Hell is Empty

Detective Tony Pantera #1

by Charles Tabb

When an obsessed man kidnaps high school freshman Samantha Dobson as she walks along a deserted street, Detective Tony Pantera is called upon to solve the case—a case that has virtually no clues.While Samantha must deal with a depth of evil she never knew existed, her family is disintegrating. Her mother tries to hold the family together, but her father buries himself in his work while her older brother and sister deal with the loss in their own self-destructive ways.Meanwhile, Pantera, whose last kidnapping case ended with a dead girl and no suspect, does everything possible to find Samantha before her case becomes just another cold case—or worse. “Hell is empty, and all the devils are here.” Shakespeare, The Tempest

377 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 29, 2019

About the author

Charles Tabb retired from teaching to pursue his dream of writing. His family supported his decision, and a year later he published his first novel, Floating Twigs, while also publishing several short stories with various literary journals. He has won successive Golden Nib awards for fiction. In 2018 his story "As Luck Would Have It" won third prize, and in 2019 the psychological thriller "The Thirteenth Painting" won first prize. Now his fan base is growing, with readers from all over the U.S.

Charles lives near Richmond, Virginia, with his wife, dogs, and computer. His wife enjoys tending to her two off-the-track thoroughbred horses, but Charles prefers their dogs. He was elected president of the Hanover Writers Club, a chapter of the Virginia Writers Club, in March 2019. He is also a proud and active member of the Virginia Writers Club and James River Writers.

Charles' desire to go out and do something with his life started at age three when his mother told him to wait in the car, which was parked in the driveway, for maybe a minute while she went inside to retrieve something she needed for the short jaunt into town. Once alone, Charles moved to the driver's seat and put the car in gear. The vehicle rolled down the driveway and was heading for the mailbox across the street when a neighbor mowing his lawn heard Charles' shouts for help (the car's windows were rolled up, mind you) and managed to hit the brake and put the car back in gear before tragedy struck. To this day, Charles can be loud enough to be heard in a crowded room if the need arises.

Although he loves to travel, he prefers to be seated at his desktop writing novels and short stories. His second novel, Hell is Empty, is the first in a detective series. It will be released in the fall of 2019.

Charles is also available to speak to groups about writing. If you would like to contact him about speaking to a group, you can reach him at charlestabb.com, where contact information is provided. He also speaks to school groups, especially high school English students, about goal-setting and meeting those goals, using his writing career as an example.

Reviews

[Tori · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is excellent and well worth a read! The characters are complex in that they have many flaws and some redeeming qualities too. It was dark, gritty, and I wanted to beat up the bad guy.

I loved to hate the kidnapper. It was hard to guess who he might be at the beginning, but once I realized who it might be, I was eating this book up until the end. He's a horrible, terrible, twisted genius of a killer that I also felt so sorry for too. How can you hate someone that went through what he did in his childhood?

My heart was racing for Detective Pantera to figure him out and nab him. I wanted Samantha to fight back and win. My heart hurt by the complexities of how the family was affected by her kidnapping, yet I know that tragedy doesn't happen in a vacuum to just the victim. Many lives are touched, even if they don't realize it.

I had a hard time putting this book down and can't wait for the next Pantera book!

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good detective work

I chose 5 stars because it is interesting trying to figure out who could do this. After one comment in the book you begin to have a feeling about who did it. It seems difficult to get the pieces to fit. There is even a little flirting going on. Interesting!!!
Thank you for a good evening reading.

[Rich Amberger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another page turner

I had just finished the author's other book, Floating Twigs. Since that was excellent I decided to read this one next. Another success. It kept me in suspense throughout. Look forward to his next book.

[Renée L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This detective novel kept me guessing through at least 80%of the book, and I was not expecting the crazy twist at the end. Well done Charles Tabb, I couldn't put it down. Totally different from his first novel, Floating Twigs, which I loved. This was his second book written and although I had some parts I wasn't enthralled with, the character development was good, but you can tell the author is still getting his feet under him when writing. The Author does know how to write teenagers which is a unique talent for sure. I am curious to see where he takes Detective Pantera in the future as he is flawed but has his moments of brilliance. Looking forward to reading more of this author's books.

[Betsy Ashton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tabb introduces a new series with a dark tale of kidnapping, rape, murder, and hidden identities. When a high school girl is kidnapped in broad daylight, Detective Pantera draws the case. As he begins his investigation, he thinks back about his first kidnapping case where a young woman's body is found. Vowing not to find a body again, Pantera wonders if he can really solve this case before the kidnapper murders his victim. Not for the faint of heart. Scenes of rape and torture are difficult to read but are essential to the story. Read with the lights on. I can't wait to read the next in the series.

[Ronald · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy Charles Tabb’s story telling and writing style. His characters are truly interesting and believable, with two exceptions. Most teenagers are not as immature and egocentric as depicted in this novel. I also must take issue with a common myth that ran in some of the “Twiggs” novels and “Hell is Empty” suggest sexually abused children enter adulthood with a good chance of becoming abusers. Quite the opposite is true, sexual trauma manifests in multiple ways, rarely do the abused become adult offenders. Commonly, abused children enter adulthood vulnerable to additional trauma.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read and enjoyed the Twigs series by this author and then learned of his detective series. This thriller was very different from the other series, but like the other books he does an excellent job with the characters, especially the teenagers. The book was a bit more graphic and dark than I like, but the writing was good enough that I will be reading the second one in the series.

[Kathleen Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It had a half good ending 😁.

I liked the book a lot. Samantha was kidnapped but didn't know who the kidnapper was until a lot longer. I really felt sorry for the mother. Kathleen Ryan

[Georgia Landry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keeps the reader guessing until the end

I can't wait to read book two! Charles Gann is my new favorite favorite author. This book has a little romance, a mystery, and a new detective character who never gives up.

[Donna Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

hell is Empty

Interesting storyline after reading Mr Tabbs twigs books. Tony Pantera a Richmond detective gets involved trying to solve the kidnapping of a teenage girl. Keeps you on the edge of your seat

[Elke Nessel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked most of the book, but drew the line at the ending. How could an experienced Detective Walk Intro the kidnappers house without at least letting somebody know. Seems very contrived

[Gracie Arrera · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was pretty good, definitely hard to read for some people, gives off Criminal Minds vibes.

[Wendy Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent mystery

Excellent ?mixture of suspense, twists & turns kept me interested enough to stay up reading into late night. Makes me look forward to reading book 2

[LINDA MCCAULEY · Rating 4 out of 5]

Missing or a runaway?

When a 15 year old girl disappears on her way home from school, has she run away as she had done twice before? Or is the story much darker and she’s abducted?

[Kevin E. Holder · Rating 5 out of 5]

He'll is empty

Great story. Very creepy how the plot slowly revealed itself to the reader. Really enjoy Mr. Tabbs stories, you will too!

[Nancy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Book one Panera series

I had read his first book and enjoyed it and wanted to read the second book. Enjoyed it until the "f" word. started showing up. I skipped the majority of the story and went to the end to see who the villain was.
I won't be reading any more of his books. Really sad. Won't recommend them to anyone.

[Lynn Waggoner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Read!!

This book did not disappoint! The characters are relatable and I was completely captivated by the plot. A page turner!