Asylum Hotel

De: Juliet Blackwell

Narrado por: Xe Sands

An architect’s passion for photographing an abandoned hotel pulls her into a murder investigation and the rumored hauntings that have clung to the property for decades.

Aubrey Spencer loves photographing classic old buildings and the abandoned places that hold old secrets. Hotel Seabrink, perched on a cliff overlooking the sea, is one such place. Currently abandoned but scheduled for a major renovation, it has a torrid history. Back in the 1920s it hosted A-list celebrity clientele, and now the locals insist it is haunted by the ghosts of two young women who died there. When Aubrey goes to photograph the site before renovation begins, she bumps into a man named Dimitri Petrov, a minor online celebrity who shares her fascination with old buildings, Hotel Seabrink in particular.

When he is found dead the next day at the base of a cliff, the police are quick to call it accidental. But Aubrey is deeply unsettled by the locals’ claims that it was murder—and that all the deaths are tied to the hotel. As she digs deeper into its dark history (and its origins as an asylum) and Dimitri’s professional rivalries, she becomes mired in an unsolved murder case from several decades earlier, one with eerie parallels to the contemporary case. But someone is determined to keep her from discovering the truth—at any cost.

©2025 Juliet Blackwell (P)2025 Penguin Audio

5 stars

Well written with engaging characters and an entertaining plot. I can't wait to see what happens next.

Great thriller!

This was a great thriller that was hard to put down, and the writing, pacing, and narration were perfect! Aubrey and Dimitri shared what could've potentially been the start of something new, but his death ruined that. The Asylum Hotel, aka The Seabrink Hotel, holds a lot of secrets. With the help of her friend Nikki, Aubrey works to uncover what they are and if any of them are the reason for Dimitri's death. Only, it isn't just the hotel holding on to secrets. Some of the townsfolk are as well.

Intriguing

I’m a huge fan of Juliet Blackwell and Xe Sands, so I’ve been excited for this book. I wasn’t disappointed!

Fantastic Book

This story captivates you right from the first page. The characters are intriguing, keeping you guessing about who is good and who is bad. I couldn’t put it down! Juliet Blackwell's writing combined with Xe Sands' narration creates a winning combination!

Good mystery

A little mystery, friendship, ghosts, bad people and until the end you just don’t know who is the bad people


Xe Sands, the narrator does a great job !!

Hope there is a sequel!

Really enjoyed this. Good characters and story. Lovely to hear about the locale. Excellent narration by Xe Sands.

Love Juliet Blackwell, but…

I usually Love Juliet Blackwell, but didn’t enjoy this one… took me forever to get through it because I didn’t feel very invested in the characters.

Really tried, but big nope...

I'm a long-time fan of both author (for light, entertaining, safely occult chick lit mysteries) and narrator (for her ability to interpret Blackwell's characters and give 'em even more spark), but this one fell flat on both fronts for me. There may be an author/narrator back-story here that I'm not aware of, but I suggest saving a credit and skipping this one. It was work to finish.