Evil in All Its Disguises

In Davidson’s creepy third outing for travel writer Lily Moore (after 2012’s The Next One to Fall), Lily checks into Acapulco’s Hotel Cerón just as a snake coils itself around her foot. Her discovery that the hotel is owned by Pantheon Worldwide, her ex-fiancé Martin Sklar’s company, is another ominous sign. The nearly deserted hotel begins to feel more like prison than a resort, particularly after fellow writer Skye McDermott, who was behaving oddly, disappears. Meanwhile, Martin’s right-hand man, Gavin Stroud, who’s in charge of the Cerón, and tour organizer Denny Chiu promise to shift Lily to a non-Pantheon hotel, but the move is always postponed. Eventually, Lily discovers that she’s bait in a trap, but unsure who’s the hunter and who’s the prey or whether she can trust anyone. Smoothly sinister characters and a creepy Poe-like atmosphere keep the pages turning, though a ragged climax and an overlong denouement disappoint. Agent: Judith Weber, Sobel Weber Associates. (Mar.)