Welcome To Room 7
Stranded on a pitch-black stretch of highway after their moving van dies, Jenna and Ross think their luck has turned when the neon sign of the Pines Motel flickers through the trees.
It should have been a refuge. Instead, it’s a ghost town. The lobby stands empty, the office is abandoned, and the silence hangs thick. Inside their room, decaying drywall and a rank, metallic odor make them uneasy—until Jenna pulls back the sheets to find fresh blood soaking the pillowcase.
They turn to bolt, but the door is deadbolted from the outside. The windows won't budge. They are locked in.
Then, through the paper-thin walls, comes a bloodcurdling scream.
Ross and Jenna start investigating, and what they find has them wondering if they’ll even survive till check out time…
- Ross - Jenna’s husband
- Jenna - Ross’ wife
- Gary - Semi-truck driver, Bill’s brother
- Bill - Gary’s brother
- Patricia - Gary and Bill’s victim
- Jason - Patricia’s son
- Ross and Jenna get a flat tire while driving a moving van to their new home.
- A trucker named Gary gives them a lift to the nearest motel.
- When no one shows up at the front desk, Ross and Jenna grab the key for Room 7 and go to the room.
- There is mold in the bathroom and a large bloodstain on the bed.
- Ross and Jenna decide to grab a key to a different room, but the door won’t open.
- Ross and Jenna hear a woman screaming and think the sound is coming from beneath them.
- They find a trapdoor in the floor beneath the bed.
- They descend a ladder into a cavern surrounded by tunnels.
- Ross and Jenna find Bill and Patricia locked in cages.
- Bill says Patricia is his wife and they were attacked by a masked man while they slept.
- Ross and Jenna take Bill and Patricia back to Room 7.
- Ross and Jenna return to the cavern to find a way to access the lobby, but Ross falls off the ladder and breaks his ankle.
- Gary arrives at the motel and reveals that he is the masked man who locked up Bill and Patricia.
- Jenna goes into the cavern and finds the entrance to the lobby, then she and Bill go in to retrieve a weapon.
- Bill turns on Jenna and reveals that he is working with Gary in a human trafficking ring.
- Patricia played along with Bill’s ruse that they were victims because Gary was holding Jason hostage.
- Gary and Bill put Jenna and Patricia in the back of Gary’s rig.
- Jenna and Patricia cut through a metal grate with Jenna’s Swiss army knife and kick through the vent behind it.
- Jenna unlocks the trailer and the women escape.
- Jenna smashes Gary in the face with a baseball bat.
- Patricia subdues Bill.
- Jenna and Patricia save Ross and Jason from the cavern.
- Jenna and Ross head for their moving van.
The hardest thing to find in this genre is an original plot, and that is what hooked me here. The tension kicks in right away and never lets up, making it one of those books that is so easy to binge all in one sitting.
Jenna completely made the story. She is a retired army lead who stays totally level-headed in the face of danger. The way she flips between pure survival mode and calmly patching up wounds made her feel grounded, human, and easy to root for.
The pacing never slows down, and the suspense delivers. I thought I had everything figured out early on, but the story outsmarted me and surprised me in a great way. You can always count on Jack Dane when you want a quick, easy read with a solid twist.
If you like capable female leads, fast-paced suspense, and multi-layered twists, then you will enjoy this book.
- Kidnapping
- Human trafficking
- Violence
ASIN: B0HHQ2RCM7
Publication Date: September 18, 2026
Note: Details are for the original edition. Other formats, editions, and audiobook versions may be available.
