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Review for 'Holy City' by Henry Wise

This is Henry's DEBUT novel, not that you would EVER think that!!! I cannot wait to see what he comes out with next!

'Holy City' discusses/includes some topics that may upset some readers or may not be appropriate for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Henry discusses/includes drug addiction and some racist slurs.


The first thing I have got to say is an absolutely HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to the author Henry Wise!! I was absolutely mind blown when I had finished this epic page turner, went to add the rest of his books to my wish list and realised that this is actually his first and only book!! If THIS is what you can create for your very first book then I just cannot wait to see what on Earth you will come out with next!! I do not believe I have actually read many, if any, books set in Virginia so I was intrigued to delve in to the storyline and I must say that Henry does an absolutely fantastic job using his evocative and in depth details and descriptions to bring the locations, characters and dialogue come to life. I shall speak more about that later in my review. In this gritty storyline Henry transports the reader into rural Southside Virginia where we meet Will Seems. Will returns to Euphoria County after 10 years of living in Richmond and is working as Deputy Sherriff under Sheriff Jeff Mills. When he sees smoke coming from the Janders' home he rushes to the house to discover it is on fire. Will calls the fire in and rushes into the house when he realises Tom Jander's truck is outside. When he sees Tom laying on the ground he drags him outside but it is too late. When he sees someone running from the scene he chases after them but is shocked when he recognises the man as Zeke Hathom. Zeke is a friend of Will's and as close as family and he believes that he is innocent. However, Sherriff Mills demands that he arrests him and later when it is discovered that Tom was murdered and Zeke's DNA is discovered on the weapon Sherriff Mills refuses to believe that Zeke is anything other than guilty. Will is determined to prove him wrong and with the help of PI Bennica Watts who has been hired by none other than Tom's Mum Claudette they start to dig deeper into what happened. However, Will has to be careful as he is also hiding Zeke's fugitive son Sam who is addicted to drugs which Will provides and helps to inject and knows Tom is dead but does not know his Father is a suspect. Will feels he owes his life to Sam and his family and is determined to do his best for the family. Can Will find the real killer or has the real killer already been arrested? Can Will keep protecting Sam? If you want to find out then grab your copy of this immersive, gritty and vivid book to find out for yourself today. With a storyline filled with mystery, vivid descriptions, compelling characters, authenticity, action, drama, family, secrets, twists and everything you could ask for what are you waiting for? Grab your copy now and you can thank me later!!! I picked it up and even though I kept telling myself just one more chapter I just could not put it down as every time I went to something happened which meant I had to read just one more again until I ended up reading it in just two sittings!! Henry's beautifully vivid and evocative writing skills and descriptions really brought the storyline to life and I am looking forward to seeing what he comes out with next!!!

The characters were all realistic, complex, multi-layered and strong and I was completely invested in them throughout. Henry's evocative descriptions really makes them jump out of the book and come to life in front of the readers eyes. The fact that this is Henry's debut novel yet he has managed to create these amazing, unique and strong characters is just absolutely amazing!!! All of the characters were multi layered with complex personalities which definitely made them all the more interesting to read about and get to know!!! They all had their own flaws, strengths and weaknesses which ensured they were realistic and came to life in front of the readers eyes. Unfortunately, I really can not say anymore as I don't want to spoil it for future readers.

Overall a gorgeously written book that ensures the storyline comes to life before your eyes.


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Audio book review - a detailed and clever tale of life when things do not turn out as one expects and throws you the most severe curve balls! The narrator chosen for this book - Chris Henry Coffey - makes the characters come to life in a way that you can get to appreciate their issues. Hard to get into but worth the wait!

This was a bit of a slow start but once I got into it I really liked it. I really liked that Will keeps at it until he solves the case. This was my 1st book by Henry Wise but it will not be my last.

#HolyCity
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Holy City by Henry Wise is an engaging audiobook that delivers a richly atmospheric story with strong character development and an intriguing narrative. Wise’s writing shines as he paints vivid imagery of the setting and delves deeply into the complexities of the human condition. The plot twists kept me invested, and the pacing felt just right for the themes explored.

The narrator does an excellent job bringing the characters to life, their tone and delivery enhancing the emotional depth of the story. There were moments when I found myself completely immersed, as if I were right there in the Holy City itself.

The only reason I’m not giving it five stars is that some sections felt slightly drawn out, which occasionally disrupted the momentum. Nonetheless, this is a captivating audiobook that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys thought-provoking and well-crafted storytelling.

A solid 4-star listen that lingers with you after it ends

I love a book that does not shy away from tricky topics. This one does not blink. Wise wrote a novel that feels incredibly honest but entertaining from start to finish. I am glad to have found another author I enjoy but saddened that this was his first book so I didn't have many more to dive into! Because of Holy City, though, Wise will be at the top of my "to read" lists for any new releases.

I was intrigued by Holy City after seeing S.A. Cosby's rave for it. I don't typically reach for books featuring law enforcement main characters but wanted to give this one a try based on his rave.

Despite multiple attempts, I can't seem to get into it. Many sentences are too long, and I don't enjoy this many similes.

I like the narrator's voice, but sometimes I got lost in the dialogue and couldn't tell which character was speaking.

DNF at 8%

4.5&#9733s
“People around here seemed to live in a cloud of defeat, self-wrought and inherited. Whites had the lost cause; Blacks had slavery.”

Holy City is the first novel by American poet, photographer and author, Henry Wise. The audio version is narrated by Chris Henry Coffey. After a decade in Virginia’s Holy City, Richmond, Will Seems returns to his hometown of Dawn and works as a Deputy with the Euphoria County Sheriff’s Department. He doesn’t share his reason for returning although some make educated guesses.

When he spots a fire at the Turkey Creek home of former high school football star, Tom Janders, he risks his life to drag Tom out of the burning house. When Sheriff Jefferson Mills arrives, he immediately rules it murder: Tom has been stabbed in the back. Sawmill worker, Zeke Hathom is spotted fleeing the scene, and Will reluctantly arrests him. The Sheriff has soon charged Zeke with Tom’s murder, but neither Will, nor the victim’s mother, nor many of the town folk, are convinced that Zeke could kill his neighbour.

Will finds Zeke’s story plausible and, while prints on the murder weapon implicate him, Will feels he owes Zeke and his family, so he decides to properly investigate despite the Sheriff’s lukewarm response. Zeke’s wife, Floressa has no confidence that justice will be served. She engages disgraced Richmond cop, Bennico Watts to solve the murder and exonerate her husband. And she insists that Bennico, a woman who always works alone, teams up with Will.

Will has a problem with the idea too: he’s harbouring a fugitive in his dilapidated old family home. And his opposition to the Sheriff’s attitude threatens his access to information about the case. There’s talk of a cash debt, and some disgruntled gamblers who lost big to Tom on the night he died. Will (and Bennico) are thorough in their enquiries, becoming steadily more certain that Zeke is innocent and someone else deserves their scrutiny.

The astute reader will wonder early on about the Sheriff’s motivation and, while the murderer is revealed to the reader at the halfway mark, the journey to this being generally acknowledged, and the aftermath, definitely keep the pages turning. Readers may appreciate a trigger warning: there are several explicit descriptions of deviant sexual behaviour, and the ambiguous ending may not be to everyone’s liking.

Wise’s characters are complex, and he certainly challenges them with difficult dilemmas. His protagonist is plagued with a long-standing guilt that affects his reasoning. Bennico has Will summed up fairly quickly: “wearing that badge just to carry out a personal vendetta you haven’t had the courage to complete.”

He does give them some wise words: “You have to ask yourself if you really want to solve a problem or if you’ve learned to use it as a crutch. Sometimes, we learn to savor our pain. Ask yourself if this is more about some guilt you feel than it is about bringing them to justice. No act undoes the past” and insightful observations “Things that don’t get said are just as true as those that do.”

He fills his debut novel with gorgeous descriptive prose: “They could hear, beyond the roar of wind through the open windows, the life buzzing and skittering out over the wide openness of the fields, ending in trees and vines thick and tall over the road, the sound of cicadas and other insects ebbing and searing, subsiding again when the land opened up to new fields where tall trees like explosions broke the sky” and “They drove, the sun long gone, the glowing headlights scanning the cowled land for whatever might emerge, the gradual highway undulating in serpentine curves and straightaways where you could see, far ahead, the gleaming road like a blade under the moon” are examples.

Atmospheric, haunting and beautifully written, this is literary crime fiction at its best. More of Henry Wise will be eagerly anticipated.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and RB Media.

DNF at 35%. I was sold by the SA Cosby blurb on this book and went into it with high hopes. Unfortunately the plot is too slow moving for me and the writing style is not for me. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free ebook and audiobook to review.

Holy City by Henry Wise is a miind-blowinglyy briliant debut, not just for the outstanding storytelling and dark southern style, but also the noteworthy narration by Chris Henry Coffey. So much so, that this book is going on to my Audiobook Re-Listen list. That is just how good this book was

The MMC is Will Seems, a deputy Sherriff who returns home to Southern Virginia, to a small, rural community that keeps to itself in a world gone by. Deeply religious and isolated, Wise has created a fascinating cast of characters that are perfectly aligned to addressing the many issues raised in the book; poverty, abandonment, bereavement, addiction, homicide, crime, destitution and desolation.

A key aspect is Will Seems relationship with Bennico Watts, a female detective from Richmond, hired by the family of Tom Janders. Their plan is to go undercover, portraying Bennico as his lover, however, in this small rural community, a mixed race couple is a rarity and the subject of incredulity. Also, his relationship with Sam, his old school friend who is struggling with addiction and who is manipulating Will to keep getting a fix. The dynamics of these two relationships intertwined with the back story of Will, Tom and Sam, as well as the death of Will's mother make for an intricate, immersive and very compelling storyline

I would highly recommend this audiobook to anyone who loves a good thriller/ Southern Gothic/ Crime novel. I was utterly rapt

Thank you to Netgalley, RB Media | Recorded Books, the author Henry Wise and narrator Chris Henry Coffey for this stunning ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book started off right in the thick of a crime. I really liked how twisted and convoluted the crime was and how I had figured out who the real killer was and how that persons perspective was shown. This book had a lot of characters and was a great small town mystery.

In Holy City, Virginia, Will Seems is a deputy sheriff who has returned to his hometown after some cryptically described tragedy in his youth. An old friend is stabbed to death and his home is burned to disguise the murder. Another old friend is arrested for the murder, even though he is an unlikely murderer. Will and a private investigator try to find the real guilty party. This was aiming for Southern grit lit, but it was a complete miss for me.

I did not care for the writing style and thought the book was over-written, the author was trying too hard, and he was too wordy for me. For example:

“… could barely hear his boots on the brick walkway against the night sounds, amid fireflies like electrical inconsistencies, like thoughts unbroken or some meaningless code, glad to be able to blend with the night like a secret within a secret.”

“The pond, where the bold cypresses grew like old, distorted skulls, the mud becoming water covered in a skin of bright green algae, water still and thick as coffee. Capturing, trying to capture, the raw blazing glow of midday.” (Not only are these over-written, I don’t believe they are even sentences. I would not have been as annoyed by the writing if the plot and/or characters were more engaging.)

Then came the results of the postmortem. This was without a doubt one of the nastiest murder descriptions I have ever read. I would truly like to erase it from my memory And the story got worse after that and took a really disgusting turn. I finished the book only because the truly disgusting part was close to the end of the book. After the murder is solved, the book just rambles on. The book needed an editor.

The narrator of the audiobook did not differentiate voices at all, so you have to work to figure out who is talking.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher. However, you could not pay me enough to read another book by this author.

This is a debut novel for this author, Henry Wise, and I did find the book very intriguing.

There are a few reasons that this book is only getting 3 stars, and I think most of this is a personal preference. I had a difficult time getting into this book, as I often do with slow burns, but I know many people enjoy books that build into the intensity. Another reason is the graphic sexual intensity at the end was too much for me as well.

I think the premise of this book was well done; the language of this book was excellent and well-tailored to the area of the country and the demographic of the people, so this was a very well thought out, and well-done book.

But I truly believe that a book can be well-done, but at the same time I have an understanding that it is a book that is not suited for me, but for others. That is how I feel about this book. The plot was interesting, infuriating (due to the characters), engaging, but not my style.

All this to say, if you enjoy books that are set in small towns, that have an interesting premise and backstories, and look deep into the souls of those living in desperation; this is the book for you.

This book is crime drama meets Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. Henry Wise takes his small town mystery set outside of Richmond , Virginia and explores the effects of race and poverty have on bringing a murderer to justice. Will, the sheriff’s deputy is back in his hometown when he gets called to a fire, later determined murder at Tom’s house. Zeke is accused of murder, but no one in town believes it could be him. The sheriff and coroner are too eager to lay the blame at his feet and stop the investigation there. However, the black community pulls their resources so that Tom’s mother can hire a private detective from Richmond. The P.I. & Will work together to uncover the real murderer.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A whole county full of unlikeable people that do (or have done) terrible things. And as they learn each other's secrets, it gets even more convoluted.

I liked the overall premise, but the details and execution less so. I feel like time was spent on irrelevant things- like Will's former employer. And some things were included only for shock value- like when Tom's girlfriend visited her "grandmother". Meanwhile, some things were not explained well at all and left mostly to assumptions. One specific example -I wish the story behind Will's mom had been explained. It was mostly left for interference and since I listened to the audiobook, I assume I may have missed something. As often as she was spoken of, it was very unsatisfying to not know the significance. (And if I did not miss something, too much time was spent on her.)

The ending was not very satisfying. I appreciate that each character is given a wrap-up, but as a whole it is very anti-climactic.

Chris Henry Coffey narrates the audiobook. His narrations was fine, but the book itself is not great for audio format. It is told by many, many POVs. Since Chris Henry Coffey narrates it all the same, you have to really focus on who's POV it is.

I received an advance audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was initially interested in this book based on the SA Cosby blurb. I found this book to be super atmospheric. The author wrote with such vivid, beautiful language that it was easy to be right in this plot. I found the characters to be complex and not always likable. The mystery was intriguing and also infuriating. I did find the middle of the story to drag a bit, which left me wanting to speed through some. However, this will be a great book for fans of southern fiction that love complicated small town dynamics.
The narrator did such a great job at capturing the complexities of this story in his performance.

I felt like this novel transported me to rural Virgina and I felt like I was watching the story unfold in front of me. This book is about a deputy trying to solve a murder the sheriff wants to pin on an innocent man. The writing is this book is overall engaging and the characters are well written. Towards the end of the book I did feel like it could have been shorter overall.

Holy City by Henry Wise is a gritty noir that was just a bit confusing but still interesting. I thought it was well-written. However, as I was listening to the audiobook version, I found myself confused at times of what was going on. I thought it came to a good resolution at the end but it was a tad messy.

Many thanks to NetGalley and RB Media for the free audiobook in exchange for my honest review. This is narrated by Chris Henry Coffey who does a great job! His southern accent was perfect for this one.

Will Seems has returned to his hometown as a deputy sheriff and has a murder to solve. Will has lots of reasons not to return home including a distant sister, an absent father, a dead mother and the poverty of his rural, Southern Virginia hometown. However, the man who has supported Will the most is accused of murder, and Will is determined to clear his name despite the attempts of the Sheriff to quickly close the case.

I found this to be a good book to listen to but hard to get engaged with. While the writing is solid, the plot is a little flat. This is still a worthwhile read.

When Will Seems returns to rural Southern Virginia as a deputy sheriff, he realizes that a place where he once called home, is anything but. Tom Janders, an old friend of Will's, is murdered and all of the evidence seems to point to a man whose innocence Will is certain of. Will Seems traverses through old hardships, unhealed wounds of the past, and a town who hasn't forgotten the transgressions of old.

In one of the best debuts I've read to date, Henry Wise weaves a brilliant tale of small town, southern noir. It touches every piece of what it is like to be from a small town -- where you're defined as you were as a child, where you're known for your follies, where gossip reigns supreme. Holy City infused a detective mystery with a police procedural and out popped an enthralling, captivating southern noir thriller that kept me reading early into the morning.

This was one of those novels that touched my heart, reached deep into my soul, and tugged at my emotions. Wise has crafted a beautiful novel, replete with all of the trademarks of a fantastic thriller.

Holy City is a bleak exploration of the small town desperation and where it drives people in desperate circumstances. A mysterious murder and fire unearths long-buried suspicions, hidden addictions, and other tensions. It was difficult to latch on to any of the flawed and limited characters or get invested in the stakes for me on this one. I found it was missing many pieces around why the characters made the choices they did or especially had the opinions and preconceptions about each other. There was definitely some potential, especially in characters like the private investigator thrust upon the scene.