Review: The Hotel Intrepid: Jack-of-all-Trades by Leo Peterson

A classic rebound romance with unexpected depth, The Hotel Intrepid: Jack-of-all-Trades by Leo Peterson is a contemporary mashup of cultural drama, noble deeds, and visceral desire.

Freshly liberated from a life doing what was expected, and free of her absent husband, Astrid launches herself into a fiery midlife obsession with Ty Machesney – an Italian stallion with an unbelievable backstory that ticks all her boxes. She tries to play it cool and casual, but when a charming, hotel-owning, sidearm-slinging hunk of a widower blows into her life at precisely the right time, it’s hard to refuse the hands of fate. As Astrid lets herself be swept away, the last thing on her mind is what parts of his life he may be hiding, or what dangers may lurk around her newfound infatuation.

Politics inevitably comes into play when it comes to the rich movers and shakers of the world, and certain corners in the halls of power are very dark indeed. Despite Ty’s seemingly perfect exterior, the many layers of his lavish life have foundations and supports that may be dangerous to discover. Is he putting his years in the military to good use, working as an avenging angel, protecting those who need it most? Or is he simply a playboy with a practiced routine, and is Astrid risking her heart all over again on a pipe dream? Whatever the answer, Astrid needs to know it before she falls any harder.

The interpersonal dynamics between Ty, Astrid, Richard, Kelly, Kevin, and others touch on a wide variety of cultural, social, religious, and political issues, from financial maneuverings and the dark side of capitalism to transgender struggles, abuse of varying forms, and traditional family structures. While there is a spectrum of characters represented, certain lifestyles and marginalized demographics are written as anecdotal archetypes and often referred to dismissively, which might offend some readers. The narrative voice of the protagonist is dominant, as one would expect, but her view of the world might be seen as controversial or even tactless, which won’t necessarily make her a sympathetic heroine to certain audiences.

Peterson has a matter-of-fact delivery to his prose that moves the story along at a quick clip, and as he states at the top of the book, the declarative and sometimes emotionless language is not intended to be indifferent, but coldly representative of the horrors of human trafficking and other very real crises in the world today. Though some scenes depict violence or cruelty in a nearly gratuitous way, the depiction of these terrible abuses doesn’t lean into sensationalism or fetishization, which other authors sometimes fail to avoid. That said, the prose also tells far more than it shows – not only in narration, but also in dialogue, which is frequently used as an expositional tool, rather than a means of developing character relationships.

Aside from scattered issues with Peterson’s storytelling execution and linguistic delicacy, this is a steamy thriller that deftly mixes together romance, suspense, and life-and-death stakes, for a powerful genre-crossing read.