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Dead Hollow #1
Prodigal
To save a missing girl, he’ll have to confront his dark past. A past that means to kill him… Drifter Adam Rutledge left his Appalachian hometown for good nearly two decades ago. In all those years, he has never forgotten how helpless he felt when his best friend was abducted. And Cold Springs has never forgotten its mistrust of the orphaned boy who drew heartache like a lightning rod.
Now a strange dream sends Adam back to Cold Springs, to Jennifer Jane Tulley—the only friend who still believes in him—and to the discovery that another innocent has been taken. Adam may have been helpless before, but this time, JJ convinces him, is different. This time they can save the child.
To find the missing girl, they must solve the riddle of Adam’s tragic past. But when their efforts reveal Adam’s deepest, darkest secret, the visions he has spent a lifetime burying are unleashed. While he struggles to maintain his sanity, JJ fights to keep him alive, to protect Adam from himself and from the madman watching them from the shadows. Watching, and waiting…
Prodigal is the first book in the Dead Hollow supernatural suspense trilogy. If you like crime thrillers with authentic characters, evocative settings, and a dash of paranormal, you’ll love this haunting series.
Buy Prodigal to unlock the mysteries of Dead Hollow today!
Now a strange dream sends Adam back to Cold Springs, to Jennifer Jane Tulley—the only friend who still believes in him—and to the discovery that another innocent has been taken. Adam may have been helpless before, but this time, JJ convinces him, is different. This time they can save the child.
To find the missing girl, they must solve the riddle of Adam’s tragic past. But when their efforts reveal Adam’s deepest, darkest secret, the visions he has spent a lifetime burying are unleashed. While he struggles to maintain his sanity, JJ fights to keep him alive, to protect Adam from himself and from the madman watching them from the shadows. Watching, and waiting…
Prodigal is the first book in the Dead Hollow supernatural suspense trilogy. If you like crime thrillers with authentic characters, evocative settings, and a dash of paranormal, you’ll love this haunting series.
Buy Prodigal to unlock the mysteries of Dead Hollow today!
- GenresParanormal
352 pages, ebook
Published March 14, 2017
58 people are currently reading
78 people want to read
About the author
Judy K. Walker
16 books42 followersA recovering criminal attorney, Judy K. Walker has enough spare letters after her name (and student loan debt) to suggest that insatiable curiosity is something fictional private investigator Sydney Brennan inherited from her creator. Fortunately, Judy’s curiosity rarely involves murders. She also penned the Dead Hollow Trilogy, an Appalachian thriller series with a touch of the paranormal that taps into her West Virginia origins.
The Sydney Brennan Mysteries stand alone, but do build upon each other. The books, featuring Tallahassee Private Investigator Sydney Brennan and a recurring supporting cast, are (in reading order): Back to Lazarus, Secrets in Stockbridge, The Perils of Panacea, No Safe Winterport, Braving the Boneyard, River Bound, and Grave Truth.
Dead Hollow is a true trilogy of supernatural crime thrillers and must be read IN ORDER: Prodigal, Founder, and Heir.
Judy writes from her home in Hawaii, where she is surrounded by husband, feral pigs, and assorted geckos.
The Sydney Brennan Mysteries stand alone, but do build upon each other. The books, featuring Tallahassee Private Investigator Sydney Brennan and a recurring supporting cast, are (in reading order): Back to Lazarus, Secrets in Stockbridge, The Perils of Panacea, No Safe Winterport, Braving the Boneyard, River Bound, and Grave Truth.
Dead Hollow is a true trilogy of supernatural crime thrillers and must be read IN ORDER: Prodigal, Founder, and Heir.
Judy writes from her home in Hawaii, where she is surrounded by husband, feral pigs, and assorted geckos.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
May 18, 2018
I am not a huge paranormal fan but this book was to hard to put down from the beginning to the end it is one read I could read again.
Judy Walker has the ability to keep readers hooked with her chapters that seem to pull readers into the story with each chapter building to a point where you can't put the book down needing more.
The story has twist and turns and a few ups and downs that will keep you locked to your seat.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the copy of Prodigal by Judy Walker
Judy Walker has the ability to keep readers hooked with her chapters that seem to pull readers into the story with each chapter building to a point where you can't put the book down needing more.
The story has twist and turns and a few ups and downs that will keep you locked to your seat.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the copy of Prodigal by Judy Walker
July 9, 2018
( Format : Audiobook )
"A moonshine of the mind."
Three childhood friends, Adam, J.J. and Danny, spent all of their free time together until, one night, Danny is stolen. Not long after, another little girl from 20 miles away is taken. Despite intensive searching, they are never found.
Twenty years later, Adam feels the pull to return to his old home only to find that a new child has gone missing that very day, a girl called Rachel who lived in the house next door to that of his old playmate, J.J. Still beset with grief and guilt at the death of Danny, Adam has nightmares still about his and the first girl's deaths. Now he believes he must solve this latest kidnap and bring Rachel home, alive. But who will believe his terrifying visions that he believes come from the child, especially as his father and grandfather had both been deemed mad and he, himself, had been considered unstable as a boy, the very reason his grandmother had sent him away from the small rural town so many years before.
The race is on to find Rachel, but with so much forested land to cover and Rachel's own asthma problem and no inhaler, the chances are very bleak.
Superbly written to build both characters and tension as the book proceeds, this paranormal thriller is not airy fairy ghosts and magical appearances, but hard nitty gritty, brief nightmare visions, often puzzling and terrifying to Adam. Dialogue and emotions feel real. Hidden family secrets uncovered. People are not simply good or evil but a realistic mix. It all seems totally plausible right to the very satisfying ending.
The book is further enhanced by the narration of Alex Knox. His voice is pleasing to the ear, with good intonation and conveying emotion but without overdramatisation. He paces the text well, not too quickly, further building a feel for the Adam character. All of the protagonists have their own distinctly appropriate voicings, a!so. A good performance which enhances the story.
I was fortunate in being freely gifted, at my request, a complimentary copy of Prodigal, from the rights holder, via Audiobook Boom. Thank you so much. I am not often a fan of straightforward paranormal stories but this one was not a normal paranormal book. It felt real, possible, but still mysterious. Life can be like that.
I thoroughly enjoyed listening and recommend it as a very good read.
"A moonshine of the mind."
Three childhood friends, Adam, J.J. and Danny, spent all of their free time together until, one night, Danny is stolen. Not long after, another little girl from 20 miles away is taken. Despite intensive searching, they are never found.
Twenty years later, Adam feels the pull to return to his old home only to find that a new child has gone missing that very day, a girl called Rachel who lived in the house next door to that of his old playmate, J.J. Still beset with grief and guilt at the death of Danny, Adam has nightmares still about his and the first girl's deaths. Now he believes he must solve this latest kidnap and bring Rachel home, alive. But who will believe his terrifying visions that he believes come from the child, especially as his father and grandfather had both been deemed mad and he, himself, had been considered unstable as a boy, the very reason his grandmother had sent him away from the small rural town so many years before.
The race is on to find Rachel, but with so much forested land to cover and Rachel's own asthma problem and no inhaler, the chances are very bleak.
Superbly written to build both characters and tension as the book proceeds, this paranormal thriller is not airy fairy ghosts and magical appearances, but hard nitty gritty, brief nightmare visions, often puzzling and terrifying to Adam. Dialogue and emotions feel real. Hidden family secrets uncovered. People are not simply good or evil but a realistic mix. It all seems totally plausible right to the very satisfying ending.
The book is further enhanced by the narration of Alex Knox. His voice is pleasing to the ear, with good intonation and conveying emotion but without overdramatisation. He paces the text well, not too quickly, further building a feel for the Adam character. All of the protagonists have their own distinctly appropriate voicings, a!so. A good performance which enhances the story.
I was fortunate in being freely gifted, at my request, a complimentary copy of Prodigal, from the rights holder, via Audiobook Boom. Thank you so much. I am not often a fan of straightforward paranormal stories but this one was not a normal paranormal book. It felt real, possible, but still mysterious. Life can be like that.
I thoroughly enjoyed listening and recommend it as a very good read.
March 14, 2018
Wow, what a great booi. If you like mystery, paranormal, this is it. I loved this one. Adam has spent the years of his life away from his home and family. His family growing up was Danny, JJ and him.
They were always together until the time that Danny was abducted and Adam started having dreams.
His grandmother feared for him and sent him away. Well Adam is grown down and has had dreams about a missing girl, Rachel, and he must return home.
JJ (Jennifer Jane) still remained there and is now divorced with a little girl. Rachel, who has been taken, is her daughter's best friend and JJ felt that if Evie hadn't had a sleep over at a friends house, it would have been her.
Adam and JJ are bonded as friends and know that they must try to find Rachel. Adams has always held hisself responsible for his best friend being taken, then he also had dreams about another girl in his hometown missing and now Rachel. How are these cases linked. Who can the trust. Can he even trust JJ.
Fantastic book and ahd all the elements that I loved. Can't wait to read the next one in the series!
They were always together until the time that Danny was abducted and Adam started having dreams.
His grandmother feared for him and sent him away. Well Adam is grown down and has had dreams about a missing girl, Rachel, and he must return home.
JJ (Jennifer Jane) still remained there and is now divorced with a little girl. Rachel, who has been taken, is her daughter's best friend and JJ felt that if Evie hadn't had a sleep over at a friends house, it would have been her.
Adam and JJ are bonded as friends and know that they must try to find Rachel. Adams has always held hisself responsible for his best friend being taken, then he also had dreams about another girl in his hometown missing and now Rachel. How are these cases linked. Who can the trust. Can he even trust JJ.
Fantastic book and ahd all the elements that I loved. Can't wait to read the next one in the series!
July 6, 2018
Disclaimer.
I had requested and received audible version of this book for free from the author, in exchange for an unbiased review.
What I liked about the book -
I think Black Mirror once had an episode where the protagonist had the same ability as the protagonist in this book. Can't remember the name exactly. Anyway, I love stories that think outside the box and gives readers something unique. This book takes a unique idea and builds an even more intriguing thriller story around it. Every chapter in this book kept pushing towards the next and it was very difficult to take breaks when I had to. I wanted to finish it all in one sitting. The characters are very well written and the plot moves at fast pace. Its very entertaining from start to end.
What I disliked about the book -
Start is a little slow, but it picks up speed soon enough.
Narration -
Narration by Alex Knox was a good match for the content. His performance added value to the atmosphere and made for an entertaining listen.
I had requested and received audible version of this book for free from the author, in exchange for an unbiased review.
What I liked about the book -
I think Black Mirror once had an episode where the protagonist had the same ability as the protagonist in this book. Can't remember the name exactly. Anyway, I love stories that think outside the box and gives readers something unique. This book takes a unique idea and builds an even more intriguing thriller story around it. Every chapter in this book kept pushing towards the next and it was very difficult to take breaks when I had to. I wanted to finish it all in one sitting. The characters are very well written and the plot moves at fast pace. Its very entertaining from start to end.
What I disliked about the book -
Start is a little slow, but it picks up speed soon enough.
Narration -
Narration by Alex Knox was a good match for the content. His performance added value to the atmosphere and made for an entertaining listen.
January 3, 2022
Prodigal was a bit confusing and very wordy to the point of distraction at times. The plot was interesting and not something I was expecting, so from that perspective it was entertaining. The conversations between characters was often stilted and I found it hard to follow because, at least in my life, when you're having a serious conversation with someone you don't just stop in the middle of it because it's a bit uncomfortable; especially when everyone is a full grown adult. I can see a teen running out of the room or an adult tabling a conversation if a child is too young to know certain facts, but this was to the point of ridiculous. There, I said it. I really wanted to like this book more but found myself distracted quite often by my own questions as to why someone would do something or say something and then not finish. From the other reviews there were quite a few people who liked it, so it's anybody's guess whether or not you'd enjoy the read.
July 10, 2018
This is a well written, well developed story with a strong plot, complex characters, and fastening circumstances. I thought narration was great, and both the story and narrator kept my attention from beginning to end. It's really a great mystery/thriller that I think anyone and everyone will enjoy. Would definitely recommend it to others, and would definitely be interested in reading more in the series. Well done!
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
January 6, 2022
Great Read
I really enjoyed this book. The characters were relatable and well developed. The supernatural aspect of the story was plausible. I usually find these types of stories tend to fall on the ridiculous side, and leave me wondering why I bothered! The author also has a good sense of small town backwoods life and culture. For once I didn't feel like I was reading a parody or an approximation of my rural view point. It was quite refreshing. All in all, a good story. I'm looking forward to reading more.
I really enjoyed this book. The characters were relatable and well developed. The supernatural aspect of the story was plausible. I usually find these types of stories tend to fall on the ridiculous side, and leave me wondering why I bothered! The author also has a good sense of small town backwoods life and culture. For once I didn't feel like I was reading a parody or an approximation of my rural view point. It was quite refreshing. All in all, a good story. I'm looking forward to reading more.
October 26, 2022
Happy I picked this book
A unknown author who now is a favorite! Totally amazed this was such a good read. Good plot, storyline, editing and characters. The end was a tad rushed but the people continue on to the second book. The author reads fresh and energetic. This book was not a struggle to continue or finish. With 55 years in reading/exploring the written word I enjoyed this book. Give her a try. Continuing on to the next in series.
A unknown author who now is a favorite! Totally amazed this was such a good read. Good plot, storyline, editing and characters. The end was a tad rushed but the people continue on to the second book. The author reads fresh and energetic. This book was not a struggle to continue or finish. With 55 years in reading/exploring the written word I enjoyed this book. Give her a try. Continuing on to the next in series.
February 21, 2024
I really enjoyed this thriller with a touch of supernatural / paranormal. Adam is a sympathetic but flawed 'hero'. The secondary characters are nicely developed and add to the story. There are hints and twists with moments of trepidation.
There were questions left at the end and I want to get the next in the series to see if there are answers.
The narration by Alex Knox is very well done. The story moved along well and kept my interest. I am glad I had the audio version.
There were questions left at the end and I want to get the next in the series to see if there are answers.
The narration by Alex Knox is very well done. The story moved along well and kept my interest. I am glad I had the audio version.
July 24, 2021
Gripping story
I am so happy I stumbled upon this trilogy. This is exactly what I've been looking for. Characters that draw you in. A storyline that makes you hungry to read the next sentence. Slow burn of character development, that gives you just enough to want more and to question everything.
Good stuff. Truly.
I am so happy I stumbled upon this trilogy. This is exactly what I've been looking for. Characters that draw you in. A storyline that makes you hungry to read the next sentence. Slow burn of character development, that gives you just enough to want more and to question everything.
Good stuff. Truly.
August 5, 2021
Gritty and spooky
I am so glad I read this book. The author's new to me so I didn't know what to expect. The story was well told, the characters believable and likeable. I am already looking forward to the next book.
I am so glad I read this book. The author's new to me so I didn't know what to expect. The story was well told, the characters believable and likeable. I am already looking forward to the next book.
October 30, 2018
Go, Judy!
I'm already reading #2 in the set. Love the first one, can't wait to see what you do with the rest.
I'm already reading #2 in the set. Love the first one, can't wait to see what you do with the rest.
December 8, 2018
This whole book was soo good and then the ending just...meh...really left me with blue balls.
February 27, 2019
2.5 stars
December 1, 2019
I f you do or don't believe in paranormal this book can draw you in and make you wonder if this can really happen. The story is very well written and made me keep saying that I would stop reading after one chapter but I just couldn't put it down. I will certainly continue to follow this series.
November 1, 2020
Oh my word!,,, !,,,,!great book !awesome! Just now finished couldn’t even stop to eat!,,!just so you know
December 8, 2020
Good story, well written, with strong character and location development. The author keeps everything moving along at a good pace, and I enjoyed reading the book.
February 24, 2021
Strangely plotted but incongruous enough for interest kind of novel. Very well performed by Alex Knox.
July 22, 2021
Enjoyed!
So happy I went ahead and bought all three books! The first one is so good I can’t wait to start on number two!
So happy I went ahead and bought all three books! The first one is so good I can’t wait to start on number two!
October 21, 2021
Prodigal was an excellent book
I really enjoyed this Dead Hollow Book 1 about Adam and his dreams. It kept me up at night trying to figure out what was going to happen next.
I really enjoyed this Dead Hollow Book 1 about Adam and his dreams. It kept me up at night trying to figure out what was going to happen next.
October 22, 2024
Prodigal
Was a really good read! Loved the characters and story! Want to find the next book! Enjoy this book yourself!
Was a really good read! Loved the characters and story! Want to find the next book! Enjoy this book yourself!
March 18, 2017
Wow! Another winner from Judy.
This book is the first in a series and is terrific! A wild ride through Dead Hollow with a little paranormal thrown in. Can't wait to read the next one.
This book is the first in a series and is terrific! A wild ride through Dead Hollow with a little paranormal thrown in. Can't wait to read the next one.
March 12, 2017
Unbelievable is the only word I can write to describe this book. I am ecstatic that I received a copy to review. A mystery that keeps you intrigued until the very end. Adam and JJ are amazing characters and you wish that you could do something to help. Don't miss this book
October 31, 2019
Excellent read! This is my fourth book of Judy K. Walker’s and, as expected, it’s fast-paced, has a great plot and is full of captivating characters. I would have finished this book in one sitting had time permitted...it is that good! I’m all about psychological thrillers, especially ones like PRODIGY which have me walking with the writer along that blurry line between genius and insanity...the normal and the paranormal!
I highly recommend PRODIGAL to those who enjoy reading thrillers, mystery or who simply appreciate a well-written and intriguing story. Another home run from Judy K. Walker! I give this book 4.8/5 🌟 and am anxious to read the next book in the Dead Hollow Trilogy.
I highly recommend PRODIGAL to those who enjoy reading thrillers, mystery or who simply appreciate a well-written and intriguing story. Another home run from Judy K. Walker! I give this book 4.8/5 🌟 and am anxious to read the next book in the Dead Hollow Trilogy.
November 20, 2022
3.5 stars I liked the plot and the main characters. I thought the writing wasn’t bad, but it fell fall short of excellent..sometimes clunky and awkward. I felt the characters sometimes behaved in ways that were so inconsistent as to be unbelievable. I listened to the audiobook, and maybe I just wasn’t paying attention, but the ending left me with lots of questions. I’m listening to it the second time through now, so maybe I’ll have more understanding at the end of this listen.
March 29, 2017
I loved Sydney Brennan, but I've fallen in love once more with Adam and JJ. Walker's jump into the world of the supernatural gave me characters with depth and exciting family history. I read it cover to cover in an afternoon, and now I can't wait for the sequels. Judy Walker doles out details in such delicious little tidbits that saying "one more chapter" quickly turns into "and now I'm done." She gives the reader an exciting ride from start to finish, with plot twists and turns so unexpected that as soon as you've figured out "whodunnit," you're bound to realize you're wrong. I was delighted to review an Advanced Reader Copy.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews