THE HITCHCOCK HOTEL opens with quotes from three Alfred Hitchcock films --- Strangers on a Train, Rope and Psycho --- which were based on a Patricia Highsmith novel, the Leopold and Loeb murder case, and serial killer Ed Gein.

In much the same way, Stephanie Wrobel has used nearly everything involving Hitchcock and his movies to inspire her brilliant and endlessly surprising new novel. Fans of the iconic director will delight at the Easter eggs to be found within these pages and how she uses them to move through this intricate plot. Like Wrobel’s first two books, DARLING ROSE GOLD and THIS MIGHT HURT, THE HITCHCOCK HOTEL is sneaky good. And I mean that in the best way possible. Just when you think you know what is happening, Wrobel rocks your world with a plot twist that makes you rethink exactly what is going on.

"You don’t need to have seen every Hitchcock movie to enjoy THE HITCHCOCK HOTEL, but those familiar with his most popular work will delight in how she blends so many delicious tidbits into [Wrobel's] story, making for an immensely entertaining read."

Alfred Smettle is not your typical Hitchcock fan. His mother named him after Sir Alfred and raised him on his films. He purchased a Victorian house in the White Mountains near where he went to college as a film major. His tireless effort turned it into the aptly named Hitchcock Hotel, which contains rare and authentic memorabilia in a themed hotel packed with tributes to the Master of Suspense.

Alfred is celebrating the hotel’s anniversary with a private weekend where the only guests will be a few fellow film students with whom he was closest at college years ago. He also has an ulterior motive, as early on we witness a discussion between him and his trusted employee/housekeeper, Danny, about the revenge he has planned for this group that did him seriously wrong at the end of their college days together.

Surprisingly, everyone who was invited shows up, although some had trepidation about seeing Alfred again. There is Zoe, a former alcoholic and now restaurant owner; Samira, who owns a successful sex toy company; TJ, a professional bodyguard; Grace, a financial executive; and Julius, who is still an eccentric. At first they are slightly amazed by how nice of a job Alfred did with the place and marvel at the authentic pieces of memorabilia such as a merry-go-round horse from Strangers on a Train and the black phone from Dial M for Murder. The house resembles the Bates Motel from Psycho, and on the ground floor is a small screening room and aviary filled with over 30 crows in tribute to The Birds.

The group mostly has lost touch with each other, but still remaining is the lingering awkward feeling combined with guilt over how things went down with Alfred. They are all very suspicious of him, even though he is exhibiting mostly exemplary behavior. He tells them the story of how he came to own the property that for decades belonged to an elderly couple. It turns out that the wife killed the husband by feeding him grass and was taken away. With the crew nicely freaked out, Alfred lets his guests retire to their rooms after dinner in the private dining room. The subsequent discussion leads to the question of how you would commit the perfect murder.

Not only are they being spied on through the vents in their rooms and Alfred’s hidden attic chamber, cruel little tricks are being played --- like a clump of grass being left on Zoe’s pillow and a man hiding in Samira’s room. On the second night, the guests are forced to watch a screening of Rope, which follows up on the theme of the perfect murder. Alfred begins the film by collecting everyone’s cell phones. Once the movie is over, the phones are no longer in the concierge’s office. The concierge has gone home for the night and is unreachable. They reluctantly stay until morning when they find one of them did not make it through the night alive. Also, someone has slashed the tires of all the vehicles in the parking lot.

The remainder of the novel sees the paranoia and guilt of the surviving guests bubble to a boil while we also find out the secrets that everyone has been hiding about the tragic events from college. It is simply breathtaking to watch it all unfold.

As an actor, I have had the privilege of performing in two plays that inspired Hitchcock films: Dial M for Murder and Rope. He is one of the most brilliant directors of our time, and I feel that Stephanie Wrobel is a kindred spirit in appreciating his great work, which is evident throughout the novel. You don’t need to have seen every Hitchcock movie to enjoy THE HITCHCOCK HOTEL, but those familiar with his most popular work will delight in how she blends so many delicious tidbits into her story, making for an immensely entertaining read.