“The Hollow Ones” Book Review

Book: “The Hollow Ones” by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan

Genre: Thriller/Horror

Rating: 4+/5 Stars

Five Word Description: Harrowing, Gritty, Intelligent, Dark, Occult

Blogger’s Note: Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! 

“The Hollow Ones” is a gripping novel filled with mystery, occult magic and danger hailing from authors, Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan. The book centers on a lawyer turned FBI agent, Odessa Hardwicke who is at the center of an internal affairs investigation after an unusual case ends with her partner dead. While recovering from the confusing and catastrophic event, Odessa realizes that there is more to his death than meets the eye. When she is implicated in her partner’s murder, she turns to some unconventional allies for assistance in solving the mystery of not only her partner’s death but also a string of rampage killings.

Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan have combined several genres in the creation of this novel. The thriller includes historical fiction and is laced with hints of true crime and a large dose of horror. The ever changing and evolving plot line keeps readers guessing and will break the boundaries of traditional FBI thrillers.

The main character, Odessa Hardwicke, is intelligent, brave and relatable. She struggles with some of the occult magical elements of the story and readers will follow her and start to believe along side her. The other main character, Hugo Blackwood, is also memorable and filled with mystery that evolves throughout the book. In the middle of the book, Blackwood and Odessa have a back and forth style of banter that was entertaining and really solidified my interest in both characters. While reading, I found myself cheering for them and hoping that they would be able to escape the looming darkness unscathed.

The novel is fast paced with consistent action in the plot, however there were occasional instances where the pace dropped due to a slightly overwhelming amount of details. Although the information all related to the story and was well written, it felt a tad excessive. Also, I would have preferred to read this book on a kindle or similar e-book format as I found myself referencing a dictionary occasionally throughout. With that being said, I would highly recommend this book! It was a thrilling ride that left me quickly turning pages with Agent Hardwicke, working to unearth the truth behind the murders.

Recommendations:

• Pick up this book if you are interested in thrillers and also enjoy supernatural stories.
• I would recommend picking up an e-book copy as some of the language and concepts are better understood through the use of a reference aid.