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The Cut
In this chilling supernatural horror novel set in a mysterious hotel, a woman fleeing her abusive ex finds herself running from more than just her past.
A historic hotel long past its prime and huddled along The Cut, a questionable Lake Erie beach, isn’t Sadie Miles’ ideal place to raise a toddler while also navigating her second pregnancy. After finally fleeing her abusive ex-fiancé, though, Sadie’s new housekeeping position and free room at L’Arpin Hotel are the best she can manage.
On her first night, Sadie runs to help a guest struggling in the hotel’s pool only to find the water calm and empty when she gets there, leaving her with a lingering unease. When a guest then goes missing and her manager insists they simply left without checking out, Sadie suspects he’s covering up darker goings-on in the hotel.
After her ex, Sadie won't let anyone convince her that what she’s experiencing isn’t real again. So, she keeps digging, quickly uncovering suspicious interactions with the staff, mysteriously vanishing security cameras, more missing guests, and things that go bump in the night...and drip in the walls, slither in the tub, and squirm in the halls. Everything isn't as it seems within the dim hallways of L’Arpin. Sadie has nowhere to go and nowhere to hide; she'll need to keep her wits about her to survive and keep her toddler and unborn child safe from whatever lurks nearby.
A historic hotel long past its prime and huddled along The Cut, a questionable Lake Erie beach, isn’t Sadie Miles’ ideal place to raise a toddler while also navigating her second pregnancy. After finally fleeing her abusive ex-fiancé, though, Sadie’s new housekeeping position and free room at L’Arpin Hotel are the best she can manage.
On her first night, Sadie runs to help a guest struggling in the hotel’s pool only to find the water calm and empty when she gets there, leaving her with a lingering unease. When a guest then goes missing and her manager insists they simply left without checking out, Sadie suspects he’s covering up darker goings-on in the hotel.
After her ex, Sadie won't let anyone convince her that what she’s experiencing isn’t real again. So, she keeps digging, quickly uncovering suspicious interactions with the staff, mysteriously vanishing security cameras, more missing guests, and things that go bump in the night...and drip in the walls, slither in the tub, and squirm in the halls. Everything isn't as it seems within the dim hallways of L’Arpin. Sadie has nowhere to go and nowhere to hide; she'll need to keep her wits about her to survive and keep her toddler and unborn child safe from whatever lurks nearby.
- GenresHorrorParanormal
Kindle Edition
Expected publication April 8, 2025
About the author
C.J. Dotson
10 books10 followersC.J. DOTSON possesses the statistically average number of body parts for a human being to have. She and her husband, stepson, and children (all of whom also appear human) share a cabin in the woods with more bugs than she would ever like to see. In her limited spare time she enjoys reading, video games, painting, baking and decorating cakes (with…questionable success), and petting her dog and two cats. Visit her at cjdotsonauthor.com or cjdotsonsdreadfuldispatch.substack.com
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Want to read
July 12, 2024this cover gives me the ick.
i love it.
i love it.
August 28, 2024
[arc review]
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
The Cut releases April 8, 2025
Pregnant with her second child, Sadie makes the decision to flee with her toddler from an abusive relationship.
Sadie settles down with a job as a housekeeper at L’Arpin Hotel, but soon finds herself with a new set of troubles to face.
The Cut is tense and chilling, with a main character who is constantly on edge. Not only does Sadie have to worry that her abusive ex might show up at any moment, but she also has to cope with unexplainable shadows and intermittent sounds of dripping water throughout the hotel. To make matters worse, her isolation is amplified when guests start disappearing and other suspicious things start happening, yet no one seems to believe her.
I loved the setting, but wanted more on the origin of the tentacles and why things had been going on for nearly two hundred years. The ending felt rushed, which lead to some character motivations being unclear and confusing. At times there seemed to be more staff than actual hotel guests, so it only made sense that they would have all been in on a secret, though there wasn’t much by way of explanation towards the end, especially in regard to Mr. Drye or Gertie.
cw: flashbacks of verbal abuse
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
The Cut releases April 8, 2025
Pregnant with her second child, Sadie makes the decision to flee with her toddler from an abusive relationship.
Sadie settles down with a job as a housekeeper at L’Arpin Hotel, but soon finds herself with a new set of troubles to face.
The Cut is tense and chilling, with a main character who is constantly on edge. Not only does Sadie have to worry that her abusive ex might show up at any moment, but she also has to cope with unexplainable shadows and intermittent sounds of dripping water throughout the hotel. To make matters worse, her isolation is amplified when guests start disappearing and other suspicious things start happening, yet no one seems to believe her.
I loved the setting, but wanted more on the origin of the tentacles and why things had been going on for nearly two hundred years. The ending felt rushed, which lead to some character motivations being unclear and confusing. At times there seemed to be more staff than actual hotel guests, so it only made sense that they would have all been in on a secret, though there wasn’t much by way of explanation towards the end, especially in regard to Mr. Drye or Gertie.
cw: flashbacks of verbal abuse
August 28, 2024
I'm the author of this book, and I think it's pretty great. 😆 I hope you dig it when it comes out in April!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews