Behind the Door

The Dark Truths and Untold Stories of the Cecil Hotel

By: Amy Price

Narrated by: Andi Arndt

The disturbing true story of the notorious Cecil Hotel in downtown LA, by its general manager for a decade and star of the controversial Netflix documentary series Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel.

When Amy Price took a temporary design job at an Art Deco hotel in Los Angeles to help a friend, she had no idea the path it would lead her down. Before long, she would become manager of the Cecil Hotel, seeking to make it more welcoming and correct its notoriety, not helped by sitting at the foot of Skid Row, or the fact that since its opening in 1927, there had been any number of deaths by suicide, and residents such as serial killers Richard Ramirez and Jack Unterweger.

She cared about guests and residents alike, though she faced challenges on many fronts, with over eighty people dying during her decade of service. Among them was Elisa Lam, whose tragic death became the subject of a Netflix documentary series that captivated millions and led to its own controversies and unwarranted personal attacks on Amy.

For the first time, Amy delves into her experiences at the Cecil Hotel. Equal parts memoir, true-crime, and cultural history, Behind the Door is essential to understanding one of America’s most enigmatic hotels.

©2023 Amy Price (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

Captivating

Excellent listen. Intriguing story. My only annoyance was the author assumes you've seen the documentary & I hadn't which left me wondering if I should have watched it before listening to the book.

Entertaining but not as expected

It was mostly autobiographic about the author and her life as she managed the hotel.

the real facts about the hotel

I liked the historical information about the hotel and the residents in the hotel and the area.

Such interesting stories, I couldn’t stop listening

Amy Price has a treasure trove of stories from her years at The Cecil and I love that she included so many. Through detailed imagery and a parade of local characters she paints a vibrant picture of the downtown community. The surprising practical challenges the staff faced were fascinating and made me curious for more. I feel like I can understand why she didn’t leave the chaos, it was an entire world unto itself! Really nicely written and presented. I totally enjoyed this and wish there was another volume of stories about the hotel.

Wow-A MUST READ!!!

Loved it and could not stop listening!!! Not sure why Netflix did only the single series as Amy has an Encyclopedia of residents and visitors to choose from at the Cecil that could make multiple Seasons of entertainment.
After all the horrible things Amy went through, post airing of the Netflix documentary, I truly applaud her courage to open up to the world. This is a must read for anyone interested in obtaining a true life perspective of how the world is for those less fortunate

One of the best audible selections I have made.

This is an EXCELLENT book. It held my complete attention from start to finish. The author gives plenty of anecdotes from her time working at the Hotel Cecil ... From the dream of reinventing the Hotel to the corruption going on behind the scenes to the different people occupying this once grand establishment. Elisa Lam's story is covered . ( yet still leaves the question how did she get in the tank to begin with ? ) This book has left me with much subject matter to contemplate and reflect on. Very well done

GREAT STORY

It’s such a beautiful account under the surface of a building filled with mystery! I’d definitely recommend!

What’s the point?

Confused. All the interesting parts seem to be skimmed over. And the author’s poor judgment and bad decisions are so frustrating to listen to. A person with good intentions and a great work ethic but no intelligence to back it.

decent but boring

its not a long book but boring if your looking for more horrors of the cecil hotel instead its flat typical la style hotel story.

Read Wikipedia and save your credits

I couldn’t make it past the first five chapters. I bought this book because I wanted to learn more about the Cecil Hotel. Instead most of the book has to do with the author’s life. I am not interested in the author’s boyfriends or what a great employee she is or about her seashell collection (I am not kidding) The book is an autobiography of a woman who happened to work at the Cecil Hotel. She has lived a pretty mundane life. Not worthy of a biography.

When she did speak of the Cecil Hotel it was in generalities. “Once in 1947, this one guest committed suicide” or “Richard Ramirez, the Night Stalker, allegedly stayed at the Cecil.”

It’s weird the other reviews here are over the top positive about this selection. Google “Behind The Door book reviews” and you will get a much more accurate picture about what people really think about this book.