Alfred Smettle hasn't seen his college "friends" for 15 years, not since he left Reville College in shame their senior year, but now that his themed hotel is celebrating its one year anniversary, he's invited them all over for a weekend stay, on the house. The truth is, the hotel isn't doing as well as it was in the beginning, now that the novelty has worn off, but only he and his devoted housekeeper, Danny, know the truth. However, Alfred has a few tricks up his sleeve and he is convinced that after this weekend, The Hitchcock Hotel will be more popular than ever.
While Alfred is gleefully awaiting the arrival of his old college clique, the rest of them fall somewhere between ambivalent and dreading the weekend. Grace Liu was always the leader, while also holding the title of Alfred's continual college crush, and she's able to sway the group to attend. Grace has secrets of her own and its in her best interest to keep Alfred somewhat happy with her, but at arm's length, if possible. She and Alfred both shared a love of movies and Alfred Hitchcock back at Reville and she convinced her friends to join the film class taught by Dr. Scott. Alfred then joined her group of friends, although he was always a bit more of an outlier.
Grace is now a highly successful hedge fund manager, married but having a secret affair with another member of the group, TJ Stewart, who is a bodyguard for a politician. Zoe Allen is a chef and restaurant owner who has been side-lined from her job because of her alcohol addiction. While she is currently sober, the weekend at Alfred's is going to quickly change that. Samira Reddy is unhappily married, with two lovely kids and she owns a vibrator company called Babe. She was always the kindest member of the group and this continues to be the case. Last, but not least, is "philanthropist" Justin Thenardier, a stinkin' rich kid who never cared about college, but had problems that money couldn't solve. He still does, but he was always the comedic relief of the group and he had a unique sense of style all his own.
As the group collects at the hotel, they can't help but be impressed with what Alfred has managed to pull off with the place. It is chock full of memorabilia and the decor is spot on with some of Hitch's iconic movies, such as Rebecca. Before long, little jibes and snide comments start to be made among the group, and it's quite clear that Alfred is enjoying himself. He tells the story of the property he's converted into the hotel, since back in college, the group used to make up stories about the old house up on the hill and the eccentric elderly couple, "the Olds," who spent each day on the porch. He claims the husband treated his wife cruelly over his beloved lawn, and the wife murdered him once he became sick and bedridden by stuffing grass down his throat. Later that evening, Zoe finds a clump of grass on her pillow and is horrified. She also starts to drink as the evening progresses, but finds herself feeling really sick and wonders if she's being poisoned. Or is she just paranoid, or even going a little crazy?
Meanwhile, while Grace and TJ have a rendezvous in her room, they will later be shocked to learn that they've been overheard by Alfred and his secret vents above each and every bedroom. Yeah, he's a creep for sure, but he has his reasons. Suffice it to say that every single person in this group not only has secrets back from college and now, but most of them have also betrayed each other in heinous ways that either continue to haunt them or allow them to keep another under their thumb.
When a member of the group is found dead, the finger-pointing begins, but because of a movie screening the night before (Rope, if you wondered), all of their cell phones had been previously collected and have now disappeared. To make matters worse, everyone's tires have been mysteriously slashed, and now there's a body at the foot of the attic stairs. Everyone feels conflicted to have lost a friend, but then there's also the secrets at play. Only Danny, the elderly housekeeper, can stand back with folded arms, shooting accusatory glares at them all. But who is the murderer and will their secrets from 15 years back finally be revealed? You'll just have to read it and see.
I blasted through this story, it was so fantastic. The characters were interesting, the betrayals shocking, and the delicate unfolding of each person's story was absolute perfection. Think Knives Out level mystery and intrigue. If this sounds even the least bit enticing, just order this book. If you are a Hitchcock fan, even more so. Don't even hesitate. While this is the first Stephanie Wrobel book I've read, she is definitely on my radar now. Highly, highly recommended.
