The Sanatorium, by Sarah Pearse

This book is about a woman and her partner who travel to a newly renovated hotel in Switzerland that used to be a sanatorium/hospital for patients with tuberculosis. They go to the hotel to celebrate her brother’s engagement, and it is clear from the very start that their relationship is fragile and troubled. The hotel itself has a very dark history, and one of the architects who was in the process of renovating it went missing and was never found.

The MC’s brothers’ fiance goes missing soon after they arrive, and so does a staff member. The weather starts to get worse and they begin to evacuate guests from the hotel, but the final funicular trip is cancelled, leaving some remaining guests and staff stuck in the hotel. And that is when the first body is found.

This is a detective story, but it is also definitely an intense psychological thriller. It is quite gory and gruesome and dark at times so be wary of that if you don’t like that sort of thing!

I really enjoyed it, I thought at times the writing was a tiny bit repetitive and I felt like I was working things out before the MC did, so it wasn’t that surprising at first. However, the second half was so much more fast paced and a lot twistier than I was expecting, and I really really loved it! I absolutely will be reading the next book in the series when it comes out next year!

How dyslexia-friendly is it?

I found this really easy to read and very accessible! The chapters are really short, the language is understandable, there aren’t that many characters’ names to remember. The print in my hardback cover is really large and clear to read.