When an elderly woman is hit by a train on an isolated piece of railroad track, Sheriff Lily Ross is called in to investigate.  While it's immediately clear that the woman is dead, it's not apparent just what she was doing out in the middle of nowhere in the dead of night, wearing only a flimsy nightgown.  Marks on her wrists indicate she had been restrained recently.  Was the death a tragic accident caused by a roaming senior citizen with dementia?  Suicide?  Or did something more sinister occur?  Lily doesn't believe the brakeman's tale about a ghost pushing the old lady off a cliff directly into the path of an oncoming train, but she can't shake the feeling that there's more to the incident than meets the eye.

Determined to figure out Jane Doe's identity and the truth behind her death, Lily starts digging.  Her probing leads her to a facility deep in the holler.  Hiding secrets both old and new, The Hollows asylum may be the key to solving Lily's current mystery as well as answering disturbing questions from the past.  In the midst of working the Jane Doe case, Lily's also dealing with the fallout from attempted integration at the mines, an upcoming election that could win her the sheriff's seat in her own right, and a shivery ghost story she's starting to believe in spite of herself.  Can Lily close the case?  Will she keep her job as sheriff, despite many thinking it's an unsuitable job for a lady?  And what about the ghost that haunts the holler?  Will it make a believer out of pragmatic Lily Ross?

I enjoyed The Widows—the first installment in Jess Montgomery's historical mystery series featuring Lily Ross—so I was eager to read its sequel, The Hollows.  Like its predecessor, the novel features an atmospheric Appalachian setting in an intriguing historical time period.  It discusses issues/groups I don't know much about, including prohibition, integration in the mining industry, women's issues in the 1920s, and the Women's Klu Klux Klan.  In addition, it brings together a cast of colorful characters, most of whom are likable and fun to read about.  Lily is no exception.  She's an understated heroine, which makes her all the more alluring.  To top it all off, Montgomery writes with assured, engrossing prose.  All of these elements come together to make The Hollows another winning historical mystery from Montgomery.  You better believe I'm eagerly awaiting the next installment in this enjoyable series.

(Readalikes:  The Widows by Jess Montgomery)

Grade:

It's Top Ten Tuesday time!  Get excited!  Since Valentine's Day is in a few days, this week's prompt is a love freebie.  I don't know why freebies throw me so, but I just could not come up with anything fresh and original for this topic.  So, I'm going to highlight ten books I've read so far this year that have garnered some love from me.  I'm not saying these are perfect, favorite reads, just ones that I've enjoyed.

First, though, be sure to click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl, read a few instructions, make your own TTT list, then hope around the blogosphere showing some love to the participating blogs.  It's fun and a great way to revisit favorite sites, find new ones, and add some fabulous-sounding reads to your always-growing TBR pile mountain mountain chain.  What's not to love?

Top Ten Books That Have Earned Some of My Readerly Love So Far This Year (in no particular order):


1.  Where the Lost Wander by Amy Harmon (available April 28, 2020)—Maybe it's the Mormon pioneer ancestry that flows through my veins, but I love me a good wagon trail story.  Harmon's newest concerns a 20-year-old widow named Naomi May who is journeying across The Overland Trail with her family.  Trekking West is difficult enough, but when Naomi falls in love with a half-Pawnee mule skinner, things get even more complicated.  Where the Lost Wander is primarily a love story, but it also boasts plenty of adventure, humor, drama, and heartbreak.  I finished this sweeping saga last night and loved it.


2.  The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James (available February 18, 2020)—I was fortunate to snag a copy of this creepy novel, which is definitely more Halloween than Valentine's Day.  It's about an eerie little town in upstate New York where young women tend to go missing.  Our heroine, Carly Kirk, moves to Fell to investigate the disappearance of her aunt, who vanished from the motel where she worked over thirty years ago.  Soon, Carly is caught in a kind of time warp at the empty motel, which is a whole lot more occupied than anyone realizes.  If you like a good The Shining-ish story, you're definitely going to want to check out this freaky tale which had me jumping at every sound, even though I read it in the middle of the day with all the lights on ...


3.  The Wake of the Lorelei Lee by L.A. Meyer—The Bloody Jack series is one of my favorite YA series of all time.  It's fun, it's exciting, it's different, and it's just all kinds of entertaining.  Even though the tales get "saltier" and bawdier as they go, I still love these books.  Someone suggested listening to these novels on audio because the narrator—the late Katherine Kellgren—is so fabulous.  I agree.  She's excellent.  I enjoyed this one a lot, just as I have every other Bloody Jack book.


4.  Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain—I already reviewed this one, so I won't say too much about it except that I found it to be a compelling and satisfying mystery.


5.  Second Sight by Aoife Clifford—I didn't absolutely love this Australian murder mystery since it's pretty bleak and depressing, but I did find it engrossing.  The atmospheric setting and twisty plot definitely won some readerly love from me.


6.  The Illusionist's Apprentice by Kristy Cambron—Cambron is a new discovery for me, so I'm working on reading her whole backlist.  I enjoyed this gentle romantic suspense novel about an unconventional woman making a living as an illusionist, just like her late mentor, Henry Houdini.


7.  The Hollows by Jess Montgomery—This is the second book in Montgomery's Lily Ross mystery series about a widow who takes over after her husband, the town sheriff, dies.  I think I liked the first book better, but this one also tells an engrossing tale which kept me guessing.


8.  Wonton Terror by Vivien Chien—The Noodle Shop mysteries are all super fun.  This one, the fourth in the series, is no exception.


9.  Tweet Cute by Emma Lord—This one is getting a lot of buzz, and for good reason.  It's a sweet, upbeat romance that's light, funny, and entertaining.  Looking for the perfect Valentine's Day read?  You've found it!


10.  The Sweeney Sisters by Lian Dolan (available April 28, 2020)—I'm cheating with this one since I haven't read it yet, but a copy of this one is on its way to me as we speak.  I love novels about sisters, family mysteries, and DNA surprises, so this book—about three close-knit sisters who find out they're not the only Sweeneys out there—sounds fun.  I'm pretty sure I'm going to love it.

There you go, ten books that have earned my readerly love (or at least like).  Have you read any of them?  What did you think?  What topic did you choose for your love freebie today?  I'd truly love to know.  Comment on this post and I will return the favor on your blog.

Happy TTT! 

There you have it, eleven new releases I'm looking forward to.  What do you think of my picks?  Are you excited for any of these as well?  What other titles should I be keeping on my radar?  I'd truly love to know what you think.  Leave a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.

Happy TTT!