Alfred Smettle, the hotel's proprietor, isn't just a fan of Alfred Hitchcock - he's completely consumed by the director's work. This obsession extends to every detail of the hotel, transforming it from a passion project into a breeding ground for paranoia and fear. As Alfred manipulates events to mimic Hitchcock's plots, the line between homage and harmful obsession blurs, with deadly consequences for his guests.

The reunion of the six friends is tainted by a shared, unspoken history. Sixteen years prior, something happened, something that drove them apart. As the friends reunite in the confines of the Hitchcock Hotel, the past resurfaces, threatening to unravel their carefully constructed lives. Secrets, guilt, and the chilling realization that some transgressions can't be outrun fuel the novel's escalating tension.

Wrobel masterfully cultivates an atmosphere of unease and paranoia. Strange occurrences plague the guests - a figure lurking behind a shower curtain, unexplained illnesses, disappearing phones. The isolated setting of the hotel enhances the feeling of helplessness, leaving the characters (and the reader) to wonder who or what is behind the increasingly disturbing events. Is Alfred behind it all, using his guests as pawns in his twisted Hitchcockian fantasy? Or is there something more sinister at play?