A ghostwriter for years, Zoe Finch finally has written her own book. She also has a contract for a second romance novel but is facing a looming deadline and feels hopelessly blocked. When she reads about a writers’ conference coming up soon at the historic Moana Hotel in Honolulu, she books a flight immediately. There is only one room left, #120. Zoe snaps it up, feeling fortunate to get in at all.

Almost immediately, strange things begin to happen in Room 120. Zoe wakes up to a handwritten note on the floor with a mysterious message. There are fragrances only she can smell, and a sensation of otherworldly energy. When she mentions this to the hotel staff, their reaction surprises her. It’s as if they might be withholding something.

"THE GUEST IN ROOM 120 is a page-turner if ever there was one. It satisfies historical mystery lovers, modern mystery lovers, romantic mystery lovers, and lovers of good writing. It is masterfully done!"

Flashback a hundred years to February 1905. The fashionable oceanfront Moana Hotel recently has opened, and Jane Stanford checks into Room 120. Somehow, at her home in San Francisco, poison is found in her Poland Spring water, and she narrowly escapes death. During the investigation into how that occurred, she has to leave her Palo Alto mansion. A respite in Hawaii will do nicely.

As cofounder of Stanford University, Jane naturally faces a lot of stress and finds it hard to avoid making enemies. Being a woman in such a high position in those times garners her plenty of resentment. In addition, her iron will has a tendency to cause hard feelings. Knowing all of this and wishing to avert further tragedy, Jane follows her doctor’s advice and, along with two companions, leaves for Honolulu. But at the Moana, things take a bad turn, sparking a new investigation.

Iliahi Baldwin, a bright young Hawaiian woman, lands a job at the Moana in the days before Jane checks in. Jane is immediately charmed by Iliahi, so much so that she requests the girl plan daily itineraries and personally show her and her companions around. Years later, it is discovered that the young hotel worker kept a detailed diary of her time with Jane, an item that might turn out to be a crucial clue if a cause of death can be agreed upon.

At the conference in 2005, Zoe ends up attending Think Like a Detective instead of the romance workshop she wanted, but it’s the only one available. Zoe hopes that maybe inspiration will come from just being there. And in fact it does, just not in the way she had expected. Complicating matters is the host of the workshop, Dylan Winters, an author with whom she has something of a history, but it's not a good one. Plus, he’s super good-looking. Fortunately, he hasn’t recognized her so far.

Another matter is Zoe’s agent, who is pestering her for results, which Zoe is short on at the moment. She knows she’ll have to come clean with Dylan sooner than later, and she must face her agent. But for now, she decides to see where things take her. Perhaps that wasn’t the best idea. Or maybe it was. Because Zoe is in the room where, a century ago, Jane died. Is the woman’s spirit trying to tell her something?

Jane Stanford, in fact, did die in Room 120 of the Moana Hotel. History confirms that. Sara Ackerman does a brilliant job of solving the mystery of who murdered her, while the police never did. Of course, it’s a theoretical solve, because Jane's death was never ruled a homicide. Why not? We will never know, but it seems likely that strings were pulled and a cover-up was hatched.

THE GUEST IN ROOM 120 is a page-turner if ever there was one. It satisfies historical mystery lovers, modern mystery lovers, romantic mystery lovers, and lovers of good writing. It is masterfully done!