I really enjoy Kelley Armstrong's writing. She's a prolific author and isn't bound to one genre. Her latest is Hemlock Island - a horror tale. (And it is a standalone)

That cover hints at what the reader is in for. What you'll find is a private island and a group of friends, family and frenemies. And more.....

Laney is the owner, but she has had to rent out the island and cottage to make ends meets. When a renter calls to report a closet with what looks like fingernail scratches and a lot of blood in a closet, Laney and her niece head to the island. This isn't the only 'thing' that's happened, but it has been escalating. Four other people join Laney, even though they weren't invited.

There is definitely something wrong on island - very, very wrong. And that's all you're going to get from me. I always think going in cold is the best way to experience some books and I don't want to spoil it for you. Suffice to say that Armstrong has a vivid and more than a little scary imagination! Gentle readers, there are some gory bits.

But in addition to the horror aspect, Armstrong has written a strong plot that explores the personal life of her protagonists - in this case its Laney. The other characters we come to know through Lane's eyes, interactions and experiences with them. This is always a strong point of Armstrong's writing.

The last chapters caught me off guard with an unexpected finish. Creepily good.

A island owner gets a phone call from her tenant saying there’s blood in the house and they’re leaving and they want their money back. This is it a very scary read. It’s a fruitful fun ride for people who into a creepy books like me. This is my first time for reading and Kelly Armstrong.book and I will be reading more. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing the advanced copy of this book to me.

"The biggest tragedy here is the death that came at the hands of ordinary people with ordinary greed."


Hemlock Island pulled me in right from the beginning. I am a big fan of Kelley Armstrong's writing, so I was delighted to read The Twisty Dark Mystery with the added supernatural element that kept me furiously turning the pages late into the night. It made me guess who the culprit(s) were while trying to gather all the puzzle pieces and make them fit.

Armstrong is a master at creating an atmosphere that sets the tone; it feels isolating, claustrophobic and creepy. The characters were flawed, which made them more realistic and relatable. There were also two unlikeable characters that I wanted to throttle. The idea of being trapped on an island with a killer skulking in the woods and the high school connection between the characters who are keeping dark secrets from each other, along with the surprising revelations and twists, kept me on my toes.

My only issue was that one would have to suspend their disbelief to make the entirety of the plot plausible, which didn't distract from me thoroughly having an enjoyable experience. I just went with it and enjoyed the wild ride that had my heart racing; the tension around the 80% mark was palpable at times and heartbreaking. Armstrong didn't leave any loose threads; I was happy that the ending wasn't OTT and enjoyed the satisfying conclusion.



The story focuses on the MC Laney Kilpatrick, an English teacher and debut mystery author who recently divorced during the pandemic and is grieving her older sister, who lost her battle with cancer. She is raising her 16-year-old niece, Madison, and has to rent out her off-the-grid summer house to strangers to offset the costs of the upkeep of "Hemlock Island," a two-thousand-square-foot custom-built home on a five-acre private island on Lake Superior.

By renting the house to strangers, she lets them invade her private domain and deface her property; that is not the worst thing. The worst thing is someone knowing every inch of your personal space, and they can do whatever they want to it— and, maybe, to you. Too!!

The current renters called Lanie in the middle of the night to inform her that she found blood and deep scratch marks on the closet door, like somebody tried to claw their way out all over the green bedroom's closet. Laney, with her niece, Madison, drives to Fox Bay. To her surprise, she finds her ex-husband, Kit and his sister, Jayla, preparing to take the boat to the island and check it out for her. They checked out Hemlock Island together since they were all at THE Foxy Lady Campground, where the boat launch is. Then, to make matters even more complicated, Laney's former high school best friend and their mutual friend Sadie. Sadie and her brother, Garrett, a cop, showed up uninvited on the island. How did they even know that they were at Hemlock Island? To everyone's shock and surprise, things are about to get complicated, uncomfortable, and chaotic.


Things become a nightmare when they decide to spend the night together at the house. And come across the hand of someone they found sticking out of the ground. And then Sadie disappears, leaving them stranded with no way off the island. The backyard and Sadie's disappearance are the beginning of the intensifying situation. When the secrets, lies, and betrayals they've kept come to light, they will change their lives indefinitely. Somebody is playing a deadly game with them, and to what end? But who? And why?

I went back and forth between giving the book three and four stars. I ultimately decided to round up 3.5 stars to 4 for the great writing style and excellent balance of paranormal meets horror elements.

I know this book won't be for everyone, but if you like a mix of mystery with the paranormal and are not squeamish, I recommend you pick up a copy. Now available September 12, 2023

I want to thank Kelley Armstrong St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review,

Special thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I love Kelly Armstrong and she did not let me down with this book. I felt like I was watching a creepy movie. The story is about a bunch of unreliable characters who don't trust each other, and of course they are stuck on an island..

This is a really good atmospheric thriller. Once again kudos to the author. Compared to her other books it did feel a little rushed though and I have to take away 1 star sadly for that.

This review is my opinion and my opinion only. Yes, I received this ARC for an honest review. This story is a mix of horror and the paranormal. I haven’t read a story like this before. Kelley Armstrong is a master at world and character building. She knows how to draw you into a story and make you want more.
This book is mostly about Laney, Madison, Kit, & Jayla. Laney and Kit are divorced and Laney was able to keep their vacation home on Hemlock Island. Laney’s sister passed away and she now Madison’s guardian. Since Laney is a teacher, she has a hard time keeping the bills for Hemlock Island paid unless she rents it out.
The past few renters have been complaining about strange happenings on the property. She found a hex circle, mysterious wind chimes made raven feathers and hollow bones, and with the last tenant finding blood and scratches in the closet.
Laney truly believes that someone is messing with her. But why? Kit and Jayla accompany Laney and Madison to the island to find out exactly what is happening.
I’m not saying much more because I highly recommend this book. I admire Kelley Armstrong’s ability to write an enjoyable complex story.

Kelley Armstrong is an automatic author for me- no question. If she writes it, I will buy it! Hemlock Island proves that her versatility knows no bounds as she crafts an incredible, atmospheric landscape of creeptastic mystery.
Reading this story made me feel like I did back in the day watching creopy movies like “Stir of Echoes.” Reading about a cast of unreliable characters, who really are quite skeptical of each other, who are stuck on this island, presents the perfect recipe for drama and suspense. I recommend this one to all who love a good atmospheric thriller.

Thank you #NetGalley and #StMartinsPress for the chance to read this early in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. My thoughts are my own.

Great read. This is a new author for me and I really enjoyed the book. It was an edge of your seat read that I should have read with the lights on. Excellent scary book.

Once again Kelley Armstrong does not disappoint!

Hemlock Island is the perfect fall read! It takes place on a secluded island so it has an eerie, atmospheric setting with a dash of the paranormal that makes it incredibly hard to put down.

Laney has been renting her vacation home to strangers in order to keep her beloved island. After receiving complaints from renters about strange occurrences on the property she takes her niece with her to investigate. Upon arrival, she finds that not only is her ex-husband there with his sister but an old friend is there with her brother as well.
It isn’t long before they come across a disembodied hand, and then a body. By that time, someone has taken their only means off the island and they realize they are trapped.

Hemlock Island slowly transforms from a mystery to full out horror and I loved every single second! The characters are well-developed and the relationships are full of secrets and betrayals.

I do want to note that this can get quite gory at times, so if you’re squeamish it may not be for you. But if you love scary, gory books this is definitely worth picking up!

I often love Kelley Armstrong. I never hate Kelley Armstrong. This was more of the latter. The characters seemed far too similar to really tell them apart. They all made equally ridiculous mistakes that defy belief. I feel like this book was rushed.

Lacey has been experiencing some hard times - her marriage has fallen apart and her sister has died of cancer leaving Lacey as guardian of her young niece. As a newly single woman with a child to care for on a teacher’s salary, she is struggling financially. Fortunately, her marriage ended amicably and her husband gave her the vacation home on isolated Hemlock Island which she now rents out to make ends meet.

But strange things have been happening at the house and Lacey has gone out to investigate, taking her niece along with her. To her surprise, her ex-husband, his sister, and a few friends also arrive to help. Almost immediately, more strange and creepy things begin to happen. Is someone playing tricks or is something darker, more evil, loose on the island?

Hemlock Island is a standalone paranormal mystery novel by Kelley Armstrong, a writer I love and Hemlock Island is a good example of why. As always, with one of her novels, this is one heck of an exciting ride. There’s plenty of drama, just a touch of romance, an exciting mystery, and the creep factor is through the roof. It's the kind of book you need to put time aside for because, once started, it’s nigh impossible to put down. And, trust me, whatever you do, do not start it at night!

I received an arc of this book from Netgalley and St Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review

4.5/5 stars

This is a standalone horror novel. I normally don't read this genre very often. However Kelley Armstrong is my favorite author. So I had to read this book. And I was impressed.

The narrator is Laney. She has an enormous house on a remote unreachable island located in the middle of Lake Superior. It is her sanctuary. However since she's gotten divorced she's been forced to rent out her house.

Laney is divorced from Kit. She is the guardian of her 16 year old niece Madison. And her best friend used to be Kit's sister Jayla. Also in the story are her former friend Sadie and Sadie's cop brother Garrett.

Laney gets notified of some strange occurrences at Hemlock Island. And so she heads out to check things out. This island was spooky and it was very interesting to see the author try a completely new genre.

Horror is definitely not my preferred genre. The story wasn't overly graphic. But it was gory and a bit gruesome. And some of what happened on the island was not really for me. It was a bit too dark and out there. However, there were some amazing reveals that I really enjoyed. And the characters were so good. And somehow the author did manage to bring everything together at the end so that I was satisfied. Overall, this was a creepy read that is perfect for the Fall months!

I just finished Hemlock Island By Kelley Armstrong and here are my musings.

Laney has no choice but to rent out her vacation home, a place she loves, to strangers. The island is the only thing she received in the divorce. The latest tenants left the island screaming after discovering blood all over a closet and nail marks on the door…. Like someone tried to claw their way out.

Going to inspect what is going on, Laney with her teenage niece and find hex circles and bloody bones…. When Laney’s ex Kit and his sister arrive to help, along with an old friend of theirs and her brother who is a cop, they find more than they bargained for.

After finding a hand and the caretaker of the island missing, their nerves are on edge. When Sadie goes missing, tensions rise and everybody is holding on to their secrets. Learning that someone or something has destroyed their only way off the island, they soon come to realize that none of them will make it off the island alive.

I got chills reading this book. Hardcore chills. The whole atmosphere of the island was super intense and I loved all the descriptive prose that delivered the imagery to my brain! I felt like I was walking around there in my mind.

I really liked the character development although the childhood issues seemed really idiotic until we got the big twist! Then it all made sense. I didn’t much care for Sadie and the brother but I understood what their part was eventually.

I loved the supernatural elements in this book and adored being kept guessing. I didn’t figure it out until it was all revealed and was blown away by the ending. I sat up late to finish it and part of me hopes this doesn’t stay a standalone. I would love more on the history of the island and how it came to be…. What happens to Laney…. Or a prequel!!

Loved the family drama and the dark secrets… This book really ticked every single box for me.

If you love horror with a mystery thriller mashed in, this has to be your go to…

4.5 stars!

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for my gifted copy

Hemlock Island is fast pace, tense, and at times gruesome. And yet another fantastic book by Kelley Armstrong. As it was for most people, the pandemic was rough for Lanely Kilpatrick. It played a part in ending her marriage. Now divorced and raising her sister’s teenage daughter, Lanely still clings to memories of better times and the wedding present from her now ex-husband: Hemlock Island, a secluded island on Lake Superior. The island the house there were once her safe haven, now to make ends meet she’s been forced to turn it into a rental property. And lately things haven’t been going great. When her latest renters call, complaining about finding bloody scratches in one of the closets, Lanely decides to head out and check it out. Her niece insists on going as well, and once there she finds some of her friends have arrived to help investigate as well, including her ex-husband. Lanely thinks it’s someone interested in the property, attempting to scare her off so she’ll sell it cheap. But when a severed hand, among other things, is discovered it’s clear this is way more than simple pranks. I liked Laney from the start so was completely invested. The secluded setting helped ratchet up the tension, especially as more and more gruesome discoveries are made. This is a excellent horror/thriller and definitely a great read to kickoff the Halloween reading season. I’d like to thank St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Hemlock Island.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R36643ILGWPWW5/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

This story is told in first person by Laney. This is my fourth book by this author and even though I knew it was labeled horror, I wasn’t expecting it to be this creeptastic. The isolated island setting in Lake Superior made for a very atmospheric spooky read with both sandy shores and rocky cliffs with crevices for pitfalls plus wooded areas with creeks and a rickety footbridge. Add in some hex circles, dead animals and body parts and this all added up to be a little spooky in the night for me and I’m hard to scare.

There are six characters that end up trapped on the island. They were interesting and easily distinguished with previous relationships and secrets that made for both comradery and excessive tension. The teenager gave some pretty good snark which led to more than a few laughs on my part. Some might find their petty squabbles distracting from the overall ambiance of the story and there was an often-referenced ambiguous event that happened in the past that I found a bit annoying and could have been revealed sooner.

Overall, I enjoyed this atmospheric thriller. It would make a great addition to your spooky reading list.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy provided for an honest review.

This was great! I have read quite a few of Kelley Armstrong’s books over the years (not even close to the number that she has written though) so I was eager to dive into her newest offering. I was thrilled, and a bit surprised, to find that this book made me feel like I was watching a scary movie. It was such a delight to find that one of my favorite authors had written a horror novel and had done it amazingly well.

Laney owns a house on a private island that she rents out to strangers on vacation. She needs the money that the rentals bring in to be able to afford to keep it. Strange things have been happening on the island so she goes to check it out along with her niece. Her ex-husband Kit, his sister Jayla, and a few other friends also show up to help. Everything came together to form a recipe for the perfect creepy novel. I couldn’t wait to find out what was really happening on the island. I loved all of the creepy vibes and I wanted to scream at the characters when they ventured off into the woods alone. There is some relationship drama, and even a bit of romance, along with plenty of surprises worked into the story.

I listened to the audiobook and thought that Angela Dawe did a fantastic job with this story. I loved the voices that she used for each of the characters that play a role in this story. I thought that she was able to bring just the right amount of emotion to her reading to leave me hanging on every word. I am certain that her performance added to my enjoyment of this story. Overall, this was a wonderful read and I hope that Ms. Armstrong plans to tackle more horror in the future!

I received a digital review copy of this book from Macmillan Audio and St. Martin’s Press.

I don't know about you, but I love being scared - horror movies, terrifying stories, I just can't get enough. They're perfect to enjoy during this upcoming Spooky Season, or if you're like me, any time.

Kelley Armstrong's new standalone novel Hemlock Island fits the bill perfectly. Taking place on an isolated island, there's hex circles and bloody bones, a MC that might be seeing things, everything that can go wrong, does go wrong (à la every classic horror movie ever made), where everyone is a suspect, and the tension is so thick you can't see through it. It's a locked room mystery-cum-horror.

Needless to say, I easily raced through this one. Hemlock Island is not for the faint of heart. The detailed descriptions are particularly gruesome and gory - which I loved, but may be too much for other readers. There's a delicious undercurrent of dread slithering throughout the novel which will have you reading late into the night.

The novel deals as much with the relationships between the characters as it does the reason they're on island.

Kelley Armstrong seems to be the master of switching genres seamlessly. She writes horror as well as she writes thrillers, paranormal, and young adult. I've already started another one of her books and ordered Hemlock Island for my library. It does not disappoint.

Thank you to Kelley Armstrong, St. Martin's Press, and Netgalley for an advance digital copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

4½ stars rounded up to 5 stars Recommend for fans of: Horror, Thrillers, Suspense, Mysteries, Supernatural, Fiction, Gothic, The Third Day, AHS Roanoke/1984, Fantasy Island (2020), Midsommar (2020)

After her divorce, the only way Laney Kilpatrick can afford to keep her vacation home on Hemlock Island is to rent it out to strangers. She loves this home. It's the only connection she feels she has left to her ex-husband Kit. Late one night, Laney receives a frantic phone call from the current renters saying they discovered blood inside a closet. Laney and her niece, Madison, head off to the island to check things out.

When they arrive, her ex, Kit, and his sister, Jayla, are there due to Madison calling Kit and filling him in on what has happened. Then, Sadie, an old high school friend, and her brother, who is now a cop, show up. Realizing the renters have fled, the group starts to look around. They do indeed find blood in the closet along with a hex circle. Is someone trying to push Laney into selling the island or is something more sinister happening?

First thing, horror is a not a genre I typically pick up. Why then would I choose to read this? Kelley Armstrong. Armstrong has become an auto-read author for me. This story SCARED me. Not only scared but DISTURBED me. If body horror is too much for you, SKIP this one. If you can handle it, give this one a try. I highly recommend listening to this via audiobook. The narrator, Angela Dawe, does a wonderful job! Listening to horror on audio makes it feel as if you can't get away from it...it adds to the scare factor.

The reason I gave this a 4 star rating was the ending. It wrapped up a little too nicely for me. I want to be shocked, angry, or confused when I finish a horror story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher (Macmillian Audio/St. Martin's Press) for allowing me to read/listen to this story early. All opinions are my own!

Really great horror thriller but also a book that makes a deeper statement. I love all the supernatural lore around lake Superior and this book was no exception. I loved the setting I loved the characters I loved the sub plots. The theme of short term rentals was especially relevant for me living in a big tourist place and this being a hot issue.

I had no idea what I was in for going into this book, but I was SO pleasantly surprised. I ended up loving it so much.

If you are looking for the perfect spooky season read, this might be the one for you!

Dark, eerie & atmospheric I really enjoyed (as much as I could lol) my time on Hemlock Island,

4.5/5 stars, would for sure recommend.

I always feel so bad writing negative reviews, but I did not like this book at all. After reading quite a few high reviews, I thought I would love Hemlock Island. Sadly, I did not. Not even a little bit. The plot had so much promise! The creepy house on an island, weird things happening, past drama with friends bubbling to the surface during a major emergency - it had all the elements of a great slasher movie-esque story. The first half of the book was even decent, but the second half along with the conclusion was so outlandish and ridiculous.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the Publisher for gifting me an ARC in exchange for my honest review!