Book Rating: ★★★★✰ (4 / 5 stars)
Eve is on the run, and her only safe haven seems to be a quiet motel on the edge of the woods. In need of a place to sleep, she takes up the kindly manager’s offer to spend the night. But why does she keep hearing noises outside her wall? And will her violent lover come knocking on her door before the morning?
The Sleep Tight Motel is the exact type of horror story I love. Without giving too much away, this is a story about a crossroads and about coming to terms with one’s poor choices. If I delve further than that, it might give up the twist.
Although, speaking of the twist, I did figure it out pretty early in the story. Sometimes that’s the problem with these short stories – things come too quickly, or the story needs something more to give it that extra pull. While this story was just the right length, I did wish that there was more of a “shock” factor in the discovery. But that’s just a personal taste.
Overall, The Sleep Tight Motel is one of the stronger stories in the Dark Corner collection. It caters to horror and suspense without being gratuitous…which is exactly what I enjoy. So if you check out any stories in this collection, definitely check this one out.
What’s it about?
A woman on the run finds refuge in a motel at the edge of the woods, with plenty of vacancies. Check in for the night with New York Times bestselling author Lisa Unger.
Eve has a fake ID, a .38, and a violent lover receding in the rearview mirror. He’ll never find her at the isolated motel, and its kindly manager is happy to ease her fears. But if Eve is the only guest, whom does she keep hearing on the other side of the wall? Eve won’t get a good night’s rest until she finds out.
Lisa Unger’s The Sleep Tight Motel is part of Dark Corners, a collection of seven heart-stopping short stories by bestselling authors who give you so many new reasons to be afraid. Each story can be read in a single sitting. Or, if you have the nerve, you can listen all by yourself in the dark.
E.S. Barrison 