Dark Hollow

Dark Hollow begins with a town gripped by rumor as Judge Ostrander's once-sealed house becomes the focus of public curiosity, grief, and dread. When a woman in purple is seen entering the property and even Bela, the judge's trusted servant, appears to have left the gate unguarded, the mystery deepens around a family ruined by loss, including the disappearance of a son and the shadow of a long-ago criminal trial. As Deborah Scoville probes the hidden door and the silent room within, she uncovers clues that point to Oliver, the young man she has grown to care for, and to a violent death connected with Judge Ostrander's past. Caught between truth and protection, Deborah turns from reopening the old case and confides in her daughter Reuther, whose love for Oliver has already been sacrificed to duty and sorrow. Meanwhile, anonymous letters, suspicious accusations, and sharp exchanges with lawyer Alanson Black suggest that the buried scandal is far from over. In the novel's most dramatic moment, Bela returns mortally wounded to guard the forbidden door one last time, dying in a final act of loyalty that seals the house in tragic silence and leaves its secrets hanging over everyone involved. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.