The Last Chance Hotel is a gripping whodunnit, with twists and turns on each page. This story tells the tale of the downtrodden kitchen boy, Seth. When the book starts it talks about the hustle and bustle of practically living in a kitchen. It talks about how one day it is even busier than usual because some very important guests have come.
Seth doesn’t know who they are or why they have come. All he knows is that there is a very special guest called Dr Thallomius, who is the first person ever to smile at Seth and give him some money. Seth makes him an apricot dessert as a thank you. Dr Thallomius eats the dessert and dies.
Suddenly, all eyes are on Seth, who knows he is innocent. But how does he prove that to portly Inspector Peuter and beady-eyed Anjelique?
As Seth tries to uncover the dark truth of Dr Thallomius’s death he realises who all these strange people are. They are members of the magic world. But what are they doing in a perfectly ordinary, un-magic hotel? Seth uncovers his past and faces his future as he ventures into the previously unknown world of wonderful wizardry and sickening sorcery.
Can Seth reveal the true culprit? Along the pathway to answers, Seth finds out his cat can talk and that the evil hotel manager could also be a wizard.
It’s not just that though. Ever since Seth could remember, he had been trying to live up to his father’s name. Seth’s late father had been a great chef in his time. Can Seth find life outside of the Last Chance Hotel and it’s tangled forests. Or will he spend the rest of his supposedly useless life as a dull kitchen boy?
One of my favourite parts is the characters. I love all their different backgrounds and stories. How each of the characters is a mini-mystery for you to solve. Who are they? What do they want? Are they magic?
This book made me hold my breath and grit my teeth right till the end.
I think this book is suitable for 8+.
Have you read it yet?