"An old woman’s death uncovers dangerous and shocking secrets!"
Reviewed by Audrey Lawrence
Posted February 24, 2020
Thriller Historical | Mystery Historical
Summoned by the late-night telegram, Sheriff Lily Ross goes out in the autumn night to the death scene of a woman killed by a train near the Moonvale Hollow Tunnel. Lily knows her badge gives her power, but not all take kindly to a lady Sheriff, so she knows to bring her revolver and flashlight to investigate.
Why has no one come forward to claim the mystery women? Lily is determined to get to the truth about her. Some of the firsthand accounts were strange. Why was this woman with physical signs of being a gentle lifestyle wearing rags on her feet? Had she fallen or been pushed?
Set in Appalachian Ohio 1926, THE HOLLOWS is the second book in the Kinship series by Ohio- based Jess Montgomery. Not only is Montgomery very knowledgeable about the area and the people who lived there, she also has the story telling ability to bring both the setting and characters immediately to life with just the right amount of detail. Montgomery’s fans are sure to relish this follow-up book to THE WIDOWS and I can attest it equally reads very well as a standalone novel.
I am sure readers will find this mystery with its relatively short chapters to be highly engaging and captivating. Personally, I found THE HOLLOWS a hard book to put down and I read it late into the night to finish it. Lily Ross as Sheriff and mother of two young children makes a great protagonist as she is determined to do what is right and be damned what other people want the role of women to be. While the voice of Lily is the strongest, Montgomery’s style of shifting perspectives to that of her other friends, Hildy Cooper and Marvena Whitcomb, makes the story very intimate while deepening the suspense.
In THE HOLLOWS, Montgomery paints a stark story of small- town meanness and racism that is well balanced by the kindness and support of friends. This character-based mystery has a strong and intriguing plot, a well written narrative with vivid characters that are authentic to its time and place. Without giving away too much in the story, other interesting themes, such as the power of the WKKK (Women’s Ku Klux Klan), perceptions of working women and treatment of mental illness are fittingly intertwined into this powerful story.
Fans of top-quality historical fiction will appreciate this well researched novel and I really enjoyed reading the historical facts in the Author’s Note at the end of the book. Mystery fans wanting to be engrossed in a good “whodoneit”, need look no further than THE HOLLOWS! Enjoy!
SUMMARY
Jess Montgomery showcases her skills as a storyteller in The Hollows: a powerful, big-hearted and exquisitely written follow-up to her highly acclaimed debut The Widows.
Ohio, 1926: For many years, the railroad track in Moonvale Tunnel has been used as a shortcut through the Appalachian hills. When an elderly woman is killed walking along the tracks, the brakeman tells tales of seeing a ghostly female figure dressed all in white.
Newly elected Sheriff Lily Ross is called on to the case to dispel the myths. With the help of her friends Marvena Whitcomb and Hildy Cooper, Lily follows the woman’s trail to The Hollows—a notorious asylum—and they begin to expose dark secrets long-hidden by time and the mountains.
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