Hollow Out the Dark (Lone Star Book Blog Tour)

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HOLLOW OUT THE DARK
By James Wade


Literary Fiction / Southern Gothic / Rural Fiction
Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Pages: 328
Publication Date: August 20, 2024


SYNOPSIS

Award-winning author James Wade blends atmospheric prose with soul-stirring themes in Hollow Out the Dark, a gothic adventure set against a Depression-era landscape where a whiskey war threatens to decimate a small Texas town.

A veteran of the Great War, Jesse Cole is grateful for the quiet life he now leads. But when his closest friend runs afoul of local criminals Frog and Squirrel Fenley, Jesse is forced to spin his moral compass and enter a violent and volatile underworld. There he encounters corrupt lawmen, hired assassins, and a dark family secret that will upend all he once knew.

Complicating matters are Texas Ranger Amon Atkins—who arrives to investigate the Fenleys just as their empire is threatened by a deadly new competitor—and the green-eyed, raven-haired Adaline, a love Jesse thought he’d lost forever.

With resources scarce and winter falling hard on the town, a desperate Jesse must choose between the law and the lawless and find a way to survive while still protecting the people he loves.

A heart-pounding tale full of plot-twisting revelations, Hollow Out the Dark brings readers into a whiskey-fueled world where everyone has a secret, and love everlasting balances on the edge of a knife.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James Wade is the award-winning author of Beasts of the Earth, All Things Left Wild, and River, Sing Out. He is the youngest novelist to win two Spur Awards from the Western Writers of America, and the recipient of the MPIBA’s prestigious Reading the West Award. James’s work has appeared in Southern Literary Magazine, the Bitter Oleander, Writers’ Digest, and numerous additional publications. James lives and writes in the Texas Hill Country with his wife and children.

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REVIEW
Hollow Out the Dark presents a story taking place during Prohibition and the Great Depression. It's a historical fiction novel, centered on crime and grim elements of life, including struggles with self. This is very much what I would consider a reflective novel. It doesn't rely on its criminal element to be a thriller; instead it focuses on a human element to create more of a drama. 

I wasn't necessarily prepared for the type of story that this is. I don't tend to read much rural fiction or contemporary literary fiction. I'm a big classics, fantasy, sci-fi reader overall, so this is different than my usual routine reads. That's what partially makes it stand out to me as a book. It isn't quite a mystery or criminal thriller, but it's also not a cozy laidback book either. It has a lot of tough elements it's dealing with and that's where its strengths lie. 

Hollow Out the Dark is a painting of grim elements within life, with layers of crime, history, and drama interspersed within. The way these things are brought together is pretty impressive and generally entertaining to read. The characters are interesting, the setup is entertaining, and there's a lot to peel back and experience in it. I like the approach overall and this book really took me by surprise. I give Hollow Out the Dark a Lone Star rating of ✯✯✯✯ stars. 

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