Publication Date: September 29, 2026
From the bestselling author of The Housekeepers comes a glossy, dark, page-turning mystery to rival The White Lotus-unfolding over twenty-four fateful hours in London’s most lavish hotel.
1926. Diana Gold, owner and impresario, throws open the doors to the most opulent new hotel in London. As the champagne flows and the chandeliers shimmer, millionaires and gamblers rub shoulders with film stars and royalty.
Though, things at the Hotel Artemis aren’t quite what they seem-including the two guests Diana expects at midnight. Powerful and dangerous, they’ve dragged her from the gutter and taught her all she knows. Now Diana must take perfect care of them-unless they take care of her first.
But when a body is found in the hotel’s finest suite, the lavish opening night begins to spiral out of control. And over twenty-four fateful hours, the staff and guests of the Artemis will find out why they are really there.
More clever mysteries from Alex Hay:
Opening night at the newest sparkling hotel in London turns to murder in The Midnight Guests by Alex Hay.
It’s 1923, and Diana Gold is seeing her dream come true. Her high-end hotel has reached its opening night, and guests are flooding in. But the opening is just skimming the surface for her. A debt is due, and the payment is expected tonight. Will she be able to collect the funds before time runs out?
Cleo is enjoying her last week of freedom before returning to her mother’s world. She quickly makes friends with an enigmatic Polly Fox-Stanton who is more than meets the eye. Soon, things start to unravel for Cleo, and she must make decisions that will change her life.
Now in 2026, Joe is intrigued by the Hotel Artemis’s unique history. Desperate to write a book that will help his failing financial situation, he is determined to solve the decades-long mystery of the bodies found in the hotel’s vault. But can he connect the dots of the past, or will he become another victim of the Artemis?
I really enjoyed the novel’s split perspective. You could see how Diana is preparing for the hotel opening, while also being lost in Cleo’s personal journey. Joe’s side was great in connecting what we were seeing in the past with the mystery of the hotel.
I struggled a bit at the beginning to engage with the story, but once the twist dropped halfway through, it picked up, and I couldn’t put it down. Hay is a great author who was able to weave a complex story into something easy to follow without feeling formulaic. I did struggle slightly with the ending, however. I felt there were some questions established later on that were never answered and just felt unnecessary to the story. I also struggled with Cleo’s ending. It didn’t seem to match the strong and observant person we see at the beginning of the story, and I kept waiting for the moment she took control of her own future.
The Midnight Guests is a twisting, turning mystery that transports you into the past.
Alex grew up in Cambridge and Cardiff in the United Kingdom. He studied History at the University of York and wrote his dissertation on female power at royal courts, combing the archives for every scrap of drama and skulduggery he could find. He has worked in magazine publishing and the charity sector and lives with his husband in London. His debut novel, THE HOUSEKEEPERS, won the Caledonia Novel Award 2022 and was published to great critical acclaim.
