Introducing Murder at the Hotel Orient by Alessandra Ranelli - our 2026 May PREM1ER pick
For PREM1ER, we are always searching for novels that feel both timeless yet entirely new and stories that honour the traditions of classic crime while daring to reinvent them.
Murder at the Hotel Orient is exactly that kind of book.
Set in the glittering, decadent heart of Vienna, this sultry debut novel introduces us to the infamous Hotel Orient; inspired by a real-life love hotel where cameras are forbidden, aliases are required, and discretion is sacred. Behind velvet curtains and stained glass, secrets are currency. When two guests are found dead after a night of illicit indulgence, the hotel’s poised and enigmatic concierge, Sterling Lockwood, must risk everything to solve the crime and protect her own carefully guarded past.
From the moment we met Sterling, we were captivated. She’s razor-sharp, seductive, unapologetically intelligent. She's a heroine who feels at once Golden Age and utterly modern. There are shades of Agatha Christie in the tightly woven mystery, but Alessandra Ranelli dials up the glamour, wit and sensuality to intoxicating effect. It’s a clever nod to the classics, with the scandal and sparkle turned all the way up.
For fans of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and stories with sharp humour and inventive plotting.
This is a book that entertains lavishly while delivering a perfectly constructed whodunnit and it marks the arrival of a bold new voice in crime fiction.
For PREM1ER, this combination is irresistible. We look for novels that will stand the test of time and stories that readers will treasure and collectors will covet. Murder at the Hotel Orient has all the makings of a future classic: a striking setting, a magnetic protagonist, and a debut author whose star is clearly on the rise.
This is the kind of book PREM1ER was created for. Check in to the Hotel Orient by signing up for PREM1ER today.
Just remember...not everyone checks out.
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