BEST-SELLING CATEGORY: Upmarket commercial thrillers are still riding high—as we’ve seen with so many recent exceptional books and franchise authors in this category: Ruth Ware, Riley Sager, Fiona Barton, Lisa Gardner, Harlan Coben, B.A. Paris, and our own Shari Lapena, to name just a few. Pearse, we hope, will join their ranks as another stand-out crime writer.

EERIE, ATMOSPHERIC LOCATION: Le Sommet, the luxury hotel where the novel takes places, is as much a character here as the humans who inhabit the book. The architecture is stark and minimal and much of the space is made of glass windows—ostensibly in order to better view the natural world outside—but simultaneously enables anyone outside to see in…. and that’s all before the avalanche hits.

STRONG FOREIGN SALES: The book has already sold in nine other territories, with more to come, and Transworld (UK) will be publishing their edition in the top slot for debut thrillers at the end of 2020.

Sarah Pearse grew up in Devon, UK, and studied English literature and creative writing at the University of Warwick before completing a postgraduate diploma in broadcast journalism. She lived in Switzerland for several years before returning to the UK. The Sanatorium is her first novel.

Author Residence: Devon, UK

Praise for The Sanatorium:

“Pearse’s engrossing debut boasts a highly atmospheric setting . . . Readers will applaud as Elin, for all her anxieties, emerges as a competent sleuth. This dark tale of family dynamics is sure to please suspense fans.”
—Publishers Weekly

“The Sanatorium is an absolutely splendid Gothic thriller — gracious in its nods to the classic locked-room mystery, yet bold enough to burst out of that room through the window. Pearse writes prose fresh and crisp as Swiss Alp powder, and her characters fascinate even as their numbers dwindle.”
—A. J. Finn, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window

“Pearse’s The Sanatorium will keep you checking over your shoulder. This spine-tingling, atmospheric thriller has it all: an eerie Alpine setting, sharp prose, and twists you’ll never see coming. A must-read.”
—Richard Osman, international bestselling author of The Thursday Murder Club

“Sarah Pearse’s The Sanatorium is a knockout. Mesmerizing, lyrical prose contrasts starkly with the dark story events in this debut thriller set at a remote luxury hotel in the Swiss Alps. Tense, claustrophobic, with a horrific connection between past and present that is utterly unpredictable—I loved this book!”
—Karen Dionne, #1 international bestselling author of The Wicked Sister

“A colorful and tense murder mystery with a chilling (in more ways than one) atmosphere. . . There is a pleasing pressure-cooker feel to proceedings, reminiscent of Agatha Christie’s classic And Then There Were None. Pearse uses clever red herrings – secrets, pills, affairs, mental illness – and the stand-off scenes between Elin and the murderer are genuinely scary.”
—The Irish Times

“It's hard to believe this is a debut novel, given how masterfully Sarah Pearse writes. The setting is starkly chilling, the characters are smart and vulnerable, and as you turn the pages, the slow creep of claustrophobia sets in.... Highly recommended.”
—Sarah Pekkanen, #1 New York Times bestselling co-author of The Wife Between Us

“The perfect claustrophobic setting packed with mystery and edge-of-your-seat tension.”
—Natasha Preston, New York Times bestselling author of The Cellar

“Dark, suspenseful and downright chilling, Pearse’s debut, The Sanatorium, is a triumph. Vividly set against the backdrop of the Swiss Alps, it had me on the edge of my seat from the first page. Pearse’s writing is sublime. Pearse has a big future ahead of her.”
—Sally Hepworth, bestselling author of The Mother-in-Law

“The Sanatorium is definitely a debut novel to watch out for. What a chilling read! One of the creepiest thrillers I’ve ever read. So atmospheric, clever and compulsive. LOVED it!”
—Claire Douglas, bestselling author of Last Seen Alive

“A superb debut offering an astonishingly creepy and isolated backdrop, great characters, tension and twists. Hugely atmospheric with enough menace to keep you looking over your shoulder!”
—Sam Carrington, bestselling author of I Dare You

“A spine-tingling setting, an unnerving cast of characters and so many incredibly creepy moments . . . this is not one to read before bed!”
—Elizabeth Kay, author of Seven Lies

“An incredible debut. . . Clever, creepy and utterly compelling.”
—Samantha King, author of The Perfect Family

“A superbly atmospheric crime debut. Deliciously creepy and clever, it’s everything you could want in a thriller. Very highly recommended!”
—Simon Lelic, author of The Search Party

“An atmospheric thriller with the perfect claustrophobic setting. This is equal parts creepy, suspenseful and gruesome - everything you could want in a novel for this genre. This is a sure-fire hit guaranteed to keep you seeing shadows in the snow on those freezing winter nights. I loved it.”
—C.J. Skuse, author of Sweetpea

“I loved it – such a wonderful sense of location, and the tension is knife edge-sharp. I was up at 5:30 in the mornings to read it.”
—Michelle Adams, author of If You Knew My Sister