Publishers Weekly
11/04/2019
Set in the fall of 1926 in Bronwyn County, Ohio, Montgomery’s intricate, atmospheric sequel to 2019’s The Widows finds Sheriff Lily Ross called to investigate the death of an elderly woman who fell from the top of the Moonvale Hollow tunnel into the path of an oncoming train. Was it an accident, or was she pushed onto the tracks by a ghostly figure in white, as the brakeman insists? Lily learns that the victim, Thea Kincaide, was an escaped inmate from the Hollows Asylum for the Insane and a long-lost cousin to her best friend, jail mistress Hildy Cooper, who sometimes looks after Lily’s two young children. In retracing Thea’s path from the asylum to the site of her death, Lily discovers disturbing evidence that an evil spirit from the past is trying to rise again. Realistic characters complement a great sense of place. Montgomery does an admirable job of portraying brave women such as Lily who must become the support of their families in the face of their own grief after their husbands’ deaths. Agent: Elisabeth Weed, Book Group. (Jan.)
From the Publisher
One of the Chicago Sun-Times Books Not to Miss!
Pulpwood Queens Alternate Pick for May 2020
One of Aunt Agatha's "Top 10 Books of 2020"
“The Hollows is much more than a murder mystery. It weaves racial integration, labor organizing in the Appalachian coal mines, prohibition and women’s rights throughout the narrative.”—Associated Press
“Readers will find Montgomery's storytelling prowess in full bloom. Enjoy.”—Dayton Daily News
“Colorful Appalachian dialect and details of geography and nature add to a well-crafted mystery . . . The Hollows [is] dynamic historical fiction as well as a riveting mystery.”—Shelf Awareness
“The Hollows is a finely crafted, exciting page-turner and is highly recommended for readers of historical mysteries and anyone interested in novels of strong and empowered women.”—Historical Novel Society
“Beautifully written, poetic, and full of fascinating historical detail, Montgomery masterfully portrays the strength of the brave women who became the pillars and support of their families in the face of their own grief after losing their husbands.”—Crimereads
“Montgomery has written another suspenseful mystery full of atmosphere and surprising historical details. The characters’ emotional struggles don’t overshadow the action but actually help to deepen the historical elements of the story while adding a palpable urgency to the mystery.”—Criminal Element
“Remarkable . . . memorable and vivid. My best advice: dive into these wonderful novels. It's an immersive and beautiful experience.”—Aunt Agatha's
“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 . . . perceptions of working women and treatment of mental illness are fittingly intertwined into this powerful story.”—Fresh Fiction
“A skillfully told murder mystery that features a rich array of characters and a sophisticated portrayal of a small town grappling with its own racist past and ongoing conflicted present.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Skilled storyteller Montgomery takes up the issue of racial prejudice as it existed in that place and time in this historical mystery that shines with its strong and appealing female characters.”—Booklist
“Realistic characters complement a great sense of place. Montgomery does an admirable job of portraying brave women such as Lily who must become the support of their families in the face of their own grief after their husbands’ deaths.”—Publishers Weekly
“Readers will be pulled into the mystery of “The Hollows” and will also like the regional interest as well.”—Charleston Gazette-Mail, "Kanawha Library's staff favorites of 2020"
“An extremely well researched and perfectly paced mystery. A feminist take on the struggles of Appalachian America . . . Jess Montgomery is one of the examples of a female writer with a unique voice and a story to tell.”—Amy’s Booket List
“Jess Montgomery’s writing is strong, flowing, and just draws you right in.”—Bewitched Bookworms
“An absorbing Mystery, captivating characters, enthralling history.”—Audio Killed the Bookmark
“Montgomery’s writing is vivid, that will take you back with her writing style that captures the rich details of the life and people of the Appalachians in the 1920's.”—Nurse Bookie
“The writing just wraps you up and won’t let you go. It’s never over done and yet there are turns of phrase that just take your breath away.”—Broken Teepee
“With a seemingly effortless touch, Montgomery manages to deftly weave together believable characters, dark historical truths, and an enthralling mystery in The Hollows. The result is genuinely mysterious and utterly satisfying.”—Greer Macallister, author of Woman 99 and The Magician's Lie
“Each of the characters is haunted in this novel, and their narrative arcs trace the necessary pain needed to address and acknowledge the cancer at the heart of this Appalachian community, both in terms of its hidden specific history of violence and its legacy of white supremacy.”—The North Meridian Review
“This brilliant novel makes me want to read Jess Montgomery's first book, “The Widows” that is also about Lily and Hildy's relationship in difficult times, and looking forward to her next novel set in backwoods Bronwyn County. I recommend this novel for an enjoyable read and to slow down under the long summer afternoons.”—Bluffton Icon
Kirkus Reviews
2019-10-14
After the violent death of an elderly woman in 1926, a young sheriff's investigation inadvertently reveals the deeply contentious history of her Ohio county, tracing back to the Civil War.
Lily Ross, a widowed mother of two small children who was appointed to fill out her husband's term as sheriff after he died, and then won her own election, is barely holding her life together in her small Ohio town. When she is notified that a woman has died after a fall from the tunnel over the railroad tracks, she learns quickly that many in town, including her best friend Hildy Cooper's mother; her rival candidate for sheriff; and the employees of the Hollows, the asylum the woman escaped from, would all prefer the death quietly be declared accidental with no questions asked. Lily's investigation is increasingly complicated when she finds a white robe belonging to a local Women of the Ku Klux Klan group at an abandoned house the victim passed through the night she died. These current events grow even more urgent once the victim is identified as Thea Kincaide, a relative of Hildy Cooper's, who witnessed her father's murder as a child and testified that an escaped slave committed the crime. Montgomery's second novel in a series about Kinship, Ohio (The Widows, 2019), and Lily Ross is a skillfully told murder mystery that features a rich array of characters and a sophisticated portrayal of a small town grappling with its own racist past and ongoing conflicted present. Secondary plots, including Hildy's affair with a miner despite the objections of her overbearing mother and the white schoolteacher's relationship with an African American man seeking to integrate the union of mine workers, are equally well developed and deeply connected to the larger story about the tensions in Kinship. Despite such complex plots and characters, the novel moves along briskly without sacrificing eloquence in its prose.
A satisfying historical murder mystery set apart by its compelling female cast.
