Murder at The Hotel Orient
To celebrate the launch of Murder at the Hotel Orient by Alessandro Ranelli, we’re delighted to welcome the author to the Reading Room for a special Q&A. From noir inspirations and modern desire to humour, mystery, and the power of the female gaze, this conversation explores the many layers behind a bold and playful debut, where even the smallest moments can carry an unexpected spark.
Please could you share your journey to becoming a writer?
I didn’t grow up wanting to be a writer, I actually wanted to be a private detective! My family warned me I’d hate the job since it would mostly involve dealing with people’s extramarital affairs. Ironic, since I ended up writing a novel set at a love hotel where people go to meet their paramour.
Since I was a teen, I have kept some sort of blog. And I have been performing as a professional storyteller for over a decade, but only ever as a side hobby while I worked as a pastry chef. For a long time my motto was “find what you love and do it nights and weekends, lest it be ruined by virtue of becoming your job” and I was strict about never trying to turn my writing into my work. But, as soon as I had the idea for Murder at the Hotel Orient, I knew I would have to violate that promise I’d made to myself.
Who are your more inspiring references, as writers and characters?
As characters, I love classic noir or hard-boiled detectives, especially Philip Marlowe. I love writers with a strong voice, like Chuck Palahniuk, Kurt Vonnegut, or Raymond Chandler. And of course I am a big fan of the greats of classic crime: Agatha Christie’s Poirot novels, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories. The title of the book is, obviously, a nod to Agatha Christie. The main character, Sterling Lockwood, is actually a descendant of Irene Adler!
How did the story of The Hotel Orient come about? How did the characters come to life?
Four years ago I’d been fired, dumped, and rejected from grad school. I went out to drown my sorrows at the Loos Bar, and a wild night culminated in being invited to the Orient by a total stranger. I said yes.
What happened that evening inspired my debut novel, Murder at the Hotel Orient. It’s a modern, spicy whodunnit, in a setting that feels like a classic crime novel.
During research, I became the writer in residence. I’ve seen every room in the Hotel Orient, even the hidden ones.
The Hotel Orient is a space where desire gets to exist entirely on its own terms: no names, no cameras, no explanation required - There's something deeply liberating about that. What drew you to building a world around that sort of freedom?
First of all, I realized the lack of technology solved the “cell phone problem” that so many crime writers deal with in modern mysteries. But there is an undeniable allure to the idea of checking in under an alias. Who would you be, if you could be anyone for three hours?
Sterling is a woman who owns her desires completely. Do you think fiction is still one of the most powerful channels for empowerment? Where else do you see that at its most fruitful?
It was important to me to subvert genre expectations around sensuality in crime fiction. Usually, if a character in a mystery dares to enjoy a few small deaths (while trying to solve the case of a large death) that means they are a cheating spouse, a suspect, or imminently about to become the next victim. Sometimes a combination of all three. There’s an unspoken agreement that sex is something a character should be punished for in crime fiction.
I do think fiction is a great venue for empowerment because fiction, at its core, teaches us empathy, by the practice of walking in another character’s shoes. And it is a way to provide a message about sex positivity through a nuanced medium.
You've described your writing as 'film noir with bawdy humour'. Coco de Mer has always been steadfast in the blend of joy, pleasure and fun. Do you think people underestimate how attractive - and funny - desire actually is?
Humour is an absolute turn on- making someone laugh relaxes them. If someone can surprise you, or shares the way you think, there is already an unspoken chemistry there.
The book is set in Vienna - a city that's almost fetishistic about beauty, ritual and the past. Does the Viennese atmosphere shape the way your characters experience pleasure? What impact does the location have on the experience of your characters?
I joke that the narrator of the book is actually “The ghost of Austria’s repressed sexuality”. Vienna is certainly old fashioned in many ways, which sometimes allows for a bit of old school romance. And the Orient is not a sex hotel, it’s a love hotel, fit for a proper romantic escape. I think the sensation of having stepped into a time portal helps guests to toss the troubles of their normal life aside and immerse themselves in their fantasies.
You're writing about secrecy, desire and female agency in a debut crime novel. What did this story allow you to explore that other forms of writing hadn't managed? How do you think that blend works when it comes to the written world of female pleasure?
My writing up until I pursued the book had all been autobiographical, and it was freeing to be able to explore the minds of fictional characters- even if the locations the exist in are real. Once I realized I could toy with reality, a sort of playful sense took over that really brought the book to life.
What would Sterling Lockwood keep on her bedside table?
Aspirin for a headache, a vibrator (or three), rotary phone and her little black book, a bottle of Fernando’s Formula Tres- Multipurpose Massage Oil & Lubricant (also great for squeaky hinges!)
Which of the Coco de Mer range would she wear?
Sterling loves teal, so she’d be delighted in the selection you have in her signature shade. She always wears a corset, though usually over her clothes. I think she’d wear this open bra and these high waist panties. She’d probably throw in this Fräulein kink bondage rope with gold plated tips.
Whose work do you admire in the realm of female pleasure and empowerment?
I think there’s a lot of great voices in the podcasting space right now, or online. I think the adult actress Ari Kitsya is doing fantastic work and I was delighted to see her invited to sex professor Dr. Nicole McNichol’s university class. I am a big fan of the podcasts “The Hoely Hour” which discusses dating and “Heaving Bosoms” which features romance novels!
If you could, how would you rewrite the history of female pleasure?
I’d remove the idea that female desire is something to be punished for.
How important was the female gaze when writing the novel? How does Sterling’s viewpoint steer the tone, and indeed the plot? How would you describe the impact of the female gaze in erotica as a genre?
I wanted to toy with that, because though Sterling is an object of desire, her provocative nature is actually her greatest weapon, besides her mind. Her viewpoint sets a sultry tone even when you might not expect it, and certainly gets her into some trouble. I think the impact of the female gaze in literature in general is to highlight how often the things we find sexy aren’t innately erotic at all. Like… why is someone standing in a doorway so weirdly hot. Or maybe that’s just me.
Author Alessandro Ranelli
We’re sure you’ll enjoy Murder at the Hotel Orient just as much as we did.
Settle in, and let yourself be drawn into its mystery, humour, and intrigue.
You can purchase your copy here.