Sarah Pearse’s The Sanatorium begins with a promise of icy suspense and psychological intrigue. Set high in the Swiss Alps at Le Sommet, a luxurious hotel converted from an abandoned tuberculosis sanatorium, the story immerses readers in an atmosphere thick with tension and claustrophobia. With snow piling outside, a blizzard isolating the guests, and a string of murders haunting the halls, the setup is pure mystery gold. Yet, as many readers have discovered, this much-hyped thriller both fascinates and frustrates in equal measure.
At the center of the story is Elin Warner, a British detective on leave who travels to Le Sommet to celebrate her estranged brother Isaac’s engagement to her former friend Laure. The reunion quickly spirals into horror when Laure disappears overnight and bodies start turning up. With the storm cutting off all access to the outside world, Elin must rely on her instincts to uncover the truth though her own past trauma clouds her judgment at every turn.
One of the novel’s greatest strengths is its setting. Pearse masterfully captures the eerie grandeur of the Swiss Alps and the chilling transformation of a once-bleak sanatorium into a sleek, sterile luxury hotel. Readers can almost feel the snow pressing against the glass and the haunting silence that lingers in the corridors. This claustrophobic atmosphere does a lot of the heavy lifting, creating an immersive reading experience that pulls you into its icy world.
However, while the setting delivers, the story itself is more divisive. Many readers, including Heidi from Goodreads, found the premise implausible and overly complicated. The plot tries to weave together too many twists, often stretching believability. Elin’s role as a detective on leave investigating murders in a foreign country feels strained, and the final reveal while shocking on paper fails to land with the weight it should. The motive behind the killings borders on farfetched, and the pacing can feel uneven as the narrative shifts between multiple perspectives.
Characterization is another sticking point. Elin, despite being written as a complex protagonist grappling with PTSD, often comes across as distant and inconsistent. Other characters feel underdeveloped or stereotypical, leaving readers emotionally detached from the unfolding tragedy. Denise, another reader, even compared the unraveling of the mystery to a “Scooby-Doo” reveal fun but ultimately unsatisfying.
Still, not everyone felt this way. Lisa of Troy highlighted how, through immersion reading following both the audiobook and physical copy she found the story engaging and suspenseful. The short, punchy chapters kept her hooked, and despite some plot holes, she found The Sanatorium a gripping experience. For readers willing to overlook realism for atmosphere and tension, the book can indeed deliver a chilling and entertaining ride.
In the end, The Sanatorium is a polarizing read. It offers all the right ingredients for a haunting, snowed-in mystery: a storm, an isolated hotel, buried secrets, and a cast of suspects trapped together. But its execution may leave some readers cold. If you enjoy atmospheric thrillers that lean more on mood and suspense than on airtight plotting, Sarah Pearse’s debut might still be worth your time.
Final Verdict: A haunting setting and chilling concept make The Sanatorium a memorable, if imperfect, psychological thriller. Whether you find it brilliant or baffling may depend entirely on how much disbelief you’re willing to suspend.
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