Reviews

The plot of "The Haunted Hotel" revolves around the mysterious death of Lord Montbarry, a wealthy Englishman who dies suddenly while on his honeymoon in Venice. After his death, strange occurrences begin to happen at the palazzo where he stayed, including sightings of his ghost.

The story is told through a series of letters and accounts from various characters. We learn that Lord Montbarry had a complicated personal life, including a former mistress and various family members with questionable motives. As a result, suspicion falls on several individuals as the investigation into his death continues.

As the detective assigned to the case delves deeper into the mystery, he uncovers a web of secrets and deceit involving the Montbarry family and their associates. Ultimately, the detective is able to solve the mystery and bring the culprit to justice.

The novella is known for its intricate plot, vivid descriptions of Venice, and eerie atmosphere. It explores themes of greed, betrayal, and the supernatural, and has become a classic example of Victorian ghost fiction.

Although I was enamored with the author's writing style and found myself annotating numerous lines throughout the text, I ultimately found the plot to be rather predictable.

mariafernandagama's review against another edition

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3.0

There's something about Wilkie Collins' writing that is just so appealing to me. I like the overall vibes of his books and I don't feel I can explain it better than that. The mystery here is not as enticing as it is in his other, more famous works, like The moonstone or The woman in white. This is, however, a much shorter book than those, which is definitely an improvement. As much as I like his writing style and general atmosphere, I think I prefer it like this, in a shorter version.

ameserole's review against another edition

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4.0

With October around the corner, I am all for mystery books. That being said, I was bound to dive into The Haunted Hotel. In it, we are following a family who just found out a family relative has just died. Now this is while they are on their honeymoon, so it was pretty reasonable for them to be a bit skeptical about the death. It also doesn't help that no one really liked the victim's wife either.

It's fair to assume who would be suspect #1 in this case. Yet, with rumors, twists, and turns coming my way - I wasn't exactly sure who did it. While reading this book, I definitely thought of Agatha Christie's books. Mostly because the way things flowed in and out just reminded me of her writing.

In the end, all the paranormal activity and mystery within this book kept me engaged and made this a page turner. I look forward to my next book by Wilkie.