Hey, it’s Diego.

This week, I read The Last Room On The Left by Leah Konen.

And it takes place an empty motel in the middle of nowhere during a snow storm.

It got me thinking that I’ve read quite a few thrillers this past year that take place in a remote location. So here is a super-cut.

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Thrillers Set In Remote Locations

Don't Let Her Stay by Nicola Sanders

Don't Let Her Stay by Nicola Sanders takes place in a family home set in the English countryside. Our protagonist has no close neighbours and lives with her husband that works long hours which means she’s alone most of the time with their newborn baby. This changes when his estranged daughter comes to live with them. And as you can guess things take a dark turn shortly after.

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney

In Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney a couple struggling to save their marriage retreats to a remote Scottish chapel for a weekend getaway. What starts as an attempt at reconciliation spirals into a chilling game of secrets, lies, and survival. Turns out that the chapel may be haunted, there is a third mystery character that may want to harm them and (you guessed it) there is a big storm stopping them from leaving.

The Club by Ellery Lloyd

The Club by Ellery Lloyd tells the story of the launch of a new exclusive celebrity club located in an island off the coast of England. One that is only accessible during 12 hours a day, when the tide allows. And it’s in this location where our protagonists find themselves, unable to leave, when dead bodies start to surface.

Into the Fall by Tamara L. Miller

In Into the Fall by Tamara L. Miller, Sarah’s family goes on a camping trip to the Canadian wilderness, and overnight, her husband disappears. Sarah and her two children, 8 and 5, barely make it back to civilization, where they start piecing together what happened to Matthew and how his past may play a role in his disappearance.

And the newest addition to the list:

The Last Room On The Left by Leah Konen (A Review)

Kerry takes a job as a caretaker at an isolated mountain hotel to write her book away from her miserable life: she has a drinking problem, her husband has left her and she’s owes a lot of money for the book deal that never materialised. Now she finds herself trapped in a blizzard and fighting for her life against a killer.

The Last Room On The Left by Leah Konen is a domestic thriller set isolated mountain hotel.

Konen’s writing is invisible, my favourite kind. The dialogue flows naturally, and descriptions are short and to the point.

We follow two characters, in one single timeline.

It starts, as you’d expect, building a picture of isolation and claustrophobia as we follow Kerry stumble through the blizzard and into a nightmare. We then are introduced to a small ensemble of secondary characters, all of which could be the killer.

There are thrills throughout the story. But given the premise and setting, Kerry is somewhat of a passive character. I was also not a fan of how a key piece of evidence was handled by the plot and how some decisions Kerry made just didn’t make much sense. The themes were also all over the place on this one.

There is no romance, no swearing, and no scenes of graphic violence.

So, what about the ending? (No spoilers obviously)

The ending, although “happy”, had thematic problems, feeling more like a downer after some thought. We got a long denouement, which I always appreciate.

I mostly enjoyed this book, but there was some goofy stuff in it. Almost like a Scooby-Doo cartoon. And the themes were badly aligned which I believe was done by accident.

This Week’s Finds

• The Thursday Murder Club, Netflix’s star-studded film adaptation (Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley) hits theaters August 22, streaming August 28. Richard Osman’s series has four books, the fifth coming out in September. This is the adaptation of the first book.

That’s all for this week. See you next time.

— Diego Dunne

P.S. Let me know how I did today by replying to this email.

P.P.S. I would love to hear your recommendations for thrillers you loved. Reply to this email and I’ll add them to my TBR list. Thanks!