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Book Summary and Reviews of Security by Gina Wohlsdorf

Security by Gina Wohlsdorf

Security

by Gina Wohlsdorf

  • Critics' Consensus (8):
  • Readers' Rating (11):
  • Published:
  • Jun 2016, 288 pages
  • Rate this book

About this book

Book Summary

The inventiveness of A Visit from the Goon Squad meets the down-the-rabbit-hole suspense of The Girl on the Train in this chilling, pulse-racing thriller from an electrifying new writer.

When the gleaming new Manderley Resort opens in twenty-four hours, Santa Barbara's exclusive beachfront hotel will offer its patrons the ultimate in luxury and high-tech security. No indulgence has been ignored, no detail overlooked. But all the money in the world can't guarantee safety. As hotel manager Tessa and her employees ready the hotel for its invitation-only grand opening, a killer is in their midst. One by one, staff are picked off with ruthless precision. And before the night is over, as Tessa desperately struggles to survive, it will become clear that the strangest and most terrible truth at Manderley is simply this: someone is watching. 

With stunning ingenuity, Gina Wohlsdorf puts readers front and center as the elite resort becomes a house of horrors. Riveting to the final sentence, Security is fierce, wry, and impossible to put down. With a deep bow to the literary tradition of Stephen King, Edgar Allan Poe, and Daphne du Maurier, Wohlsdorf's razor-wire prose blitzes readers with quick twists, sharp turns, and gasp-inducing terror. Security is at once a shocking thriller, a brilliant narrative puzzle, and a moving, multifaceted love story unlike any other.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

BookBrowse member reviews

"Starred Review. Security is perfectly tuned for blockbuster status: scary, gory, kinky, and experimental enough to push readers' envelopes without going so far as to lose mainstream appeal. They don't make a hotel big enough to house all the people who will want to read this, and soon, as in Manderlay, all eyes will be on Wohlsdorf." - Booklist

"Starred Review. (A) stellar debut… As the Ducati-swift plot accelerates…it's a testament to Wohlsdorf's skill that she successfully negotiates the numerous tonal shifts between the unfolding Grand Guignol splatterfest and Tessa and Brian's rekindling passion. Readers will gradually discover an even more emotionally affecting story as the action races to the moving climax." - Publishers Weekly

"This horror story with a humorous edge casts video surveillance as both hero and villain and raises plentiful goose bumps as a result." - Kirkus

"Be surprised, be very surprised: Gina Wohlsdorf brings more than just plot twists and a terrifically tender love story to this thriller about a disastrous opening for a luxury beach-front hotel. It's her playful homage to Hitchcock and du Maurier that had me reading, howling, and just plain loving this novel. I can't wait to read her next!" - Sara Gruen, author of At the Water's Edge

"Lee Child fans, in particular, will be able to appreciate how brilliantly Wohlsdorf subverts our expectations of the action genre in this smart, shocking, poignant thriller." - Emily Croy Barker, author of The Thinking Woman's Guide to Real Magic

"Written in vivid and beautiful, nuanced language ... Shocking and filled with Tarantino-ish dark humor ... Like nothing else. Get ready." - Ann Beattie, author of The State We're In

"Original and imaginative ... I predict Security will be this year's The Girl on the Train." - Sandra Brown, author of Friction

"Terrifying, sexy, dizzying, and impossible to look away from." - Tim Johnston, author of Descent

This information about Security was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

Write your own reviewwrite your own review

Susan

The evil eye in the sky.
As recent events in our courts and news have illustrated, what we originally perceived was there to protect us has become a tool to be used to embarrass and discredit us. Ms. Wohlsdorf takes it one step further. The newest luxury hotel about to open on the California coast is a threat not only to the disappearing landscape but to any of the competition. Purported to be the epitome of luxury and to have state of the art security measures owned by one of the coast's richest, albeit most paranoid entrepreneurs, Manderley (a nod to DuMaurier) is preparing for its grand opening. With nods to Hitchcock and a little Christie, one by one the key players in the staff are picked off one by one. Tense, tending towards the cinematic. Who are these people and why are they doing what they are doing? More importantly, who is relating this action to us?

This is a first novel and the author shows great promise. I did feel the erotica was unnecessary for no other reason than I felt it distracted from the action. The murders are not described in extreme detail compared to other books I have read and for those that I am sure complained, as the accompanying blurb warns, "the terrible truth about Manderley is that someone is always watching"! And this is written over blood spatter. Forwarned is forearmed.

I doubt I will ever trust hotel or the eye in the sky again.

Joy Z. (Santa teresa, NM)

Security
I really enjoyed reading this book. I loved the split column text, because I knew that I was reading two things happening at once and it made it clear that this was two perspectives. I really enjoyed the development of the characters, because people are complicated. Each character seemed to have something that was really likable and then something that was, not so likable (just like all of us). The only reason I did not give a 5 star is because there are some very very graphic violent scenes.

Norman G. (Washougal, WA)

Excellent start, over-the-top finish
I found the book engaging and satisfying for the first 170 pages then it turned cliched. I classify the story as a fine beach read to be enjoyed but not really thought about. My main problem came at the end where I was unsure if I was reading a comic parody or an over-the-top sex and gore festival.
One additional thought, Tessa developed nicely but I though Brian lacked depth. The novel could actually be improved through the inclusion of an additional 50 pages.

Patricia H. (Norman, OK)

Unusual Presentation
I have never run across a book that was presented to the reader the way this book was set up. In important scenes the book showed what various characters were doing at the same time by writing the prose in separate columns across the page. It was unique in my experience and at first was a bit strange but as the book advanced I came to find it very helpful in moving the story along.

A beautiful new hotel on a lovely unspoiled beach is about to open. The general manager and several key staff have remained late to perform last minute checks to be sure all is ready. The hook for this exclusive hotel is that it has the latest and greatest privacy and safety features for celebrities to unwind, businessmen to enjoy their mistress or any other secretive meet up you would like.

But things go horribly wrong from the very start with a housekeeper discovering blood where none should be in room 717. One by one the staff meet the killers who plan to leave no one alive. But Tess, the GM, and her boyfriend Brian, who shows after an eleven year absence are determined to have a different ending once they are aware of what is happening. The story is told by an unseen and unknown character who works to save Tess and Brian from the slaughter.

I enjoyed the book, the murder scenes are not particularly gruesome for those who might be squeamish. It is an unusual story written in an unusual way which does not distract from the story or the pleasure of reading the novel. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I did not give the book five stars only because I was a little confused at first with the presentation.

Darcy C.

Gory, but a decent story.
The printed format of the pages, of which simultaneous action was taking place, (the story being told via a column-format) was a clever and fun way to read.

Protagonist, Tessa - it was difficult to suss out her personality and for me to like her. She came across as 2-dimensional character. I would have liked to be in her head more.

The late intro of Brian was helpful to soften Tess up. His participation in the story was a bonus. He helped to complete the blanks and questions I had about Tess and what contributed to her being such an enigma now.

The description of the secret elevator had me transfixed. This book has a fairly high “gore-factor” than other fiction books, but it didn’t detract from my overall impression. I noticed the details of the gore only because I don’t usually read horror or have much exposure to the gore. I could see potential readers being put-off due to the deeply descriptive gore.

The overall high-tech design and opulence of the hotel setting have me looking forward to seeing the book made into a movie. If done correctly, the movie could be the perfect setting for a “date night”. The gore will be enjoyed by my date and I could use the scary parts to be safe in his arms. This is always an extra score for the book! I would rate the story as entertaining but could lose points (and readers) because of the blood and in-depth descriptions of things in the book that cause blood to spill.

Madeline (Florida)

Almost There
This book had a lot of potential that, in my opinion, it just didn't reach. The concept of watching the story unfold through the security cameras was intriguing. The "twist" learned three-quarters of the way through the book, was excellent - I would've loved for that reveal to happen sooner. The story took a turn into graphic/explicit and gross/gory territories that made me uncomfortable, but that I also just found unnecessary to the story itself.

...5 more reader reviews

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Author Information

Gina Wohlsdorf

Gina Wohlsdorf was born in Bismark, North Dakota, and graduated from Tulane University. In 2013 she earned an MFA in creative writing from the University of Virginia. She currently lives in Denver, Colorado. Security is her first novel.

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