Evil in All its Disguises
Review: Travel journalist Lily Moore is on her way to Acapulco, one of a select group to stay all expenses paid at the secluded Hotel Cerσn, once the favored destination of Hollywood elite. But upon arrival, she senses something is wrong
and when one of her fellow journalists disappears she's convinced of it, in Evil in all its Disguises, the third mystery in this series by Hilary Davidson.
After arriving, Lily meets up with another invited guest, Skye McDermott. While having a drink together in the bar, Skye suddenly tears up and excuses herself
and doesn't return. Lily tries to find her and when she can't, she contacts the hotel staff, who seem remarkably unconcerned. Later, when she finds Skye's purse containing her wallet, passport, and medications, she again asks the staff to help search for her, which they politely decline to do. Even when Lily tries to leave the premises to talk to the local authorities, the staff refuse to allow her, citing high crime in the area. When she is permitted no phone calls and her computer is taken away, she realizes that Skye isn't the only one in a serious dilemma.
Evil in all its Disguises is a suspenseful mystery, one in which the reader is in as much doubt about what's going on as Lily is. The remote location of the hotel and the relatively few characters featured give a sense of isolation and tension to the story. Lily discovers that the hotel is owned by Martin Sklar, a real-estate tycoon, who just happens to be Skye's ex-boyfriend. Could it be that he has lured Skye there under the pretense of a journalists' getaway? Lily herself is on the rebound from a broken relationship, so feels a kinship with Skye. Still, she can't help but feel that she's a prisoner literally of the hotel and that the surrogate warden of the facility is intent on keeping her there indefinitely.
An intriguing aspect of the story is the history of the area as a playground for the stars of Hollywood's Golden Era. It makes for an interesting backdrop to the quandary Lily finds herself in.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Evil in All its Disguises.
Acknowledgment: Forge Books provided an eARC of Evil in All its Disguises for this review.
Review Copyright © 2013 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Location(s) referenced in Evil in All its Disguises: Acapulco, Mexico
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Evil in All its Disguises by Hilary Davidson A Lily Moore Mystery
Publisher: Forge Books
Format: Hardcover
ISBN-13: 978-0-765-33352-0
Publication Date: March 2013
List Price: $25.99

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Page Author: Lance Wright Site Publisher: Mysterious Reviews
Mysterious Reviews is a Division of The Hidden Staircase Mystery Books and a Business Unit of the Omnimystery Family of Mystery Websites
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