"Sometimes we are not the ones doing the summoning. Sometimes we are the ones being summoned."

Odessa Hardwicke is a rookie FBI agent who ends up killing her partner when they attend a crime scene. She can't forget what she saw at the moment of Walt Leppo's death: "a mist, looking like a ripple of heat mirage, rose from Leppo's twisted form" leaving behind an odor of solder. Odessa can't bring herself to tell anyone about that when she's taken off duty and put on leave. Confined to desk duty while being investigated, she's tasked with busywork and assigned to clear out the office of a retired FBI agent in New York. As she clears out Earl Solomon's meager belongings, she finds some odd things that cause her to track down the agent who's recently had a stroke and is hospitalized. Their meeting leads Odessa to an enigma, John Blackwood, who is an occult detective. Centuries old, he is on a mission to save the world from evil spirits known as the "Hollow Ones." In an epic that covers a man's quest to bridge the schism between science and magic in 1582 London, to 1962 in the Mississippi Delta, to present day New York and New Jersey, the mission is simple -- to stop the foul entities from wreaking mass destruction and havoc. NO SPOILERS

What a thrill ride from start to finish! I was a bit nervous after reading some of the reviews that suggest the book is somehow similar to another classic author's or a different popular series (that I have also read), but I disagree. I found it quite absorbing and I couldn't stop until I finished it over a couple of hours. The whole time I was reading, I could see the movie version and I can't wait to read the next installment in what looks like a new series by this talented duo. I've read other books by Del Toro and Hogan, and enjoyed them as well. I think your reaction to this will depend on several factors, including your mood and your desire to read this genre. I found it a welcome change of pace and a definitely outside of my usual fare.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for this e-book ARC to read, review and recommend.

I absolutely loved The Hollow Ones! It's a perfect blend of thriller, horror, and suspense. I love the characters, and having different timelines. It was so is deliciously dark and twisted and a wonderful balance of thriller, horror, suspense and action. SO GOOD

Such a fun, creepy read, and I enjoyed the visual sense of the book as well, and the whole idea of an occult detective. Hoping for another installment and happy to recommend the title

A fantastic read. I haven't completed it yet, but I'm listening to it on audio now. Del Toro never disappoints.

This was an interesting blend of horror and police procedural, and as these are a couple of my favorite genres, I enjoyed it.

The action was pretty well-paced and constant, with revelations happening as we go along through the different characters' perspectives, and in different time periods until it's all resolved in the end.

I actually wasn't a fan of the jumping POVs and story lines, as they were jarring, (from 2020 to the 1500's) and forced me to "re-set" often throughout the book and I couldn't stay immersed.

Also, I still don't have a good sense of what the Silence/Blackwood character is all about, although that may have been left to explore in future installments.

Overall, it was an entertaining read, and I am definitely interested in reading the next book in the series.

Thank you for allowing me to preview this title. It was my first by Hogan and del Toro. It was a little too intense for me and I had to put it down. I got to the lynch scene early on and just couldn't go any further. Maybe if I wasn't trying to read it in today's political climate I would have been ok. Either way, best wishes for your new release.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. Loved this from beginning to end. A scary twist on what unfortunately is thought to be just normal human nature. If you are a fan of the authors previous books or films this will not disappoint.

This story was really well done! I am a huge fan of Del Toro's movies and this is the first book hes worked on that I read. I really enjoyed the flashbacks that gave some historical background.

I read that a lot of the criticism that came with this story was that the character of Hugo Blackwood is very similar to a character from another series. While I didn't read that series, he did remind me of the same character from a lot of other books - Wednesday from American Gods being one. This didn't really bother me, but I could see how it could bother others.

I also feel like there were a few half-baked plot points - one being more than a little problematic with the lynching of a white man. But I digress, I enjoyed this story and would be interested to see it translated into a movie.

This is a story about curious & horrifying things.

The pacing is good, and I didn’t feel like there was any “filler” content.. there were some elements I wish had been explored more, but perhaps in a sequel? I enjoy occult themes in stories, because of the potential for the fantastic mixed with the idea that “hell is other people”. Overall, I enjoyed it & would recommend it to other horror/thriller fans!

Thanks NetGalley & Grand Central titles for this advanced e-ARC!

The Hollow Ones is the start of what appears to be a new series by Del Toro and Hogan after the success of their Strain trilogy. I both read and listened to the book and to get this out of the way, it was a strange experience given the changes to the book’s main character after the publishing of the ARC. The main character is originally named John Silence, a direct homage to the Algernon Blackwood detective. In the final version of the book, the character is named Hugo Blackwood as an homage and to separate the character from the Algernon Blackwood creation.

The book itself starts on an absolutely terrifying opening scene in which a spree killer attacks his family and the public and is killed by Odessa, an FBI agent. At the moment of his death, her partner goes crazy and attacks a surviving child with a knife before being shot by Odessa. It’s a shocking opening and sets a bar for energy the book fails to recreate.

This isn’t to say it is a boring book. We are introduced to Blackwood, a mysterious character also related to a 60 year old lynching case in the deep south. Throughout the book we learn about the history of Blackwood (who also appears in scenes set in the 16th century) and his mission. Needless to say, there are supernatural underpinnings both to him and his adversaries.

The book is relatively short and moves along at a good pace. The main plot is sewed up nicely, but it is certainly open to a series. Whether this is in another trilogy or an even longer series will probably be based on the authors and the success of this book.

It isn’t perfect, but it is very entertaining. Especially for a quarantine read or an early Halloween treat, Del Toro and Hogan give us an easy to read book that is a ton of fun.

A note on the narration. It is perfectly acceptable, but the narrator isn’t terribly skilled at differentiating characters beyond vocal pitch. Accents are rather cringeworthy. It is perfectly acceptable, but it certainly doesn’t add to the book.

Thank you to Netgalley to providing an audio and ebook version for review.

I was so excited to read this book, as I am a great fan of Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan. This book did not disappoint! Not only did it have suspenseful, fast-paced action but I really enjoyed getting to know the main characters. The story moved along with just enough information for the reader to want to keep going. And it was interesting to see how the three different timelines intertwined. This is another great collaboration from two of the best. I hope I’m right in thinking this was the beginning of a series. If so, definitely looking forward to the next installment!

I'm a big fan of Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan's first collaboration, and was really excited to see they have teamed up again. The Hollow Ones, from start to finish, is a non-stop supernatural suspense thriller that will leave you with chills and unable to put this book down.

I can't wait to read more about Odessa and Silence's connection, I want to know what his vision was when looking at Odessa. I think I know, but I don't want to spoil it for others. This story did remind me a little of the film 'Fallen' starring Denzel Washington, and I found the background of John Silence, Esquire interesting and his character mesmerizing. Odessa's frustration at John's "cold" nature was interesting and I found the scene between her, John, and Earl relatable.

This book has everything... action, the supernatural, and a character as mysterious as his name... John Silence, Esquire. This book doesn't disappoint and I can't wait for book two from @RealGDT and @ChuckHogan #TheHollowOnes #NetGalley

*Something I did notice and this is in no way reflective of the story itself, but a lot of the book description on various book sites refer to a character named 'John Blackwood' or 'Hugo Blackwood'. Neither of which is mentioned in this story and I'm wondering if these were the original names for John Silence, Esquire. I was a little confused at first, because I was expecting Odessa to come across this character and realized the name change.*

FBI agent Odessa Hardwicke and her partner Walt Leppo are in the process of trying to apprehend a murderer who just went on a rampage, only to have Walt attempt to harm the only remaining survivor... the murderer's young daughter. Odessa shoots him in self-defense, and as she watches her partner go down, she smells a burning smell and sees a shadow rise from his body. As she has her gun taken away and is put on desk duty, one of her first assignments is to gather up the belongings of a retired agent and take them to him. When she gets there, he not only knows all about her case, but he tells her that he experienced something eerily similar when he was first starting out. He introduces her to John Silence Esq., - someone or something, who has been alive for centuries, who exists solely to fight the evil entities that Odessa witnessed.....they are called "the hollow ones".

I loved this book. I was a huge fan of "The Strain" series, and I thought this was just as good in it's own way. It had a great "creep factor" going for it, and a great storyline. If you are a fan of Stephen King and Dean Koontz, then I think you will enjoy this.