Hollow Spaces

by Victor Suthammanont

The sole Asian American partner at a prestigious law firm sees his professional and personal life demolished when he is put on trial for murder. Three decades later, his children reunite to uncover the truth and try to salvage what remains of their family

Thirty years ago, John Lo, the only Asian American partner at a prestigious New York City law firm, was acquitted of the murder of an employee he was having an affair with. The repercussions of that long-ago event still haunt his adult children. Brennan, a lawyer following in her father’s footsteps in more ways than one, has always maintained that the trial got it right. Hunter, a disgruntled war correspondent whose similarities to his father run more than skin-deep, believes their father got away with murder. Their convictions have pushed them apart. Now, spurred on by their mother’s failing health, the estranged siblings decide to reconcile their differences by reinvestigating the murder to come to a definitive conclusion, and, in the process, salvage what’s left of their fragmented family.

Told in a dual timeline that moves between John’s perspective thirty years prior and Brennan and Hunter’s present-day investigation, Hollow Spaces is a moving portrait of a flawed man’s shocking fall from grace and a gripping exploration of race in corporate America, filial loyalty, ambition, and the fallout of a sensational trial for those caught in its wake.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Crime, Family, Literary Fiction

384 pages, Hardcover

First published August 5, 2025

About the author

Victor Suthammanont is the author of HOLLOW SPACES (Counterpoint Press), his debut novel. He lives in New York City, where he is a lawyer. He obtained a BFA in Drama from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and his law degree from New York Law School. He has performed in various plays and stand-up comedy. He is a windowsill gardener and practices martial arts. Victor is the author of the Audible Original LITTLE SURRENDERS.

Reviews

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Lo is a Chinese-American law partner at a prestigious (read white) law firm. When he is tried for the murder of an associate with whom he was having an affair, no one at the firm has his back. His wife and young son Hunter think he was guilty. His daughter Brennan thinks he was innocent. Now, 30 years later, the siblings reunite to care for their dying mother. And they agree to set aside their differences, at least temporarily, to find out the truth about their father.

This reads like a Greek tragedy, in which one stupid decision destroys a lot of lives. However, in this case, there are a lot of stupid decisions. No one is likable. This is also a really slutty group, with questionable ethics all around. If this were a drinking game, you would wind up in a coma if you had to take a drink each time there is a sex scene The siblings do not stop bickering until the last few pages of the book.

I liked the writing style. And Hunter (a war correspondent) and Brennan (a lawyer and former prosecutor) make a good investigative team. It is a little too neat that the solution literally falls into their laps. The blurb says that there are dual timelines, but there are many additional flashbacks to other periods, so the time jumps around a great deal. Feodor Chin did a very good job narrating the audiobook.

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

[Robert Intriago · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thirty years ago an Asian attorney working at a prestigious law firm gets accused of murdering his lover. After a long trial he is acquitted of the crime. His kids, Hunter and Brennan, decide to investigate and find out who actually committed the crime. The author uses flashback to make the reader aware of events that took place 30 years ago. I am not a big fan of flashbacks as they interrupt the flow of the story. The plot of the investigation is very good but in my opinion some of the flashbacks are boring. The character of Hunter and Brennan are well developed. Overall an enjoyable book.

[Erin Crane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me reassure anyone who is thinking, like me, that this literary mystery won’t provide answers. It does! I worried it would take the approach that it doesn’t matter what happened, but thankfully it’s not that pretentious! And I think the ending fits.

This is about a whole cast of awful people. 🙃 No one’s very likable. Or rather, you feel sympathetic at times and at other times you’re disgusted. They are fleshed out and real. Mess galore!

At times this had one simile too many for me and got a little melodramatic/soapy. But it was very engaging and had some really intense emotional moments that had me like 😬😬 Suthammanont is talented!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

[BAM who is Beth Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thought this book was incredible — tense, layered, and morally ambiguous in the best way. From start to finish, it felt like walking on the edge of a knife.

I know some people complain the characters are unlikable, but I didn’t see it that way. They’re flawed and messy, yes, but also fully realized, complicated, and very human. The family dynamics are raw, full of loyalty, resentment, and grief, and I loved watching those tensions play out.

What I liked best about this story was the moral ambiguity at the center: is someone who lets another person die as culpable as the one who does the killing? The book never gives a neat answer, and that’s exactly what makes it so powerful.

[Bill Silva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Family drama? Literary mystery? Social/cultural critique? Who knows… because clearly the author couldn’t decide either. There’s a promising premise here, but it gets buried beneath excessive character exploration (and these are for the most part people you really don’t want to spend much time with) and overly pretentious writing (enough with the extended metaphors and similes!)…not to much mention the unnecessary and gratuitous sex scenes that neither advance the plot nor add to character development. A novel that tries to do too many things ultimately does none of them very well (not even the sex scenes, ironically enough!)…but this is a first novel, so maybe there’s something better to come.

[Albert Gidari · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Lo is Chinese-American and a lawyer. He makes partner at a prestigious law firm by dint of his hard work, but still is isolated and never will be one of them. His marriage to a beautiful white girl, also a successful lawyer, isn't working out either, and he has an affair with a gorgeous associate at his firm - the woman in the red dress at the Xmas party of course. But then she turns up dead in apartment of her friend where they often meet to carry on their affair. He is arrested, tried for murder and acquitted. But an acquittal is never the end of the story. He is fired; the affair ends his marriage; ruins his relationship with his children; humiliates him in life as he never will work again as a lawyer; and all the collateral damage that comes from a prosecution regardless of the outcome hits hard.

Three decades later, with his former wife dying, his two children come together to find the truth. One believes he did it, one is certain he did not, one a trial lawyer, the other an investigative journalist, and together they intend to find out. You don't know until the end, but the author has skillfully woven hints throughout that took me a while to figure out.

A few of the reviews here did not like any of the characters but I disagree - I thought it was a masterful rendering of all the human flaws and weaknesses in everyone while nonetheless trying to do the right thing. The narrative style of switching between John at the time and the kids today moved the story forward smoothly and added to the suspense and doubt about whether John did it right up to the end when you know the answer.

This was a 5-star read for me, with maybe half a star as encouragement for a first time author who deserves the extra encouragement for a really good book.

[Jayna · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Brennan and Hunter's father was acquitted of murder in their childhood, everything fell apart. Not only with the outside world, but within their family. Brennan has always believed in John's innocence. Hunter has always thought he got away with it. John has not been a part of their lives in many years. Now that their mother is dying, Brennan and Hunter are forced to spend time together. They decide to investigate and come up with the truth once and for all.

This is a mystery, but it is also a family saga encompassing 30 years. It shows how one's actions impact everyone around them. Not just immediately, but indefinitely. It also dips into the prejudices non-white Americans have to deal with.

Hollow Spaces is a well rounded novel that had my undivided attention the entire time.

Feodor Chin narrates the audiobook.

I received an advance audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Shella · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great novel- 4.5. I did not really like any of the characters- all of them very flawed. What I did really like was how the story unfolded. It went back and forth from present day to 30 years prior. It was not a straight story line and it worked perfectly to let the mystery reveal itself as well as flesh out the characters. The author weaved the story in a way that kept a great pace all the while not confusing the reader- impressive for a debut author. The only part that kept it from a five star is my personal preference of not having vulgarity and explicit sex scenes. It fit the story as lust and running from one’s problems were important to the plot. It is not really bad and would still recommend due to the rest being great.

[Arminda Bepko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book! Engaging plot, compelling characters and an intelligent narrative. I could not put it down. Highly recommend.

[Anna Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this deep, thoughtful novel about two siblings trying to figure out whether their father murdered his lover in the 90s. I read it deep into the night and finished in a day, highlighting many sentences. This book goes far beyond crime fiction and I found myself awed in places by how intensely and perceptively the author describes the characters’ interior world. Suthammanont is emotional but never sentimental, clear-eyed and sharp but principled. The dialogue was also unusually good - no bullshit and quite cutting, the way harried city professionals really are, but also conscious of how dialogue can’t tell us everything. The author is always conscious of how the interior world of feeling is vulnerable and indescribable. After reading online that the author had written plays previously, I had a new appreciation for how his theatre experience shaped that dialogue. This book is a classic I plan to recommend to anyone.

[storytime with steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ★

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a quietly intense and emotionally layered novel exploring identity, family expectations and the sacrifices made in pursuit of the American dream. John, an Asian American lawyer, is trying to find his place in a less-than-inclusive workplace while also balancing the pressures of cultural tradition and ambition.

I often found myself torn between empathising with John and feeling frustrated by the damage he caused, particularly to his wife through his emotional distance and his affair with his coworker, Jessica. The narrative weaves tension into every thread of John’s life, from his personal regrets to the conflicts that build within his family.

The narrator brought real nuance to the characters, especially in the more emotionally charged moments. This is a complex and thoughtful debut that examines how easily hollow spaces form within relationships — and how hard they are to fill. A rich, layered read that lingers long after the final chapter.

[Alisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although the subject matters differ, Hollow Spaces is a lot like Wally Lamb's Waiting for the River: the protagonist isn't likable and the plot is painful.

John Lo is the only Asian American in his prestigious law firm. He knows he's just there as a token minority, particularly helpful because with him on board, they don't have to deal with hiring a black. John is filled with an unexplainable anger. Though it looks like he has everything, John is unhappy. The facade he has created falls apart when he is arrested for the murder of one of his colleagues, a young woman named Jessica.

There are two plot lines: one is "then," the time leading up to the murder, John's arrest and trial, and the immediate aftermath; the other is "now," the time where John's children, Bren and Hunter, are dealing with their own adult problems and trying to figure out whether there father committed the murder he was accused of. Bren believes he is innocent; Hunter is convinced he is guilty. Both are much like their father. The first plot line is an examination of character; the second is the mystery.

Everything revolves around John. We see snatches of his troubled childhood and adolescence. We see him falling in love. We see him cherishing his children. We see him becoming dissatisfied with his life--and here's where a lot of readers will decide to hate him. They'll wonder why he's made such stupid decisions. They'll wonder how he could throw his beautiful like away by cheating on his wife. They'll think he should pull himself up by his bootstraps and take responsibility. But here's the thing: John can't. It's not that he doesn't want to. He knows what he has is good, but he's nevertheless desperately unhappy and full of rage. And we don't really know why, though there are hints the problem arose in childhood with his father or when his marriage fell into the rut that nearly all marriages do when you've been together awhile and are focused on your career and raising your children. As an armchair psychiatrist to literary characters, I think he suffers from major depressive disorder. He can't pull himself together. To call him weak-willed is unfair.

In their search for the truth, Bren and Hunter not only learn the facts about their father and the murder; they also learn how much they are like their father. Neither one can commit in a relationship. Hunter is, at times, filled with the inexplicable anger that plagued his father. Bren finds no satisfaction in her legal career.

Hollow Spaces is in my top books of 2025, a year with a lot of competition. It's extraordinarily well-written, with flashes of insight that are brilliant. If you have it in you to empathize with John, you'll discover this is a wonder of a book, painful though it is.

[Lenni Benson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Years ago, before I became a law professor, I was a partner in a Big Law firm. I loved my work but the environment of the corporate firm required almost another full time job to navigate the complex relationships. This novel spoke to me. One of the main characters, John Lo, does not seem to see how he might be suffering even while he has the trappings of success, being a partner, being a great tax attorney, high income, accomplished wife, two lovely children. Then things fall apart. But while some people may read this novel as a murder mystery, and it is that, I think the author asks the reader to see the ways that we sometimes put work and accomplishment ahead of authentic engagement with our friends, lovers, family.
The name of the book, Hollow Spaces, is far from empty. In fact, having finished an Advanced Copy of the book a few days ago, I find I keep identifying the power of the title. What space is superficially filled but really hollow? What relationship is real and truthful? What space that we fill with our activites and our bodies is still -- empty?
While the book is filled with a melancholy, I found some characters that I was cheering for. Of course, many others I want to shake by the shoulders and say, "Stop being so selfish!" But isn't that a great recommendation for this book. You will be engaged with the lives depicted.
There is a lot of beauty in the book as well. Small moments, a parent brushing his lips across a child's forehead while wanting to grab them in a never-ending hug. Or a scene of a grungy bar that somehow makes you want to sit with a friend over a stained wooden table, with cold glasses of something and sawdust on the floor. The writing is lyrical, powerful, and moving.
Now a disclosure, I taught the author when he was a law student but that was twenty years ago. Now he is my teacher.
And despite being a law professor who reads a lot of law, I found this book educational too. There are clever issues of professional ethics that were really interesting. I fact checked the law, yep, I did that. The book is correct on some critical points of law.
I highly recommend this book for a book group. You will have a lot to dissect, argue over, and say, who do you think was right? Who do you think was suffering? Why did that person pull so far away from the family?
Audio book is well read and I am embarking on my second read through the whole novel now listening to the audio.

[Alyssa Gardner · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 22%.

As a massive fan of David Baldacci's "A Calamity of Souls," I was really excited about "Hollow Spaces" by Victor Suthammonant when I saw it on the Summer 2025 Goodreads’ Debut Darlings Challenge. The premise of a legal drama, cold case, and mystery sounded right up my alley.

Unfortunately, this book just wasn't for me, and I had to DNF it. While I can see a lot of potential in Suthammonant’s vivid descriptions and writing style, my personal reading preferences are for minimal spice and closed-door romance, and this book’s graphic descriptions and numerous affairs weren’t a good fit. I also found it difficult to connect with any of the main characters—John Lo, Brennan, and Hunter—and while I’m not sure if Suthammonant intended for the reader to find them likable, this was a dealbreaker for me.

I found the book's central premise to be an interesting thought experiment, particularly in the way the defendant's children, Brennan and Hunter, condemn their father for his affair (and subsequent murder trial) but then go on to have their own affairs. It seemed to be hinting at an exploration of nature versus nurture, as well as the psychological concept of intrinsic versus extrinsic blame. Brennan and Hunter appeared to heavily focus on external factors to excuse their own actions, viewing their lives as "ruined" by their father's murder trial.

While I won't be finishing "Hollow Spaces," I will keep an eye out for Victor Suthammonant’s future work - I’m curious to see where he goes from here.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting concept: the collateral damage from a murder acquittal on a family. Lives were destroyed, and the children return years later to decide once and for all whether or not the acquittal was justified.

The characters though, didn't quite read true. The complete failure on the part of the police -- and in the 90s -- the complete lack of forensics didn't quite read true. I get that the original prosecutor is now running for DA and that dredging this case up again could be an embarrassment; but that would only be true if the investigation was in fact flawed and he knew it. And if so, what was to be gained by doing so? There was no connection between the victims, the perpetrator, and the DA/police.

Then let's talk about a completely unbelievable lack of mens rea on the part of the perpetrator, not to mention the overwhelming lack of ambition or drive on the part of the deceased John Lo. He was portrayed as so woe-is-me, it didn't sync with his position as a Manhattan law firm partner.

Again, it was the 1990s -- go on TV (wasn't that the age of Larry King & Dominic Dunne?), go be a lawyer at the innocence project, write a book, etc.

Waiter was the only option?

Lastly, the stories were unequal. "Then" was rather boring. "Now" was much better. Explaining what happened in the former story line was a tell don't show -- and I picked out the killer about half way through...

The writing was fine, it was certainly readable. Its story-craft problem, however, made it just annoying enough that I wouldn't recommend it.

[Siiri Auroora · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hollow Spaces is one of those books where everyone is kind of awful, and yet I couldn't stop reading.

At its core, this is a messy family saga with a mystery wrapped around it — a whodunit that spans decades, complicated by prejudice, shame, betrayal, and generational fallout. John was accused of murdering his mistress. Thirty years later, his estranged kids reunite to care for their dying mother and, in the process unravel the truth about their father's past.

This definitely reads more like literary fiction than a fast paced thriller, but I loved the emotional weight of it all. The writing leans a bit soapy at times (and I could’ve done without a few of the overly dramatic metaphors), but it’s also really sharp and layered. There are lots of time jumps, and yes — the characters are morally gray (messy AF), but that’s also what makes it so compelling. No one is easy to like, but everyone feels real.

Hunter and Brennan made a surprisingly great team, and I was fully invested in their rocky sibling dynamic. The mystery unravels slowly but ultimately does deliver answers.

If you like stories where family trauma meets legal drama meets generational mess, and you don’t mind flawed characters making deeply questionable choices, Hollow Spaces might just be for you.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

This book hurt me. The Asian racism was gross, the misogyny, the infidelity, the loneliness, the desperation, the betrayal -- it was all so painful. But it was believable and realistic in ways I wasn't prepared for. The sibling relationship between Brennan and Hunter was touching and annoying, as most are. They are both brutal to one another and fiercely loyal, in ways that rang so true and familiar that my heart hurt. The completely different relationship each had with their father was also real and uncomfortable. Their mom was fascinating in the way she both reviled their father, but enabled Brennan's love for him and his innocence despite disagreeing. It was also compelling to witness how alike the siblings were to their father, how his situation had left them both emotionally traumatized and unable to have committed relationships. The whole thing was a heartbreaking mess of emotions.

I'm still recovering.

If you like your mysteries fraught with hard topics, hard situations, and have the empathy to feel the tragedy of this family and an outcome where everyone still suffers, definitely read.

[Kaitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mystery?! Thriller??! At least one of those is technically true. Here’s the thing: I went into this thinking I was getting a solid whodunit, but what I got felt more like a lecture on how I should feel about certain issues, specifically race. And listen, those themes are valid but it shouldn’t be done within this context for what this book is advertised as.

The writing was easy to digest. This was light compared to the heavy read I’d just finished which is probably the only reason I stuck with it (that, and cozy rain vibes today). But the pacing? Slow. The tone? Occasionally whiny. The ending? When the big “who done it” moment finally came, there was zero payoff. Like… cue the Rolling Stones: I can’t get no satisfaction.

So yeah, this was very mid for me. Standard 3 stars because I finished it, but I wouldn’t recommend it unless its your only option and even then? How about a nap instead?

(Also, yes, this was for the Debut Darlings challenge. Challenges help me expand my reading palate, but wow…. sometimes they lead me straight into books I’d never have picked otherwise. Not always a bad thing… but in this case? Meh.)

[lori pennington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many thanks to NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for the free audiobook in exchange for my honest review. Feodor Chin does a wonderful job reading this story!

John Lo is the only chinese attorney in his prestigious NYC law firm. Also, he was arrested and charged with the murder of a firm employee that he was having an affair with. Despite being acquitted, John loses his role in the firm and his family.

Thirty years later, John's wife is dying and his 2 kids are trying to care for her. When they find his documents after her passing, they begin to investigate on their own to discover the truth as to who really killed Jessica.

This is a slow burn story of greed, privilege and racism. I loved all of the characters, their flaws and the layers of the story as they were peeled back. I wish I could say I was surprised by the firm's greed, secrecy and coverup but its actually what I expected from this story. Overall a great read!!

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't the type of book I normally choose, but something drew me to the synopsis. Perhaps memories of Suits and The Good Wife.

This is a crime mystery, but also a tale of family and the immigrant experience. Racism wrapped up in all the normal exercises of power you'd expect in a legal thriller. And it works. The tale moves between timelines, centring on the Lo family and the legacy of the father, acquitted but not relieved of murder. Children Brennan and Hunter have very different beliefs about what happened, driving their different paths in life, and eventually bringing them back together to find out the truth, using the savvy of their net experiences and skills and the steadfast love of their mother.

The narration by Feodor Chin was compelling and on point.

Thank you to NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing | Brilliance Audio for the advance copy of the audiobook.

[Soph · Rating 3 out of 5]

5/10 - brother and sister investigate their father case as he was accused of murder - debut novel so that is taken into account, otherwise I think I would have gone lower. For the pros - I loved the formatting of this book, the way it was written was super clever, loved the back and forth timelines and point of views, kept it really quick. I liked the characters and the way the main two were written. I also liked the idea of the book. For the cons - the grammar of this book was tricky, it was often not clear who was talking. The book was super long with loads of unnecessary descriptions and additions. I also found the end really unsatisfying, the outcome was lazy and the addition characters got no resolve. I think overall the premise and idea was good, the format was great but the storyline and ending ruined it for me, would have liked more shock factor.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

For me, this falls into the unfortunate trap of trying to do a few too many things to really do any of them super well.

Most bewildering to me was that this book was *constantly* teeing itself up to add in this layer about cultural identity to the larger story, only to then immediately let it fall flat every time. We get so many lead-ins about the racial component of John (and his children’s) identities - in internal monologues, in mentions of blatantly racist comments, in quick reflections about cultural traditions that felt then completely neglected and unincorporated into the actual story. Deeper exploration of how those themes were interconnected with the larger plot, I think, would have made the book on a whole so much stronger.

Similarly, we spend such an immense amount of time throughout the book with the siblings both independently and collectively trying to untangle how who they are has been informed by their father and his alleged crime. And yet only a few quick pages at the end after the resolution that ties things up (kind of). All in all, it felt like a lot of building to a very quick ending.

[Lindsay Greene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Getting through this book was a slog until the last 15 or so pages. I was deeply invested in the whodunnit, but every time I picked it up I remembered how bleak the characters were. They all hate each other and do hateful things. The dad hates his kids, his wife, his mistress, his job, his colleagues. The mom hates her husband. The kids hate each other and one of them hates the dad. The notion that “happiness is not something they’re interested in” is repeated by multiple characters. I think the author may be trying to write a mystery/legal thriller while also perhaps making a statement on rage, loneliness, nihilism, etc. The characters could have done with more humanity though to step it up from the bleakly bleak tone. Also there was a good bit of telegraphing who the killer was pretty early on. But, I’m actually interested to see what the author does next.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.6 rounded up. Hunter and his sister, Brennan, were young children when their father, attorney John Lo, had an affair with a colleague and was then tried for (and acquitted of) her murder. Yet the scandal destroyed him, his career, and his family. Now, 30 years later, their mother is dying and the siblings are back in the same city, opening old wounds and using their acquired legal and investigative journalism skills to see if they can find the real killer. It’s an amateur detective story that’s also about family dynamics, friendships, and lies. Everyone has a lot of baggage to unpack.
The writing style is straightforward, but the story is told in three interwoven timelines. There is quite a bit of jumping around which I found confusing and/or disorienting at times. Good narration of the audiobook.
My thanks to the author, publisher, @BrillianceAudio, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook of #HollowSpaces for review purposes. Publication date: 5 August 2025.

[Colleen Markley · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Un-put-down-able” might not be an official word, but it sure does describe how I felt reading Hollow Spaces. The novel offers everything you hope for in crime thriller fiction – conflict, tension, suspense - and then also delivers deep thinking and beautiful language to describe some ugly parts of America. The underbelly of racism, our imperfect humanity, questions we have about the actions of our parents… all woven into a detective-esque story where I couldn’t wait to see what happened next. I love a good page-turner that is sticky at the end… I keep thinking about the choices and decisions that these characters made. Suthammanont more than deserves the acclaim in the multiple NY Times pieces…I can’t wait to read what he writes next.

[AJ Bernstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is well written, but I'm still not sure why I kept reading it. Every single character is dislikeable: weak willed, adulterous, simmering with rage, cowardly, corrupt, and of course racist (John, the main character, is Chinese) and that is at the core of all his relationships, with his law firm, himself, and how he is treated at large. These are not people you'd want to spend time with. I suppose I've dnf'd some real stinkers the past few monthe, and I was quite curious about the murder that is the central act in both past and present times and what exactly occurred, so I kept at it. But don't get the idea this is a murder mystery, it is far from that, it is actually a rather cynical look at human nature. Do I recommend it? Not really.

[Swapna Peri ( Book Reviews Cafe ) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Victor Suthammanont’s Hollow Spaces is a gripping family drama filled with mystery and emotion. The story begins with a murder trial involving John Lo — the only Asian American partner at a top law firm. Thirty years later, his grown children start digging into the case again, uncovering long-buried family secrets.

Told through two timelines — the original trial and the present-day investigation — the book explores issues like race in corporate America, family loyalty, ambition, and the lasting impact of past wounds. It’s an emotional, suspenseful listen that blends courtroom drama with heartfelt family moments, showing how one shocking event can echo through generations. The audiobook was also as comfortable as reading a book.

[Lacepaperlife · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hollow Spaces is one of those books that quietly pulls you in and keeps you thinking, long after it’s over. The mix of past and present timelines worked so well, especially seeing how John’s choices thirty years ago still mess with Brennan and Hunter’s lives today. I liked the messy family dynamics and how it tackled loyalty, ambition, and what we choose to believe about the people we love. It did feel a little drawn out in spots—some pages could’ve been tighter—but I was still all in. The emotional tension, the mystery, the siblings trying to make sense of their shared past—it hit just right.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 stars — R for language and tough family stuff.

[Elaine Dreyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick easy read. Sad and tragic. But Hunter and Brennan (siblings) do learn how to re-connect after many years of estrangement. Their father John was a sad and angry and needy man. And the victime of racism as Chinese lawyer. I guessed who murdered Jessica long before it was revealed--John's "good" friend Walter did the deed and set up John for the fall. And even though John was acquitted, his life was a miserable mess after the trial. His personal and professional life fell apart and he could not see a way to move forward. Thank goodness, Hunter and Brennan found Nikki who revealed the truth.