The Hollows by Mark Edwards @mredwards

Book Description:

From the bestselling author of The House Guest comes a chilling story set deep in the woods…

With his marriage over and his career in freefall, journalist Tom decides to reconnect with his fourteen-year-old daughter, Frankie. Desperate to spend precious time together now that they live an ocean apart, he brings her to Hollow Falls, a cabin resort deep in the woods of Maine.

From the outset there’s something a little eerie about the place—strange whispers in the trees, windchimes echoing through the forest—but when Tom meets true-crime podcasters David and Connie, he receives a chilling warning. Hollow Falls has a gruesome history: twenty years ago this week, a double slaying shut down the resort. The crime was never solved, and now the woods are overrun with murder-obsessed tourists looking to mark the grim anniversary.

It’s clear that there’s something deeply disturbing going on at Hollow Falls. And as Tom’s dream trip turns into a nightmare, he and Frankie are faced with a choice: uncover the truth, or get out while they still can.

My Thoughts:

Tom is a single dad whose daughter Frankie lives in America with her mum. I felt a bit sorry for Tom as he doesn’t earn a great deal so only really sees his daughter once a year for a holiday. Frankie is your typical teen who is only interested in her phone but the more I got to know her, the more I liked her. Hollow Falls itself is a campsite in a scenic setting full of log cabins and has plenty of activities for its guests. For Tom and Frankie, it should be a lovely break to spend some quality bonding time together only it doesn’t quite turn out that way.

It isn’t long before odd things start to happen of which the nearby town especially freaked me out! This is one of those stories that if it was a movie you would be hiding behind a cushion. Of course you can’t do that when reading a book but in some parts I was scared to turn the page as I wasn’t sure I was prepared for what was going to happen next. I love how the author has turned such a lovely setting into somewhere so eerie where I wouldn’t want to wander off anywhere on my own!

The Hollows is a horror/thriller story that will have the hairs on your arms standing on end. The pacing was relentless and wouldn’t let me go. It had my heart racing by the end even well after I had finished it as was so spooked out. I’m used to this author’s books being dark but this really does have the scare factor. A heart pounding, hair raising thrill fest of a read!