Please Enjoy Your Stay by Australian author Tara Goedjen is a debut fiction novel combining a murder mystery, true-crime obsession, and gothic suspense.
From the very first page, readers meet thirteen-year-old Mia. She and her cousin Tristan are staying at an infamous castle in the Austrian Alps when something terrible happens. She hears voices, sees someone she recognises, and then discovers Tristan is dead. Her testimony helps put the killer behind bars, but her life is shattered.
Ten years later, the murderer is appealing his conviction, and a popular true crime podcaster takes on the case, determined to prove his innocence. As he starts digging deeper, more lies and secrets about Mia and her family begin to come to light. Once again, Mia finds herself under public scrutiny and returns to Austria to revisit what happened and piece together her memories of that time.
The castle is being turned into a luxury hotel, and Mia takes a job as a nanny for the new owner. She’s basically hiding in plain sight, using the opportunity to investigate and finally find out what really happened all those years ago. But when someone mysteriously disappears from the property and new evidence about her cousin’s death comes to light, Mia starts questioning everything she thought she knew. Could she have sent the wrong person to prison?
The story jumps between different parts of the timeline, with Mia in the present day, what happened around Tristan’s death, Iris’s material from the time of the murder, and the true-crime podcast. Instead of giving you everything in order, the story slowly reveals little pieces along the way. I think this is what makes the opening so clever because you know something terrible has happened, but you don’t really know what Mia saw or how everything fits together.
The author’s writing is easy to get into and really draws you into the story. The characters felt real, and I found myself connecting with some, getting frustrated with others, and wanting to understand some of them more. I was constantly questioning their motives, changing my mind about them…and wondering what they might be hiding.
Mia was easily the strongest character for me. She has spent years carrying the guilt, grief and trauma of Tristan’s death, and I understood why she needed to return to the castle to find out if she had helped put an innocent man in prison.
Tristan is at the heart of the story, but because we only know him through Mia’s memories, I felt his absence more than I felt like I really knew him. I wanted to know more about who he was.
Iris, his mother, was complicated and made me suspicious, especially because she was a successful true-crime writer. There were also some interesting secondary characters, although I sometimes felt their backstories could have been explored a little more.
The hotel setting was one of my favourite things about the whole story. You would normally associate a luxury hotel with comfort, relaxation and escaping from everyday life, but Goedjen manages to turn that idea completely on its head. Instead of feeling safe, the hotel starts to feel claustrophobic and unsettling. You get this feeling that behind all the beautiful surroundings and polished appearances, there are secrets hiding everywhere.
Please Enjoy Your Stay is not a frantic, action-packed thriller where something happens on every page. It’s more of a slow-burn mystery that gradually pulls you in and makes you question the people, the situation and what is happening. The twisty nature of the plot and its unpredictability will keep readers engaged.
I highly recommend this to those who enjoy psychological thrillers, secrets, complicated characters and stories where things aren’t always what they seem.
A selection of our Beauty and Lace Club members are reading Please Enjoy Your Stay by Tara Goedjen. You can read their comments below, or add your own review.
My love of books started at a very young age. My mum has always been a reader and encouraged me to read, buying me endless book from classic fairy tales advancing to the world of Enid Blyton, CS Lewis, Louisa May Alcott, Kathryn Kenny, Carolyn Keene, Francine Pascal. In my adult years the list of authors is endless and every room in my house is filled with books.
One of my favourite novels is Narnia which has always has a special place in my heart. I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in 1978 and when I was given this book to read it let me escape to another world where I felt like I was in the book with all the characters, it wasfun and exciting to escape from reality and eased the ups and downs of the disease at such a young age.
In books nothing is impossible and there is endless potential and hundreds of places to explore or being taken to places that are only made up from the authors’ great minds, the past and future to navigate, characters lives you step into taking you on an emotional rollercoaster ride or being scared out of your wits. I can experience things that I can’t in real life because they’re not possible or real. It challenges my perspective and mindset expanding my worldview.
I find joy, comfort and peace with books, many people may not get it, but I know bookworms like me truly understand. Reading makes my heart happy.
Tara Goedjen’s Please Enjoy Your Stay is a slightly Gothic thriller.
Set in a mysterious castle in the Austrian Alps, Mia returns to the place where her beloved cousin was murdered when they were teenagers.
Mia’s testimony put the killer behind bars, but when he launches an appeal and a true crime podcast is sproking his innocence, Mia decides to return to the scene of the crime to cement her belief that she didn’t get it wrong.
But everything is not as it seems when she returns to the castle, now being revamped as a luxury hotel.
When there’s a disappearance, new evidence and strange going ons, Mia starts to doubt what she knows and wonders if she’s put herself directly in harms way.
An interesting book that had me invested as to where it was going, what was real and what wasn’t and just who the badies were.
With lots of characters that could be the bad guy, it was a page turning book that kept you on your toes.
Thank you Beauty and Lace and Pan Mccmillan for the copy to read and review.
Thank you Beauty and Lace for introducing me to new author Tara Goedjen. I enjoyed ‘Please Enjoy Your Stay’ a dual timeline atmospheric novel with a cast of both new characters and some that make a repeat appearance.
Amelia and her cousin Tristan stayed in the castle as children, with the Hotel owner being charged with Tristan’s death.
With many unanswered questions Mia returns in the guise of a nanny to the new owners young daughter, to unravel the past, and give her Author aunt Iris the inspiration to start writing again, who stopped writing after losing her only son.
With hotel renovations nearly finished will Mia and young Evie exploring the closed off wing in it’s original condition answer many unsolved questions or just add to the mystery?
Please Enjoy Your Stay by Tara Goedjen is a thrilling mystery for anyone who loves a good suspenseful thriller.
When Mia was a teenager, her cousin was murdered while they were staying at a castle in the Austrian Alps. Her aunt was researching a murder that had happened at the castle years earlier. Mia believes she saw who killed her cousin and being the sole witness, was sure she had accused the right person. Many years later, with new evidence, she starts to question whether she did in fact get it wrong and accuse an innocent man.
This book is a real page-turner! It kept me guessing from beginning to end. A really exciting read for anyone who enjoys a good mystery. Thank you so much Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Please Enjoy Your Stay by Tara Goedjen is set in a remote castle in the Austrian Alps which is currently being converted into a luxury hotel. Staying there ten years ago Mia (Amelia) saw her cousin Tristan being murdered. She sent someone to prison and he is now appealing this. A true crime podcast reopens the case to see if the right person was put in prison. Mia’s aunt is a famous true crime author and some thought she may have played a hand in the death. Mia ends up returning to the castle as a nanny to see if she can uncover the truth. There were a lot of suspects and a paranormal aspect as well.
The pacing and back and forth with the timelines took a bit to get used to and the ending went by too quickly. Overall, it was an enjoyable book and one I would recommend for suspense lovers especially those with an enjoyment of gothic style and a moody setting.
Years after witnessing her cousin’s murder at a castle in the Austrian Alps, Mia finds herself drawn back to the place that changed her life forever. As teenagers, Mia and her cousin had been staying at the castle while her aunt Iris, a true crime author, was researching a previous murder that had taken place there.
Now, a decade later, the convicted killer is appealing his sentence, and a popular true crime podcast is questioning his guilt, bringing old secrets and painful memories back into the spotlight. Determined to uncover the truth and protect her Aunt, Mia returns to the castle, now being transformed into a luxury hotel. But as she begins digging into the past, she starts to question whether everything she believed was actually true.
I really enjoyed the Austrian Alps setting. The isolated castle, with its dark history and gothic atmosphere, was the perfect backdrop for this story. It’s also a location I haven’t come across much in my reading, which made it even more interesting.
The story moves between past and present, incorporating diary entries and a true crime podcast, both of which added something different to the mystery. I enjoyed how the pieces gradually came together, revealing more about what had happened all those years ago.
This is more of a slow-burn mystery than a fast-paced thriller. Things move a little slower through the middle, but I didn’t mind that. There’s a gradual build-up of tension and uncertainty before the action really picks up towards the end.
I also thought the author did a great job of making you question the characters. It was difficult to know who could be trusted, what their motives were, or whether they were hiding something. I also wasn’t sure if the storyline was heading in a paranormal direction!
Overall, a really enjoyable, well-written mystery with plenty of gothic atmosphere, an interesting setting and characters that keep you guessing. Definitely worth picking up if you enjoy a slower-paced, atmospheric thriller.