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Renner & Quist
Check-Out Time
At this hotel, check-out time never comes! All things must pass--or so we're told. When Reverend Renner responds to an invitation sent from a long-demolished hotel filled with ghosts of guests from times past, he soon discovers that checking out will be a lot harder than checking in. His sometime friend and investigative partner, Dale Quist, heads to the rescue, but it will take more than brawn and benedictions to put this particular hotel out of business. All things must pass, indeed-but that doesn't mean they have to go quietly.
250 pages, Paperback
First published October 7, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
September 23, 2024
This book is one of those pure escapism books that you can read and forget about all the everyday things going on around you. This is my introduction to Mark Rigney and his books and I quite enjoyed the journey that this book took me on. It was quite different and unique and has a certain charm that sticks with you.
What's the book about?
At this hotel, check-out time never comes!
All things must pass––or so we’re told. When Reverend Renner responds to an invitation sent from a long-demolished hotel filled with ghosts of guests from times past, he soon discovers that checking out will be a lot harder than checking in. His sometime friend and investigative partner, Dale Quist, heads to the rescue, but it will take more than brawn and benedictions to put this particular hotel out of business. All things must pass, indeed–but that doesn’t mean they have to go quietly.
My Review:
This is part of a the series of Renner and Quist who essentially at least from this novel are paranormal investigators of sorts. The book has a nice writing style that lulled me along, very enjoyable and I enjoyed getting to know the differences between the two characters of Renner and Quist, both very different.
So, Reverend Renner keeps getting invitations to visit a hotel that no longer exists in our world. Intrigued, against all better judgement and feeling he is needed he sets off alone and enters the hotel. The hotel only exists in the ghostly realm, fortunately Renner has the gift of seeing things and people in this realm so enter it he does.
The hotel is a step back in time with famous and not so famous people from many different time periods present. Renner meets such legends as Charles Dickens, Marilyn Monroe, Amelia Earhart and so on, it's quite fun really the way the long dead people are portrayed.
But all is not as it seems and quickly Renner realises he can't leave the hotel, not even if he wants to. Enter Quist, his partner in investigation to come to town to help Renner, knowing where he has gone. Quist is a brash, whole hearted Texan character, lots of brawn and personality, in comparison Renner is refined, gentile, polite and somewhat old-fashioned in his ways. I liked the blend of the two working together, like two parts making one whole part.
Renner and Quist are trying to find out WHY Renner was called to the hotel and once the sinister motive is revealed it's all on for trying to come up with a plan to get the ghostly realm and the real world to connect to get Renner out of there before it's too late. Renner meets the only other living person in the hotel on early entry to it, Angela too found herself stuck on the "other side" in a realm she is not meant to be in.
What is the grand plan that this sinister ghostly hotel and it's guests have for Renner and Angela? And a plan there is indeed, a plan based on ancient traditions and not something Renner or Angela are really wanting to be part of. How on earth will they get out of this one?
We meet some other ghostly characters throughout the book, all really quirky and interesting, some friendly, some not so friendly. The book really picks up pace in the last third of the book as plans are put in place to get Renner and Angela out but it's no easy task and there are stumbling blocks everywhere.
These are the words of Gonzalo, leftover from the fifteenth century and part of a famous sailing expedition, he steps up in this time period to help out our investigators in trouble. Very likeable ghost he is.
The hotel is breathing and living and it wants MORE. It wants things that depend on human interaction, what it wants is to be seen again. Whilst Renner is trapped in this other worldly hotel, the outside world and the people on the street see a modern building that replaced the old hotel when it was demolished, so nobody knows it or he is in there, only his good friend and helper Quist. It's Quist or bust for getting out of this mess.
What happens to them? What is in store for them if they don't get out? What is the hotel wanting? You will have to read to find out for yourself. Be brave and enter the hotel that can't be seen, the hotel on the other side, the hotel with it's own agenda.
It's a quirky and interesting read, this is not horror, I would describe it more as a ghostly paranormal novel, throw in some interesting characters and a decent plot and it's a good read. I was surprised to have enjoyed this one as I did, I was expecting it to not be so great.
I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
::~~~~~~:::::~~~~~:::::~~~~~:::::~~~~~~::
Thanks so much for reading my review!
I hope you enjoyed it, if you did I’d be delighted if you leave me a “like” and I love to read your comments. If you’d like to connect you can follow me or please send me a friend request.
You can also find me on Amazon U.K. where I am a Top 500 Reviewer.
If you are an Author or Publisher and you’d like me to consider reading and reviewing your book(s) please just message me.
What's the book about?
At this hotel, check-out time never comes!
All things must pass––or so we’re told. When Reverend Renner responds to an invitation sent from a long-demolished hotel filled with ghosts of guests from times past, he soon discovers that checking out will be a lot harder than checking in. His sometime friend and investigative partner, Dale Quist, heads to the rescue, but it will take more than brawn and benedictions to put this particular hotel out of business. All things must pass, indeed–but that doesn’t mean they have to go quietly.
My Review:
This is part of a the series of Renner and Quist who essentially at least from this novel are paranormal investigators of sorts. The book has a nice writing style that lulled me along, very enjoyable and I enjoyed getting to know the differences between the two characters of Renner and Quist, both very different.
So, Reverend Renner keeps getting invitations to visit a hotel that no longer exists in our world. Intrigued, against all better judgement and feeling he is needed he sets off alone and enters the hotel. The hotel only exists in the ghostly realm, fortunately Renner has the gift of seeing things and people in this realm so enter it he does.
The hotel is a step back in time with famous and not so famous people from many different time periods present. Renner meets such legends as Charles Dickens, Marilyn Monroe, Amelia Earhart and so on, it's quite fun really the way the long dead people are portrayed.
But all is not as it seems and quickly Renner realises he can't leave the hotel, not even if he wants to. Enter Quist, his partner in investigation to come to town to help Renner, knowing where he has gone. Quist is a brash, whole hearted Texan character, lots of brawn and personality, in comparison Renner is refined, gentile, polite and somewhat old-fashioned in his ways. I liked the blend of the two working together, like two parts making one whole part.
Renner and Quist are trying to find out WHY Renner was called to the hotel and once the sinister motive is revealed it's all on for trying to come up with a plan to get the ghostly realm and the real world to connect to get Renner out of there before it's too late. Renner meets the only other living person in the hotel on early entry to it, Angela too found herself stuck on the "other side" in a realm she is not meant to be in.
What is the grand plan that this sinister ghostly hotel and it's guests have for Renner and Angela? And a plan there is indeed, a plan based on ancient traditions and not something Renner or Angela are really wanting to be part of. How on earth will they get out of this one?
We meet some other ghostly characters throughout the book, all really quirky and interesting, some friendly, some not so friendly. The book really picks up pace in the last third of the book as plans are put in place to get Renner and Angela out but it's no easy task and there are stumbling blocks everywhere.
Gonzalo liked the phone almost as much as my sandwich. "I wish we'd had iPhones. Not now, not so much, but back in the fifteenth century? There's a compass, maps, apps for star charts. Man, I'd have thrown my sextant right overboard, wham. That dude would be in the drink so fast, man."
These are the words of Gonzalo, leftover from the fifteenth century and part of a famous sailing expedition, he steps up in this time period to help out our investigators in trouble. Very likeable ghost he is.
The hotel is breathing and living and it wants MORE. It wants things that depend on human interaction, what it wants is to be seen again. Whilst Renner is trapped in this other worldly hotel, the outside world and the people on the street see a modern building that replaced the old hotel when it was demolished, so nobody knows it or he is in there, only his good friend and helper Quist. It's Quist or bust for getting out of this mess.
What happens to them? What is in store for them if they don't get out? What is the hotel wanting? You will have to read to find out for yourself. Be brave and enter the hotel that can't be seen, the hotel on the other side, the hotel with it's own agenda.
It's a quirky and interesting read, this is not horror, I would describe it more as a ghostly paranormal novel, throw in some interesting characters and a decent plot and it's a good read. I was surprised to have enjoyed this one as I did, I was expecting it to not be so great.
I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
::~~~~~~:::::~~~~~:::::~~~~~:::::~~~~~~::
Thanks so much for reading my review!
I hope you enjoyed it, if you did I’d be delighted if you leave me a “like” and I love to read your comments. If you’d like to connect you can follow me or please send me a friend request.
You can also find me on Amazon U.K. where I am a Top 500 Reviewer.
If you are an Author or Publisher and you’d like me to consider reading and reviewing your book(s) please just message me.
Read
February 9, 2016I really like this series. The horror isn't too horrible--sinister stuff and wonderful creeps, but it's more about imagination and weirdness and anticipation than just splatter and gore. And the investigative pairing of 50-year-old flawed weirdy church minister Renner and heavy-drinking non-too-bright motel owner Quist is just great. Very likeable and human reads with lots of supernatural scares. This one about being trapped in a full on Hotel California (you might check out but you will never leave, ahahahahaha) is great fun, and probably my favourite.
These kind of remind me of why I keep reading John Connolly, actually (which is for the interaction of Charlie Parker's comedy crew of thugs and murderers, rather than the pretentious metamythology and overblown serial killers).
These kind of remind me of why I keep reading John Connolly, actually (which is for the interaction of Charlie Parker's comedy crew of thugs and murderers, rather than the pretentious metamythology and overblown serial killers).
September 8, 2015
I received a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. This is in no way reflected in my opinion of this book.
Check-Out Time is the third and spookiest book in the Renner and Quist series so far. I can't get enough of this intrepid ghost hunting duo!! This book is darker than the previous two. I think the way Mark Rigney deals with some sensitive topics in this story is caring and realistic. It's not always 'PC' but quite frankly I thought it was dealt with honestly, the way it should be. I really enjoyed getting to know Renner and Quist better as well as some other memorable characters. Meryl, a character we first met in The Skates, is fantastic and I hope we get to see more of her in the future. I also really liked Angela and Gonzalo was a lot of fun. The Neil House may not have frightened me quite as much as The Overlook or Hill House, but it still has it's fair share of ghostly goodness. I love these stories and the next Renner and Quist adventure can't come soon enough! If you are in search of some spooky fun, you should give this 4.5 star read a try.
February 7, 2016
I won this book on a Goodreads Giveaway in exchange for my review. This was my first time reading Mark Rigney and was quite surprised. Check Out Time reads like something you would watch on the show Supernatural. It's the type of book to read if you want to get totally lost in the pages. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read it.
October 28, 2014
I loved this book...won it on Goodreads,happily...now I have to get more of his books! LOL It was a great read from start to finish...although I do wish it had been a bit more descriptive,otherwise,it was great!
March 28, 2020
Witty, well paced and a lovely read from start to finish.
June 30, 2016
This was another book I bought at the Ohioana book fest (and another very nice author to talk to). I picked this one out of what he had on offer because abandoned buildings make me sad and even sadder is when historical buildings are torn down. The Neil House hotel in Columbus (and I used to live in Columbus) is an active participant in this novel.
Reverend Renner (Renner is his only name) is a priest in the Universal Unitarian faith and is a sensitive when it comes to the supernatural. He receives several invitations to come to the Neil House (he lives in Traverse City, MI). He learns quickly that the Neil House had a storied past but was demolished thirty odd years ago and Huntington Bank headquarters is in its place. He doesn't want to go but he does in spite of himself. He enters the hotel which is there plain as day and quickly learns he can not leave.
Dale Quist, Renner's oft time partner is also a sensitive and a former private investigator who now owns rental cabins in Traverse City (where he ended up via Texas and then LA). He works with a psychic group in TC (as does Renner) lead by Merle. Dale's been asked by Merle to help another member, an old woman who claims to be 120+ years old and believes there is a paranormal object in her home keeping her alive. She wants Quist to find it so she can die. Dale isn't thrilled to be doing this but he's less thrilled to get a call from Renner that sends him to Columbus to try and get Renner out of the hotel that is not making itself seen to him. He ends up in an alliance with a ghost from the Spanish Conquistador days against an evil spirit, Coil.
Renner is having trouble concentrating in the hotel as he meets the ghosts of some of his idols and other dignitaries (Amelia Earhart, James Thurber, and so so many more) and has the ecclesiastical council of his dreams, until he realizes this is the hotel's way of placating him until Beltane.
He meets Angela, a cleaning woman who is the only other living person in the hotel, and together they try to defeat the hotel (which fits back) as they try to puzzle out what it wants them to do in order for the hotel to meet its goals. It is angry it was torn down with no one fighting for it (the author details the weirdness of how this site got destroyed when it probably shouldn't have) and it wants the male and female to come together on Beltane (which is some of the meaning of the holiday) and that holy energy will bring the hotel back into this plane.
WIth Dale on the outside trying to help, Angela and Renner have to defeat a hotel capable of calling any number of ghosts to it.
I liked the story. I liked Renner and Angela. I didn't like Quist that much. I think it was the manly man attitude he has that included a dislike of a lot of things. Quist comes off as oddly homo and trans phobic, odd in that there is a trans woman in this story (who I thought would play a bigger role with the whole male/female thing) and he's upfront of thinking it's wrong and weird but since she's a friend he's okay with it. It was less okay with me.
I haven't read other Renner & Quist stories but I'd like to.
Reverend Renner (Renner is his only name) is a priest in the Universal Unitarian faith and is a sensitive when it comes to the supernatural. He receives several invitations to come to the Neil House (he lives in Traverse City, MI). He learns quickly that the Neil House had a storied past but was demolished thirty odd years ago and Huntington Bank headquarters is in its place. He doesn't want to go but he does in spite of himself. He enters the hotel which is there plain as day and quickly learns he can not leave.
Dale Quist, Renner's oft time partner is also a sensitive and a former private investigator who now owns rental cabins in Traverse City (where he ended up via Texas and then LA). He works with a psychic group in TC (as does Renner) lead by Merle. Dale's been asked by Merle to help another member, an old woman who claims to be 120+ years old and believes there is a paranormal object in her home keeping her alive. She wants Quist to find it so she can die. Dale isn't thrilled to be doing this but he's less thrilled to get a call from Renner that sends him to Columbus to try and get Renner out of the hotel that is not making itself seen to him. He ends up in an alliance with a ghost from the Spanish Conquistador days against an evil spirit, Coil.
Renner is having trouble concentrating in the hotel as he meets the ghosts of some of his idols and other dignitaries (Amelia Earhart, James Thurber, and so so many more) and has the ecclesiastical council of his dreams, until he realizes this is the hotel's way of placating him until Beltane.
He meets Angela, a cleaning woman who is the only other living person in the hotel, and together they try to defeat the hotel (which fits back) as they try to puzzle out what it wants them to do in order for the hotel to meet its goals. It is angry it was torn down with no one fighting for it (the author details the weirdness of how this site got destroyed when it probably shouldn't have) and it wants the male and female to come together on Beltane (which is some of the meaning of the holiday) and that holy energy will bring the hotel back into this plane.
WIth Dale on the outside trying to help, Angela and Renner have to defeat a hotel capable of calling any number of ghosts to it.
I liked the story. I liked Renner and Angela. I didn't like Quist that much. I think it was the manly man attitude he has that included a dislike of a lot of things. Quist comes off as oddly homo and trans phobic, odd in that there is a trans woman in this story (who I thought would play a bigger role with the whole male/female thing) and he's upfront of thinking it's wrong and weird but since she's a friend he's okay with it. It was less okay with me.
I haven't read other Renner & Quist stories but I'd like to.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 5, 2014
REVIEW: CHECK OUT TIME by Mark Rigney
I totally enjoyed this captivating Supernatural, and hope Reverend Renner and Dale Quist continue partnership-forever. Quist is quite the "noir" PI, but has unexpected depths he may.not even admit to himself. Much as he rails against the Reverend, still Quist goes beyond even the parameters of loyalty to rescue him. Reverend Renner is a minister of a Unitarian Universalist congregation in Northern Michigan, where Quist owns a small resort, and both men bear the mark of the Otherworld. In this story, Renner receives a series of unrefusable invitations to a former famous Ohio hotel, the Neil--razed in 1981.
I totally enjoyed this captivating Supernatural, and hope Reverend Renner and Dale Quist continue partnership-forever. Quist is quite the "noir" PI, but has unexpected depths he may.not even admit to himself. Much as he rails against the Reverend, still Quist goes beyond even the parameters of loyalty to rescue him. Reverend Renner is a minister of a Unitarian Universalist congregation in Northern Michigan, where Quist owns a small resort, and both men bear the mark of the Otherworld. In this story, Renner receives a series of unrefusable invitations to a former famous Ohio hotel, the Neil--razed in 1981.
July 11, 2016
Check -Out Time by Mark Rigney is the third adventure with Renner and Quist. It is a a supernatural book ,thriller and maybe horror but without the gory. It is deals with an old hotel where check-out time never comes for some of its former guests. It is not my normal reading material but it is well written and surprised me because it reminds me of the ghost stories that I have read from the 1950's before gory was the in thing. Whether you have read any of the adventures before , you will enjoy this one especially if you need a break from the gory of recent thrillers and horror genre.
I received a copy thru a Goodreads Giveaway.
I received a copy thru a Goodreads Giveaway.
May 15, 2015
It was so nice to read a great ghost story again!! In this day of shock value and gory horror, a great ghost story is seriously undervalued! I love the odd pairing of Renner and Quist and I would love to read more with these characters. I can only imagine what other trouble they can get into!
January 16, 2016
3.5 stars. Great read. Creepy, just like a ghost story should be. Looking forward to the next Renner and Quist mystery.
June 2, 2016
I won this book in the goodreads giveaway contest.
The premise of this story is interesting but the writing was lackluster and didn't click with me
The premise of this story is interesting but the writing was lackluster and didn't click with me
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews