Hollow Out the Dark

by James Wade

Award-winning author James Wade blends atmospheric prose with soul-stirring themes in Hollow Out the Dark, a gothic adventure set against a Depression-era landscape where a whiskey war threatens to decimate a small Texas town.

A veteran of the Great War, Jesse Cole is grateful for the quiet life he now leads. But when his closest friend runs afoul of local criminals, Frog and Squirrel Fenley, Jesse is forced to spin his moral compass and enter a violent and volatile underworld. There he encounters corrupt lawmen, hired assassins, and a dark family secret that will upend all he once knew.

Complicating matters are Texas Ranger Amon Atkins—who arrives to investigate the Fenleys just as a deadly new competition threatens their empire—and the green-eyed, raven-haired Adaline, a love Jesse thought he'd lost forever.

With resources scarce and winter falling hard on the town, a desperate Jesse must choose between the law and the lawless and find a way to survive while still protecting the people he loves.

A heart-pounding tale full of plot-twisting revelations, Hollow Out the Dark brings readers into a whiskey-fueled world where everyone has a secret, and love everlasting balances on the knife's edge.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Audiobook, Historical, Romance

328 pages, Hardcover

First published August 20, 2024

About the author

James Wade lives and writes in the Texas Hill Country with his wife and daughter. He is the author of "Beasts of the Earth," a winner of the 2023 Spur Award for Best Contemporary Novel, "River, Sing Out" and "All Things Left Wild," a winner of the 2021 MPIBA Reading the West Award for Debut Fiction and a recipient of the 2021 Spur Award for Best Historical Novel from the Western Writers of America.

Represented by Mark Gottlieb with Trident Media Group.

Awards and Honors:
A winner of the 2023 Spur Award for Best Contemporary Novel (BEASTS OF THE EARTH)
A finalist of The Austin Chronicle's Best of Austin 2022 Best Fiction Writer
A winner of the 2021 Reading the West Award for Best Debut Novel (ALL THINGS LEFT WILD)
A winner of the 2021 Spur Award for Best Historical Fiction (ALL THINGS LEFT WILD)
A winner of the 2016 Writers' League of Texas Manuscript Contest (Historical Fiction)
A finalist of the 2016 Writers' League of Texas Manuscript Contest (Thriller)
A finalist of the 2016 Tethered By Letters Short Story Contest
Honorable mention in the 2016 Texas Observer Short Story Contest
Honorable mention in the 2015 Texas Observer Short Story Contest

Work by James can be found in the following Publications and Anthologies:
The Bitter Oleander | Skylark Review (Little Lantern Press) | Tall...ish (Pure Slush Books) | Intrinsick Magazine | Dime Show Review | Bartleby Snopes | Jersey Devil Press | Typehouse Magazine | After the Pause Journal | J.J. Outre Review | Potluck Magazine | Yellow Chair Review | Through the Gaps | Eunoia Review

Reviews

[James Wade · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25

I am proud of the work and what it accomplishes, but I don’t believe it’s superior to Beasts— just different. They both get 4.25 stars.

I still have more to offer. Still learning and growing. Thanks to everyone for the support and the kind words about the book.

JW

[Darcia Helle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a slow reader by nature, but James Wade’s books take me about twice as long. I savor them. I reread sentences and entire passages. I linger. I think about the impact and imagery of those words.

Things to expect with this book:

–Vivid setting and immersive atmosphere.

–Characters who are real people. Seriously. I think James has a connection to the spirit realm, and they whisper their stories while he writes.

–All the emotions!

–Believability. This story takes place in depression-era rural Texas, and I swear James traveled back in time to get all the details right.

As with all of James Wade’s books, the content here is dark and gritty. It hurts, but he also leaves a small light glowing in the distance for us to follow.

*Huge thank you to Blackstone Publishing and James Wade for sending me an ARC! I will be pre-ordering a hardcover to add to my collection.*

[L.B. Benson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was beautifully haunting and I still think about some of the surprises it revealed. It showed the depths a man might go to for duty and love, and how those depths might drown him all the same. James Wade weaves a Texas gothic narrative like a master and hasn’t let me down with his stories yet, even if I know my emotions are going to be wrung out by the end.

Highly recommend and want to thank the publisher for a chance to read this ARC early.

[Faith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is about a whiskey war in Texas in 1932. It has a very high body count. Maybe my capacity to be interested in the doings of lowlifes has been exceeded, but I just didn’t care what happened to any of these people. There was a lot of lyrical language that seemed wasted on a bunch of awful, corrupt and violent people.

I enjoyed the author’s “Beasts of the Earth”, but could not finish his “River, Sing Out”. This book fell in the middle. At least I managed to finish this book, although I did consider stopping several times.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

[Rachel Drenning · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another solid novel by James Wade. I take my time with these books because I don't want them to end. Gritty, real and down to earth . You "feel" these novels. As always, great characters. I always look forward to this authors work.

[Jamele (BookswithJams) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing - Audio for the ALC to review.

The audio was perfect for this story, I thought the narrator did a wonderful job bringing the story to life. This was my first read by James Wade, and I loved the atmosphere he created. His words were very descriptive, I felt like I was right there with the characters, feeling their emotions and justifications, both the good folks and the bad ones. I love a Texas setting and this did not disappoint, it was very well done and I’m so glad I read it.

[Hannah's Biblioblurbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, James Wade, and Black Stone Publishing for the ARC and chance to give my honest opinion!

I have just recently starting venturing into the historical fiction genre so keep that in mind when reading my review ;)
This one is set in the late prohibition era in East Texas. The point of view is third person. The story line primarily bounces between the life of Jesse Cole and Amon Atkins. Jesse has been thrown into the bootlegging lifestyle essentially against his will. He is a veteran of WWI and battles the trauma the war has scarred him with. Amon Atkins is a Texas Ranger that has been assigned to take down the bootlegging business that Jesse Cole has become wrapped up in.
The plot is filled with trauma, heartbreak, and lies. So many secrets and so much deceit in the small town. The beginning was a very slow burn - it started to pick up around 25% in and after that I read through it very quickly. I enjoyed the author's prose and description. The setting and time period made for a great historical fiction. I can imagine stories like this were probably a very common scenario back in that time. Great read!

[Courtney Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

No country for middle aged men set in ww2 times with bootleg whisky instead of drugs as the commodity and the psycho bad guy character had a weird face mask and I was picturing phantom of the opera. Kind of a let down with the ranger character and not really believable that he would walk away like that. Writing was phenomenal though.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m still thrilled to have found this author. I still prefer Beasts one of his other books but this one is wonderful as well. I plan to read them all and to add the books to my home library. This one had similarities to Cormac and ron rash but completely his own.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

James Wade wrote a complex story about trying to survive and figuring out what’s important in life. It was entertaining and had a few twists. The story takes place during the depression-era and in this struggling small town they have a whiskey war going down. I enjoyed the flow and description of the place and the state of everyone’s desperation. It was some times hard to listen to with its realistic themes and the sadness of many. Roger Clark narrated this one and he did an excellent job. I recommend listening to this.
Thanks Blackstone Publishing via NetGalley.

[Carol Ann Tack · Rating 5 out of 5]

James Wade has an uncanny way of immersing the reader in his characters so unassumingly that by the time I reached the end of Hollow Out the Dark, I was gasping for breath, cheering them on, and shedding tears. A great ensemble cast. Good vs evil with many, many shades of grey.
East Texas mountains and streams, the Volstead Act, corruption, love, loyalty, WWI, and Wade’s beautiful prose.
You can’t beat that combination.
Thanks to Blackstone for the arc.

[Lisa P · Rating 4 out of 5]

The description of this book grabbed me the second I read it, and didn't let go. I loved the Texas gothic atmosphere, and the two main characters. Amon Atkins is a Texas Ranger, from a family of Rangers. Jesse Cole is a war hero returned home to take care of brother's family after his passing. Both men are on unintentional journey's of self discovery. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

[Brittany McCann · Rating 5 out of 5]

The scene is set in the small east Texas town of Enoch deep into the Prohibition years (1932). Dual narration shows two halves of the same coin.

On one side, you have Decorated war hero Jesse Cole, who continues to follow the path of righteousness through duty by marrying his brother's widow to take care of her and her daughter. He continually sacrifices for duty and tries not to spend too much time examining his own desires unless forced.

On the other side, you have Amon Atkins, a Texas Ranger. A long career has been marred by a recent accident that has sent him to the middle of nowhere to deal with a federal law violation in Enoch.

The bootlegging of Whiskey is at the core of everything that happens in these tired, long years after the war, desolate in the Great Depression, with one of the only forms of solace is banned by prohibition.

There are quite a few personalities representing the town of Enoch and author James Wade does a spectacular job of bringing them fully to life. If you have experienced any of Wade's books before, you will know that his stories tend to meander through prose like a slow, winding river journey, rich with contemplation. That remains true here.

In some ways, this is one of Wade's least depressing novels for the characters, but in others, it is a deeper cut to the heart of the characters, especially in terms of a too-little-too-late romantic confession.

The ending wasn't what I wanted, but it was realistic.

Worth a read, but Jonah still reigns supreme as my favorite Wade character!

4.5 Stars rounded up.

[Tiffany Oliver McVay · Rating 5 out of 5]

“It’s all fixed. Every lazy, lackluster step you take on this earth is part of a scam that’s been running long before you were ever born. You can make a dozen decisions a day and live to be a hundred years, but in the end you’re only ever the rube or the racketeer.” 🔥🔥🔥

✔️bootleggers
✔️prohibition
✔️East Texas twang
✔️short chapters

If you like Lawless, you’ll love this!

Thank you Blackstone Publishers and James Wade for the ARC!

[Stress Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Available Today! (August 20, 2024)

Hollow Out The Dark by @jameswadewriter is a dark, gritty, thought-provoking look into humanity that will have you examining your own beliefs. It's a tale of sacrifice, morals and ethics, right vs wrong, corruption and greed, and so much more. Beautifully written with nuanced characters, a plot that's delicately woven together, in a setting that's so artfully crafted that it transports you through time and space, and a pace that will have you not wanting to put it down. Eloquently sprinkling in mental health and sign language rep was a unexpected bonus.

Hollow Out The Dark shuttles you to a small town in Depression-Era Texas, where the book takes place. Prohibition is still the law and bootlegging runs rampant, threatening to destroy a small town.

"When the oil came up in Kilgore, so did every swinging dick thinking they was gonna get out of the depression..." "A bunch of pimps, gamblers, and kids with guns thinking they'd be the next comic book outlaw."

Then, a Texas Ranger, Amon, is sent to investigate a murder in the aforementioned small town. Amon who had long been buried beneath his father's shadow, desparate for to make his dad proud, but also desparate to not be like his father. Meanwhile, another main character, Jesse, a decorated Great War veteran, is just doing what he can to keep him and his family afloat during a long, cold winter. A family he inherited when his older brother passed away.

The setting is truly like being transported. I've never even been to Texas in real life, but I feel like I have now. It's gritty and somber, while also being haunting and yet hopeful. It is a darker book.

The plot is great. I was hooked immediately and couldn't stop reading. The twists and turns that unfold are great. There's so much going on, but it doesn't feel like too much-not at all thanks to the elegant way Wade layers and weaves all of it together.

Wade's prose is truly a work of art. He has a way with words that you don't often come across. I found myself re-reading sentences, or even entire passages, just to marvel at the gorgeous way he writes.
Wade's prose is almost lyrical at times, but not in a pretentious way. Even when writes about simple, mundane things, like the wind, it's beautiful.

"The wind was cold and relentless, and each gust filled the forest with a wretched and woeful sound-the low howling keen of the wind, the barren and abraded branches scraping against one another like deviant violins..."

Wade's dialogue is also great. I love that he incorporated small bits of very light humor (although humor isn't quite accurate) into the dialogue to lighten such a haunting, dark, gritty, somber book. These occasional small bits of levity aid in easing the material from feeling too dark and heavy.

Maybe light-hearted would be more accurate, although that doesn't sound right, either. Here's an example: "... I ain't about to leave Gloria Swineson [a pig] out there with them..." "Don't let Albert Swinestein hear you say that...That little bastard has gone and changed his whole demeanor. Walks with some sort of regality to him now."

The characters were so well written that I took a second to do a web search, thinking maybe this book was based on a true story. They're that wildly realistic. They're flawed, like we all are, and you'll be torn on loving them or loving to hate them.

I love that even though it's a shorter novel than what I've been reading as of late (328pgs), it packs a lot of emotion in. I also love that Wade incorporates a study in bigger topics that are relevant still - like corruption. Even some that will likely be relevant for eternity (How far will you go for the ones you love? When push comes to shove, what lines are you willing to cross?) There's a lot of distrust in the government back then, as there is now. I love that this book makes you rethink some things, like corruption and what it means, and how corruption could start from a place of love.

There's some mental health rep for PTSD, although it isn't referred to as such, as well as sign language rep.

If you don't like books that write with an "accent," use colloquialisms, or use words like "ain't," well, this probably ain't the book for you. 😆 But seriously, unless those are things you just absolutely detest, I strongly recommend you give this one a quick read.

If you enjoy criminal fiction, historical fiction, mystery, and/or thriller, I think you would enjoy this. I can't think of another author or book that's similar.

This is the first book I've read by James Wade, but it certainly won't be my last. Hollow Out The Dark is Southern Gothic with crime, and this book was my introduction to a genre called rural noir.

If CW/TW are a concern for you, please look into them before reading. This is a dark book and contains a fair bit of potentially triggering material (violence, death, war, alcohol use and abuse, etc).

Thank you to @wadejameswriter, @blackstonepublishing, and @Netgalley for the eARC. I'm choosing to leave this unbiased review.

[Ruthie Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

"If darkness is all there is, then you carve out whatever little part of it belongs to you. Hollow out your own place and do anything you have to do to protect it, to protect yourself. Just survive."

Hollow out the Dark by James Wade is an intriguing glance at the human condition during prohibition. The need to survive (physically, emotionally, and financially) during dark economic times will push people to their own personal precipices. When you are poor and/or marginalized to begin with, the times become even darker.

This literary showpiece is primarily about two men in a small east Texas town that is in throes of prohibition and the dark consequences of greed, hate, and corruption. In 1932, the bitter January cold is a major backdrop, with Wade’s lyrical prose breathing life into the bone-chilling weather that grips the entire novel. Amon Atkins is a Texas Ranger called to Enoch, Texas, to investigate a murder. Jesse Cole was a soldier during WWI and has since married his late brother’s wife as a means to protect and provide for her and his niece. While these men are on two different paths and barely interact with each other, they are both embroiled in the escalating nefarious events. One is on the outside as law enforcement, and one is reluctantly on the inside. Both are in the crosshairs of evil.

Hollow out the Dark captures the stark emotional reality of duty, fear, regret, immorality, and murder. Bootlegging was a lucrative business during prohibition, and evading the revenuers was a full-time job. With factories and other businesses closing their doors, the poorest of the poor must take what jobs they can get, even if those jobs cost them their integrity, family, and life. Squirrel and Frog Fenley may be the bootleggers in charge of the local operations, but they are not the only ones pulling the strings.

Evil lurks in the hollow, and both Amon and Jesse are on their own dangerous journeys to find the truth, protect their loved ones, confront their past, and stay alive. When this leg of their journey is complete, they both come face to face with their fate.

James Wade infuses Hollow out the Dark with memorable characters (all of them) and a melancholy plot that pulls no punches and sugarcoats nothing. As the bitter cold snaps branches and darkens the land and human hearts, the people left standing are faced with reality, revenge, promises, and hope.

Wade never disappoints and once again delivers a fantastic literary fiction that will keep you riveted all the way to the last page and then looking for more.

"There's nothing worse than regretting what you've done, except the guilt of no doing anything at all."

I received a free copy of this book from Lone Star Book Blog Tours in exchange for my honest review.

[Erin Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful, dark and atmospheric tale of one mans difficult decision to help out a friend who has made yet another bad life choice. It is the time of the great depression and no one has much of anything except the whiskey distillers who operate outside of prohibition. It is a rough game and Jesse Cole is pretty much forced to become a delivery man for the local criminal gang run by two brothers Frog and Squirrel Fenley. At the same time a Texas Ranger named Amon Atkins arrives with his family on the scene on orders to look into the Fenley's operation and arrest them if possible. Things get pretty dark very quickly. The writing of this novel is amazing, it has just the right timber to describe how tough times were for people living through this time in history. I listened to the audio version of this book and the narrator, Roger Clark was exceptional. Highly recommended. 5 stars.
Many thanks to Net Galley and Blackstone Publishing - Audiobooks for a chance to listen/read an ARC version of this book. All opinions are my own.

[Imani · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up to 4!

Hollow Out the Dark by James Wade is a gripping and atmospheric novel that pulls you right into the heart of a small Texas town caught in the middle of a dangerous whiskey war. the depression-era setting is vivid, and Jesse Cole’s journey through the violent, criminal underworld is packed with suspense and moral dilemmas. Wade’s writing style is hauntingly beautiful, and the layers of family secrets, love, and loyalty keep you guessing until the very end. the audiobook narrator really brought the story to life, adding an extra level of intensity that made it hard to pause.

i'd recommend this book to anyone who loves westerns, especially fans of Yellowstone or anything in that gritty, high-stakes genre. it’s got that perfect mix of tension, twists, and complex characters that keep you hooked. big thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing audiobooks for the advanced copy!

[Spencer Mirabal · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most rich and complex story’s James Wade has ever forged. “Hollow Out The Dark” felt so cinematic and sprawling and intimate and tense. It stays true to the poetic, atmospheric language and genuine western chitty chat of the story’s characters that made Wade so special with his debut “All Things Left Wild”, but much like the best bourbons, this new. novel of his has been aged and seasoned by a fictional East Texas oak barrel and life. Sublime and throat burning from beginning to end.

[Sarah Eliza Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 - Dark & Gritty. This story is a beautifully dark and atmospheric novel with stunning, poetic prose. However, the abundance of characters made it difficult to stay connected to the story, with some feeling more like distractions than essential. Despite this, the suspenseful story makes it a memorable and thrilling read.

[Theresa Blackwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Appreciate the ARC from NetGalley!

Read like…Wade wanted his own “East of Eden,” then took a hard detour at the Prohibition era/noir/gangster trope(s).

Immersive voice and highly naturalistic writing, but wasn’t wild about the subject.

[Jenna Fernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️s! I can’t resist a weird western, and I couldn’t put this down.

[Chris Fernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.
Writing is incredible. Amazing characters snd stories

[Laura]

Very good writing but this one just didn’t draw me in like the authors previous work. Too many characters for me and I wasn’t really able to connect with any of them. I will say that the narrator, Roger Clark is really a good narrator. I enjoyed the tones and inflections used throughout the story. Great voice for the timeframe that the story portrayed.

A very special thanks to Blackstone Publishing for the gifted copy.

[Michelle Greiz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the writing and the flow but I just didn't connect to any of the characters

[Chrissii · Rating 5 out of 5]

"If the world was a good place, it wouldn't need good men."

In a rural Texas town during the Great Depression era, Jesse Cole, an ever the optimist war veteran, is married to his late brother’s wife and living each day just trying to get by. He lives by a seemingly set code until he is forced to bend his own morals to protect the people he loves.

Wade does it again from his unbelievably real characters to the twists and turns you never see coming. I absolutely love the writing and felt as though I was right there with the characters.

This story is heartbreaking and dark, but in the best way. Wade leaves no stone unturned and will have you coming back to passages over and over again.

Thanks to Blackstone Publishing and James Wade for the ARC!

[Carey Calvert · Rating 5 out of 5]

As we await Wade’s fifth novel, Narrow the Road (Blackstone, August 26, 2025), about a boy’s quest to find his father in 1932, East Texas, (Blood Meridian all over again? I’m here for it!), I’m also revisiting HOLLOW OUT THE DARK, for not only its wresting overtures on corruption, but its unfailing attempt to see the world as a good place … until you get out into it.

When I read my notes for James Wade’s fourth masterpiece, HOLLOW OUT THE DARK, I’m reminded, among the Texas gothic, depression era, beasts of the earth of whom he so eloquently writes, just how funny Wade can be.

Cormac McCarthy all over again.

One of my favorite novels as well as one of my top five movies, No Country for Old Men, has the same lyricism, and poetry in its depiction of horror – how can that Not be fascinating?

And Wade is a master purveyor.

I not only read HOLLOW OUT THE DARK, I also listened to the audiobook read by Roger Clark (who’s amazing,) and listening to poetry, I believe, can at times make for a more evocative exploration of theme.

HOLLOW OUT THE DARK IS poetry - dark and nihilistic, but back to the comedy.

“I suppose you’re here about the hogs.”

When a great black hog comes sniffing and snorting from the back of Moss’s house, knocking into walls and furniture, Jesse Cole is taken aback.

“Good lord.”

“What?” Moss asks. “there’s a fever going around. I ain’t about to leave Gloria Swineson out there with them that’s infected.”

“I wish you wouldn’t name the goddamn pigs.”

“Don’t let Albert Swinestein hear you say that. That little bastard has done and changed his whole demeanor.”

“Walks with some sort of regality to him now.”

That’s the thing about James Wade.

He’ll make you laugh so hard, the tears will well up. So much so that no one can tell when you start to cry.

[Max Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

Echoing my review of James Wade's first novel "All Things Left Wild" his latest book also deals with issues of life and death in a world where people endure rather than prevail, where morality doesn't exist, and where violent acts are so horrific that innocence is lost, and salvation is beyond reach.

"When you're young, you don't worry about what's behind you. You hardly worry about what's ahead. There's no true purpose, but there's the promise of on - of a distant future where the meaning of your existence will surely come to light. It's that promise that makes childhood so wonderful."

"[Eventually] You do grow up and that's when, maybe slowly over time, or maybe all at once, you find out there's no purpose after all. And the only thing waiting for you is the dark."

The setting is Enoch, Texas. The timeframe is during the Depression era and Prohibition is about to end. But before it does two sinister forces will engage in a war over control of bootleg whiskey production and distribution, weaving a web of lies and deceit that will shatter the lives of everyone involved.

Wade's strength in this narrative and in every novel that he has written is his ability with language. The most graphic violence born of evil and desperation, the plot twists and revelations, the tragic conclusion to the story are all told in a poetic and lyrical style that not only has the reader transfixed but returning to certain passages over and over again.

I received an uncorrected advance reading copy of "Hollow Out The Dark" in the Goodreads Contest/Giveaway.

[Maddy (maddys_needful_reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

James Wade's previous novel, Beasts of the Earth, became an instant favorite, so I was happy to read an ARC of his newest, Hollow Out the Dark, even though I'm not normally a fan of historical fiction. I'm happy to say that yeah, it's absolutely amazing. At this point, I'll read anything Wade writes.

Hollow Out the Dark is a gritty, raw, whiskey-drenched tale of sacrifice, survival, and family. It can be classified as rural noir, which is like Southern Gothic but with crime, and those crumbling Gothic mansions are replaced with dusty, Prohibition-era Texas.

Wade perfectly balances plot and characterization to create both a compelling narrative and characters that are flawed but ultimately lovable. While the story is unputdownable, it's also literary fiction, and the writing is so nuanced and powerful that it's practically a character itself. I previously compared Wade's prose to Cormac McCarthy's, and that very much still stands.

Thank you so much to the author for sending me an ARC! I foresee myself rereading this one when the audiobook comes out, because Roger Clark is narrating it, and he did an amazing job with Beasts of the Earth.

[Heather-le Byrd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved reading this book. I couldn't put it down. It's a beautifully written and tender novel.