A locked-room mystery where the 'room' is a whole isolated island!

Laney owns an island in Lake Superior, where she has a large house - her dream house - that she rents out to strangers in order to raise her niece. Her most recent renters call in a panic from the mainland, having found some nasty things, so Laney goes up there (with her niece) to sort out what happened. But she's not the only one responding, as her ex-husband, his sister, and some old sort-of-friends are also there to 'help' in their own ways. Relationship friction ensues. And then things get bloody. And the boat is gone. Stuck and trying to suss out what the heck is going on and how to get home.

I really loved the whole ride of this story! There's a few delightful twists, one I was able to puzzle out beforehand... and the other one very much not.

The sort of side characters were a little bit confusing on who was who and what their relationship was. And the ending was... sort of simultaneously satisfying and not. It seemed to try to wrap itself up in a little, neat bow, and adding a bit of a 'And things ended happily ever after' feel to it. Like a faerie tale. Which was a pretty big tonal shift.
I *would* read this one again, and I've already recommended it several times. A fun swift run through the woods while being chased by some half-seen thing.

This was an enjoyable read, my first by this author. I loved the atmospheric, locked room setting which was a perfect backdrop for this one. The audiobook was additive to the experience I thought, my attention was grabbed from the start and I read it in a day as I had to know how it would end. I definitely recommend this one, it was overall such an entertaining read and I need to go read the author's backlist.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for the copies to review.

Having read her other series and loved them I took a change on this one and I could not have been more surprised about the story line. I tend not to go for the horror type stories but with this one I am glad I did.
Because of the need for money Laney does not see any other way to rent out her summer residence which brings out its own share of problems.
Destroyed or missing properties. Calls in the middle of the night from disgruntled renters demanding their money back. A missing caretaker and more. Proper reading with Halloween coming up soon. It reminds me of nature striking back after a pristine area gets destroyed by dumping trash, carving into a tree, or replacing the woods with a golf course type lawn. Instead of listening to the calming noises of the Lake water and the woods replace it with loud noise of music, yelling etc... I personally prefer her other series but that is mostly since I am not much in horror type books.

3.5 stars!
Laney owns a vacation home on Hemlock Island, an isolated location in northwestern Ontario close to Lake Superior. Her most recent renters contact her in a tizzy after they find what looks like blood and scratch marks in the guest room. She goes to check it out, along with her teenage niece. Upon her arrival, she discovers her ex and his sister are around as well as some other undesirable locals from her past. They all become trapped on the island after a series of scary events, leaving her to face her past and fears about what is going on with the island.

After reading some of Armstrong’s other books, this one took me by surprise with almost a complete genre change. It was totally horror, with a bit of a slasher feel mixed in. This was action packed and I was definitely never bored. However, there was A LOT going on. Like almost too much? There were many plot points and complex relationships to follow. It was extremely gory which I kind of enjoy and I loved the Canadian setting. The ending twist was quite surprising to me, and I’m still not sure how I feel about it. I would definitely read more horror stories by her - the writing was very atmospheric!

Short synopsis: After Laney gets divorced from Kit, she has to start renting out their summer island on Lake Superior for extra money. When a renter calls to complain, she heads to the island to find hex circles and blood.

My thoughts: This one sure started off with a bang and kept me gripped to my seat the whole way through. The perfect “locked door” atmospheric thriller that quickly turned to more of a horror with bits of paranormal interspersed.

Parts of this got quite gory, and there was lots of throwing up bile and dead body parts. Don’t read this while eating lunch, or in the dark, or when alone!

Read if you love:
- Locked door mystery
- Secluded island getaways
- Paranormal aspects
- Mother Nature
- Fast paced thrillers

I did most of this on audio, and the narrator told the story with just the right amount of spooky factor. This is perfect for your October spooky TBR! Out now!

2.5 Thrills and chills.An Island, I love books set on islands but maybe not this island. There is a lot going on, much back and forth, characters running here and there. Not confusing but some of the characters action didn't make much sense. Quite gory,the end horrific but for me, it was too drawn out.

Message: It might be wiser to take better care of the natural world.

ARC from Netgalley.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the Audio-ARC of Hemlock Island.

I am a fan of Kelley Armstrong, so I was excited to see that she came out with an adult horror novel. This is different from Armstrong's usual books, so I was intrigued to see if it held up to my high expectations for her works.

While I thought Hemlock Island was decent, overall, it wasn't my favorite thing that Armstrong has written.

The premise of this book was enticing - being trapped on an island with a killer is definitely creepy! I thought the book started off strong and I think the narrator did a really good job. However, as the story progressed, I became less engaged and found myself losing interest.

One of the main pieces that took me out of it was the characters. I didn't feel an overwhelming connection with any of them and I think this is partly attributable to a lack of character development. There were also parts of the book that dragged for me. There are only so many times I want to hear about your poor decision to go wandering around in the woods in the middle of the night.

I also felt like some of the plot twists didn't really make sense and I found the main character, Laney, to be annoying. For someone who writes horror/mystery novels, she sure fits every cliche associated with "what not to do in a horror story/movie".

The story was really easy to read/listen to, but I thought that it leaned a little more toward YA than adult fiction.

For a first foray into horror, I don't think that it was a bad book. I will continue to read Armstrong's books in the future.

3.5 Stars

Laney has been leasing out her vacation home on Hemlock Island. However, she has recently discovered some unsettling items appearing at her house. These items include bones, hex circles, and even bloody scratches. Worried about her business and the safety of her guests, Laney is now racing back to Hemlock Island to investigate the truth behind these strange occurrences before it's too late.

Although the book had some suspenseful and scary moments that I enjoyed, I couldn't help but feel disconnected from the characters. Maybe they needed more depth and development. Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable read that I would recommend to those who enjoy paranormal horror.

*** Thank you to NetGalley, Kelley Armstrong, and Macmillan Audio for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***

This book was so fun! I listened to the audiobook, and I thought the narrator was excellent. Our main character is Lainey and she owns the only house on Hemlock Island, which she has been renting out as a vacation AirBNB. Then strange things start happening that seem to mirror a demon ritual, or maybe it’s just a prank. Lainey visits the island with friends and family members to see if they can get to the bottom of what is going on, but then people start dying in horrific ways. What I love about this book is the epic-scary-creep factor and that there is wonderful bi-sexual representation. Overall, this book was really enjoyable and a great read as we enter into Halloween season.

To afford the upkeep of the beautiful home on a private island in Lake Superior she kept in her divorce, Laney has to rent it out to vacationers. It's an in-demand location, and someone seems to be trying to force her to sell by pulling increasingly frightening pranks around the property. When she finds herself stuck on the island in a storm with no means of escape with her teenage niece, ex-husband, former high school classmates she has to determine the cause of the pranks, and if they are just fake hex circles and Halloween scare props designed to spook her, evidence of actual crimes, or something supernatural and far more sinister. The shared history and isolated setting lend a locked-room mystery feel, but there's enough genuine scares here to satisfy a horror reader. I will recommend to fans of Riley Sager looking for small-cast thrillers with horror elements, twists, and strong female protagonists.
Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan Audio, and St. Martin’s Press for a digital review copy of the audiobook.

If you’re looking for a spooky fall read/listen for the season that’s not too scary, I recommend Kelley Armstrong’s Hemlock Island. It’s set on a remote island on Lake Superior where people are dying, disappearing, and seeing visions. There’s a lot of background info to unpack along the way but it all resolves in a satisfyingly unique and spooky tale for our current times!
*Thanks to MacMillan Audio, St Martin’s Press & NetGalley

This book was a freakin trip! Not at all how I was expecting this book to go. What a crazy twisted story.

I really enjoyed the characters and how they interacted with eachother. Especially Laney, she was great!

There were so many twists to this story and I never knew what was going to happen next. I'm torn on how I feel about the crazy happeningings though. Part of me loved how out in left field this story went, then the other part is like "wait what!?". I did like the ending though and how it all came together as far as the land and the promise.

All in all it was a solid read. Just the right amour of wtf, what's going to happen next, family drama and gore.

The line between an intelligent protagonist and an insufferable protagonist can be treacherous terrain to traverse, and while at times I wanted to shake Laney and scream "how many times are you going to pretend you're hallucinating before you get it?!" overall, this was a successful balance.

While listening to this I legitimately went from idle to edge-of-my-seat, open-mouthed engagement. The cast of characters is a unique blend of competent and hateful, and I was surprisingly hungry to understand more of their backstories and relationships, and was not disappointed in the pacing of the reveals. Maddison especially was a well represented young character.

The ending met a sweet spot in resolutions, but I'm not sure that's 100% a positive thing, as sometimes the best horror is a resolution of dread and hopelessness. Even so, I can't say I'm upset.

The narration was very well done. No odd, out of place, or poorly done accents. Well differentiated character voices. And spectacular use of pacing between slow understanding, and panicked reactions. 5/5 to Angela Da for her performance.

welp, this book was not for me. It wasn't the writing itself, the style. it was the story itself. I had high hope was it, but lord, these characters were dumb. I just didnt like this book. I still would try Armstrong's other books. I feel like If you liked Stolen tongues, you'll like this.

Rating: 5/5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
•
I’ve been in not really a slump but just haven’t been reading many books that wowed me recently. Then this one came along and wow I literally am obsessed with it.
•
Hemlock Island is the perfect mix of horror and mystery and I loved everything about how the story unfolded. I was immediately hooked from page one and found myself unable to put this one down. I loved the characters and was super interested in what everyones deal was. What happened with Kit and Laney and Jayla? What did Sadie and Garrett have to do with the story? Why is Laney bringing Maddison to investigate the island? Let’s not forget the setting of the remote island brought on another element of the already atmospheric creepy read.
•
I found this to be super fast paced and fun of heart racing, creepy, goosebump producing moments. It was gory and downright gross and I was all for it. The way she had a few of the twists unfold had my jaw on the ground. I loved the unraveling of the mystery and how everything in the end was answered.
•
I listened to this while reading it and Angela Dawe was the perfect narrator for Laney. She brought the perfect amount of energy and right vibes to this story to make it one you cant help but want to listen to non stop.
•
This will most definitely be one of my favorite spooky reads this year and I will 100% recommend this one to my thriller/horror friends out there. This was just released on 9/12, be sure to check it out!
•
I recently read Armstrongs’ Rip Through Time series, and I thought they were great, but this - wow and to be able to cross genres like that. Absolutely amazed. I cannot wait to read way more of her work.

This may be the perfect spooky fall horror thriller!
Laney rents out her summer home on isolated Hemlock Island, far off mainland Michigan in Lake Superior.
Renters start complaining about weird occurrences and Laney starts having more and more trouble with difficult renters. Laney and her niece set off to investigate and are soon joined by her ex husband and his sister and an additional pair of siblings from their shared past. Plenty of secrets get uncovered, and it gets dark and a bit gory, creepiness ensues!
I loved the Lake Superior setting, I have been to the Michigan shores of Lake Superior and it is beautiful but just like book mentions, freezing water (swipe for picture). This book was fast paced, engaging, with great characters and a great buildup and story development! The audio for this book was so well done and the narration by Angela Dawe added to the increasingly creepy atmosphere.
Hemlock Island was out yesterday and it truly is perfect for fall reading!

This definitely wasn’t what I was expecting, but I’m not exactly mad about it. There were twists that I didn’t see coming, along with those that I did. There is even a bit of romance in here. The main character kept brushing off things that were happening, and it seemed to e out of place for the character as she was written. It was wonderfully gory and a good read for spooky season.

Laney only kept the house on Hemlock Island in her divorce, and the only way she could manage to keep that is to rent it out. When she gets a distress call from renters, she heads down to check it out with her niece. When she pulls up, she finds her ex husband and her ex best friend waiting to go check it out with her. And her other ex best friend and her older brother who is a cop. Getting stranded on the island with no way to call for help is going to be a blast with this group.

Okay, what?! I had no idea what to expect, and was absolutely blindsided by insanity! This one was extremely gruesome, and majorly spooky. Jump scares everywhere. The twist was ridiculously unexpected. If anyone tries to tell me they saw it coming, I will fight them with my disbelief. There’s absolutely no way! I really cool story, with some super icky intensity, and a ton of twists.

𝑯𝒆𝒎𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒌 𝑰𝒔𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅
⭐️⭐️⭐️
𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞: isolated island setting, horror, supernatural
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: Sept 12, 2023

Hemlock Island was a gift for Laney by her now ex husband. After the divorce, she really couldn’t maintain it on her own so she was forced to rent it out. One night her current renter fled the property in the middle of the night after finding blood and other hex things. Laney decided she had to go check it out, with her other friends accompanying her- including her ex-husband. They get there and what welcomed them was the sight of a bloodied hand…

This book had me in the beginning! I was so intrigued with the setting and the whodunit creepy vibes in an isolated island! Halfway through, I got distracted from the story because of all the subplots and a budding second chance romance storyline that I felt that the story dragged more than it had to.

When it got to the reveal, I wasn’t super invested in the story and to be honest, I almost DNFd this at 90% because I just didn’t really feel like reading it anymore. But as always, I can’t DNF so I pushed through 😅

I looked through the other Goodreads reviews and it had some great 4-5⭐️ reviews there so don’t ignore this book too because you might enjoy it more than I did! We all can’t like the same books anyway 🙂

Thank you so much @stmartinspress for my review copy and @netgalley for the free audiobook!

💭 Do you have the special ability to DNF? 😅

I don’t read a lot of horror, but once in a while once grabs my attention. Hemlock Island revolves around Laney Kilpatrick, an English teacher and thriller author who is recently divorced and is grieving her sister who lost her battle to cancer. She is raising her 16-year-old niece, Madison, and reluctantly renting her vacation home on a remote island to strangers. Things get out of control when the renters call her in the middle of the night to inform her that there are blood and nail marks all over the guest room’s closet. Laney goes out to the house with her niece Madison. Her ex-husband, Kit, also shows up with his sister, Jayla. And then, we have Sadie, a former friend from high school, and her brother, Garrett, who is now a cop. There is so much tension in the group, but we gradually learn about their relationships and secrets. Then one of their group goes missing – and they find a severed hand.

Hemlock Island sucked me right in. There is a killer on the island, there must be. Of course, this is horror, not mystery, and what Laney and her friends discover gets creepier and creepier. Have you ever played Spirit Island? It’s kind of like that.

i will say I was a little disappointed in the ending. Not in the supernatural that Armstrong worked into the plot, that I was expecting. Sometimes I just want authors to go a little further with what they’re doing – kill the character we’re hoping doesn’t die, give us that plot twist that actually surprises us. Armstrong doesn’t quite do it, so we get a pretty happy ending, given the potentials. Once again, I don’t read a lot of horror. Maybe we need the happy ending to compensate for the pain and torture the characters go through?

I listened to the audio and the narrator did an excellent job. It’s a good, spooky read for the season.