The Hill

by Kevin Johnson

Jake Myers grew up hearing stories about the hauntings on The Hill, but he never believed them. When locals traded tales about the spirits who inhabited an old tuberculosis sanatorium, he chalked them up to urban legends. There’s no such thing as the supernatural… or so Jake thought.

Jake jumps at the chance to join a ghost tour of the sanatorium, not because he believes in that sort of thing, but because he’s fascinated by the history of the buildings. He has no idea just how close to that history he’ll get. Jake falls down a staircase and wakes up to discover he’s somehow stumbled more than sixty years into the past. Jake has no idea how he arrived in 1948 and even less of an idea of how to get home. The only thing he’s confident about is that claiming to be a visitor from the future would surely land him in a padded room.

Forced to adapt to his circumstances, he takes a job at the sanatorium and vows to keep his head down until he figures out what’s going on. Against his better judgement, he befriends some of the patients and staff. He’s immediately struck by the strength and resilience of the people around him and soon finds himself torn between the past and his present. But the suspicions of one wary doctor may destroy his chances for happiness in either.

317 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 2, 2021

About the author

Kevin Johnson was born and raised in the small town of Booneville, Arkansas, not far from the setting of his first book, The Hill. He graduated college with a degree in Information Technology and now resides in Oklahoma. A history buff and occasional runner, he loves blending fact and fiction into his books.

Reviews

[Ryanne Harper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, full disclosure, I work for the publishing company that published this book and was one of the editors who worked on it. That being said, I really did enjoy the story.
Though I have lived in Arkansas almost my entire life, I had never visited the former Arkansas Tuberculosis Sanatorium in Booneville. Kevin's book is set at the sanatorium in its prime. I have since visited the place and can say that Kevin did a fantastic job describing the buildings, the architecture, and the grounds.
The story follows Jake as he finds himself in the past, a patient at the sanatorium. Jake has no idea how he arrived in 1948 and even less of an idea of how to get home. The only thing he’s confident about is that claiming to be a visitor from the future would surely land him in a padded room. Forced to adapt to his circumstances, he takes a job at the sanatorium and vows to keep his head down until he figures out what’s going on. Against his better judgement, he befriends some of the patients and staff. He’s immediately truck by the strength and resilience of the people around him and soon finds himself torn between the past and his present. But the suspicions of one wary doctor may destroy his chances for happiness in either.
The Hill is a fun, quick read that really shines a light on a small Arkansas town and showcases its history.

[Nadine Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing

I really enjoyed the storyline. This was an interesting book to read primarily because I work at BHDC and have participated in ghost tours including one on a stormy night. Look forward to more books by this author.

[Karan Rogers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Living near Booneville and being familiar with the old buildings of the sanatorium, I was intrigued to read this book...and was pleased when it was our book club's selection. The storyline was interesting, giving a lot of history of the community on The Hill. Yet at times the story seemed to be taking it's time arriving at the pinnacle...almost like the telling of the story was locked in a time warp loop. But I appreciated the sweetness of the characters and the simpler times of when the book took place.

[Chasity Pennebaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read! Captured the hill perfectly and what it use to stand for. Time travel is an intriguing concept and hard to write. The author did fantastic on finding accurate information about how they use to handle and treat TB.

[Connie Watkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fascinating and simple story of a place near my home. I’ve always had a curiosity for the institution…such a large footprint and history. The kindness portrayed in the story did my heart good…so unexpected from my impressions of institutions in the 1940-1970.