I was so excited to read this – an unconventional heroine investigating murders in Vienna’s underworld. A hotel packed with secrets. A police detective out of his depth and trying to maintain order. Absolutely count me in!
I did really enjoy this – the Hotel Orient is an interesting setting, being a place of concealment that isn’t conducive to a murder investigation. I loved that secrets kept coming to light and the great and good of Vienna were pulled into the intrigue. Sterling Lockwood is also a fantastic guide to this seedy side of the city – she is hiding her own secrets and living freely by her own rules. The mystery itself is also cleverly plotted and engaging – there’s never a dull moment, although this is a long book. There also a decent dose of humour running through the novel, something I really appreciated, especially in the police detective and his sidekick.
A couple of things felt a bit jarring and held me off from giving the full five stars. Firstly, the Hotel Orient felt strangely retro which I think was deliberate, but it did make me wonder if this would have been better as a historical crime novel. Some of the references (e.g. the forensics) were modern, yet the bulk of it felt weirdly timeless and certainly pre-internet/mobile phones as the level of secrecy of Hotel Orient would be impossible to maintain. Secondly, there was a lot of complexity to the plot that perhaps wasn’t needed – although it was well-written, it could have been simplified and shortened in places without losing impact.
This is an enjoyable slice of crime fiction from an author I will be keeping an eye on. If you’ve got the time, there are worse ways to spend an evening than in the seedy and secretive Hotel Orient!
I received a free review copy of this book from NetGalley – opinions are entirely my own. Publication date for this novel is 30th April 2026.
Thanks to Danny De Vylder on Unsplash for the header photo.