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Moe Prager #9
The Hollow Girl
The final novel in one of the most critically acclaimed PI series in the annals of crime fiction!
"Few writers working in any genre offer tales with such moral complexity, dark humor, and, most of all, heart." --Megan Abbott, author of Dare Me
Drunk, alone, and racked with guilt over the tragic death of his girlfriend Pam, Moe Prager is destined for oblivion. But destiny takes a detour when a shadowy figure from Moe's past reappears to beg for Moe's help in locating her missing daughter. As a reluctant, distracted Moe delves into the case, he discovers that nothing is as it seems and no one involved is quite who or what they appear to be. This is especially true of the missing daughter, an early internet sensation known ironically as the Lost Girl or the Hollow Girl. The case itself is hollow, as Moe finds little proof that anyone is actually missing.
Things take a bizarre twist as Moe stumbles across a body in a trendy Manhattan apartment and the Hollow Girl suddenly re-emerges on video screens everywhere. It's a wild ride through the funhouse as Moe tries to piece together a case from the half-truths and lies told to him by a fool's parade of family members, washed-up showbiz types, uncaring cops, a doorman, and a lovesick PI. Even as the ticking clock gets louder, Moe is unsure if it's all a big hoax or if someone's life is really at stake. The question isn't whether or not Moe can find the Hollow Girl, but whether the Hollow Girl was ever there at all.
"Few writers working in any genre offer tales with such moral complexity, dark humor, and, most of all, heart." --Megan Abbott, author of Dare Me
Drunk, alone, and racked with guilt over the tragic death of his girlfriend Pam, Moe Prager is destined for oblivion. But destiny takes a detour when a shadowy figure from Moe's past reappears to beg for Moe's help in locating her missing daughter. As a reluctant, distracted Moe delves into the case, he discovers that nothing is as it seems and no one involved is quite who or what they appear to be. This is especially true of the missing daughter, an early internet sensation known ironically as the Lost Girl or the Hollow Girl. The case itself is hollow, as Moe finds little proof that anyone is actually missing.
Things take a bizarre twist as Moe stumbles across a body in a trendy Manhattan apartment and the Hollow Girl suddenly re-emerges on video screens everywhere. It's a wild ride through the funhouse as Moe tries to piece together a case from the half-truths and lies told to him by a fool's parade of family members, washed-up showbiz types, uncaring cops, a doorman, and a lovesick PI. Even as the ticking clock gets louder, Moe is unsure if it's all a big hoax or if someone's life is really at stake. The question isn't whether or not Moe can find the Hollow Girl, but whether the Hollow Girl was ever there at all.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published April 18, 2014
27 people are currently reading
244 people want to read
About the author
Reed Farrel Coleman
166 books748 followersaka Tony Spinosa
Reed Farrel Coleman’s love of storytelling originated on the streets of Brooklyn and was nurtured by his teachers, friends, and family.
A New York Times bestseller called a hard-boiled poet by NPR’s Maureen Corrigan and the “noir poet laureate” in the Huffington Post, Reed is the author of novels, including Robert B. Parker's Jesse Stone series, the acclaimed Moe Prager series, short stories, and poetry.
Reed is a three-time Edgar Award nominee in three different categories—Best Novel, Best Paperback Original, Best Short Story—and a three-time recipient of the Shamus Award for Best PI Novel of the Year. He has also won the Audie, Macavity, Barry, and Anthony Awards.
A former executive vice president of Mystery Writers of America, Reed is an adjunct instructor of English at Hofstra University and a founding member of MWA University. Brooklyn born and raised, he now lives with his family–including cats Cleo and Knish–in Suffolk County on Long Island.
Reed Farrel Coleman’s love of storytelling originated on the streets of Brooklyn and was nurtured by his teachers, friends, and family.
A New York Times bestseller called a hard-boiled poet by NPR’s Maureen Corrigan and the “noir poet laureate” in the Huffington Post, Reed is the author of novels, including Robert B. Parker's Jesse Stone series, the acclaimed Moe Prager series, short stories, and poetry.
Reed is a three-time Edgar Award nominee in three different categories—Best Novel, Best Paperback Original, Best Short Story—and a three-time recipient of the Shamus Award for Best PI Novel of the Year. He has also won the Audie, Macavity, Barry, and Anthony Awards.
A former executive vice president of Mystery Writers of America, Reed is an adjunct instructor of English at Hofstra University and a founding member of MWA University. Brooklyn born and raised, he now lives with his family–including cats Cleo and Knish–in Suffolk County on Long Island.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
September 13, 2015
I can't recall exactly when and how I came across Reed Farrell Coleman and his hardboiled PI (and sometimes wine seller) Mo Prager. The series of books - 9 of them, 12 years in the writing - has been widely acclaimed and is certainly amongst my favourite crime series. Knowing this was final Mo Prager adventure (the author had announced this some time ago) made it a strange and nerve racking experience: would Mo be killed off, would it end badly for this most loved Brooklyn ex-flatfoot? Well, I won't spill the beans on how it plays out but I will say that it's a satisfying read and a worthy way to wrap up the series.
Some years ago, I contacted Coleman and asked him some questions about one of the early books. His response was immediate and in the course of an electronic conversation he advised how elements of the book were based on events he had personally experienced and how he'd taken Lawrence Block's Scudder as the model for Prager. Like Scudder, Coleman's ex-cop is a damaged man forced out of his chosen career by a random event. His books are New York (Brooklyn) based and, like Block, the author draws on his modern day and historic knowledge of the city to make it a compelling backdrop to his stories.
This series should be made compulsory reading for all crime fiction fans. I plan, one day, to read through all the books again. There's depth here and I know I'll draw more from a second reading. I'll miss you Mo... but we'll meet again.
Some years ago, I contacted Coleman and asked him some questions about one of the early books. His response was immediate and in the course of an electronic conversation he advised how elements of the book were based on events he had personally experienced and how he'd taken Lawrence Block's Scudder as the model for Prager. Like Scudder, Coleman's ex-cop is a damaged man forced out of his chosen career by a random event. His books are New York (Brooklyn) based and, like Block, the author draws on his modern day and historic knowledge of the city to make it a compelling backdrop to his stories.
This series should be made compulsory reading for all crime fiction fans. I plan, one day, to read through all the books again. There's depth here and I know I'll draw more from a second reading. I'll miss you Mo... but we'll meet again.
March 14, 2014
Oh, Moe. Where have you been all of my life? In eight other books, apparently. Charming other readers while solving crimes as a NYC Police Officer, a divorced alcoholic, a widowed cancer survivor, a scarred, alcoholic PI -- An aging, alcoholic, divorced, estranged father/grandfather wine shop owner of a broken man but a good man. I really liked this book, your last case and I don't even know you. Imagine if I had met you earlier. I would probably love you.
provided by publisher
provided by publisher
January 19, 2014
I have been passionate about Reed Farrel Coleman's Moe Prager series ever since I read the first one WALKING THE PERFECT SQUARE in 2011 (playing catch up), so it was with a feeling a bittersweet trepidation that I began to read an advanced reader's copy of the ninth and final installment THE HOLLOW GIRL. I need not have been worried. I was in the best of hands with the expert writing of Mr. Coleman from page one. The book is satisfying in the way that all of the other installments are (which is to say, very satisfying and a journey in which you are thrilled to take part) and it ends in a way (and, no, I will not give away any plot spoilers) that made me feel that I could say goodbye to Moe with a tear in my eye and a knowing smile on my face. If you haven't read this series, I urge you to start with the first one for maximum reading satisfaction and make your way through them all. It's reading time well spent. I've given THE HOLLOW GIRL here five stars only because Goodreads doesn't have a way for me to award it with more. I would if I could. THE HOLLOW GIRL will be published in May, 2014.
January 26, 2015
Excellent mystery & crime novel This is the first book I have ever read by this author. Although it is the last novel in a long series (this is the 9th instalment) I truly enjoyed this story and found it to be a real page turner. The character truly came to life.I enjoyed learning about Moe Prager's life and following him in his investigation into the disappearance of the Hollow Girl ... is it all a set up or is it real?Witty, cynical and engaging. I will definitely find out more about this author.(ARC copy received from the publisher)
May 25, 2014
I am sad to see this series end.....
I LOVE "P.I. mysteries". Moe Prager is one of the best.
This series needs to be read in order, 1st novel to last....
I love Moe, and Coleman makes you really feel for him.....
No spoilers here-just know, it's a great series!
I LOVE "P.I. mysteries". Moe Prager is one of the best.
This series needs to be read in order, 1st novel to last....
I love Moe, and Coleman makes you really feel for him.....
No spoilers here-just know, it's a great series!
February 15, 2015
I have liked Coleman and his character Moe Prager. But I thought this was badly plotted - maybe because the author felt responsible for wrapping up the series. And I am old-fashioned enough to believe that readers are entitled to feel that they should have been able to foresee the ending.
July 7, 2017
The concept was different. Trying to find an old friend's missing daughter, a former cop turned PI, IS forced to find out something elsewhat violente first; was she missing on purpose? What she had called "Performance Art" pieces were a hit in the media when she,first known as "The Lost Girl" and then as "The Hollow Girl", first started macabre rants against her life and her Mother particularly. When they turned somewhat violent everyone took notice. As they probed to find the truth, what would they discover. A ruse or a crime?
January 18, 2015
The final novel in the Moe Prager series demonstrates again why these books and their protagonist are so popular with readers. Moe, a dyed-in-the-wool Brooklynite, ex-cop, PI and homespun philosopher who has beat stomach cancer, undertakes his final caper when Nancy Lustig, a figure from his very first case, retains him to find her missing daughter Sloane, now renamed Siobhan.
The daughter, as a teenager, who had gained notoriety and fame first as the Lost Girl in a series of performing art episodes on the internet, and then as the Hollow Girl as the happenings developed further, apparently is missing. Moe, who is wallowing in alcohol, still mourning the loss of his girl friend and soon-to-be-wife to an auto accident he witnessed from his apartment window, accepts the case, which gives him a steadying influence to help him emerge from his depression. Then the Hollow Girl begins to reappear after many years again on the internet, but this time in vicious attacks on her mother and father.
Naturally, the case develops differently from the original premise, and it falls to Moe to discover the facts and reasons for the woman’s performances, a plot that is a fitting conclusion to a storied career. The deep philosophical musings characteristic of the series remain front and center, and some of the more amusing comments and situations of previous volumes are not present here, but that is no deterrent from a serious finale setting the stage for Moe’s retirement. Recommended.
The daughter, as a teenager, who had gained notoriety and fame first as the Lost Girl in a series of performing art episodes on the internet, and then as the Hollow Girl as the happenings developed further, apparently is missing. Moe, who is wallowing in alcohol, still mourning the loss of his girl friend and soon-to-be-wife to an auto accident he witnessed from his apartment window, accepts the case, which gives him a steadying influence to help him emerge from his depression. Then the Hollow Girl begins to reappear after many years again on the internet, but this time in vicious attacks on her mother and father.
Naturally, the case develops differently from the original premise, and it falls to Moe to discover the facts and reasons for the woman’s performances, a plot that is a fitting conclusion to a storied career. The deep philosophical musings characteristic of the series remain front and center, and some of the more amusing comments and situations of previous volumes are not present here, but that is no deterrent from a serious finale setting the stage for Moe’s retirement. Recommended.
June 17, 2014
On its own, The Hollow Girl is as good a story as any of the first eight Moe Prager novels. But, as the final novel in the series, it's a fitting end to a collection of mysteries that captivated me since first hearing of them several years ago. Coleman's timing in wrapping up Moe's exploits with this ninth story strikes me as just right: not too early, not too late, but just right. A lesser author might have milked Moe for a couple more paydays, but not Coleman. Clearly this book's dedication - "To Moe's fans. Thanks from us both." - was a sincere sentiment. Coleman appreciates us as much as we appreciate him, and that's pretty much the way it should work.
March 19, 2014
I teared up a bit saying goodbye to Moe.
I think I liked Onion Street a little more but considering that book was just about perfect, it's hard to top.
Dealing with the loss of Pam sends Moe into a drunken spiral. When an old friend calls asking for help finding her daughter, he starts his journey into recovery. What could be a routine missing persons case is made unique by how much of it happens online. With so much of our lives online and exposed to others in this day and age, this made for an interesting take.
All of our favorite characters and bad guys over the series appear onscreen or in Moe's memory. They reminded me how special of a series this has been and how much I'll miss reading more.
Thanks Reed.
I think I liked Onion Street a little more but considering that book was just about perfect, it's hard to top.
Dealing with the loss of Pam sends Moe into a drunken spiral. When an old friend calls asking for help finding her daughter, he starts his journey into recovery. What could be a routine missing persons case is made unique by how much of it happens online. With so much of our lives online and exposed to others in this day and age, this made for an interesting take.
All of our favorite characters and bad guys over the series appear onscreen or in Moe's memory. They reminded me how special of a series this has been and how much I'll miss reading more.
Thanks Reed.
June 24, 2014
This was completely and totally a bittersweet read! I had to say goodbye to Moe! He is one of my most favorite characters ever. Leaving him was not easy, however, his creator, Reed Farrel Coleman, let us say goodbye with dignity, and class. Nothing phoney or hokey. Go Moe! For those of you that have not been introduced to Moe, please pick up book one, "Walking the Perfect Square" and meet an ordinary fellow and take the journey with him over the course of 9 books. I promise you won't regret it. Thanks Reed for the perfect conclusion to a fabulous series! It was a terrific journey! Looking forward to your next endeavor!
May 9, 2015
What a great series! If in fact this is the last one it was a great way to end it. This book had a nice little mystery and the way we got involved in moe's life was awesome. Feels like I really know him now I've always liked moe but just seems this one went a little deeper, what with his recovery from cancer and all the past deaths of his women. What a rough life he has had but still seems to care enough to do a great job as a PI. I know he has said this is the end if this series but I sure hope not, there is surely ways Moe could reemerge later on. I'm crossing my fingers.
September 29, 2018
Drunk, alone, and racked with guilt over the tragic death of his girlfriend Pam, Moe Prager is destined for oblivion. But destiny takes a detour when a shadowy figure from Moe's past reappears to beg for Moe's help in locating her missing daughter. As a reluctant, distracted Moe delves into the case, he discovers that nothing is as it seems and no one involved is quite who or what they appear to be. This is especially true of the missing daughter, an early internet sensation known ironically as the Lost Girl or the Hollow Girl. The case itself is hollow, as Moe finds little proof that anyone is actually missing.
Things take a bizarre twist as Moe stumbles across a body in a trendy Manhattan apartment and the Hollow Girl suddenly re-emerges on video screens everywhere. It's a wild ride through the funhouse as Moe tries to piece together a case from the half-truths and lies told to him by a fool's parade of family members, washed-up showbiz types, uncaring cops, a doorman, and a lovesick PI. Even as the ticking clock gets louder, Moe is unsure if it's all a big hoax or if someone's life is really at stake. The question isn't whether or not Moe can find the Hollow Girl, but whether the Hollow Girl was ever there at all.
Things take a bizarre twist as Moe stumbles across a body in a trendy Manhattan apartment and the Hollow Girl suddenly re-emerges on video screens everywhere. It's a wild ride through the funhouse as Moe tries to piece together a case from the half-truths and lies told to him by a fool's parade of family members, washed-up showbiz types, uncaring cops, a doorman, and a lovesick PI. Even as the ticking clock gets louder, Moe is unsure if it's all a big hoax or if someone's life is really at stake. The question isn't whether or not Moe can find the Hollow Girl, but whether the Hollow Girl was ever there at all.
November 24, 2018
*3.5 stars.
"That's why I didn't usually procrastinate. Putting shit off almost never improves the situation" (136).
"'It is why the world hates us, non? Our obsession with ourselves; the inflation of our small lives into objects of public fascination. It is not our bombs or our constant flag waving in their faces that they so much detest, I think, as our petty obsessions. The world wants us to care about important things'" (151).
"Pam and I had grown into love as opposed to falling into it. Falling is so much more exciting than growing. Falling is all about the manic blur of obsession, the ache of separation, the joy in the exclusion of everything else but love as so much noise. Even at my age, the thought of falling could still make me dizzy. But gravity dictates that falling is always followed by a crash" (157).
"People would believe her because, in our culture, the worst of someone was always easier to believe" (176).
"I got the sense that Girgio Brahms would've been more pleased to see his bookie's legbreaker at the door than me" (216).
"That's why I didn't usually procrastinate. Putting shit off almost never improves the situation" (136).
"'It is why the world hates us, non? Our obsession with ourselves; the inflation of our small lives into objects of public fascination. It is not our bombs or our constant flag waving in their faces that they so much detest, I think, as our petty obsessions. The world wants us to care about important things'" (151).
"Pam and I had grown into love as opposed to falling into it. Falling is so much more exciting than growing. Falling is all about the manic blur of obsession, the ache of separation, the joy in the exclusion of everything else but love as so much noise. Even at my age, the thought of falling could still make me dizzy. But gravity dictates that falling is always followed by a crash" (157).
"People would believe her because, in our culture, the worst of someone was always easier to believe" (176).
"I got the sense that Girgio Brahms would've been more pleased to see his bookie's legbreaker at the door than me" (216).
April 22, 2022
So based on reviews I see this was rhe last book in the series.
MAYBE that is why it's SO BORING!! Make blathering on about rhe bodies of the moron mother and others iland his attraction is so annoying .
I quit 1/4of the way through and I MIGHT read the rest by skimming through.
I'll admit I read the last 2 chapters (I do that often long story ) ..and based on the hollow girls personality which is typical fame seeking stupid..I wish she hadn't bern found
As for her mother ? she's despicable
As for me trying one of the earlier books to see if book 1 or 2 might be interesting ? More importantly if Moe has a personality and I start liking him ?
Hell to the no .
NExT.
MAYBE that is why it's SO BORING!! Make blathering on about rhe bodies of the moron mother and others iland his attraction is so annoying .
I quit 1/4of the way through and I MIGHT read the rest by skimming through.
I'll admit I read the last 2 chapters (I do that often long story ) ..and based on the hollow girls personality which is typical fame seeking stupid..I wish she hadn't bern found
As for her mother ? she's despicable
As for me trying one of the earlier books to see if book 1 or 2 might be interesting ? More importantly if Moe has a personality and I start liking him ?
Hell to the no .
NExT.
June 24, 2023
The ninth and last book in the Moe Pager series and a fine conclusion to a superior crime series. This Jewish private detective from Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn will finally come to terms with a life of terrible tragedy, some of it self-imposed. But more significantly, Moe gains an insight into a life of some success, however reluctantly, in business and an appreciation of the people he has met and valued, the people he has loved and lost, and the people he helped in his role as a private detective. A hard boiled series with heart. Recommended.
July 27, 2023
Not as great as books by Robert B. Parker or Harlan Coben, or at least not as entertaining for me. But still, a good mystery with Moe Prager as a daring detective/wine shop owner who freely breaks rules. Like many popular PIs, he is a former cop (NYPD). The mystery brings in the internet as almost another character, showcasing a missing woman who pretends to do outrageous things to keep her fans entertained. Years ago her story would have been unbelievable, but with online hysteria being common now, it all made horrible sense.
May 26, 2017
Moe Prager is my favorite PI ever. Hated to get to the end.
May 13, 2018
Great series!! Sad to be finished....
May 16, 2019
I would rate this higher but for the ending. I do not like characters to pop up out of nowhere at the end and to the the killer. Not fair.
October 25, 2020
I knew this was the last going in, and although it wasn't top of the line, I will miss Moe and Brooklyn. So sorry to see them go.
June 17, 2021
Did not like. Sent back unread.
November 30, 2021
A fitting end to the series. Lots of past characters "show up".
January 18, 2023
This was an easy read with a suspenseful story. I kept guessing the wrong person as the kidnapper. I thought it was Georgio. A nice, fast read!
June 25, 2023
The last in the Moe Prager series, as good as all the others. I will miss Moe.
May 30, 2025
excellent way to wrap the series. brought back a good amount from the past to close some threads, and had an intriguing mystery to solve as well.
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May 29, 2014The Hollow Girl, by reed Farrel Coleman, a-minus,Narrated by Andy Caploe, Produced by Audible Studios and downloaded from audible.com.
This is apparently the final book in the Moe Prager series, unfortunately for us.Moe is spending most of his time drinking too much and is isolating himself for two reasons. His third wife, Pam, was tragically killed in front of his condo when a teenager who had just gotten her license ran over her. Additionally, he had just finally recovered from his operation and chemotherapy for stomach cancer, and Pam had been a large part of why he was able to recover. But then a woman he knew in highschool, who he had kind of a crush on, and who had a crush on him, reappears to beg for Moe's help
in locating her missing daughter. As a reluctant, distracted Moe delves into the case, he discovers that nothing is as it seems and no one involved is
quite who or what they appear to be. This is especially true of the missing daughter, an early internet sensation known ironically as the Hollow Girl. In 1999 she became very active on internet videos in which she seemed to commit suicide while she was on the net. Actually she did not do that. She considered it performance art and she wanted to be an actor. Moe’s friend, Nancy, and her daughter, had not gotten along well but her daughter did contact her mother every couple of weeks if she had been out of town. But now it was more than a month and she hadn’t contacted Nancy, or her father, Nancy’s ex-husband. Moe finds little proof that anyone is actually missing. Things take a bizarre twist as Moe stumbles across a body in Nancy’s daughter’s apartment and it isn’t her daughter. The Hollow Girl suddenly re-emerges on video screens everywhere, and the main thrust seems to be to trash her parents. Then, she starts to appear in very strange tortured positions and it is seemingly obvious that she is in danger and might be killed by someone taking revenge against either the daughter or her family. Moe
tries to piece together a case from the half-truths and lies told to him by a fool's parade of family members, washed-up showbiz types, uncaring cops,
a doorman, and a lovesick PI. Even as the ticking clock gets louder, Moe is unsure if it's all a big hoax or if someone's life is really at stake. After the case is solved, we see some final closure for the reader with Moe who is leaving New York City to live closer to his daughter and grandson. So I guess there won’t be any more wild adventures for Moe or for us, the readers.
This is apparently the final book in the Moe Prager series, unfortunately for us.Moe is spending most of his time drinking too much and is isolating himself for two reasons. His third wife, Pam, was tragically killed in front of his condo when a teenager who had just gotten her license ran over her. Additionally, he had just finally recovered from his operation and chemotherapy for stomach cancer, and Pam had been a large part of why he was able to recover. But then a woman he knew in highschool, who he had kind of a crush on, and who had a crush on him, reappears to beg for Moe's help
in locating her missing daughter. As a reluctant, distracted Moe delves into the case, he discovers that nothing is as it seems and no one involved is
quite who or what they appear to be. This is especially true of the missing daughter, an early internet sensation known ironically as the Hollow Girl. In 1999 she became very active on internet videos in which she seemed to commit suicide while she was on the net. Actually she did not do that. She considered it performance art and she wanted to be an actor. Moe’s friend, Nancy, and her daughter, had not gotten along well but her daughter did contact her mother every couple of weeks if she had been out of town. But now it was more than a month and she hadn’t contacted Nancy, or her father, Nancy’s ex-husband. Moe finds little proof that anyone is actually missing. Things take a bizarre twist as Moe stumbles across a body in Nancy’s daughter’s apartment and it isn’t her daughter. The Hollow Girl suddenly re-emerges on video screens everywhere, and the main thrust seems to be to trash her parents. Then, she starts to appear in very strange tortured positions and it is seemingly obvious that she is in danger and might be killed by someone taking revenge against either the daughter or her family. Moe
tries to piece together a case from the half-truths and lies told to him by a fool's parade of family members, washed-up showbiz types, uncaring cops,
a doorman, and a lovesick PI. Even as the ticking clock gets louder, Moe is unsure if it's all a big hoax or if someone's life is really at stake. After the case is solved, we see some final closure for the reader with Moe who is leaving New York City to live closer to his daughter and grandson. So I guess there won’t be any more wild adventures for Moe or for us, the readers.
May 9, 2014
After a bout with cancer and the accidental death of his fiancée, Moe Prager, is determined to drown himself in vast amounts of alcohol. Then he gets a call from Nancy Lustig, an old client from the first book in the series, who needs his help regarding her daughter, Sloane. Sloane had been an early internet sensation a few years back when she had recorded her feelings about the betrayal of her boyfriend with her best friend. When she committed suicide on-line, 911 lines were clogged with calls of help from her fans. Problem was, none of it was real. The ‘boyfriend’ was just a friend who had allowed her to use his picture without knowing why and the ‘suicide’ was, according to Sloane, performance art. As a result of the ensuing publicity, Sloane changed her name to Siobhan and had achieved some success as an actress. Things had worked out a lot worse for the ‘boyfriend’ who was plagued ever since with the fallout from the stunt.
But now Sloane is missing and, when the body of her female lover is found in their apartment, Moe must find out whether Sloane is a victim or the perpetrator. Then videos begin to show up on the net of Sloane bound, gagged and beaten but with disclaimers that this is just another performance and viewers shouldn’t intervene. But Moe is convinced this isn’t staged and he is determined to discover who is behind this before the final video is aired.
The Hollow Girl is the ninth and final installment in author Reed Farrel Coleman’s Moe Prager series. The story, itself, is interesting as much for its commentary on society in the era of internet access and plastic surgery and the lengths people will go to reinvent themselves to achieve approval and their fifteen minutes of fame as it is for the mystery. As interesting as this is, it is Moe who grabs and keeps our attention throughout the tale. He is at his sweetest, kindest, most self-effacing best. He has always epitomized the everyman in us all, succeeding as much by luck as by hard work and he will be missed.
But now Sloane is missing and, when the body of her female lover is found in their apartment, Moe must find out whether Sloane is a victim or the perpetrator. Then videos begin to show up on the net of Sloane bound, gagged and beaten but with disclaimers that this is just another performance and viewers shouldn’t intervene. But Moe is convinced this isn’t staged and he is determined to discover who is behind this before the final video is aired.
The Hollow Girl is the ninth and final installment in author Reed Farrel Coleman’s Moe Prager series. The story, itself, is interesting as much for its commentary on society in the era of internet access and plastic surgery and the lengths people will go to reinvent themselves to achieve approval and their fifteen minutes of fame as it is for the mystery. As interesting as this is, it is Moe who grabs and keeps our attention throughout the tale. He is at his sweetest, kindest, most self-effacing best. He has always epitomized the everyman in us all, succeeding as much by luck as by hard work and he will be missed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 1, 2016
Remember, one man's bookflap summary can be another man's spoiler.
I started out liking this book a lot.
I enjoyed that the protagonist, Moe Prager -- both ex-cop and ex-PI --lets the reader in to his state of mind.
Moe is complex. In addition to recovering from a bout of cancer, he's got a drinking problem that's exacerbated because he's mourning his wife, who got hit by a car fetching Moe's newspaper. He's "meh" about the wine business he's in with a brother.
An investigation comes his way when a woman he hasn't seen in decades tracks him down to search for her missing daughter. The woman used to be ugly, but by dint of married wealth and effort, has become attractive. The daughter used to be a video phenom on the Internet in high school, expressing her teen angst about being ugly, etc. Said daughter was the "Hollow Girl."
I was with Moe about two-thirds through the story. For some reason, I lost interest once the missing daughter -- still missing -- starts appearing on the Internet in an updated persona.
While the Hollow Girl presented phony events on the Internet, this time Moe suspects that, this time around, the daughter is truly being tortured -- although each webcast posts a disclaimer that the events depicted are phony drama.
Of course Moe solves the crime.
But Coleman didn't explain clearly enough to me why Prager picked the suspect that he did as the party harming the daughter. I didn't understand clearly, either, why Prager and Nancy lost their brief romantic spark. Nor did I understand why Prager moves out of New York City at end.
Of course he's wants to be near his grown daughter (Stacy?) and her hubby and their son, but ... how is he going to be a jaded ex-cop and PI in small-town Vermont? A big part of Prager's vibe has to do with being a city guy in the big city, right?
I started out liking this book a lot.
I enjoyed that the protagonist, Moe Prager -- both ex-cop and ex-PI --lets the reader in to his state of mind.
Moe is complex. In addition to recovering from a bout of cancer, he's got a drinking problem that's exacerbated because he's mourning his wife, who got hit by a car fetching Moe's newspaper. He's "meh" about the wine business he's in with a brother.
An investigation comes his way when a woman he hasn't seen in decades tracks him down to search for her missing daughter. The woman used to be ugly, but by dint of married wealth and effort, has become attractive. The daughter used to be a video phenom on the Internet in high school, expressing her teen angst about being ugly, etc. Said daughter was the "Hollow Girl."
I was with Moe about two-thirds through the story. For some reason, I lost interest once the missing daughter -- still missing -- starts appearing on the Internet in an updated persona.
While the Hollow Girl presented phony events on the Internet, this time Moe suspects that, this time around, the daughter is truly being tortured -- although each webcast posts a disclaimer that the events depicted are phony drama.
Of course Moe solves the crime.
But Coleman didn't explain clearly enough to me why Prager picked the suspect that he did as the party harming the daughter. I didn't understand clearly, either, why Prager and Nancy lost their brief romantic spark. Nor did I understand why Prager moves out of New York City at end.
Of course he's wants to be near his grown daughter (Stacy?) and her hubby and their son, but ... how is he going to be a jaded ex-cop and PI in small-town Vermont? A big part of Prager's vibe has to do with being a city guy in the big city, right?
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