(Image from Barnes & Noble)

When 20-year-old Michael Shipman wakes up in a hospital bed, he's confused.  He can't remember where he's been for the last two weeks or why he now needs medical care.  Vague images of an empty, hollow city are the only memories swimming through his muddled mind.  Michael has no idea what happened to him, but he knows who's responsible—Them.  Of course, the doctors don't believe in Them.  They might even be Them.  He can't trust his medical team any more than he can trust anyone.  His best bet is to convince the doctors he's healthy and get the heck out of Dodge.

But, Michael's not going anywhere.  Especially not after the authorities name him as a suspect in a string of grisly murders in the Chicago area.  Michael can't remember killing anyone, but then, he can't remember not killing anyone either.  The voices in his head say he couldn't have harmed another person.  They say lots of things, not all of which are real.  In fact, the longer he stays in the mental hospital to which he's now confined, the less anything makes sense at all.

In his heart, Michael knows he's not a killer.  And yet, he's pretty sure his alarm clock will attack him if he doesn't keep it covered.  What is real?  What's only true in his head?  In order to save himself, Michael must figure it out before he's condemned to a lifetime of incarceration in a mental hospital—or worse.

The Hollow City, the newest adult novel by horror writer Dan Wells, is a riveting mind-twister.  I don't want to spoil it by saying too much, so I'll just tell you that I loved this entertaining psychological/supernatural thriller.  To me, it's more compelling, more entertaining, and a whole lot less gruesome than Wells' John Cleaver series.  I may be in the minority here, but I really think The Hollow City is Wells' best novel to date.   It's my favorite, anyway.  

(Readalikes:  Reminds me a little of Dan Wells' John Cleaver series [I Am Not A Serial Killer; Mr. Monster; I Don't Want to Kill You] and a teensy bit of Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson)

Grade:  B+

If this were a movie, it would be rated:  PG-13 for mild language (no F-bombs), violence/gore and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of The Hollow City from the generous folks at Tor/Forge.  Thank you!

**Don't forget that you can win yourself a copy of this excellent psychological/supernatural thriller.  Click here to enter the giveaway.  It ends on August 15th, so don't delay!