Hemlock Island
A Novel
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4.7 • 18 Ratings
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
A standalone horror novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong.
Laney Kilpatrick has been renting her vacation home to strangers. The invasion of privacy gives her panic attacks, but it’s the only way she can keep her beloved Hemlock Island, the only thing she owns after a pandemic-fueled divorce. But broken belongings and campfires that nearly burn down the house have escalated to bloody bones, hex circles, and now, terrified renters who've fled after finding blood and nail marks all over the guest room closet, as though someone tried to claw their way out...and failed.
When Laney shows up to investigate with her teenaged niece in tow, she discovers that her ex, Kit, has also been informed and is there with Jayla, his sister and her former best friend. Then Sadie, another old high school friend, charters over with her brother, who’s now a cop.
There are tensions and secrets, whispers in the woods, and before long, the discovery of a hand poking up from the earth. Then the body that goes with it... But by that time, someone has taken off with their one and only means off the island, and they’re trapped with someone—or something—that doesn’t want them leaving the island alive.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Armstrong (Murder at Haven's Rock) traps six people on a dangerous island in this tightly focused domestic horror tale. Laney Kilpatrick rents out her Lake Superior island getaway in the summer to cover its costs. A gift from her ex-husband, Kit, Hemlock Island and the lone mansion that stands on it have always been Laney's sanctuaries, but they've become a perpetual headache during vacation season, with renters either complaining about the isolation or taking advantage of it to mess around with her property. When a series of occult incidents—including hex circles and animal sacrifices—drive off the tourists, Laney tries to pin down the culprits, who she believes must be a couple of pranksters. As incidents rapidly escalate, Laney finds herself trapped on the island with her niece, Madison; Kit and his sister, Jayla; uninvited ex-friend Sadie; and Sadie's older brother, Garrett. Armstrong is experienced with the motifs of mystery fiction and fills in each character's backstory with enough color and secrets to keep both Laney and the reader distracted from uncovering the real monster. The supernatural reveal, when it comes, is a bit rushed, however, and leads into a slightly unearned climax. It's a lackluster ending, but the ride there offers plenty of thrills.
