfred invites his five closest friends from college.

Zoe, who is now a chef with an alcohol problem and currently on a career break.

Samira, a married mother of two, with a successful sex toy business.

TJ, a bodyguard for ‘someone big’ in Washington DC.

Julius, a socialite and a philanthropist, spending away the family money.

And Grace – Alfred had a huge crush on her in college. She was his closest ally and they really understood each other.

Soon, old resentments rise to the surface. It becomes clear that Alfred invited his ‘friends’ for a reason. It further appears that something happened to Alfred during his senior year of college, and he holds all of his so-called friends accountable…

I really enjoyed this thriller!

All things Alfred Hitchcock are in this novel. We have suspense, an element of surprise, which then turns into ‘whodunnit’.

I appreciated all the references to Hitchcock, as I am a huge fan. Reville, the college the six of the characters attended, was named after Alma Reville, Hitchock’s wife. Danny, Alfred’s housekeeper, was named after Mrs Danvers in Rebecca. I loved the milk reference – I remember watching Suspicion and that scene have always got to me.

There is an element of voyeurism – Alfred was spying on his guests, just like Norman Bates spied on Marion Crane in Psycho. The Hotel has an aviary with fifty crows. In the book, one of them goes loose, which is a fabulous homage to The Birds.

I could go on and on here.

I think it’s a fabulous idea to have built a Hitchcock-themed hotel. Why hasn’t someone done it already? I’d happily stay here – bar the murder, of course. No one would want that.

Overall, it’s a great thriller that will keep you guessing all the way to the end.

Many thanks to Michael Joseph for approving my NetGalley request.

THE HITCHCOCK HOTEL | Stephanie Wrobel

📚✨ Just checked into The Hitchcock Hotel by Stephanie Wrobel, and wow—this one is a great read! 🏨🔪 If you’re a fan of Knives Out or Hitchcock’s suspense-filled classics, this is your perfect Autumn thriller.

Alfred Smettle, an obsessive Hitchcock fan, invites five old university friends to his spooky, secluded hotel in New Hampshire for a reunion. What could go wrong, right? 😬 Well… everything! As old secrets bubble to the surface, the weekend takes a sinister turn, and no one’s getting out unscathed.

The book has great pacing which pulls you into its wicked depths. You can expect twists, plenty of atmosphere, clever nods to Hitchcock and red herrings that although sometimes aren’t hard to decipher the book will still definitely deliver the goods and have you on the edge of your seat until the last page.

Perfect for fans of locked-room mysteries and slow-burn suspense! 📖🔥

Autumn thrills a plenty ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of five

The Hitchcock Hotel surpasses its brilliant premise to deliver a tight, twisty thriller that will keep you up, racing through its pages.

I really enjoyed this film-immersed and well-crafted mystery that has a unique and fascinating setting. It is deeply steeped in both filmic and literary celebrations of the genre. Obviously Hitchcock has a strong influence throughout the book with the characters, setting and the style of tension being built up. The characters are immersed in his classic stories and there are plenty of hints for fans to pick up. As a storyteller, he left behind an immense legacy that continues to influence works today. However, I also enjoyed that Wrobel pointed out the more problematic elements of himself and his work. There is a tendency to romanticise the past, particularly with figures lauded as geniuses in their field and I feel like Wrobel walked that tightrope with great care.

As I would expect from anything drawing on Hitchcockian influence, the plotting, pace and tension are superb. Pages seemed to fly by as the night grew darker. It is a twisted tale of obsession and the secrets we bury starting to bubble up once again. I enjoyed how it centred on the fairly toxic friendship of this group and how that has ruptured in the years that followed. They are not particularly happy to be drawn back together and you instantly question why they would. Wrobel moves between past and present, creating a compulsively readable mystery in each timeline. We also move between characters, though always with a slightly voyeuristic third-person detachment from it all. There is this meta sense of being aware of their status as characters in a narrative they have set in motion, but can no longer fully control. Wrobel has plenty of surprises in store, with some killer twists and turns.

The Hitchcock Hotel stays on a razor edge throughout with proceedings feeling foreboding and akin to descending into chaos at any point. It is a wonderfully executed story.

I haven't read anything by Stephanie Wrobel before but the fantastic book cover drew me in, unfortunately, it was just an OK read for me and I'm still in two minds as to whether it was worth my time.

This started pretty slowly and whilst I understand you have to set the scene, it was a bit too much and went on for too long. I didn't really like any of the protagonists and whilst this doesn't usually bother me that much, I think it affected how I felt about the story as a whole as I really wasn't bothered what happened to any of them.

At about the halfway point, the 'action' started to grow, although I use the word action very loosely because there wasn't much of that at all but more than there had been for the first half; it was more of a creeping sensation that something was going to happen to someone and when it did, it was a bit of an anticlimax if I'm honest and the ending was a bit too easy.

Overall, not a book that I can rave about unfortunately but thank you to the author, Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House and NetGalley for enabling me to read The Hitchcock Hotel.

Who can say no to a combination of Agatha Christie and Alfred Hitchcock in a modern setting? This book delivers a great mystery/thriller.

We have unreliable narrators meeting up after a long time with plenty of suspense and mysteries. I loved the characterizations (not the characters themselves, mind you) but felt like some of them were written better than others. The plot unfolds beautifully with a non-linear timeline as we find out more about what happens in the past as well as the present.

I don't want to give away much but it's fun and unique. There are loads of spoilers for Hitchcock movies (which I skimmed over as I'm yet to see many of them) so look. I'll be checking out more from Stephanie Wrobel.

Thanks to Netgalley & Michael Joseph for the e-copy!

Well... this was jolly good fun! And I don't mean that in a disrespectful way. It's one of those old school mysteries featuring a reunion of a group of old college friends who started off as a close knit group and then...well... I'll leave you to discover the warts and all fall out of all that as the author intends. Long story short, we begin with Alfred Smettle, staunch Hitchcock aficionado, as he prepares to open up his hotel for the weekend to his five old college friends for a bit of a reunion. They've not spoken for over 10 years. Not after what happened! Dum Dum Durrrrr... Assisting Alfred is his right hand woman, Danny, who is the only member of staff left after the opening night. Film night, where, as per what happened in college, all the guests hand over their phones, lest they become a distraction...
Oh what a motley crew we have here in our cast of characters. It's hard to believe they were all friends at college, with the only initial connection being the film studies course they all took, which developed into film club. But as we start to learn more about their pasts, the connections start to emerge and, well, not all of them are voluntary...! Quite what Alfred's motive in bringing them all together again is not clear initially, nor are the reasons that they all actually accepted the invitation. But it is what it is and what happens next if definitely not on Alfred's itinerary...
As I already said, I found this to be jolly good fun. Not too taxing and quite easy to read and follow. Never a dull moment. I did have initial reservations as to the set up but, as the book progressed, as the narrative divulged more and more of the secrets from the characters' pasts, it all started to make sense, and it romped home, concluding with an ending that although I had half guessed a bit early, left me thoroughly satisfied.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I absolutely loved reading this, the build up of suspense was really well done. Right away it had me hooked, my favourite thriller of 2024

Five friends (Samira, Grace, Julius, TJ, & Zoe) are invited to stay at the Hitchcock Hotel - the business of the sixth friend of their university group, Alfred Smettle. Most of them have not really kept in touch & aren't keen on the trip, but one by one they reluctantly accept. When they arrive the hotel is rather strange - Alfred has always been a fan of Hitchcock & the hotel boasts movie props & memorabilia aplenty - but the weirdest thing is Alfred's manner & his aloof housekeeper, Danny. Secrets are about to finally be revealed & decades-long grudges aired & what Hitchcock film is complete without a body?

I had high hopes for this one but I ended up being rather underwhelmed. I quite like Hitchcock's films myself & I enjoyed the little nods throughout the book & I also liked the twists & turns of the secrets of the past being gradually revealed & the way this affects the group dynamic. I found it a little too easy to spot the killer though, I just had a feeling about that character right from the start & was a little disappointed to be right. There was also a little too much 'talk' in the book with police interviews, & characters reminiscing about their university days, & it was rather too much tell & not enough show. It was a good read but it should have been a great read. 3.5 stars (rounded down).

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Penguin Random House/Michael Joseph, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

I am a firm fan of this author, so I was really pleased to read something new from her. What this author does with this book is to take a concept and attempt something new with it, with the end result being a very enjoyable and entertaining thriller to read. This book's foundations are the characters and the premise, with both being structured and formed superbly. This then allows the story to build and expand accordingly.

The story is very good, with some twists and turns along the way, but as ever with this author, her strength is her characters and these are robust and interesting enough to carry the story forward with style. I loved reading their respective histories and connections with the other characters and whilst the ending isn't a massive surprise, it is created and told wonderfully.

Alfred, a Hitchcock fan, runs a hotel celebrating all things Hitchcock. To celebrate the hotel’s first anniversary he invites a group of old friends to stay. He hasn’t spoken to them for years, so why is he inviting them to stay now?

I really liked the sound of this one as the Hitchcock theme added an original element to a common trope and I know from reading previous novels by this author that she can write creepy, gothic styled tales. I definitely picked up this atmosphere in this novel, feeling a sense of unease and mystery. As someone who isn’t a super fan of Hitchcock, I found that there was the right amount of references throughout the story and they weren’t forced down your throat.

This was a creepy slow burn mystery, however sometimes a bit too slow paced, which meant that at times my interest wasn’t as fully held as I would have liked. The cast of characters were interesting, however I didn’t feel any outstanding connecting to them. I also guessed how the story would pan out so there were no massive surprises for me. Even so, this was a clever concept and worth a read for those who like slow burn, isolated, horror based mysteries, which would be great as a Halloween read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

I just loved this book so much that I read it in one sitting as I couldn’t put it down, I just had to know what happened and how it finished. This story just made me want to know everything and it just kept me wanting more it was so good. This book also has amazing characters some that you don’t find out who they are really until the end but it made surprised when I found out and it was actually quite Ingenious.

I would highly recommend reading this book if you like a book that keeps you guessing and wanting more until the end. It’s just amazing.

I would like to thank Penguin and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book early.

3.5 stars rounded up

Alfred Smettle is not your average Hitchcock fan. He is now the founder, owner, and manager of the Hitchcock Hotel, a sprawling Victorian house on the White Mountains dedicated to the Master of Suspense. There, Alfred offers his guests round-the-clock film screening, 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 them in sixteen years, after what happened. But who better than them to appreciate Alfred's creation? And to help him finish it.

Alfred Smettle has a strong passion for anything that's connected to Alfred Hitchcock. He's the founder, owner, and manager of the Hitchcock Hotel. Alfred invites five of his former college friends to the hotel's first anniversary. He hasn't spoken to them in sixteen years.

I did feel that this story could have been a couple of chapters shorter, as the story seemed to drag out. The characters were well-developed, but not all likeable. The pace was steady. There are a lot of references to Hitchcock's films.

Published 10th October 2024

I would like to thank #NetGalley #MichaelJoseph #PeguinRandomHouse and the author #StephanieWorbel for my ARC of #TheHitchcockHotel in exchange for an honest review.

A different way of telling a story but very clever and very dark and creepy. I love Hitchcock films and this wasnjustvas brilliant. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

This is cleverly constructed and nicely paced, with plenty of intrigue. The characters are all fairly dislikeable but I was still compelled to engage with them (often by arguing about their actions!). If I was a Hitchcock buff or more interested in film I think there would be an extra dimension of interest. It's in the title, though The Hitchcock Hotel was obviously going to be steeped in references and nudges. It didn't detract from the book for me but I can see it would add another metalevel to the narrative.

I absolutely adored, and devoured, this creepy whodunnit from Stephanie Wrobel. Creepy and atmospheric, I could not put it down. Perfect for fans of the macabre, 5 stars

This book sounded like a great premise and terrific fun.. a Hitchcock super-fan loner guy opens a themed hotel in homage to his hero and throws a “reunion” for his old college friends he hasn’t seen for a decade.. but he has an agenda.. payback. For what we don’t know at the start and the story unfolds in dual timelines and from multiple POVs. Obviously there are lots of references to Hitchcock and his films and a bit of a curveball thrown in halfway through but unfortunately for me the story that unfolded was quite flat and the characters just weren’t that believable. Having said that this was a fun easy read especially if you are Hitchcock fan or a fan of locked room mysteries and there is enough in there to keep you turning the pages but there wasn’t enough in there to warrant more than 3 stars from me, However I do think it would make a fun movie!

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.