Published By: Headline Review
Pages: 352
Released On: 10/09/2026
1926. Diana Gold, owner and impresario, throws open the doors to the most opulent new hotel in London. As the champagne flows and the chandeliers shimmer, millionaires and gamblers rub shoulders with film stars and royalty.
Though, things at the Hotel Artemis aren’t quite what they seem – including the two guests Diana expects at midnight. Powerful and dangerous, they’ve dragged her from the gutter and taught her all she knows. Now Diana must take perfect care of them – unless they take care of her first.
But when a body is found in the hotel’s finest suite, the lavish opening night begins to spiral out of control. And over twenty-four fateful hours, the staff and guests of the Artemis will find out why they are really there.
*****
Thanks to NetGalley and Headline Review for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
I love Alex’s books so far – The Housekeepers and The Queen of Fives – and have been keeping an eye out for his new one and HERE IT IS!
It’s a mixture of first person (Diana) and third person (everyone else) with multiple POVs. Personally, I generally only like first person narrative in a thriller which, whilst there are elements, I wouldn’t say this is. But the change in viewpoints and narrative actually worked well with this story, it gives us closer access to the important characters. There’s also a change in time period going from the 1900s to the present day which I wasn’t expecting.
There is a worry that when an author has been bringing out banger after banger, that their form is bound to slip and I was worried that it would be this one after the brilliance of his previous books, but alas, no. It is just as spectacular.
This felt different to his other books and I think it’s because the other two were set firmly in the historical setting. Whereas this one, whilst mostly set in the historical period, it does have the 2026 chapters alongside it, and they do link, which brings it all together. So you get these conflicting but complementary timelines.
You’ve got goodies and baddies – and may I saw more so of the latter. Although everyone has part goodie and part baddie in them, it just depends who is interacting with them. Some are more likeable than others, even the baddies, but they all had a place in the story and were all interesting to read.
It ties you up in so many knots. I’d just figure one thing out before everything gets turned on its head. It’s thrilling without being too in your face. It captures the intrigue and the glamour of the 1920s perfectly.
It doesn’t require a sequel, and I’m not sure there would be scope for one. Having said that, I would love a collection of short stories, each dedicated to one of the characters’ background and future life so I could live in this world a little longer.
I read it in less than 24 hours I was so hooked. I’m starting to believe that Alex will never write a book less than perfect.
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