‘Wowzers, what a read… I absolutely LOVED this book… An unputdownable page turner of a read.’ Ginger Book Geek, 5 stars
Jacob Reese enjoys the quiet life, running a coffee shop and renting out his cottage in The Hollows, Vermont.
But the calm is shattered when a woman who looks eerily similar to his ex-girlfriend Laura turns up to stay in the cottage, and leaves a mysterious note in the guest … up to stay in the cottage, and leaves a mysterious note in the guest book.
Now Jacob’s seeing Laura everywhere—a glimpse of her face across the street, her music box left outside his house, a gift he gave her years before hanging from the trees.
But it can’t be Laura. Because Laura’s dead.
Someone knows Jacob’s secret—what really happened the night Laura died—and they’re out for revenge…
A gripping and twisted thriller. Fans of Gillian Flynn, Gregg Olsen and Mark Edwards will love Steve Frech.
Readers LOVE Dark Hollows:
‘Wow!… This book just pulls you right in… I couldn’t put it down!’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars
‘One of the best thrillers I’ve read this year.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars
‘Best psychological thriller of 2019.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars
‘Couldn’t put it down… Absolutely fantastic nail-biting novel, so gripping I just could not stop reading.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Exciting and thrilling… Like riding a rollercoaster… Should be on everyone’s reading list.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘I burned through this.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars
‘Once I started I couldn’t put it down!!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Wow! I absolutely loved this book! I was hooked from page one.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars
‘Impossible to put down.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars
‘Great book! I could not put it down. Read the book in one day. Had me guessing until the end.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars
‘This one would go down on my list of favorite thrillers this year… I loved this book!’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars
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I’m not sure if I liked Jacob, the MC in this book. He made horrible decisions when he was younger, causing his past to catch up with him in an unexpected way. What I do know is that I disliked the person who turned on him a helluva lot more—and that made for interesting reading.
Jacob owns a quaint coffee shop called Groundworks in the small town of Dark Hollows. His workers, and the people who populate the town, are wonderful characters although their roles are relatively small (the Halloween costume contest is a fun extra).
In addition to Groundworks, Jacob also rents a cottage behind his home for weekend getaways. When a woman who bears an eerie resemblance to his dead girlfriend, Laura, books a stay, Jacob’s world is thrown into turmoil. It’s hard to say more without giving away spoilers.
What makes Jacob semi-likable and redeemable is his devotion to his dog, Murphy, a lovable golden retriever who likes to play fetch with a red tennis ball. Murphy is a scene stealer, and I adored Jacob’s loyalty to him. Despite the skeletons in his closet, you can’t help cheering for Jacob as he recklessly tracks down the person who upends his world. The extremes he goes to, and the ending confrontation, all make for entertaining reading. Although the ending is rather abrupt, I found it satisfying.
Dark Hollows is the first novel I’ve read by author Steve Frech. As with many books, the cover drew me in, and the storyline sounded intriguing.
The setting of the book is charming—a quaint New England town. The lead character, Jacob Reese, owns a coffee shop and also has a cottage that he rents to visitors looking for a short getaway. When a woman rents the cottage for one night, his nightmare begins. Mysterious sightings of his ex-girlfriend, objects turn up that belonged to her, and it’s apparent someone is out to destroy his life.
I had mixed feelings about Jacob. His past life is less than upstanding, and he’s lived a life of lies. Maybe it’s his beloved dog Murphy that kept me rooting for him. After all, a dog lover can’t be all that bad, and everyone makes mistakes. The unknown villain is extremely unlikeable, which made me root for Jacob.
The book was easy to read, even though the ending is sudden, and leads one to question a few things. Overall, it’s a satisfying read.
I would like too say up front that the ending leaves me wondering what decision was made, but that is not really relevant to the story. The reader and can decide that for yourself. That being said, I really enjoyed this book. When Jacob Reese set out to rent his cabin for travelers, he never imagined in a million years that Laura, a woman that he watched die years ago would come back into his life. Jacob has a successful coffee shop, has a successful rental cottage on his property and has the most adorable dog, Murphy, that everyone loves. One day a renter comes in and she has a similar resemblance to Laura. When she checks out and he goes to clean the cabin, he finds that she has scribbled Laura’s name in the guest. One thing leads to another and the things in Jacob’s life start to unravel. When he discovers Murphy has been taken, it is all he can do to get him back safely. I was really hooked on this book. Then Murphy was abducted and I was so scared!
I didn’t want to put the book down!
Omg so scary!!!!! Loved it.
After reading Nightingale House, I looked up Steve Frech was was able to find his first book, Dark Hollows. I was just as thrilled with this book as Nightingale House. Steve Frech is an extremely talented author! This story was so interesting that I couldn’t put it down! The characters are believable, and when I thought I had figured out who the antagonist was, I was surprised to see that I was totally wrong! You will love reading this story–I can’t wait for Frech to write another book!!! I hope it’s soon!
Jacob Reese runs/owns a coffee shop and rents out his cottage in the Hollows. He lives a quiet life and makes enough money that he doesn’t have to worry about paying the bills.
The only problem Jacob has … he keeps seeing his ex-girlfriend everywhere he goes. But it surely can’t be Laura …. Laura is dead. So who is the woman who looks eerily like Laura and like bad penny keeps turning up.
Things of Laura’s keeps showing up … a music box left outside his house …. a gift of a twig doll he gave her years before is hanging in the trees.. a mysterious note left in the guest book. And who sabotaged his coffee shop with roaches?
He knows it’s not really Laura …. Laura is dead. Jacob saw her die. But someone knows his secret … and they are out for revenge.
It’s a well-written and developed plot amid intriguing characters. There are twists and turns that will leave one’s head spinning. Small villages have unique residents … but not all of them are without secrets.
Many thanks to the author / HarperCollins Publishers / HQ Digital / Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological thriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
small-town, small-business, thriller, psychological, twisted, dog, Vermont
Riveting. The past comes back to haunt him even as the nightmare comes more frequently. It’s a scary psychological thriller made more so as it’s set in a bucolic part of New England. This is not my thing and I only read the first third, but a fan of this sort of thing read it while visiting and declared that it is excellent so I’ll take her word for it. She kept her nose in it pretty much nonstop till done (even though shrimp scampi and all). That’s why I give it high marks.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from HarperCollins Publishers/HQ Digital via NetGalley.
This book was a good read. I highly recommend.
Excellent book. Couldn’t put it down.
I’ve just finished this story and all I can say is WOW! The writer hit the ball out of the park on this one! It’s a hunting, scary, maddening experience no one should have to go through. It shows just how much punishment a person with a depraved mind can inflict on another unsuspecting and reasonably innocent human being. I don’t even care that I was left wondering about the choice the victim of all the abuse made when questioned at the end. A must read. Thanks Steve!
I enjoyed the book but hated the ending as there was no explanation
Finished this book wanting more!! Thoroughly enjoyed every page!!
OMG….I really loved this book. It got my interest from the first page & I couldn’t read it fast enough. Very well written with many twists. Surprising ending, not sure what to think!
Page turner! Could not put it down!
Enjoyed the book but the ending left me feeling unsatisfied. I get what the author was doing but I prefer a little more closure
Wonderful book and very well written. I like it very much.
loved the book. couldn’t put book down.
Unputdownable!
Secrets from the past
Jacob Reese had a rocky time during his college years but finally settled down, bought some property with a cottage he rents, and started a successful coffee shop in Vermont in a quaint small town.
He has a past that he put behind him but someone is leaving him clues that they know about the past and aren’t going to let it rest.
I enjoyed this fast-paced thriller with some twists and turns I didn’t expect. I especially liked Murphy, Jacob’s dog.
I will definitely keep an eye out for more books by this author.
I received this book from HQ Digital UK through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.