I love when a book starts off with some mild suspense and then – bam! – suddenly kicks into high gear and straight into thriller territory. My Review of The Vacancy in Room 10 with Spoilers (protected) explains why I think this book is a Great Slow Burn Thriller.
Jen’s Quick Take on The Vacancy in Room 10
- Dual narration by two women whose paths intersect at a rundown motel
- Slow suspense set-up for the first 40%
- Kicks into high-stakes thriller territory after that point
- Clever connections between the storylines
- Two reveals, one of which I guessed!
- Great pick for readers who can be patient for a good payoff
The Vacancy in Room 10 by Seraphina Nova Glass
To be published on April 9 2024 by Grayson House. Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance review copy.
I put The Vacancy in Room 10 on my List of Most Anticipated Mysteries and Thrillers of 2024. I also really enjoyed the author’s two prior books, On a Quiet Street, which I added to my list of Neighborhood Thrillers, and The Vanishing Hour.
Jen’s Review of The Vacancy in Room 10
The Vacancy in Room 10 is a dual narration book, with the story told alternately by Anna and Cass.
Anna’s husband called her and told her he did something terrible. Then the police found his body washed up on the banks of the Rio Grande.
Desperate for answers, Anna moves into The Sycamores, the seedy motel turned apartment complex where Henry rented a room as his art studio. She’s side-eyeing and questioning all the residents, trying to figure out what Henry was involved in before his death.
Cass, the other narrator, was once a trophy girlfriend living a life of ease. Then she got unceremoniously dumped and replaced by a younger woman. Now Cass has stooped to minor blackmail schemes in-between plunging toilets at the Sycamores, where she works as the resident manager. She’s incredibly bitter about the life she lost, and feels like she might do anything to get it back.
For a good 40%, The Vacancy in Room 10 carefully sets the scene at the Sycamores, alternating between Anna’s investigating her husband and Cass obsessively Instagram-stalking her ex and his new girlfriend.
At this point I was messaging the person I was buddy reading with, saying the book was a little slow. (She did not agree.)
Suddenly, whoa! The story kicked into high gear
Henry’s secrets started to unravel and Cass’s anger got her way over her head into BIG danger.
Suddenly, I’m reading a thriller! Let’s go!! At that point I was obsessed. I had my theories about what was happening and how everything was connected.
What I also liked about The Vacancy in Room 10 was that it’s a book with a lot of suspense but also a great sense of humanity and fun. There’s a hilarious scene when the “pool girls” who socialize around the Sycamore swimming pool convince Cass to take them to a fancy gala, where Cass runs into her ex and makes a huge commotion.
I really enjoyed The Vacancy in Room 10 and hope that if you try it, you’ll let me know what you think!
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Spoilers for the Ending of the Vacancy in Room 10
Did you read this? Do you have questions? Talk to me in comments and spoilers are fine!