Evil in All Its Disguises

January 14, 2013
In Davidson’s creepy third outing for travel writer Lily Moore (after 2012’s The Next One to Fall), Lily checks into Acapulco’s Hotel Cerón just as a snake coils itself around her foot. Her discovery that the hotel is owned by Pantheon Worldwide, her ex-fiancé Martin Sklar’s company, is another ominous sign. The nearly deserted hotel begins to feel more like prison than a resort, particularly after fellow writer Skye McDermott, who was behaving oddly, disappears. Meanwhile, Martin’s right-hand man, Gavin Stroud, who’s in charge of the Cerón, and tour organizer Denny Chiu promise to shift Lily to a non-Pantheon hotel, but the move is always postponed. Eventually, Lily discovers that she’s bait in a trap, but unsure who’s the hunter and who’s the prey or whether she can trust anyone. Smoothly sinister characters and a creepy Poe-like atmosphere keep the pages turning, though a ragged climax and an overlong denouement disappoint. Agent: Judith Weber, Sobel Weber Associates.