Haunting Southern Gothic novel reminiscent of Panovich’s Bull Mountain. Enoch is a rural mountain town surviving on moonshine and corruption. In the shadow of WWI and the winding up of prohibition powerful men decide to make their move.
Of course we have our heroes, Jesse Cole returned from war and the Texas Ranger Amon Atkins. But even these men live with their regrets and shadows.
James Wade writes a beautifully gritty and sad story. Yes it’s a good one just not sure how much I enjoyed it. Thank you to Netgalley and Blackstone publishing.

This is southern gothic crime at its finest! Fans of S.A. Crosby will love reading James Wade.

Hollow Out the Dark is one of the best books I have read in a long time. Although this author is new to me, I will definitely be reading more after finishing this one. I loved the gritty darkness of this depression-era novel set in Texas. Wade creates characters that are realistic and will make you both love and hate them, but one thing is for certain, once you meet them, once you enter into Wade's world, you are never going to forget any of it.

Hollow Out the Dark byJames Wade tells a tough and dark story about bootleggers in a small east Texas town during the depression .Amon Atkins is a Texas Ranger who is charged with enforcing the law.Jessie Cole is a decorated war veteran who is trying to help his family while fighting his own demons.The writing is wonderful and you may have to use your dictionary to find out the meaning of a few words!Thank you Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC of an author that was new to me.I will find more of his books!

4.5 stars

War trauma, honor, murder, love, revenge. There are so many different plots and characters in this book, it could almost make your head spin.

The main protagonists are Jesse Cole, a former WWI soldier, and Amon Atkins, Texas Ranger. The unique aspect of this book though is that you get the point of view of a dozen other characters and their thoughts and deeds.

Set during Prohibition, there are plenty of murders, fires, and bootlegging to go around, but what's really going on beneath is all? Who can you trust? What should a "good" man do?

The main reason I didn't give it a full five stars was that even though all the plot lines wrapped up, there were just a few too many that they muddied up the waters of a great story and thus some parts didn't get the ending they deserved.

*Thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for an eARC*

I loved Beasts of the Earth, so I was eager to read James Wade’s newest work. Although I found it to be beautifully written with an interesting and compelling storyline, it did not speak to me as much as Beasts of the Earth did. Nonetheless, it is a great read: a gripping tale set in East Texas during the Depression when prohibition is about to end and when a whiskey war may well destroy the small town of Enoch. The characters are very well developed and quite memorable, especially Amon, a Texas ranger assigned to assist law enforcement in the small town, and Jessie Cole, a decorated war veteran who is trying to do all he can to help his family survive this very troubled time. And, although the subject matter is quite dark and gritty, this is a haunting historical novel that is wholly absorbing.

Not my typical read, I will admit.
The writing is mesmerizing and beautiful, although it took me longer than I wanted to get through the book.
The subject matter of depression, prohibition, and a person's resolve to fend for both himself and his family is captivating.

4.5 🌟

"dreams are like bones, he thought. you cannot see them, but they are inside of you. they are inside of you until you die and there is nothing left to hold them."

my first james wade novel and wow, what a ride. very dark, twisty, and i felt completely immersed in this story. i felt everything. equally strong and interesting characters as the plot. definitely was out of my comfort zone, but i am very pleased that i read this and i will most certainly go back and check out some of his other works.

thank you to blackstone publishing and netgalley for the e-ARC!

Hollow Out the Dark by James Wade is a masterfully woven tale that lingers long after the final page is turned. Set against the haunting backdrop of Depression-era Texas, Wade crafts a gothic narrative that explores the depths to which a man might descend for duty, love, and survival. This novel, steeped in the shadowy intricacies of a whiskey war threatening to decimate a small town, captivates with its portrayal of blurred moral lines and the stark contrasts between good and evil.

Wade’s prose is both somber and beautiful, drawing readers into a world where corrupt lawmen, dutiful Texas Rangers, honorable war heroes, and lawless criminals collide. The characters are richly developed, their struggles rendered with such emotional intensity that by the time you reach the end, you’ll find yourself breathless, your emotions thoroughly wrung out, and perhaps even shedding a tear. The story is brutal and harrowing, yet tender and heart-felt, a testament to Wade’s uncanny ability to immerse readers in the lives of his characters so deeply that they resonate long after the book is closed.

The novel's evocative depiction of East Texas during the Prohibition era, complete with its mountains, streams, and pervasive corruption, provides the perfect backdrop for a tale of love, loyalty, and the enduring human spirit. It’s a story where shades of grey abound, challenging the reader’s perceptions of right and wrong.

For those who appreciate immersive historical fiction with rich character development and a touch of gothic adventure, Hollow Out the Dark is an outstanding read. This is a novel that not only entertains but also leaves a lasting impact, and I highly recommend it. My thanks to Blackstone Publishing for providing me with an ARC; it’s a privilege to have experienced such an exceptional story.

This book was beautifully haunting and I still think about some of the surprises it revealed. It showed the depths a man might go to for duty and love, and how those depths might drown him all the same. James Wade weaves a Texas gothic narrative like a master and hasn’t let me down with his stories yet, even if I know my emotions are going to be wrung out by the end.

Highly recommend and want to thank the publisher for a chance to read this ARC early.

Hollow Out the Dark is described as “a gothic adventure set against a Depression-era landscape, where a whiskey war threatens to decimate a small Texas town”. Corrupt lawmen. A dutiful Texas Ranger. An honorable war hero. Lawless criminals. Blurred moral lines.

Wow. This is my first time reading a novel by James Wade, and I savored every bit of his beautiful writing. Hollow Out the Dark is outstanding. Somber, brutal, and harrowing. But also, tender and heart-felt. The characters were well-developed and memorable. I cannot wait to read the rest of Wade’s novels.

Read this if you enjoy immersive historical fiction, prohibition-era themes, small-town crime, and soul-stirring writing.

Thank you blackstone publishing for providing me with an ARC of this exceptional novel via netgalley. All thoughts are entirely my own.

I was honored to be able to read an early ARC of this novel. Once again, James Wade does not disappoint. This author knows his state and knows his people. Makes for a very talented author. You feel like , with every story, you are right there living with these characters. So much grit and reality. I have been a follower of James since the beginning and always await his next novel with excitement and know I won't be let down .
Some authors you just buy the book. You don't have to read any synopsis or know anything about the book going in, you just have that much faith it's gonna be damn good. That's Wade .

Since returning from the war, veteran soldier Jesse Cole has been keeping his head down, watching over his wife and daughter in Depression-era Texas, where decent people turn to crime to make ends meet. When his war pal, Hollis, racks up an unpayable gambling debt to the bootlegging brothers, Squirrel and Frog Fenley, Jesse’s protective instincts go on full alert, and he is obliged to step in.

But negotiating with the loathsome Squirrel proves impossible, and Jesse is forced to run liquor as the only way of getting his friend off the hook. What Squirrel knows, but doesn’t tell his new employee, is that the county is teetering dangerously close to a whiskey war, and Jesse is walking blindly into the centre of it. Squirrel and Frog have been the sole crime bosses for years, but a mercenary war vet, in the pay of an unknown figure very high up the food chain, is threatening families, killing, burning out or blowing up anyone who resists the change of management.

The award-winning Wade writes with skillful honesty about his home state and its dark history in this unsettling, atmospheric account of a desperate time, where man’s capacity for corruption and greed seems endless. The tense darkness which pervades the narrative is interspersed with powerful descriptions of location, climate, war, death, and ghosts of the past, driving the plot to a conclusion in which there may be no winners. Of the large cast, there isn’t one person, on either side of the precarious moral fence, who hasn’t suffered devastation of one sort or another.

Wade writes with soul-stirring passion, building layer upon layer and finally turning his story on its head—equal parts shocking, unexpected and yet totally fitting—leaving me reeling, but with the hope that maybe there are a few good people still out there.

Was not able to finish on time but this is hands down one of my favorite covers of this year. ! The writing is lyrical and captures Texas perfectly

James Wade's rural noir novel Hollow Out the Dark is like a repeated punch to the gut. The subject matter is dark and violent (moonshine wars) but the characters are memorable and the writing is beautiful and poetic, with heavy Southern Gothic overtones. Reminds me of Brian Panowich and Peter Farris, two of my favorite writers, who also write rural noir. Highly recommended for fans of gritlit and literary crime fiction.