Sometimes the ghosts you’re looking for aren’t the ghosts you find. This is the case in Culley Holderfield’s novel, Hemlock Hollow. In Appalachian North Carolina, the story follows two timelines and two different, but similar, characters. During the present, Caroline is a university professor dealing with the recent death of her father and her divorce. In the cabin gifted to her in her father’s will, Caroline finds the journal of Carson Quinn, who was accused of murdering his older brother in the late 1800’s. With the ghost of her childhood haunting her and the mystery of the truth pushing her to follow a new project to preoccupy her mind, Caroline works to solve the murder of Thomas Quinn.
Throughout the book, Holderfield illustrates the importance of the physical setting in a story. The great detail of the wilderness and how it plays a role in each scene transports readers into the novel. The author paints a scene in the 1800’s and shows the similarities and differences of the same place in the 21st century. One can visualize the page as they read, and it brings the historical aspect of the story alive.
There’s a lot of the story that focuses on Carson’s journal; at times, I wanted the story to pull back to the present to give us more moments with Caroline. The journal guides readers as Quinn grows up, whereas very few scenes illustrate Caroline’s past. The story would have more parallels between the two main characters had the author included more flashbacks for Caroline as opposed to her detailing her life through exposition.
Holderfield does an excellent job at mixing the mystery and historical fiction genres, and I’m excited to see what he produces next.
