The year is 1942 and June “Hoss” Hudson is the general manager of the luxurious Avallon Hotel & Spa: playground of the most aristocratic of families in West Virginia. June, a very unlikely candidate for the role she holds runs the Avallon like a well oiled machine is suddenly met with the biggest of challenges: the owners of the Avallon have made an agreement with the State Department to use the hotel as an informal prison for captured Axis diplomats.
The thing is, however, the Avallon, and June as well, have a deep secret that seems to keep the gears of the hotel spinning smoothly: the mountain sweetwater that runs under and through the property.
I am a longtime fan of Ms. Stiefvater, so it was no surprise that I fell instantly in love with the world of the Avallon. The pacing and structure of this novel reminded me greatly of the world that Ms. Steifvater built in All the Crooked Saint, and I loved that one, too.
Character development and worldbuilding are Ms. Stiefvater’s forte, so it was such a delight to watch how Hoss and her merry band of department heads navigated the war that was brought to their doorstep. It was particularly interesting to watch the unfolding of the relationship that Hoss has with the Gilfoyle family, owners of the Avallon, and then, additionally with the government agents sent to watch over and spy on the diplomats.
Without giving too much away, what appears to be a very laconic environment has a very dark undercurrent, that, while previously in control, may, now, not be.
I burned through this one very quickly, and greatly appreciated the history of the United State’s early involvement in World War II, as well as some of the tactics of Hoover’s FBI.
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