HOLLOW OF SECRETS Book Review

Hollow of Secrets (sequel to Hollow of Lies) by J.J. Jax, eBook, 169 pages

Synopsis from GoodReads: In the twisted shadows of Pine Hollow, echoes of betrayal whisper chilling secrets. Emily Carter, fearless FBI profiler, finds herself ensnared in a web of death tinged with echoes of her former life. Oliver Shaw, the town's gruff sheriff, treads the fine line between enforcer and possible conspirator. Noah Harper, the enigmatic ex-SEAL, unveils classified clues, his mysterious past complicating the hunt. A secretive man named Graves warns of a power lurking in the shadows, a puppeteer pulling deadly strings.

Every clue peels back deceitful layers, threading a sinister tapestry that slowly unravels. As alliances fray and loyalties shift, time becomes a predator, stalking its prey with calculated steps. The truth looms, a storm gathering on the horizon, threatening to shroud Pine Hollow in perpetual darkness. But Emily, Noah, and Oliver stand resolute. Will they survive the unveiling of Operation Hollow Sky's devastating secrets? The clock ticks down, and the next move belongs to the unseen force shadowing their every step.

BOOK REVIEW: I was hoping that with the prequel being so short, that was why the story felt rushed and was just to set up this story but that didn't seem to be the case for me. I read this synopsis and I'm hooked but that's the extent of it. For me it fell flat. The biggest thing for me, and I don't know why, but the inconsistency of the names. For instance, the sheriff is referred to as Sheriff Oliver Shaw, Sheriff Shaw, Oliver Shaw, Sheriff Shaw, and Shaw. That's a fair amount of ways to say a name and typical for someone in law enforcement or military. The inconsistency came when having a conversation with Emily, she will call him Sheriff, Shaw, and Oliver all within the same paragraph when it's just the two of them together talking. That might be an over exaggeration...maybe not the same paragraph but close enough for me to scratch my head. It's like that with all the characters.

Now it wasn't terrible. This book did have mystery and suspense. The idea of the story is awesome. I feel that I'm being drawn to the characters even though I don't know a whole lot about them. My favorite part is the fact that they always feel like they're being watched and I'll be honest...I didn't even notice the eyes on the cover of the book until I started writing this review. The feeling of being watched by someone or something that you cannot see is so unsettling to me and the author does a good job of this for the characters.

From about the 4th chapter I had an idea that this wasn't going to rate more than 4 stars for me. I think if this were longer, like 250-300 page range, there would have been more time to develop the story. There were sudden mentions of names out of nowhere, suspects being interrogated that we hadn't heard about, and holes. I know it's rated low for me and I don't know if I'll read the next installment or not but for me this was a 3.75 that will be rounded up to a 4.

3.75/5 Stars

2025 Reading Challenge: 23/50 complete