Do Not Disturb by Freida McFadden (Hollywood Upstairs Publishing)

Do Not Disturb by Freida McFadden tells the story of Quinn Alexander, a woman on the run after committing a crime that could land her in prison for life. Fleeing her former life behind, she finds herself stranded during a fierce snowstorm at the Baxter Motel, a rundown place with an unsettling atmosphere. The motel owner, Nick, gives her shelter, but as night falls, Quinn realizes that the withering quiet refuge conceals darker secrets behind it. The central tension then turns into Quinn's struggle to survive this night with the confrontation of shadows who surround her, but mostly ends on a race against time in escaping capture.

Quinn's journey is patterned; it is intense, fearful, and desperate. It is indicated in how she copes with the guilt, survival instinct, and quest for atonement being pushed beyond the edge. Nick and his wife add important extra dimensions to this story, complicating the situation instead of merely helping. Their very presence forces Quinn into a pressure pot of trust and suspicion. Much of her development is governed by that interaction because she will have to determine what risks she is willing to take and how to face her own uncertainties and vulnerabilities.

The central themes of the book are escape, consequences, and isolation. They reflect current issues surrounding individual responsibility and the extent to which forgiveness can stretch or even be reached with regard to haunting past behaviors, no matter how far one runs. The snowstorm and the remoteness of the setting further intensify the emotions solitary and the pressing need to know others in even the most desperate place. These thoughts, too, resonate with real-world questions about what people would do if pushed far enough and how society's judgments can shape the life of an individual.

McFadden's writing is fast and direct, creating a rollercoaster ride where the reader finds it hard to put the book down. The narrative is entrancing in an addictive manner; even if much of the plot feels familiar and somewhat predictable, there is a strong momentum that pushes the readers to finish the book in one sitting. Most parts of the story are written in easy language, and the narrative glides easily from suspenseful moments to emotional ones. Although at times it does resort to cliches of the thriller genre, the story makes up for this with its tension and emotional engagement. The claustrophobic tension in the atmosphere was apt to set the stage for the layers of mystery and discomfort that shrouded the unfolding of events.

Although it does not plow any new ground, it has this special quality of addicting flow where the reader finds it almost impossible to stop reading. There are parts of the story that are familiar, but her maintaining the tempo and the stakes high turns it a little into a page-turner. I would have liked to see some characters explored more deeply, and I thought the ending was a bit rushed, but overall, it is a solid thriller. For every suspense fan who loves a good read from beginning to end, even though the storyline hits home, it has just the right amount of shock and aftershock to deliver. By nature, McFadden's novels read like a drug needing to be continued, making Do Not Disturb no different. 

3/5