The Guest in Room 120: a bit of mystery, history, romance and haunting

 he Guest in Room 120 by Sara Ackerman is a story of the mysterious death of Jane Stanford, co-founder of Stanford University. 1905, Jane Stanford is a woman with an iron will and has her share of enemies. After an attempted poisoning attempt in her San Francisco mansion. With medical advice for warmer climates, she flees to Honolulu with two companions to the new Moana Hotel. On the island, Iliahi Baldwin is a young girl working at the hotel as she takes care of her younger brothers. She forms an unlikely friendship with the intimidating Jane Stanford and witnesses events that would expose the truth. 2005, Zoe Finch is a bestselling author who attends a writer’s conference at the Moana Hotel. She soon begins to experience mysterious dreams and events which puts her on the path to discover the shocking events which occurred at the hotel one hundred years ago. 

I did not know anything about Jane Stanford before reading this story. I knew she and her husband created the university to honor their late son. I was intrigued as her death remains a mystery to this day. From the opening chapter to the final page, I was pulled into a story that was a bit of mystery, history, romance and a haunting without being overbearing or too much of one over the others. The story is told from the perspective of all three women as readers see the events leading to Jane’s death, the immediate aftermath and the experiences which lead Zoe to investigate. The haunting aspect was not scary or terrifying. I enjoyed reading about the island in 1905. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It is a story of betrayal, secrets and a death that echoes and connects three women across time. I highly recommend The Guest in Room 120. 

The Guest in Room 120 is available in hardcover, paperback, eBook and audiobook