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Wax Works
The murder of Mlle Schwartz, a teacher at Château Mont Rose, destroys the reputation of the oldest finishing school for girls in Switzerland. It goes out of business.
For eight years, the estate remains locked and boarded up until re-opening as an inn and wax museum. Former students receive notification. They visit. Then they disappear.
When the number of missing women mounts, Interpol alerts Detective Cloquet of Lausanne Sûreté. Cloquet pressures his young deputy, Paul Junod, to shadow expected arrivals Lauren Briant and Rachel Gordon, both alumni of the boarding school. In order to stay close to Lauren and Rachel, Paul has to join their paranormal film team.
Meanwhile, Cloquet revisits Château Mont Rose and finds its headmistress, a woman long dead.
For eight years, the estate remains locked and boarded up until re-opening as an inn and wax museum. Former students receive notification. They visit. Then they disappear.
When the number of missing women mounts, Interpol alerts Detective Cloquet of Lausanne Sûreté. Cloquet pressures his young deputy, Paul Junod, to shadow expected arrivals Lauren Briant and Rachel Gordon, both alumni of the boarding school. In order to stay close to Lauren and Rachel, Paul has to join their paranormal film team.
Meanwhile, Cloquet revisits Château Mont Rose and finds its headmistress, a woman long dead.
277 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 2, 2019
6 people are currently reading
545 people want to read
About the author
Julia Juwairiah Simpson-Urrutia
4 books87 followersBorn and raised in California, Julia Simpson-Urrutia studied French in Switzerland and later, at the Monterey Institute of Foreign Studies in California, where she met her future husband, a young Saudi.
After earning a Master’s degree at SDSU and studies in Arabic and Spanish, she accompanied her husband to Jeddah, a 5,000 year old city by the Red Sea. There the sea was as warm as the water in a bathtub and the fish could fly.
She wrote for the Saudi Gazette, Arab News, and Riyadh Daily newspapers as well as the English Service of the Saudi Broadcasting System.
Her stories “The Outing” and “Up in Smoke” were broadcast over the BBC World Service and can be found in Under a Crescent Moon: Stories of Arabia, on Amazon and Nook.
She has won a few literary awards, including first place for children's fiction in the Seven Hills Writers’ Contest of the Tallahassee Writers’ Association.
Julia's literary works include The Red Sea Bride (aka Sylvia Fowler)and Burning Boats: The Birth of Muslim Spain.
After earning a Master’s degree at SDSU and studies in Arabic and Spanish, she accompanied her husband to Jeddah, a 5,000 year old city by the Red Sea. There the sea was as warm as the water in a bathtub and the fish could fly.
She wrote for the Saudi Gazette, Arab News, and Riyadh Daily newspapers as well as the English Service of the Saudi Broadcasting System.
Her stories “The Outing” and “Up in Smoke” were broadcast over the BBC World Service and can be found in Under a Crescent Moon: Stories of Arabia, on Amazon and Nook.
She has won a few literary awards, including first place for children's fiction in the Seven Hills Writers’ Contest of the Tallahassee Writers’ Association.
Julia's literary works include The Red Sea Bride (aka Sylvia Fowler)and Burning Boats: The Birth of Muslim Spain.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
October 29, 2019
Do Some Places Attract Evil?
Chateau Mont Rose has a nasty past. Mlle Schwartz, a teacher at the school is murdered and the school goes out of business and sits empty for eight years until it is turned into some kind of strange Wax Museum/ Inn years later. Former students of the school receive notice that their school is now an Inn and they show up – and then they disappear. This begins an investigation and a detective with Interpol, Detective Cloquet gets his deputy and nephew, Paul Junod (who in the beginning poses as a taxi driver/ college student) to become part of the ghost hunting film crew that is coming to stay at the Inn. Detective Cloquet wants his deputy to shadow Lauren Briant and Rachel Gordon, both former students of the school who are coming to the Inn, Lauren for a vacation and Rachel, to work.
The girls soon arrive. Rachel now works as a public relations person for a ghost hunting team who has come to the Inn to try and contact Rachel’s and Lauren’s former teacher, Mlle Schwartz and Rachel gets her friend Lauren, who is a writer, a job with the ghost hunting team she works for. Another student from the school is also on the team of investigators, Helena, who is a clairvoyant. I found Helena to be one of my favorite characters with her many piercings and chunky boots. The scenes from when she was a Nellie Olsen-ish teenager with a bad attitude were quite funny. I laughed out loud more than once.
The book reads like a detective novel -slash- ghost story and reminded me of a Hitchcock film. I could see it in my head as I read, playing out like an old movie. The setting was enchanting; an old haunted castle in Switzerland and I thought the colors on the cover and the maniacal face of Grock the Clown in the title were perfect. The wax figurines gave a creepy feel to the book and most especially, Grock the Clown. He gave me shivers. I certainly would not have wanted to see him standing outside my room door!
I like the way the author incorporated Frankenstein and Mary Shelley and Lord Byron in the book as well. I found that all very interesting and the author wove it into the story in such a way that it fit wonderfully with this strange tale.
I finished this book during a storm and it was the perfect way to come to an end to this very unusual and wonderful book. This book was so different from anything I’ve read recently; definitely a one of a kind. This was a book that kept me interested from beginning to end. It flowed.
I definitely recommend this book and look forward to reading more by this author. I hope there’s a sequel!
All in all, it was a fantastic read and I give it 5 stars.
Chateau Mont Rose has a nasty past. Mlle Schwartz, a teacher at the school is murdered and the school goes out of business and sits empty for eight years until it is turned into some kind of strange Wax Museum/ Inn years later. Former students of the school receive notice that their school is now an Inn and they show up – and then they disappear. This begins an investigation and a detective with Interpol, Detective Cloquet gets his deputy and nephew, Paul Junod (who in the beginning poses as a taxi driver/ college student) to become part of the ghost hunting film crew that is coming to stay at the Inn. Detective Cloquet wants his deputy to shadow Lauren Briant and Rachel Gordon, both former students of the school who are coming to the Inn, Lauren for a vacation and Rachel, to work.
The girls soon arrive. Rachel now works as a public relations person for a ghost hunting team who has come to the Inn to try and contact Rachel’s and Lauren’s former teacher, Mlle Schwartz and Rachel gets her friend Lauren, who is a writer, a job with the ghost hunting team she works for. Another student from the school is also on the team of investigators, Helena, who is a clairvoyant. I found Helena to be one of my favorite characters with her many piercings and chunky boots. The scenes from when she was a Nellie Olsen-ish teenager with a bad attitude were quite funny. I laughed out loud more than once.
The book reads like a detective novel -slash- ghost story and reminded me of a Hitchcock film. I could see it in my head as I read, playing out like an old movie. The setting was enchanting; an old haunted castle in Switzerland and I thought the colors on the cover and the maniacal face of Grock the Clown in the title were perfect. The wax figurines gave a creepy feel to the book and most especially, Grock the Clown. He gave me shivers. I certainly would not have wanted to see him standing outside my room door!
I like the way the author incorporated Frankenstein and Mary Shelley and Lord Byron in the book as well. I found that all very interesting and the author wove it into the story in such a way that it fit wonderfully with this strange tale.
I finished this book during a storm and it was the perfect way to come to an end to this very unusual and wonderful book. This book was so different from anything I’ve read recently; definitely a one of a kind. This was a book that kept me interested from beginning to end. It flowed.
I definitely recommend this book and look forward to reading more by this author. I hope there’s a sequel!
All in all, it was a fantastic read and I give it 5 stars.
November 11, 2019
Minor Spoilers
4.5/5
Possibly one of the strangest horror novels of the year. I came into this anticipating a HOUSE OF WAX feel based on the synopsis and title itself. What I read was completely unexpected. Let me explain:
Two Americans (Lauren and Rachel) reconvene at Château Mont Rose, a former school for girls in Switzerland, and both are former alumni themselves. The castle, after years of neglect, has been converted into an unusual wax museum, and the wax figures immediately begin to transmit eerie vibes. It’s not just a vacation or reunion-the two join a paranormal film team; led by director and producer Dominick, a Tommy Wiseau wannabee, and his over dramatic companion Helena Stamoulos, a former student herself, now a clairvoyant occultist.
The crew begins streaming some live paranormal episodes filled with absurd reenactments and revolting storylines. At one castle, the team accidentally channels the entity of Mary Shelly, and chaos and mayhem ensues. Eventually, Mont Rose comes back into the picture, and that is a separate story in itself filled with a murderous history and somewhat gothic subplot. Unbeknownst to the crew, a serious investigation is being conducted behind the scenes by the Sûreté, and one detective is taking matters personally.
Simpson-Urrutia, linguistics being one of her many specialties, doesn’t shy away from Swiss beauty and culture. This atmospheric approach spread throughout the novel is unveiled through humor and romance. Overall, a great read for autumn.
4.5/5
Possibly one of the strangest horror novels of the year. I came into this anticipating a HOUSE OF WAX feel based on the synopsis and title itself. What I read was completely unexpected. Let me explain:
Two Americans (Lauren and Rachel) reconvene at Château Mont Rose, a former school for girls in Switzerland, and both are former alumni themselves. The castle, after years of neglect, has been converted into an unusual wax museum, and the wax figures immediately begin to transmit eerie vibes. It’s not just a vacation or reunion-the two join a paranormal film team; led by director and producer Dominick, a Tommy Wiseau wannabee, and his over dramatic companion Helena Stamoulos, a former student herself, now a clairvoyant occultist.
The crew begins streaming some live paranormal episodes filled with absurd reenactments and revolting storylines. At one castle, the team accidentally channels the entity of Mary Shelly, and chaos and mayhem ensues. Eventually, Mont Rose comes back into the picture, and that is a separate story in itself filled with a murderous history and somewhat gothic subplot. Unbeknownst to the crew, a serious investigation is being conducted behind the scenes by the Sûreté, and one detective is taking matters personally.
Simpson-Urrutia, linguistics being one of her many specialties, doesn’t shy away from Swiss beauty and culture. This atmospheric approach spread throughout the novel is unveiled through humor and romance. Overall, a great read for autumn.
February 24, 2020
Chilling. Creepy. Wax Statues. Clowns. Undead people. This book is one you’ll like to read on a dark and stormy night while sipping a hot cup of coffee (or cocoa or tea, if that is your preference) while mindlessly munching on popcorn (or chocolates—it’s all about preference here).
Wax Works takes place in Switzerland at a former all-girls boarding school turned hotel/wax museum. A paranormal film team has assembled there. Three of the crew, Lauren Briant, Rachel Gordon and Helena Stamoulos, are former students of the school. They are there to reach into the spirit world and talk to one of their former teachers, Mlle Schwartz, who was murdered on the premises. The suave Paul Junod joins the crew as a tech but, in reality, he is with the Lausanne Surete (or police department) where he works with his uncle, the Detective Inspector Cloquet. Paul is tasked with keeping the girls safe while, at the same time, doing some poking around because some other former students who have come back to visit have mysteriously disappeared.
They say “never judge a book by its cover,” but in this case, you can! Simpson-Urrutia’s cover depicts the grainy image of a Swiss chateau. Rather than elegant and inviting as one would expect it to be because, hey, it’s in Switzerland (hot Swiss cocoa and skiing the Alps, right?) it, instead appears dark, cold and foreboding which is exactly as the author weaves its description in the text. And then there’s the title with the creepy face of a clown peering through the W in “Works.” I’m telling you, that clown, Grock by name, totally has me understanding where coulrophobia comes from. (That’s the fear of clowns. I googled it). That clown pops up throughout the story, freaking Lauren out to the point she fears she’s losing her mind.
Simpson-Urrutia spins a story that keeps the reader gripped and compelled to find out what will happen next. Wax Works has many elements which I really enjoyed; paranormal phenomena, mystery, young love and humor. Her characters are well defined, interesting and endearing. Even Dominick Bentley, the English film director and Helena’s boyfriend. He’s an ass, but you gotta love him.
Without giving out any spoilers, there is a part in which Lauren is inhabited by the ghost of Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein. I don’t know how she did it, but Simpson-Urrutia was able to convey both the characters of Lauren and Mary at the same time, interacting as themselves with other characters, without confusing the reader. Am I impressed? It’s brilliant, good job!
Wax Works is a very good story, well written and interesting. I highly recommend it to creepy ghost story enthusiasts and literature fanatics alike.
Wax Works takes place in Switzerland at a former all-girls boarding school turned hotel/wax museum. A paranormal film team has assembled there. Three of the crew, Lauren Briant, Rachel Gordon and Helena Stamoulos, are former students of the school. They are there to reach into the spirit world and talk to one of their former teachers, Mlle Schwartz, who was murdered on the premises. The suave Paul Junod joins the crew as a tech but, in reality, he is with the Lausanne Surete (or police department) where he works with his uncle, the Detective Inspector Cloquet. Paul is tasked with keeping the girls safe while, at the same time, doing some poking around because some other former students who have come back to visit have mysteriously disappeared.
They say “never judge a book by its cover,” but in this case, you can! Simpson-Urrutia’s cover depicts the grainy image of a Swiss chateau. Rather than elegant and inviting as one would expect it to be because, hey, it’s in Switzerland (hot Swiss cocoa and skiing the Alps, right?) it, instead appears dark, cold and foreboding which is exactly as the author weaves its description in the text. And then there’s the title with the creepy face of a clown peering through the W in “Works.” I’m telling you, that clown, Grock by name, totally has me understanding where coulrophobia comes from. (That’s the fear of clowns. I googled it). That clown pops up throughout the story, freaking Lauren out to the point she fears she’s losing her mind.
Simpson-Urrutia spins a story that keeps the reader gripped and compelled to find out what will happen next. Wax Works has many elements which I really enjoyed; paranormal phenomena, mystery, young love and humor. Her characters are well defined, interesting and endearing. Even Dominick Bentley, the English film director and Helena’s boyfriend. He’s an ass, but you gotta love him.
Without giving out any spoilers, there is a part in which Lauren is inhabited by the ghost of Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein. I don’t know how she did it, but Simpson-Urrutia was able to convey both the characters of Lauren and Mary at the same time, interacting as themselves with other characters, without confusing the reader. Am I impressed? It’s brilliant, good job!
Wax Works is a very good story, well written and interesting. I highly recommend it to creepy ghost story enthusiasts and literature fanatics alike.
December 1, 2019
Julia Simpson-Urrutia's Wax Works was described on NetGalley as 'an eerie Swiss boarding school paranormal crime novel', which intrigued me so much I absolutely had to requst a copy. I suspect it was the Swiss boarding school aspect, given that I am a Chalet School fan, though the school in Simpson-Urrutia's novel is actually very different from the Chalet School. Château Mont Rose's main function was to teach French to girls from wealthy families, but it was closed down following the death in suspicious circumstances of popular teacher Mlle Schwartz. Eight years later, it reopens as a combined hotel and waxwork museum. Several former students visit the hotel, and mysteriously disappear within days of leaving Switzerland. Inspector Cloquet of the Lausanne police, the officer responsible for the investigation into Mlle Schwartz's death, is suspicious, and when two more former students, Lauren and Rachel, arrive at the hotel as part of a team filming a ghost-hunting show he assigns his nephew and junior officer Paul to infiltrate the ghost-hunting team and protect Lauren and Rachel from supernatural interference.
Wax Works doesn't quite seem able to decide whether it's a police procedural, a psychological thriller or a full-blown horror story, but it's a fun read and surprisingly funny in parts (I was particularly entertained by the director of the ghost-hunting film, a man who is not only convinced that Frankenstein was the name of the monster but that he was the creation of Lord Byron and not Mary Shelley). I did think that there were probably too many characters, and some of them only seemed to appear very briefly with no connection to the main action of the novel, but it was generally enjoyable, diverting and not too taxing a read (important in a week when I have been utterly exhausted and needed undemanding books).
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free eARC for review.
Wax Works doesn't quite seem able to decide whether it's a police procedural, a psychological thriller or a full-blown horror story, but it's a fun read and surprisingly funny in parts (I was particularly entertained by the director of the ghost-hunting film, a man who is not only convinced that Frankenstein was the name of the monster but that he was the creation of Lord Byron and not Mary Shelley). I did think that there were probably too many characters, and some of them only seemed to appear very briefly with no connection to the main action of the novel, but it was generally enjoyable, diverting and not too taxing a read (important in a week when I have been utterly exhausted and needed undemanding books).
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free eARC for review.
August 25, 2020
I just realized I forgot to write a review for this fabulous book! I will in the next few days...
... Review to come...
Update: I LOVED this book!! I don't know why it's taken me so long to write a review, as I have thought of this book quite a bit since first reading it, -- I think it's just hard sometimes to put into words, how a book makes you feel. And this book certainly made me feel something-- It was just sooo good! First of all, I love the author -- love everything I have read by her and I was anticipating this book for a long time before it came out and when I finally read it, it did not disappoint. Not only did it not disappoint, it was amazing. The story was so original and different --- and very much reminded me of old black and white movies and old detective stories -- all the classics that I love. The writing was so tight and the story never stalled -- I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. The ending was great, too. With Halloween approaching, I would suggest this book, but no matter the season, this is a great read and one you will certainly read more than once!
... Review to come...
Update: I LOVED this book!! I don't know why it's taken me so long to write a review, as I have thought of this book quite a bit since first reading it, -- I think it's just hard sometimes to put into words, how a book makes you feel. And this book certainly made me feel something-- It was just sooo good! First of all, I love the author -- love everything I have read by her and I was anticipating this book for a long time before it came out and when I finally read it, it did not disappoint. Not only did it not disappoint, it was amazing. The story was so original and different --- and very much reminded me of old black and white movies and old detective stories -- all the classics that I love. The writing was so tight and the story never stalled -- I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. The ending was great, too. With Halloween approaching, I would suggest this book, but no matter the season, this is a great read and one you will certainly read more than once!
April 13, 2020
Wax Works by Julia Juwairiah Simpson-Urrutia
Is there such a thing as a rollicking creepy mystery novel? If not, Julia Juwairiah Simpson-Urrutia has just invented the genre with her book, Wax Works. It's a roller-coaster ride full of scary moments, with a satirical take on horror. I literally could not put it down once I'd opened it; I stayed up until 2:00 a.m. to finish it. It's peopled with outrageous characters, whom you will alternately love or hate (but will be fascinated to follow), and you cannot anticipate what they're going to do next. I dare you to read it!
Is there such a thing as a rollicking creepy mystery novel? If not, Julia Juwairiah Simpson-Urrutia has just invented the genre with her book, Wax Works. It's a roller-coaster ride full of scary moments, with a satirical take on horror. I literally could not put it down once I'd opened it; I stayed up until 2:00 a.m. to finish it. It's peopled with outrageous characters, whom you will alternately love or hate (but will be fascinated to follow), and you cannot anticipate what they're going to do next. I dare you to read it!
December 1, 2020
I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this book. If someone had said to me "It's a deliciously creepy, horror mystery" I think that would have summed it up perfectly! "Wax Works" is written very well with some interesting characters and an engaging plot. I wish I had been able to save reading it for dark and stormy nights, but once I started I didn't want to stop!
My thanks to the author. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.
My thanks to the author. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.
November 26, 2020
This book kept me enthralled throughout! New plot twists emerged with every turn of the page. Hope to hear more from the characters.
January 19, 2020
The thing I love most when reading a book, is how the book makes you feel. That is why I loved this book so much! The feeling it gave me. Of old movies, and crime dramas, and gumshoe detectives and ghosts! This was the kind of book that you open up and really feel that you've gone deep inside the story -- like you're there. It was beautifully written and the characters felt so real -- and Lauren and Rachel, like actual friends. I loved that it takes place in Switzerland at an old, closed down boarding school - but now, Wax Museum / Inn. What an interesting premise!
There were funny parts as well and many times I found myself laughing and just enjoying this story so much --- The author did an excellent job with the plot and the characters and I never found myself getting bored or wanting to put the book down - although, I did have to put it down -- but I was excited to get back to it and read it within a few days. I'm a very slow reader so that was quick for me. Another thing I loved about this book , was that it was a book that I thought about when I wasn't reading it and a book that I was excited to get back to. In fact, I will be re-reading it in the next week or two. I always do that with books I love and this was a book I loved!
I hope there will be a sequel. I can certainly see a sequel to this book -- (if the author reads this, Can you please please write a sequel?) I would be excited to hear there's one on the way! :) I was reading some of the reviews of the book here and Goodreads and I saw that someone said this book would work well as a movie -- I agree! I could see this in my head as I read it and I definitely could see this as a movie! Well, I think if an author can write a book that plays out in your head as you're reading it, that they've done their job -- So, 5 stars on this excellent book and I will certainly be following this author to see what's next.
There were funny parts as well and many times I found myself laughing and just enjoying this story so much --- The author did an excellent job with the plot and the characters and I never found myself getting bored or wanting to put the book down - although, I did have to put it down -- but I was excited to get back to it and read it within a few days. I'm a very slow reader so that was quick for me. Another thing I loved about this book , was that it was a book that I thought about when I wasn't reading it and a book that I was excited to get back to. In fact, I will be re-reading it in the next week or two. I always do that with books I love and this was a book I loved!
I hope there will be a sequel. I can certainly see a sequel to this book -- (if the author reads this, Can you please please write a sequel?) I would be excited to hear there's one on the way! :) I was reading some of the reviews of the book here and Goodreads and I saw that someone said this book would work well as a movie -- I agree! I could see this in my head as I read it and I definitely could see this as a movie! Well, I think if an author can write a book that plays out in your head as you're reading it, that they've done their job -- So, 5 stars on this excellent book and I will certainly be following this author to see what's next.
December 5, 2019
Wax Works is a ghost story … and then some. It is wonderfully written, and unpredictable. The characters are all well drawn. The plot is sharp. The setting of Switzerland and the Chateau Mont Rose is really neat. As the characters ping off one another in this police procedural/ghost story, one can’t help but smile as the author leads the readers down the amusing, yet dark, corridors and twisty turns of literary history, summoning up the ghosts of Mary Shelly and Lord Byron. It’s a very tough novel to describe, but if forced to I’d have to say: It’s Scooby Doo meets Shirley Jackson and James Patterson in a wax museum. It’s a very interesting mix, and it makes for a very fun story. I recommend it highly.
November 13, 2019
This book was great! Very different from anything I've read in a very long time. 5 STARS --
January 11, 2020
Great book. Loved reading. Can't wait to read other books by her.
March 10, 2022
You really should read this.
It is a pretty unique take on hauntings and ghosts.
I really enjoyed it.
It is a pretty unique take on hauntings and ghosts.
I really enjoyed it.
March 16, 2021
This particular "former" boarding school wants to get rid of its alumni--and what an interesting bunch of characters they are! I really enjoyed following young Americans Lauren and Rachel, eager to launch careers, as they follow the very odd paths of Dominick, a British film maker of questionable ethics, and Helena, a former student from Greece who has reinvented herself as a psychic. Helena and Dominick direct a ghost-chasing film crew, joined by undercover agent Paul and his unwitting adopted cousin Ajit (secretly an old mansion fortune hunter but ostensibly another ghost chaser). While the book gave me shivers, it also made me laugh. Everyone is delusional. And yes, there is a ghost and more.
May 1, 2022
Quirky and dream-like. Spooky but also silly. Hard to put down at the end.
January 30, 2021
A very different and goosebumps-producing kind of paranormal Gothic horror! I liked the back story, the diverse international cast (Swiss-French, Swiss-French-Indian, Swiss-Italian, Greek, British, American, Senegalese and Russian). I might have missed some. I liked the way the author showed the cultural superstitions and tastes of the different characters. Will there be a sequel?
July 19, 2020
Not that many books set in Lausanne, Switzerland! This one is a page-turner. I thought it was funny even while my hairs were raised.
March 1, 2021
Liked the premise of the book but it jumped around so much. It was confusing at times.
April 3, 2021
#goodreads giveaway
OK, in looking over the other reviews, I'm obviously in the minority on this one. Lauren travels from America to Switzerland after her unlikable friend Rachel (that even Lauren doesn't seem to like much) invites her with a job opportunity. Turns out the job is writing scripts for a ghost-hunting TV show, headed up by two people even more unlikable than Rachel. They are staying at their former boarding school turned museum/hotel (?), where they will try to contact the spirit of their former teacher who was murdered.
I don't know what was more confusing - the plot or the writing. Apparently, former students that stayed at the hotel die mysteriously after leaving the country. No further explanation about that. At all. We are introduced to a police detective (#1) - and his girlfriend/hooker, and her neighbor, and the neighbor's brother. He is mentioned in a total nonsequiter later in the book, but I have no idea why. The girlfriend and neighbor never show up again.
Apparently, Lauren is such a gifted writer becasue she has a vivid imagination. Fine for a writer, but as a character you never knew whether what was being descibed was happening, or her imagination, or a memory.
First stop for the ghost hunters is a castle in the area where Lord Byron allegedly stayed. They do not 'contact' Lord Byron, but they do see the spirit of the murdered teacher - from the school - where they are not. Then Lauren is given a pill to help her relax after a fright, after which she thinks she is Mary Shelley.
What happened at the school when they were there? You never really know. How do the caretaker and his mother fit into the story? You never really know. And the headmistress, now about 120 years old? OK, somehow supernatural, but guess what? You never really know.
The best part of the book was the romance (predictable, but...) between Lauren and the Uber driver/detective #1's nephew/detective himself/crew tech guy. This might have been a pretty good story with some serious editing (sadly nonexisting). I'd give it a miss.
OK, in looking over the other reviews, I'm obviously in the minority on this one. Lauren travels from America to Switzerland after her unlikable friend Rachel (that even Lauren doesn't seem to like much) invites her with a job opportunity. Turns out the job is writing scripts for a ghost-hunting TV show, headed up by two people even more unlikable than Rachel. They are staying at their former boarding school turned museum/hotel (?), where they will try to contact the spirit of their former teacher who was murdered.
I don't know what was more confusing - the plot or the writing. Apparently, former students that stayed at the hotel die mysteriously after leaving the country. No further explanation about that. At all. We are introduced to a police detective (#1) - and his girlfriend/hooker, and her neighbor, and the neighbor's brother. He is mentioned in a total nonsequiter later in the book, but I have no idea why. The girlfriend and neighbor never show up again.
Apparently, Lauren is such a gifted writer becasue she has a vivid imagination. Fine for a writer, but as a character you never knew whether what was being descibed was happening, or her imagination, or a memory.
First stop for the ghost hunters is a castle in the area where Lord Byron allegedly stayed. They do not 'contact' Lord Byron, but they do see the spirit of the murdered teacher - from the school - where they are not. Then Lauren is given a pill to help her relax after a fright, after which she thinks she is Mary Shelley.
What happened at the school when they were there? You never really know. How do the caretaker and his mother fit into the story? You never really know. And the headmistress, now about 120 years old? OK, somehow supernatural, but guess what? You never really know.
The best part of the book was the romance (predictable, but...) between Lauren and the Uber driver/detective #1's nephew/detective himself/crew tech guy. This might have been a pretty good story with some serious editing (sadly nonexisting). I'd give it a miss.
January 14, 2024
Oh.
My.
Gawd. !!!
This book was great!!! A little creepy, a little scary but oh, such a good read! The characters in this book really kept me interested as there were so many plot twists and things that you just did not expect. It also gave me a good laugh in places. Mostly, it held my attention and that is always a sign of a great book. I think I read it in two days. It was one of those books that when you put it down, you thought about it and went back to it. What I liked the most about this book is that it was different! Amazingly different! There were so many cool things ...the Wax Museum...eek! Good creepy fun! 5 STAR!
My.
Gawd. !!!
This book was great!!! A little creepy, a little scary but oh, such a good read! The characters in this book really kept me interested as there were so many plot twists and things that you just did not expect. It also gave me a good laugh in places. Mostly, it held my attention and that is always a sign of a great book. I think I read it in two days. It was one of those books that when you put it down, you thought about it and went back to it. What I liked the most about this book is that it was different! Amazingly different! There were so many cool things ...the Wax Museum...eek! Good creepy fun! 5 STAR!
November 30, 2019
More of a 2,5/3*
When I heard the premise of the story I was really intrigued and wanted to read it right away.
An old school for girls in Switzerland goes out of business after a teacher is murdered. Years later the building serves as a very weird and eerie wax museum with wax figures spread throughout the hallways. But it also serves as a hotel.
One day some of the older students from the school come back and bring with them a filming crew. In style of Supernatural Encounters they want to film the creepiness of the place, tell the story and with some luck catch a couple of ghosts on camera.
Even though I really enjoyed the story, I felt like there were many characters that were all mixed together very fast and it did not give the reader time to get to know them and separate them from each other later. There are too many scenes changing all the time between charcters and it gets a bit confusing.This would have worked really well as a movie.
When I heard the premise of the story I was really intrigued and wanted to read it right away.
An old school for girls in Switzerland goes out of business after a teacher is murdered. Years later the building serves as a very weird and eerie wax museum with wax figures spread throughout the hallways. But it also serves as a hotel.
One day some of the older students from the school come back and bring with them a filming crew. In style of Supernatural Encounters they want to film the creepiness of the place, tell the story and with some luck catch a couple of ghosts on camera.
Even though I really enjoyed the story, I felt like there were many characters that were all mixed together very fast and it did not give the reader time to get to know them and separate them from each other later. There are too many scenes changing all the time between charcters and it gets a bit confusing.This would have worked really well as a movie.
October 21, 2022
Wax Works is extremely creepy and atmospheric, but also romantic and playful. It is a unique kind of ghost story and I look forward to reading something else from the author in this genre.
June 14, 2022
This story is a great blend of Gothic, modern and Salvador Dali (surrealist or something similar). I enjoyed every page and hope to read a sequel.
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