An Unexplained Death

An Unexplained Death is an obsessive investigation into a mysterious death at the Belvedere—a once-grand hotel—and a poignant, gripping meditation on suicide and voyeurism

“The poster is new. I notice it right away, taped to a utility pole. Beneath the word ‘Missing,’ printed in a bold, high-impact font, are two sepia-toned photographs of a man dressed in a bow tie and tux.”

Most people would keep walking. Maybe they’d pay a bit closer attention to the local news that evening. Mikita Brottman spent ten years sifting through the details of the missing man’s life and disappearance, and his purported suicide by jumping from the roof of her own apartment building, the Belvedere.

As Brottman delves into the murky circumstances surrounding Rey Rivera’s death—which begins to look more and more like a murder—she contemplates the nature of and motives behind suicide, and uncovers a haunting pattern of guests at the Belvedere, when it was still a historic hotel, taking their own lives on the premises. Finally, she fearlessly takes us to the edge of her own morbid curiosity and asks us to consider our own darker impulses and obsessions.


My Review

I agree with some of the other readers that this book felt discombobulated. It didn't flow very smoothly. It was like there were so many details and facts that the author wanted to include in the book that they were all thrown into the story. This is sad as I was looking forward to reading this book.

When it came to the main character, Rey, it was like I knew him but also didn't really know him at the same time. Just like his death in the beginning, Rey was a mystery to me. Ok, so people close to Rey did not think that he would commit suicide, so it must have been murder. Yet, on the other hand, others did believe that he could take his own life.

With the structure of the book and the fact that I lost interest in the story itself fairly early on; did not help the situation. After a while, I jumped ahead to the ending just so I could find out the truth. There was potential in the book but just missed the mark.