HOLLOW BONES a gripping crime thriller full of twists

by Erica Wright

An eerie Appalachian town. A fatal fire. Three women whose fates intertwine . . .

Essa Montgomery and her brother Clyde were brought up in New Hope, a serpent-handling church in Vintera, West Virginia, until the shocking deaths of both their parents closed the church down. Now twenty, reclusive Essa lives alone in her childhood home in the shadow of New Hope, which to her horror has been taken over by a new charismatic, unsettling pastor who continues the dangerous practice. So when the church burns down, she’s glad – until she learns that two people died in the blaze, and her brother’s the prime suspect . . .

Life has made Juliet Usher, who scratches a living as a psychic medium, both assertive and ruthless. With a baby on the way, it’s the worst possible time for her partner Clyde to be arrested. She’ll do anything to survive and keep him out of prison – no matter what it takes!

Merrit Callahan has always been ambitious. A striving news reporter, she’s willing to go the extra mile and break the rules to get the big scoop. And in small-town Vintera, she thinks she might have found the story that will be the making of her career.

Fans of Angie Kim’s Miracle Creek and Eli Cranor’s Ozark Dogs will love this gripping and creepy mystery novel inspired by Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure using a contemporary setting filled with shocking twists and turns!

Genres: Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Thriller, Fiction

269 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 2, 2026

About the author

Erica Wright is a poet and novelist. Her latest mystery Hollow Bones was called "an incredibly rich work of literature" in the Nashville Scene. Her essay collection Snake is part of Bloomsbury's Object Lessons series and was one of LitReactor 's Best Books of 2020. She’s over the moon to be releasing two books in 2026: the poetry collection A Buyer's Guide to the Afterlife and the mystery The Museum of Unusual Occurrence. She was the poetry editor at Guernica Magazine for more than a decade and currently teaches at Bellevue University. She lives in Knoxville, Tennessee with her family.

Reviews

[Lou Jacobs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Review
Hollow Bones
Erica Wright
reviewed by Lou Jacobs


readersremains.com | Goodreads


The inequities of life are explored in this literary mystery, highlighting the ever-present truism that power corrupts. Erica Wright masterfully reimagines Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure in the setting of the small town of Vintera, West Virginia. The lives and actions of three women are pitted against unsettling obstacles, both mundane and catastrophic.

The central protagonist is twenty-year-old Essa Montgomery, the docile daughter of the deceased preacher of the New Hope Pentecostal Church, who was bitten while handling a serpent in the course of pursuing his religious dogma. Essa now lives in the rectory across from the church, a constant daily reminder of what was. She must observe the charismatic, yet smarmy, new pastor, Micah Granieri, as he enchants his burgeoning congregation with less-than-honest sermons, falsely wielding the serpents. He champions himself as a prophet and savior to the drug-addicted, promising relief for his “true” followers. Essa has worked at the Vintera Wildlife Investigation Lab for the past four years under the watchful eye of Dr. Wick Kester, who has fostered a welcoming life for her with the possibility of education and advancement.

Essa is approached by the local police. Earlier that morning, the church was destroyed by a massive fire that not only consumed the building but also took the lives of two teenagers (apparently caught unaware during a tryst). The police seek Essa’s help in coaxing a confession from her brother Clyde, the only suspect. It is common knowledge that Clyde angrily confronted and even cut Micah in the past. This event draws other women into the web of deceit. Juliet Usher, who scratches out a living as a medium, is the pregnant girlfriend of Clyde and will do anything to protect her evolving family. She is both assertive and ruthless—the polar opposite of Essa. Covering the fire and hoping to discredit Micah Granieri is the opportunistic and ambitious journalist Merritt Callahan. There is no barrier she wouldn’t hurdle to advance her career, and this may be the story to cement her future.

Micah has been infatuated with Essa from afar for years. She is made to feel it’s absolutely necessary to confront the pastor and beseech him to approach the authorities to clear Clyde of any involvement in the fire. He agrees but adds, “I only need one favor in return. Can you guess what it is?”

Erica Wright masterfully weaves together these twisted plotlines into an engaging mélange of escalating tension and intrigue, culminating in a meaningful denouement. The multiple points of view are presented in alternating chapters of the four main protagonists, gradually revealing their motivations, expectations, and fears. Wright propels the narrative and character development with almost magical, lyrical prose, exploring the universal presence of exploiting weakness and inequality to propagate power and fame.

Thanks to Erica Wright for providing an Advance Reading Copy in exchange for an honest review. Although this is my first foray into the oeuvre of Erica Wright, it certainly won’t be my last.
... Published at MysteryAndSuspenseMagazine.com ......

[Moonkiszt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hollow Bones landed on my shelves because of the mention that this was a reimagining of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure. Erica Wright had me right there in her line of sight. . . .starting with her epigraph, from which she pulls her title:

‘… thy bones are hollow; impiety has made a feast of thee.’ – Shakespeare, Measure for Measure

Set in West Virginia, there are three women - Essa, Juliet, and Merritt. There are snake handlers, Pentecostal churching with dangerous creatures and deadly potions used to check faith levels. As the story ramps up I lost my comparisons to Shakespeare and just stayed tight for the ride on which this mystery was taking me. Wilderness and scary movies all combined to squeeze the tension level even tighter.

Buckle up and give this one a go, while having a dose of Shakespeare on the way.

*A sincere thank you to Erica Wright, Severn House, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.* 26|52:26d

[Rainbow Goth · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book initially had a slow start, and I found it difficult to connect with the character Essa at first. The prospect of delving into religious trauma was daunting. However, as the story unfolded, I found myself increasingly captivated and eagerly anticipating each new development.

I particularly enjoyed the character Juliet, and I wished her storyline had been more fleshed out. Additionally, while the references to the occult were intriguing, I felt that they didn't significantly impact the overall story. I had hoped they would play a more substantial role because of their intriguing nature.

This was a different kind of thriller and in the end, I did find enjoyment in the book, and I'm pleased that I persevered through the slower beginning.

[Erica Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was a junior in high school, I went on a field trip to the Alabama Shakespeare Festival in Montgomery where I saw a production of Measure for Measure. I had never read the play before, which is perhaps why I was shocked at the plight of Isabella as well as swayed by her passionate pleas for mercy. Decades later, I can recall how I leaned forward in my seat, rapt. Measure for Measure remains my favorite Shakespeare play and certainly doesn’t need to be reimagined, yet here we are. Which is to say, thank you for reading!

[Abigail Singrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book feels unsettling from the very first page.

Pastor Micah has won acclaim for his addiction programs, replacing it with a brand of spirituality that includes handling venomous snakes and drinking poison. But when his church burns down with two teenagers inside it, suddenly the attention of the world is on his ministry. When Pastor Micah blames an outcast - the adult son of the former pastor - he hopes to use it to draw closer to Essa, the sister who has fascinated him since he first laid eyes on her.

Essa has left the church, but not really. After the death of both her pastor parents from snake bites, she struggles to let anything else go. She wears her hair long in her mother's old clothes and lives in their former home, only adding a few books of her own. But when her brother is accused of setting the fire, she reaches out to his hippy live-in girlfriend, setting her life on a different path.

Although the book begins with Pastor Micah, it is truly Essa's story. It chronicles her journey of breaking free from the cult she was born into as she embarks on a quest to save her brother.

This creepy, suspenseful novel delves into themes of trauma, addiction, and abuse, making it an excellent choice for book club discussions.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book follows the story of Essa Montgomery in a small town in West Virginia called Vintera. Essa's dad was the pastor at the church, before he and his wife passes away. Essa struggles with religious trauma and being the serpent orphan. When the New Hope church is burned down, with two teenage kids inside, her brother Clyde is the first suspect after Pastor Micah blames him for it.
Essa gets caught in the middle of the investigation where to cops are trying to use her to incriminate her brother, and the pastor tries to use his power in the town to manipulate her into giving into his dark desires. This book was eerie and unsettling from the very beginning. It takes dark twists and turns, and there were parts where I felt like any character was capable of doing desperate things in dark times.
Essa's character developed from a timid, traumatized girl, to realizing her potential, and being grateful for the people and opportunities she had in her life. She was able to think for herself and took matters into her own hands when she felt others couldn't be trusted.
I like the style of writing in this book. You could hear the way the talked and envision the scenes as they played out in the story. I did find it to be predictable, but that doesn't mean anything, as I can usually predict the ending. It has been a long time since I read a book that surprised me.
THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY FOR GIVING ME EARLY ACCESS TO THIS BOOK.how

[Ray Palen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Erica Wright shows off her poetic chops and experience as long-time Editor at Guernica Magazine by penning a crime/thriller that goes for the psychological and personal rather than the criminal intent within people.

HOLLOW BONES is essentially the story of three women --- the introverted and lonely Essa who does not want to believe her brother is guilty of burning down the local Church in anger; Juliet, her brother's pregnant lover and local psychic who sees deep below the surface of their small town; and the news reporter Merrit, who is just trying to make sense of it all as well as a name for herself in covering a complex tale of human depravity.

Readers will not care as much about innocence or guilt as they will be too busy enjoying the deeply complex character study at the heart of HOLLOW BONES. The scrutiny placed upon the member of society who should be the purest, the local pastor, lends itself nicely to a morality tale that will keep you thinking from start to finish.

[Marsha Raasch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this on the plane to NYC and with one arm wrapped around a pole on numerous subway rides. Well told story about a brother and sister forever marked by their snake handling preacher father, and the death of their mother by snake bite. A new charismatic preacher arrives in this rural Southern town with its plague of opioid addiction and sets up his own church and NA program utilizing the fear and adrenaline of snake handling. ( Actually, I thought there might be some benefit to this as an antidote to using drugs). But all is not as it seems, and two fires threaten the precarious existence these siblings have created .

[Jenna Hatfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a book that has borderline cult vibes, and really appreciated the FMC's grapple with her own past religious trauma. On top of that, Hollow Bones is an exceptionally well done mystery; I was left guessing all the way until the end! There is a lot of character growth for multiple characters, but it's written in a way that feels organic and helps propel the story. Definitely recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Heather Walter · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love an Appalachian thriller, and this book had all the makings of a 5 star read (snake-handling preachers, psychic mediums, murder) but unfortunately it fell flat for me and actually kinda put me in a reading slump ☹️ The plot dragged ooooonnnnn and then resolved in a matter of like five pages. Three female leads felt like too many to really flesh out the characters thoroughly. So much potential but it wasn’t for me 😩

[Dorsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved the writing style. It’s descriptive without being flowery. Also I thought the subject matter (snake handling) was interesting. Thanks, Erica, for a great read!

[Nora · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book of hers yet! The story being told by the three women is masterfully handled. The tension is just right- enough to make it creepy to read at night, but gripping so you can't wait to pick it back up in the daylight. And I did not see the ending coming!

[Denis Wheller · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Almost Heaven, West Virginia “ goes the song, but it’s also the only state where it is still legal to pick up serpents during church services – a rare show of faith practiced by some small, rural congregations. In the township of Vintera, the Pastor of the New Hope Pentecostal Church had been Essa Montgomery’s great grandfather, then grandfather, then father. Deaths by snakebite in such churches are few but a few years ago, her mother had died this way followed a little later by her father. Thus, at age fifteen, Essa became an orphan and her brother, Clyde, became her legal guardian at eighteen. Neither has ever returned to the church.
Now, five years later, Essa still lives adjacent to the Church in what was the family home. She works as lab assistant to the local necrologist, helping to identify the cause of death for animals, and providing forensic information in legal cases. She has never had a boyfriend, wears her hair in a long braid and dresses in her mother’s old (and very old fashioned) clothes. Her only ‘friend’ is a stuffed hawk called Greta. Clyde, a short-tempered man with a chip on his shoulder when it comes to the Church, lives with his partner Juliet, a fortune teller with a real gift for seeing into people’s minds – and what appears to be a real ability to see phantoms.
Following their father’s death, the siblings had hoped the church would slowly fade away but, instead, three years ago a new, handsome and charismatic Pastor, Micah Granieri, had taken over. His looks and personality had boosted the congregation, especially when he started using the picking up of snakes to cure drug addicts. He also has a lustful eye on Essa, who has no idea of this but has ignored him anyway since his arrival.
And then the church is destroyed in an arson attack, inadvertently killing two teenagers who had been using it as a trysting place. Clyde is the obvious suspect and taken in for questioning. Enter, Merritt Callahan, a young reporter on the make. Can the three young women solve the murder while saving Essa from the predatory Parson?
On the face of it, this is a whodunnit with a more than usually weird background. It is told largely from the point of view of Essa, but with significant angles from Juliet, Merritt and Micah. The writing is quite good and invokes the claustrophobic atmosphere in which the story unfolds. It starts with the fire, and proceeds quite slowly as background is infiltrated into the narrative. Into the home straight, though, things happen quite quickly and the tight timelining of the earlier chapters seemed to fall apart a bit. The characters are fairly believable except that I couldn’t see why Juliet’s ‘supernatural powers’ are needed in the plot. It is quite difficult to work out the who and the why, but the answers are perfectly sensible.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

[Joey · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was sixteen, we studied the poem 'Mariana' by Alfred Tennyson at school. My teacher provided the background to this character by giving us a quick summary of Shakespeare's 'Measure for Measure'. I fell in love. It immediately became my favourite Shakespeare play and I fondly remember going to the bookshop to pick up a copy, choosing between a few different covers. I still haven't had the chance to see it on stage, but I live in hope that a revival will come to London in the near future.

A novel inspired by 'Measure for Measure'? I couldn't believe my luck!

Oh, Essa. What a beautiful version of Isabella from the play. Essa is not a nun like Isabella was, but she is a young woman who has never had a sexual or romantic partner, so she is chaste in the way which works for the plot. Oh, Micah. He is a truly awful man, just like Angelo. It works pretty perfectly to make this version of the character into a preacher, given the religious justification behind Angelo's initial actions in the play.

The initial scene between them in the novel was such a gorgeous companion to their first scene together in the original play. How incredibly charged and what a fantastic dynamic - it genuinely sent chills down my spine. As I write this review, I have my copy of 'Measure for Measure' beside me on the desk. I just had to go back and read that scene after finishing this novel.

I had an absolute blast trying to match up the characters in 'Hollow Bones' with the characters from 'Measure for Measure'. The only character who retains their name is Juliet. Claudio becomes Clive. There are two different women who could be incarnations of Madame Overdone - it makes the most sense for it to be Charlene who owns a bar named after her, but there is also a Madame Clarita. The famous Mariana is recreated in Kimberly. After that, it becomes pretty murky. Is Doctor Kester a strange version of Vincentio? Who on earth is Meritt? Of course, this is not a straight retelling of 'Measure for Measure' so the characters don't need to all align in this way, but it was fun to ponder.

Despite my nerdy ramblings, you absolutely don't need to know anything about 'Measure for Measure' to enjoy this gorgeously written and twisty little novel. The eerie setting, well-drawn characters and clever plotline will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Severn House for the ARC!

[ColleenIsBooked · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the prologue, the reader is made to feel uncomfortable and weary. There is something... off about Pastor Micah, and it's not snake handling.
This story centers on the lives of three women that become intertwined through a church none of them attend. Essa's father was the previous pastor for New Hope, a church that still partook in the controversial use of snakes in their services, and his wife, Essa's mother assisted with the snakes. After a freak accident during a service a few years prior, Essa and her brother Clyde suddenly became orphans. Neither attend the church after the arrival of the new pastor. Essa is quiet, keeps to herself, wears her mother's clothing, and works in a kind of animal medical examiner's office. She has heard about but never really interacted with Clyde's girlfriend Juliet, who we also follow. Juliet is a psychic of sorts and at points communicates with ghosts. I find her fascinating. The third woman we follow is Merritt, a reporter who was just doing a story on Pastor Micah's programs to combat narcotic use in the rural area who stumbles on the story of her career after New Hope is burned to the ground with two teens inside. We also get a few chapters from Pastor Micah's POV, which were the most uncomfortable and creepy chapters by far.
I really liked the way the author painted the story and crafted this small town. Though the town (and the county?) do not exist, it feels real. Though this book does deal a bit with religion, it mostly focuses on personal development for the main three women through the police investigations of the church arson that has narrowed in on Essa's brother, Clyde.
I think the story could have used a bit more of a resolution with the whole Pastor Micah situation and with his character. Things remain a little vague in my opinion for certain things that are spoilers.
If you like mysteries that lean towards the creepy and possible supernatural, I think this book will give you that! I haven't read Measure For Measure, the Shakespeare play this story is loosely based on, but I did read a synopsis after finishing and I would say it likely stands up as a good retelling that makes its own divergences.

*Thank you so much to Severn House, Publishers Weekly, and NetGalley for the eARC. All thoughts are my own :) *

[Shine with Shauna · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5 stars)

Oh, I just love a good mystery! Take me to the hills of West Virginia and immerse me in a crowd of religious zealots...it's mysterious and creepy!

Essa grew up in the New Hope Church, where her father was a pastor. It's not your run-of-the-mill Christian church, it's a rural church that believes in snake handling or serpent handling as part of their worship service. As teenagers, the lives of Essa and her older brother are rapidly altered, when their parents unexpectedly die, resulting in the church closing down.

Fast forward a few years. Essa continues to live in her childhood home, which is on the same land as the closed New Hope Church. Her brother, Clyde, is in a relationship with a psychic medium, a sharp contrast from his childhood belief system. When a new pastor comes to this little neck of West Virginia and reopens the New Hope Church, life starts to feel unsettled and the snakes reemerge. Then things really start to heat up, when the New Hope Church goes up in flames. For the reader, this is where the mystery takes off. Who burned down the New Hope Church?

Erica Wright does a fabulous job of setting the scene conducive for a spine-chilling mystery, as well as developing some incredibly diverse and complicated characters. They'll keep you guessing, as several of them have a reason to want to burn the church down. I found myself plowing through the pages, invested in solving this crime! As I read the final page, my only wish was that the character, Juliet (the psychic medium and Essa's brother's partner), would have played a more pivotal role. She added such an interesting dynamic, amongst this alternative, religious community.

Thank you to Severn House for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest feedback. All opinions are my own. And now, I fear, I may be dreaming about snakes.

[Robert Goodman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Erica Wright’s Hollow Bones may be a crime novel set in West Virginia but it is inspired by Shakespear’s Measure for Measure. No knowledge of the original tale is needed to enjoy this complex, character-driven story.
The cold open of Hollow Bones introduces readers to Father Micah, a preacher who has taken over a church in Vintera, West Virginia, where worship involves poisonous serpents (not snakes). This is a week before a fire that destroys the church building. The fire is blamed on Clyde, one of the two children of the former pastor and his wife who both died from snakebite. The other, Essa, lives in the old rectory and has drawn the attention of Father Micah and who offers her a Mephistophelian deal.
The narrative of Hollow Bones focusses on three very different women. Eighteen year old Essa, Clyde’s pregnant girlfriend and town psychic Juliet, and Merrit, an ambitious news reporter who has her own suspicions about Micah. And then there is Micah himself, a man who has the ability to exploit the weaknesses in others, but who finds himself obsessed with breaking Essa.
It is Essa’s story in particular where Wright has drawn her inspiration from Shakespeare. In Measure for Measure the corrupt priest (Angelo) sentences the young man (Claudio) to death but falls in love with the man’s sister (Isabella) when she comes to beg for her brother’s life. The deal that Angelo offers to Isabella is the same as Micah offers to Essa, as is the way the two young women respond.
But this is still also a well constructed crime story, with more crimes following the destruction of the church, including a murder, and an unexpected resolution. In doing so Wright also delves into one of the more bizarre subbranches of American Christianity (a group who also feature in Christian White’s debut The Nowhere Child). Wright has successfully threaded a needle here in delivering this melange of crime fiction inspired by Shakespearean characters and situations in this modern, West Virginian setting .

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Essa is the serpent orphan; the daughter of a snake-handling pastor who was killed by a snake bite, as was her mother. Raised by her older brother Clyde, they left the flock and she now lives alone in the rectory next to the church, which the charismatic Pastor Micah has taken over. When the church burns down killing two local teenagers, the finger is pointed at Clyde solely on the word of the new pastor. Ambitious TV news reporter Merritt is in the small town to cover the church fire but is determined to dig deeper into the truth of who Pastor Micah really is and further her career. While not exactly what I would call a "fast-paced" story, Hollow Bones is an interesting look into the world of serpent-handling congregations of which I knew little about. Essa's career as an assistant in a wildlife laboratory was fascinating and I would have loved a little more lab time weaved into the story. Pastor Micah is slimier than the snakes and a prime example of why women "choose the bear." His obsession with Essa has the opportunity to come to a dramatic conclusion, but doesn't and that feels like a miss. The storyline with Clyde's pregnant partner Juliet, a psychic with a love of tarot cards, goes a bit wacky to me. I would have been fine with less Juliet time, as she feels almost like a whole other story. The whodunnit twist did come as a surprise, although I think a further understanding of motivation and a few breadcrumbs along the way would have made it a bit less out of left field. I won a copy from the publisher in Publisher’s Weekly Grab a Galley.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝑯𝑶𝑳𝑳𝑶𝑾 𝑩𝑶𝑵𝑬𝑺 𝒃𝒚 𝑬𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒂 𝑾𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 was graciously given to me by @severnhouseimprint through Publishers Weekly, and I devoured it.

Essa has made her way in her community despite having lost her parents at 15 from the snake bites they incurred while preaching. Her older brother Clyde struggled to help, but tried his best. With a new charismatic preacher taking up the snakes, attention is drawn to this small town when the church burns down and Clyde is suspected. Merritt is the reporter in town who feels the way secrets are held here and is out to expose them. Juliet is Clyde's wife and though her and Essa have not always gotten along, this new crisis is bringing them together. As these 3 women keep edging toward the truth of the fire, they will need all their strength and cunning to get justice.

I was quite compelled by this Appalachian tale. Essa seems to have a level of neurodivergency which makes her even more vulnerable, but not any less intelligent. I appreciated how Merrit kept after the truth and understood Essa in a way that she needed. Juliet was also a rebel character who I found fascinating, though some of her arc felt less connected to the story. The paranormal sprinkling was unexpected and I'm not sure added much for me, but it didn't take anything away either. A solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

I haven't seen this one much, so here's a nudge toward an atmospheric story with a creepy undercurrent that has women coming up strong!

[Portia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am going to start by saying that I am not super familiar with Measure for Measure so this review is purely based on the book itself, not how it works as an adaptation.

Hollow Bones tells the story of a Pentecostal church that undergoes a change in leadership and finds itself the center of a news cycle when the church burns down. For the most part, I enjoyed the story of this book. I liked the sections from the POV of the daughter of the former leadership the best. There were a couple of things that didn't work for me, though. First of all, I think there were just too many different perspectives. This is a short book and we didn't get to spend enough time with any one perspective. I think the perspective of Juliet was unnecessary. This leads me to my other problem with the book: the supernatural elements in Juliet's sections. There was enough going on this book without introducing a ghost and I feel like that element was never fully explored or realized. I thought I understood what part the ghost was going to play and then it just didn't happen. I felt underwhelmed and like there wasn't a point to that whole plot. Again, this is a short book so this felt like it filled up space that could have been spent fleshing out the main plot/characters.

Thanks to Severn House and Netgalley for the review copy.

[Carolynne aka Saucy Chicken · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an ARC read, and it was interesting. It's kind of a niche story, but interesting nonetheless.

It read like a "local, hometown author," using the country dialog of the Appalachian community. We find ourselves in the backwoods of West Virginia. The premise of the story is that an old-time snake handling church gets destroyed, and two innocent people are killed as a result. Our female lead is certainly socially backward, holding onto her grandparent's religion and trying to make it on her own. We have an overly ambitious female reporter who will stop at nothing to make a name for herself. We have the soon-to-be sister in law, who is kind of like a "witch," with tarot card readings and some sort of mysticism for seeing apparitions. There's the new preacher, who is so full of himself and has the town in his pocket after having just arrived.

We don't get a lot of background on any of the characters. The important side characters are never fleshed out. There are gaps in the story that make it feel rushed. It felt like the cliffnotes version of a full novel.

Overall, not a bad book, but definitely could have been better.

[Izzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this.
This was such a unique crime thriller where (in the best way) the crime/thriller aspect to second seat to the exploration of the character's personality, loves and betrayals.
This peak into life in an Appalachian town held together / destroyed by unusual religious practices was fascinating. The stark realities of the opoid epidemic alongside the mysticalness of the magic was a gorgeous reflection. Erica Wright managed to get so much across in such few pages and whilst I'm sure you could fly through this book I really wanted to savour the enjoyment I was getting from it.
I loved the three points of view that we followed in this story, Erica Wright was able to give each woman such a distinct voice. The way they interacted with, but also supported, each other was so good and really allowed the women to be the heros of the story.
I know that I will be thinking about this book and its characters for a long time.

[Farah G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Welcome to small town Vintera, which has a complicated past that continues to haunt its present. No one knows that better than Essa and Clyd Montgomery, who loves the parents in a tragic incident years ago involving serpent handling at their fundamentalist church.

Now, after a new pastor at the church has shown support for the continuance of the bizarre practice, Essa is initially relieved when the church burns down. Until it turns out two people perished in the blaze.

To make the situation worse, to the dismay of both Essa and Juliet, Clyde's partner, they discover that he is a suspect in the incident.

So what is the real story behind the arson? An ambitious reporter is determined to find out, at any cost...

This novel brings the perils and politics of a small town in Appalachia vividly to life. Compelling storytelling makes the book a worthwhile read, and earns it 3.5 stars.

I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

[Gina Heron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hollow Bones is a haunting retelling of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, and I loved every minute of it! While Merritt, a reporter on the rise, sets out to expose the shady but charismatic pastor of New Hope church, Essa, the former pastor's orphaned daughter, struggles to keep her quiet life from shattering when her brother, Clyde, is suspected of burning the church down. Clyde's pregnant girlfriend, Juliet, is determined to keep her new family together.

I'm a fan of the dark and gritty female-centric storytelling, and this hit just the right note for me! The characters are well-developed, the setting starkly beautiful and at times creepy, and the suspense engrossing. This book will fit nicely on the shelf with my favorite Appalachian mysteries.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for ARC.

[Mary Kendall · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Hollow Bones, Erica Wright reveals herself to be a mistress of the craft as the storyline is deftly spooled out and never dips into a lull or period of tedium. It is an impressive feat to keep the reader’s interest line by line.

Then there is this plot. I was fortunate enough to hear Wright discuss the inspiration of this story at a book festival panel called “American Gothic” where she explained the profound influence that the Shakespeare play, Measure for Measure, had on her and how it formed a loose framework for this novel.

That said though, this story is so refreshingly original---no tropes, no obvious plot points. I continued to be struck by this originality as I read it. I did not want the experience to end; however, I could let it go for one reason: SNAKES!!

Hats off to Erica Wright with this stunner of a Gothic novel!

[Perceval Davenport · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a bit of a slow start, the pace and suspense of this book picked up to a comfortable level. The plot twists weren't enough to give the good kind of whiplash one would expect from a mystery read, but were solid nevertheless. The occult/supernatural elements, unfortunately, seemed like more of an afterthought and didn't play a significant enough role in the story, in my opinion. The characters were somewhat developed and compassion and empathy for the main protagonist was definitely there, but other characters, given their pivotal roles, could have done with more fleshing out. Overall, it was a decent read that attempted to stand out within its genre, and for other readers, may be successful in doing so.

[Jessica Burchett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4 out of 5 stars

The serpant orphan, Essa finds herself in the midst of drama when her brother, Clyde, is arrested for burning down New Hope church with two people inside. Her brother's wife is pregnant, unbenownst to Essa previously, the pastor at New Hope has taken a dark interest in Essa, a reporter is determined to suss out who actually burned the church down and not just who the police department is pinning it on due to the pastor's assumption, and snakes everywhere!

See my full review here on my YouTube Book Tube channel, The Caffeinated Book Wyrm: https://youtu.be/2tQ6MCmGshc?si=3eS1Z...-

[Anahid · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was attracted to this book because of the cover and the title. I'm still not sure where the title came from but it adds mystery and a darker feel to the book. It was an overall decent book. Some of the time the story wasn't super interesting or exciting but it picked up toward the end. I was not expecting the ending at all.

I wasn't the biggest fan of all the POV switching, especially when Pastor Micah got added into the mix too. Pastor Micah was not my favorite character but I suppose that is the point of the not-so-likable antagonist. The characters weren't the most interesting but I'm glad Essa, Juliet, and Clyde got a happy ending at the end of the story. I wouldn't have minded hearing about what happened to Merritt though.

[Ken Ronkowitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my pallet cleanser read, which I do after or before what someone would call literary fiction. This is a hard book for me to classify because there is some mystery, but it’s not exactly a mystery. I like the setting, which is a south that I don’t know. I liked the character of Essa and disliked the characters I’m supposed to dislike or at least mistrust. It did keep me guessing until the end so I suppose it is a mystery, but I don’t feel that would be a fair word to stamp on top of the book binding because it is more of a story about things other than the mystery of who burned the church and killed several people. It is my first novel by this author, and I will probably read another.

[Erica C · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick, gripping little mystery.

Essa’s parents both fell victim to snake bites in church services gone awry a few years ago. A new pastor came to pick up the serpents & has the whole town under his spell. When the church burns down, Essa’s brother is the prime suspect.

With twists & turns I didn’t expect, this book tells the story of the New Hope Church Fire from multiple perspectives - the serpent orphan, the town mystic, an out-of-towner career-woman reporter, & the creepy new pastor himself.

The writing is engaging & the story telling had me turning pages. There’s just the right mix of realism, mysticism, and cult-ish undertones & I really enjoyed this one