Hollow Bones

After a bit of a slow start, the pace and suspense of this book picked up to a comfortable level. The plot twists weren't enough to give the good kind of whiplash one would expect from a mystery read, but were solid nevertheless. The occult/supernatural elements, unfortunately, seemed like more of an afterthought and didn't play a significant enough role in the story, in my opinion. The characters were somewhat developed and compassion and empathy for the main protagonist was definitely there, but other characters, given their pivotal roles, could have done with more fleshing out. Overall, it was a decent read that attempted to stand out within its genre, and for other readers, may be successful in doing so.

Hollow Bones is a haunting retelling of Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, and I loved every minute of it! While Merritt, a reporter on the rise, sets out to expose the shady but charismatic pastor of New Hope church, Essa, the former pastor's orphaned daughter, struggles to keep her quiet life from shattering when her brother, Clyde, is suspected of burning the church down. Clyde's pregnant girlfriend, Juliet, is determined to keep her new family together.

I'm a fan of the dark and gritty female-centric storytelling, and this hit just the right note for me! The characters are well-developed, the setting starkly beautiful and at times creepy, and the suspense engrossing. This book will fit nicely on the shelf with my favorite Appalachian mysteries.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for ARC.

I loved this.
This was such a unique crime thriller where (in the best way) the crime/thriller aspect to second seat to the exploration of the character's personality, loves and betrayals.
This peak into life in an Appalachian town held together / destroyed by unusual religious practices was fascinating. The stark realities of the opoid epidemic alongside the mysticalness of the magic was a gorgeous reflection. Erica Wright managed to get so much across in such few pages and whilst I'm sure you could fly through this book I really wanted to savour the enjoyment I was getting from it.
I loved the three points of view that we followed in this story, Erica Wright was able to give each woman such a distinct voice. The way they interacted with, but also supported, each other was so good and really allowed the women to be the heros of the story.
I know that I will be thinking about this book and its characters for a long time.

Full to the brim with atmosphere. I could imagine every scene in this book.
I love a book that has a pastor/preacher/holy man that is slap bang on the line of being charismatic, and creepy as hell.
This guy is exactly that.
An excellent read, with interesting characters, a few of which I won't be forgetting too soon.
The pace picked up perfectly as we went into the final few chapters.
Very very enjoyable.

When I was sixteen, we studied the poem 'Mariana' by Alfred Tennyson at school. My teacher provided the background to this character by giving us a quick summary of Shakespeare's 'Measure for Measure'. I fell in love. It immediately became my favourite Shakespeare play and I fondly remember going to the bookshop to pick up a copy, choosing between a few different covers. I still haven't had the chance to see it on stage, but I live in hope that a revival will come to London in the near future.

A novel inspired by 'Measure for Measure'? I couldn't believe my luck!

Oh, Essa. What a beautiful version of Isabella from the play. Essa is not a nun like Isabella was, but she is a young woman who has never had a sexual or romantic partner, so she is chaste in the way which works for the plot. Oh, Micah. He is a truly awful man, just like Angelo. It works pretty perfectly to make this version of the character into a preacher, given the religious justification behind Angelo's initial actions in the play.

The initial scene between them in the novel was such a gorgeous companion to their first scene together in the original play. How incredibly charged and what a fantastic dynamic - it genuinely sent chills down my spine. As I write this review, I have my copy of 'Measure for Measure' beside me on the desk. I just had to go back and read that scene after finishing this novel.

I had an absolute blast trying to match up the characters in 'Hollow Bones' with the characters from 'Measure for Measure'. The only character who retains their name is Juliet. Claudio becomes Clive. There are two different women who could be incarnations of Madame Overdone - it makes the most sense for it to be Charlene who owns a bar named after her, but there is also a Madame Clarita. The famous Mariana is recreated in Kimberly. After that, it becomes pretty murky. Is Doctor Kester a strange version of Vincentio? Who on earth is Meritt? Of course, this is not a straight retelling of 'Measure for Measure' so the characters don't need to all align in this way, but it was fun to ponder.

Despite my nerdy ramblings, you absolutely don't need to know anything about 'Measure for Measure' to enjoy this gorgeously written and twisty little novel. The eerie setting, well-drawn characters and clever plotline will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Severn House for the ARC!

Wright spins a beautiful tale inspired by Shakespeare's MEASURE FOR MEASURE. Our heroine Essa is up against a maniacally charismatic and dangerous new preacher, but great supporting characters step in to protect her along her journey. A cathartic and compelling read.

The book initially had a slow start, and I found it difficult to connect with the character Essa at first. The prospect of delving into religious trauma was daunting. However, as the story unfolded, I found myself increasingly captivated and eagerly anticipating each new development.

I particularly enjoyed the character Juliet, and I wished her storyline had been more fleshed out. Additionally, while the references to the occult were intriguing, I felt that they didn't significantly impact the overall story. I had hoped they would play a more substantial role because of their intriguing nature.

This was a different kind of thriller and in the end, I did find enjoyment in the book, and I'm pleased that I persevered through the slower beginning.

Oh, I just love a good mystery! Take me to the hills of West Virginia and immerse me in a crowd of religious zealots...it's mysterious and creepy!

Essa grew up in the New Hope Church, where her father was a pastor. It's not your run-of-the-mill Christian church, it's a rural church that believes in snake handling or serpent handling as part of their worship service. As teenagers, the lives of Essa and her older brother are rapidly altered, when their parents unexpectedly die, resulting in the church closing down.

Fast forward a few years. Essa continues to live in her childhood home, which is on the same land as the closed New Hope Church. Her brother, Clyde, is in a relationship with a psychic medium, a sharp contrast from his childhood belief system. When a new pastor comes to this little neck of West Virginia and reopens the New Hope Church, life starts to feel unsettled and the snakes reemerge. Then things really start to heat up, when the New Hope Church goes up in flames. For the reader, this is where the mystery takes off. Who burned down the New Hope Church?

Erica Wright does a fabulous job of setting the scene conducive for a spine-chilling mystery, as well as developing some incredibly diverse and complicated characters. They'll keep you guessing, as several of them have a reason to want to burn the church down. I found myself plowing through the pages, invested in solving this crime! As I read the final page, my only wish was that the character, Juliet (the psychic medium and Essa's brother's partner), would have played a more pivotal role. She added such an interesting dynamic, amongst this alternative, religious community.

Thank you to Severn House for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest feedback. All opinions are my own. And now, I fear, I may be dreaming about snakes.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4 out of 5 stars

The serpant orphan, Essa finds herself in the midst of drama when her brother, Clyde, is arrested for burning down New Hope church with two people inside. Her brother's wife is pregnant, unbenownst to Essa previously, the pastor at New Hope has taken a dark interest in Essa, a reporter is determined to suss out who actually burned the church down and not just who the police department is pinning it on due to the pastor's assumption, and snakes everywhere!

See my full review here on my YouTube Book Tube channel, The Caffeinated Book Wyrm: https://youtu.be/2tQ6MCmGshc?si=3eS1Z3-wyNCEZ0U-

Erica Wright’s “Hollow Bones” is a darkly captivating novel that burrows its way under your skin and won’t let go. Set against the haunting backdrop of West Virginia’s snake-handling churches, the story weaves a suspenseful web around three unforgettable women.

Essa Montgomery, haunted by her past in a dangerous religious sect, finds her world turned upside down when the church burns down, taking lives with it. Meanwhile, ambitious journalist Merrit Callahan sees a chance for a career-making story, and psychic medium Juliet Usher desperately tries to clear her partner’s name when he becomes a suspect.

Wright crafts these characters, each with their own vulnerabilities and strengths. Their paths intertwine in unexpected ways, propelling the story forward at a breakneck pace. The exploration of the snake-handling tradition adds a layer of unsettling fascination, drawing you deeper into the heart of the Appalachian community. The surprising climax is both shocking and satisfying, leaving a lasting impression long after you turn the final page.

If you’re looking for a novel that will keep you up all night, with characters you won’t soon forget, “Hollow Bones” is a great read.

This book feels unsettling from the very first page.

Pastor Micah has won acclaim for his addiction programs, replacing it with a brand of spirituality that includes handling venomous snakes and drinking poison. But when his church burns down with two teenagers inside it, suddenly the attention of the world is on his ministry. When Pastor Micah blames an outcast - the adult son of the former pastor - he hopes to use it to draw closer to Essa, the sister who has fascinated him since he first laid eyes on her.

Essa has left the church, but not really. After the death of both her pastor parents from snake bites, she struggles to let anything else go. She wears her hair long in her mother's old clothes and lives in their former home, only adding a few books of her own. But when her brother is accused of setting the fire, she reaches out to his hippy live-in girlfriend, setting her life on a different path.

Although the book begins with Pastor Micah, it is truly Essa's story. It chronicles her journey of breaking free from the cult she was born into as she embarks on a quest to save her brother.

This creepy, suspenseful novel delves into themes of trauma, addiction, and abuse, making it an excellent choice for book club discussions.

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

An enjoyable, atmospheric read, with interesting, strong willed female characters, a creepy pastor and set in a remote Appalachian community.... what's not to like! I highly recommend this.

Starting off a little slow but picking up the pace when needed, this book provided a refreshing classic mystery as told through the eyes of multiple characters. Each character's perspective was unique and added to the plot in different ways, none of which were redudant. As the book continues, you as the reader start to begin to get a grasp on who you think is responsible for the mess when it's not until the very end you realize you were completely wrong! It has been a long time since a book surprised me at the very end, so this was an enjoyable read!

I was hooked on Hollow Bones from the beginning. Essa Montgomery was traumatized by both her religious upbringing and the death of her mother due to snake handling within the church's faith. Now her father is gone as well and she continues to live in the small rectory off the main church. Enter the Pastor of a Mega Church who has a lot of local backing who has been reviving the snake handling. The creep meter has just increased.

Juliet Usher makes a living as a clairvoyant. She desperately wants to be able to read the future but currently reads Tarot to make ends meet. An unlikely alley for Essa, yet they are drawn together first due to Essa's brother, then because a friendship develops. Enter Merrit Callahan, a wannabe big-time reporter who brings them all together as she tries to take down the new pastor.

Female empowerment and solidarity grows and is woven throughout the story along with individual growth of the characters which I appreciated as a reader. A wonderful denouement that may surprise many readers. A bit of a tidy ending after that but it was all good for me.

Thank you to Publishers Clearing House and Severn House for my copy via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I can't tell you precisely what drew me to this book although I am a thriller/mystery reader at heart, this book was more than just a mystery, and if anything I was less concerned with the mystery being solved than I was about the main characters all being ok. Reading this was was like observing life in a small US town and the way everyone interacted with each other, throwing in a fire, snakes, spirits, and some fairly unsavoury characters made me want to continue reading.

There are three main characters telling the story here, although there is a whole wider cast playing its part, and was very diverse.

I even ended up looking in to churches that have snake handlers, as whilst I was aware of them as a movement I didn't know enough about them and so I definitely expanded my own knowledge whilst reading this book.

A dark and taut novel that is based on Shakespeare's Meaure for Measure but don't worry if you haven't read the play. In fact, you might enjoy this more if you aren't trying to match things up and are reading if for its own merits. Which are considerable. Wright has summoned the atmospherics of snake handling and Appalachian as well as the despair of Essa. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A very good read.

I love a book that has borderline cult vibes, and really appreciated the FMC's grapple with her own past religious trauma. On top of that, Hollow Bones is an exceptionally well done mystery; I was left guessing all the way until the end! There is a lot of character growth for multiple characters, but it's written in a way that feels organic and helps propel the story. Definitely recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was asked to review this book by NetGalley. The beauty of reviewing is you get to read books you would not normally pick up, but I am so glad i got to read this. The book is due for publication August 6th 2024, so just in time for the long summer holiday.

This was a really good mystery, through multiple characters and they added to the story in so many ways.

This was dark, suspensful and a great read with an ending I did not see coming.

Essa Montgomery and her brother Clyde, "the snake orphans", have found a way to go on with their lives after their parents' unfortunate deaths in a snake-handling church in a small West Virginia town. But when the church burns down and Clyde is blamed, it's up to Essa to figure out what really happened. Suspenseful, but not too suspenseful, there were enough surprises to keep me guessing until the end.

This book follows the story of Essa Montgomery in a small town in West Virginia called Vintera. Essa's dad was the pastor at the church, before he and his wife passes away. Essa struggles with religious trauma and being the serpent orphan. When the New Hope church is burned down, with two teenage kids inside, her brother Clyde is the first suspect after Pastor Micah blames him for it.
Essa gets caught in the middle of the investigation where to cops are trying to use her to incriminate her brother, and the pastor tries to use his power in the town to manipulate her into giving into his dark desires. This book was eerie and unsettling from the very beginning. It takes dark twists and turns, and there were parts where I felt like any character was capable of doing desperate things in dark times.
Essa's character developed from a timid, traumatized girl, to realizing her potential, and being grateful for the people and opportunities she had in her life. She was able to think for herself and took matters into her own hands when she felt others couldn't be trusted.
I like the style of writing in this book. You could hear the way the talked and envision the scenes as they played out in the story. I did find it to be predictable, but that doesn't mean anything, as I can usually predict the ending. It has been a long time since I read a book that surprised me.
THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY FOR GIVING ME EARLY ACCESS TO THIS BOOK.how

“Almost Heaven, West Virginia “ goes the song, but it’s also the only state where it is still legal to pick up serpents during church services – a rare show of faith practiced by some small, rural congregations. In the township of Vintera, the Pastor of the New Hope Pentecostal Church had been Essa Montgomery’s great grandfather, then grandfather, then father. Deaths by snakebite in such churches are few but a few years ago, her mother had died this way followed a little later by her father. Thus, at age fifteen, Essa became an orphan and her brother, Clyde, became her legal guardian at eighteen. Neither has ever returned to the church.
Now, five years later, Essa still lives adjacent to the Church in what was the family home. She works as lab assistant to the local necrologist, helping to identify the cause of death for animals, and providing forensic information in legal cases. She has never had a boyfriend, wears her hair in a long braid and dresses in her mother’s old (and very old fashioned) clothes. Her only ‘friend’ is a stuffed hawk called Greta. Clyde, a short-tempered man with a chip on his shoulder when it comes to the Church, lives with his partner Juliet, a fortune teller with a real gift for seeing into people’s minds – and what appears to be a real ability to see phantoms.
Following their father’s death, the siblings had hoped the church would slowly fade away but, instead, three years ago a new, handsome and charismatic Pastor, Micah Granieri, had taken over. His looks and personality had boosted the congregation, especially when he started using the picking up of snakes to cure drug addicts. He also has a lustful eye on Essa, who has no idea of this but has ignored him anyway since his arrival.
And then the church is destroyed in an arson attack, inadvertently killing two teenagers who had been using it as a trysting place. Clyde is the obvious suspect and taken in for questioning. Enter, Merritt Callahan, a young reporter on the make. Can the three young women solve the murder while saving Essa from the predatory Parson?
On the face of it, this is a whodunnit with a more than usually weird background. It is told largely from the point of view of Essa, but with significant angles from Juliet, Merritt and Micah. The writing is quite good and invokes the claustrophobic atmosphere in which the story unfolds. It starts with the fire, and proceeds quite slowly as background is infiltrated into the narrative. Into the home straight, though, things happen quite quickly and the tight timelining of the earlier chapters seemed to fall apart a bit. The characters are fairly believable except that I couldn’t see why Juliet’s ‘supernatural powers’ are needed in the plot. It is quite difficult to work out the who and the why, but the answers are perfectly sensible.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

From the prologue, the reader is made to feel uncomfortable and weary. There is something... off about Pastor Micah, and it's not snake handling.
This story centers on the lives of three women that become intertwined through a church none of them attend. Essa's father was the previous pastor for New Hope, a church that still partook in the controversial use of snakes in their services, and his wife, Essa's mother assisted with the snakes. After a freak accident during a service a few years prior, Essa and her brother Clyde suddenly became orphans. Neither attend the church after the arrival of the new pastor. Essa is quiet, keeps to herself, wears her mother's clothing, and works in a kind of animal medical examiner's office. She has heard about but never really interacted with Clyde's girlfriend Juliet, who we also follow. Juliet is a psychic of sorts and at points communicates with ghosts. I find her fascinating. The third woman we follow is Merritt, a reporter who was just doing a story on Pastor Micah's programs to combat narcotic use in the rural area who stumbles on the story of her career after New Hope is burned to the ground with two teens inside. We also get a few chapters from Pastor Micah's POV, which were the most uncomfortable and creepy chapters by far.
I really liked the way the author painted the story and crafted this small town. Though the town (and the county?) do not exist, it feels real. Though this book does deal a bit with religion, it mostly focuses on personal development for the main three women through the police investigations of the church arson that has narrowed in on Essa's brother, Clyde.
I think the story could have used a bit more of a resolution with the whole Pastor Micah situation and with his character. Things remain a little vague in my opinion for certain things that are spoilers.
If you like mysteries that lean towards the creepy and possible supernatural, I think this book will give you that! I haven't read Measure For Measure, the Shakespeare play this story is loosely based on, but I did read a synopsis after finishing and I would say it likely stands up as a good retelling that makes its own divergences.

I loved this novel. It captured Appalachia and a lot of the South so well, I think. As someone who grew up in an Evangelical community, I was particularly drawn to the way Wright described the church and how its influence continues to create such strong attachments in both good and evil ways. I also found myself very drawn to Essa (and Clyde) because so much of how I grew up was wrapped up in people's perceptions of me as a minister's kid and how difficult that was to gain any independence from. I immediately added all of Wright's books to my TBR after reading this. So great!

Book Review
Hollow Bones
Erica Wright
reviewed by Lou Jacobs


readersremains.com | Goodreads


The inequities of life are explored in this literary mystery, highlighting the ever-present truism that power corrupts. Erica Wright masterfully reimagines Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure in the setting of the small town of Vintera, West Virginia. The lives and actions of three women are pitted against unsettling obstacles, both mundane and catastrophic.

The central protagonist is twenty-year-old Essa Montgomery, the docile daughter of the deceased preacher of the New Hope Pentecostal Church, who was bitten while handling a serpent in the course of pursuing his religious dogma. Essa now lives in the rectory across from the church, a constant daily reminder of what was. She must observe the charismatic, yet smarmy, new pastor, Micah Granieri, as he enchants his burgeoning congregation with less-than-honest sermons, falsely wielding the serpents. He champions himself as a prophet and savior to the drug-addicted, promising relief for his “true” followers. Essa has worked at the Vintera Wildlife Investigation Lab for the past four years under the watchful eye of Dr. Wick Kester, who has fostered a welcoming life for her with the possibility of education and advancement.

Essa is approached by the local police. Earlier that morning, the church was destroyed by a massive fire that not only consumed the building but also took the lives of two teenagers (apparently caught unaware during a tryst). The police seek Essa’s help in coaxing a confession from her brother Clyde, the only suspect. It is common knowledge that Clyde angrily confronted and even cut Micah in the past. This event draws other women into the web of deceit. Juliet Usher, who scratches out a living as a medium, is the pregnant girlfriend of Clyde and will do anything to protect her evolving family. She is both assertive and ruthless—the polar opposite of Essa. Covering the fire and hoping to discredit Micah Granieri is the opportunistic and ambitious journalist Merritt Callahan. There is no barrier she wouldn’t hurdle to advance her career, and this may be the story to cement her future.

Micah has been infatuated with Essa from afar for years. She is made to feel it’s absolutely necessary to confront the pastor and beseech him to approach the authorities to clear Clyde of any involvement in the fire. He agrees but adds, “I only need one favor in return. Can you guess what it is?”

Erica Wright masterfully weaves together these twisted plotlines into an engaging mélange of escalating tension and intrigue, culminating in a meaningful denouement. The multiple points of view are presented in alternating chapters of the four main protagonists, gradually revealing their motivations, expectations, and fears. Wright propels the narrative and character development with almost magical, lyrical prose, exploring the universal presence of exploiting weakness and inequality to propagate power and fame.

Thanks to Erica Wright for providing an Advance Reading Copy in exchange for an honest review. Although this is my first foray into the oeuvre of Erica Wright, it certainly won’t be my last.

Erica Wright’s Hollow Bones may be a crime novel set in West Virginia but it is inspired by Shakespear’s Measure for Measure. No knowledge of the original tale is needed to enjoy this complex, character-driven story.
The cold open of Hollow Bones introduces readers to Father Micah, a preacher who has taken over a church in Vintera, West Virginia, where worship involves poisonous serpents (not snakes). This is a week before a fire that destroys the church building. The fire is blamed on Clyde, one of the two children of the former pastor and his wife who both died from snakebite. The other, Essa, lives in the old rectory and has drawn the attention of Father Micah and who offers her a Mephistophelian deal.
The narrative of Hollow Bones focusses on three very different women. Eighteen year old Essa, Clyde’s pregnant girlfriend and town psychic Juliet, and Merrit, an ambitious news reporter who has her own suspicions about Micah. And then there is Micah himself, a man who has the ability to exploit the weaknesses in others, but who finds himself obsessed with breaking Essa.
It is Essa’s story in particular where Wright has drawn her inspiration from Shakespeare. In Measure for Measure the corrupt priest (Angelo) sentences the young man (Claudio) to death but falls in love with the man’s sister (Isabella) when she comes to beg for her brother’s life. The deal that Angelo offers to Isabella is the same as Micah offers to Essa, as is the way the two young women respond.
But this is still also a well constructed crime story, with more crimes following the destruction of the church, including a murder, and an unexpected resolution. In doing so Wright also delves into one of the more bizarre subbranches of American Christianity (a group who also feature in Christian White’s debut The Nowhere Child). Wright has successfully threaded a needle here in delivering this melange of crime fiction inspired by Shakespearean characters and situations in this modern, West Virginian setting .