The Curse of Crow Hollow

When I hear the name Billy Coffey when it comes to novels, I am immediately engaged and know I am in for something amazing, and unique. So when the opportunity came about to review his latest novel, The Curse of Crow Hollow, I knew this was definitely one I did not want to miss out on. I've been enamored with his uncanny Southern writing style from his novels, When Mockingbirds Sing, The Devil Walks in Mattingly and In the Heart of the Dark Wood. He takes readers into places no one really wants to go, but you find yourself traveling there somehow by a supernatural power. I liken his novels to that of such notables as Stephen King, because he takes the ordinary and makes it extraordinary.

We all know places in the woods that seem to beckon us to stay clear, to stay away. Billy would call them holler's or as the title implies Hollows. They are the places where rumors and stories are birthed by a persons too active imagination and over time, they sprout roots and take on a life of their own. In this case, the reader is transported to a place known as simply Crow Hollow, by the locals who live there. They are quite a cast of characters that will not be forgotten. They believe in a form of law in which they take care of their own and rarely need the assistance of a sheriff from the nearby city of Mattingly. One event springs to life a kind of evil that can't be explained but needs to be experienced as only one can through this novel.

Cordelia Vest takes it upon herself to meet her friends Scarlett Bickford and Naomi Ramsay up at the old mines where a locked gate normally keeps out all the locals. But tonight it is Scarlett's birthday and they wanted to meet for a private celebration instead of gathering with the local teens at Harper's Field instead, where all their parents believe they are supposed to be. The girls have other plans, including Scarlett's idea to get John David, Cordelia's brother to notice her. Cordelia brings along her mother's diamond bracelet to make Scarlett's a bit more attractive for John David to notice her. She isn't the most self confident and lacks self esteem based on her looks. The only thing Scarlett had going for her besides the fact her daddy is the mayor but she is also one of the wealthiest families living in the Hollow.

Somehow the lines get crossed when John David shows up clearly upset that any of them have trespassed on private property and wants them all to leave. But when Scarlett takes it as rejection and runs off into the woods, the others know they have to find her. What they didn't plan on coming across was Alvaretta Graves who is a recluse living alone in the Hollow. But she isn't really alone. Legend has it she is a witch and when she runs into the four teens, she brings about a curse that will impact the teens first, and then the whole town. Trust me, you're in for a long night with this novel.

I received The Curse of Crow Hollow by Billy Coffey compliments of Thomas Nelson Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions contained here are strictly my own. You will want to carve out some weekend time to thoroughly enjoy this one. It's dark, it suspenseful and Billy takes his sweet time getting to the good stuff, there is no need to rush here, which is why this novel works so well. So many writers take so much time with back story or character development that by the time you are nearing the end, it comes as such a rush. Billy builds slowly, just like what begins to happen slowly one at a time to the people who live in the Hollow. Is it an evil curse from hell or it is something a whole lot more sinister? You'll have to pick it up to find out and in my opinion, it is worth every single one of the 5 out of 5 stars. Mr. Coffey, you are like fine wine, your writing only gets better with each novel.

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The Curse of Crow Hollow by Billy Coffey

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