𝑯𝑶𝑳𝑳𝑶𝑾 𝑩𝑶𝑵𝑬𝑺 𝒃𝒚 𝑬𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒂 𝑾𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 was graciously given to me by @severnhouseimprint through Publishers Weekly, and I devoured it.

Essa has made her way in her community despite having lost her parents at 15 from the snake bites they incurred while preaching. Her older brother Clyde struggled to help, but tried his best. With a new charismatic preacher taking up the snakes, attention is drawn to this small town when the church burns down and Clyde is suspected. Merritt is the reporter in town who feels the way secrets are held here and is out to expose them. Juliet is Clyde's wife and though her and Essa have not always gotten along, this new crisis is bringing them together. As these 3 women keep edging toward the truth of the fire, they will need all their strength and cunning to get justice.

I was quite compelled by this Appalachian tale. Essa seems to have a level of neurodivergency which makes her even more vulnerable, but not any less intelligent. I appreciated how Merrit kept after the truth and understood Essa in a way that she needed. Juliet was also a rebel character who I found fascinating, though some of her arc felt less connected to the story. The paranormal sprinkling was unexpected and I'm not sure added much for me, but it didn't take anything away either. A solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

I haven't seen this one much, so here's a nudge toward an atmospheric story with a creepy undercurrent that has women coming up strong!

In a gripping tale of faith, obsession, and redemption, Pastor Micah has gained fame for his controversial addiction programs, which involve handling venomous snakes and drinking poison as a testament to his spirituality. However, his ministry faces an intense scrutiny when his church is engulfed in flames, trapping and killing two teenagers. Micah’s attempt to shift the blame onto an outcast—the estranged adult son of the previous pastor—seems to be a strategic move to not only deflect attention but also to draw closer to his sister Essa, who has long captivated him.

Essa, who has distanced herself from the church, remains deeply tethered to her past. Following the deaths of her pastor parents from snake bites, she clings to their memory, living in their old home, dressed in her mother’s clothes, and surrounded by her parents’ belongings. When Micah is accused of arson, Essa is compelled to reach out to his free-spirited girlfriend, setting off a chain of events that shifts her life dramatically.

Though the story begins with Pastor Micah, it is Essa’s journey that takes center stage. Her path unfolds as she struggles to break free from the cultish confines of her upbringing while endeavoring to clear her brother's name. This chilling and suspenseful novel explores themes of trauma, addiction, and abuse, making it a compelling choice for deep discussions and reflection.

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Overall I enjoyed this book, but I did expect it to have a bit more of a thriller feel to it. The range of characters was good though, and I did not see the twist coming at all. I would recommend as it is a quirky quick read.

Erica Wright's story telling in Hollow Bones is amazing. I really felt in rural West Virginia helping our characters solve this mystery. This book isn't super long but it packed a punch and I didn't see the twist coming. Its equal parts mystery, coming of age, and women getting stuff done.

Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House for the ARC!

I was attracted to this book because of the cover and the title. I'm still not sure where the title came from but it adds mystery and a darker feel to the book. It was an overall decent book. Some of the time the story wasn't super interesting or exciting but it picked up toward the end. I wasn't the biggest fan of all the POV switching, especially when Pastor Micah got added into the mix too. Pastor Micah was not my favorite character but I suppose that is the point of the not-so-likable antagonist. The characters weren't the most interesting but I'm glad Essa, Juliet, and Clyde got a happy ending at the end of the story. I wouldn't have minded hearing about what happened to Merritt though.

This book. I have chills as I gather my thoughts to review it. You really hit the ground running with this book and it did not let up until the very end. This book was multilayered and speaks truly of religious trauma. It was the type of read that sucks you in and spits you out at the end.

Essa is the serpent orphan; the daughter of a snake-handling pastor who was killed by a snake bite, as was her mother. Raised by her older brother Clyde, they left the flock and she now lives alone in the rectory next to the church, which the charismatic Pastor Micah has taken over. When the church burns down killing two local teenagers, the finger is pointed at Clyde solely on the word of the new pastor. Ambitious TV news reporter Merritt is in the small town to cover the church fire but is determined to dig deeper into the truth of who Pastor Micah really is and further her career. While not exactly what I would call a "fast-paced" story, Hollow Bones is an interesting look into the world of serpent-handling congregations of which I knew little about. Essa's career as an assistant in a wildlife laboratory was fascinating and I would have loved a little more lab time weaved into the story. Pastor Micah is slimier than the snakes and a prime example of why women "choose the bear." His obsession with Essa has the opportunity to come to a dramatic conclusion, but doesn't and that feels like a miss. The storyline with Clyde's pregnant partner Juliet, a psychic with a love of tarot cards, goes a bit wacky to me. I would have been fine with less Juliet time, as she feels almost like a whole other story. The whodunnit twist did come as a surprise, although I think a further understanding of motivation and a few breadcrumbs along the way would have made it a bit less out of left field.

I loved this novel. It captured Appalachia and a lot of the South so well, I think. As someone who grew up in an Evangelical community, I was particularly drawn to the way Wright described the church and how its influence continues to create such strong attachments in both good and evil ways. I also found myself very drawn to Essa (and Clyde) because so much of how I grew up was wrapped up in people's perceptions of me as a minister's kid and how difficult that was to gain any independence from. I immediately added all of Wright's books to my TBR after reading this. So great!

I am going to start by saying that I am not super familiar with Measure for Measure so this review is purely based on the book itself, not how it works as an adaptation.

Hollow Bones tells the story of a Pentecostal church that undergoes a change in leadership and finds itself the center of a news cycle when the church burns down. For the most part, I enjoyed the story of this book. I liked the sections from the POV of the daughter of the former leadership the best. There were a couple of things that didn't work for me, though. First of all, I think there were just too many different perspectives. This is a short book and we didn't get to spend enough time with any one perspective. I think the perspective of Juliet was unnecessary. This leads me to my other problem with the book: the supernatural elements in Juliet's sections. There was enough going on this book without introducing a ghost and I feel like that element was never fully explored or realized. I thought I understood what part the ghost was going to play and then it just didn't happen. I felt underwhelmed and like there wasn't a point to that whole plot. Again, this is a short book so this felt like it filled up space that could have been spent fleshing out the main plot/characters.

Thanks to Severn House and Netgalley for the review copy.

DNF at 10% I just got done with another book that jumped from character to character so this is probably why this struck a nerve with me. I also feel like because of this it wasn't giving the story enough time to develop from that character's perspective. For a 200 page book I guess I thought we would really hit the ground running but that didn't happen. I might give this one a try again at a later time but it's just not for me right now.

A darkly current Shakespeare retelling embedded in Appalachian culture and myth, rife with serpent-handling, shady pastors, psychic mediums, and persistent reporters. You'll never guess who's behind the fires and murders.

Book Review
Hollow Bones
Erica Wright
reviewed by Lou Jacobs


readersremains.com | Goodreads


The inequities of life are explored in this literary mystery, highlighting the ever-present truism that power corrupts. Erica Wright masterfully reimagines Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure in the setting of the small town of Vintera, West Virginia. The lives and actions of three women are pitted against unsettling obstacles, both mundane and catastrophic.

The central protagonist is twenty-year-old Essa Montgomery, the docile daughter of the deceased preacher of the New Hope Pentecostal Church, who was bitten while handling a serpent in the course of pursuing his religious dogma. Essa now lives in the rectory across from the church, a constant daily reminder of what was. She must observe the charismatic, yet smarmy, new pastor, Micah Granieri, as he enchants his burgeoning congregation with less-than-honest sermons, falsely wielding the serpents. He champions himself as a prophet and savior to the drug-addicted, promising relief for his “true” followers. Essa has worked at the Vintera Wildlife Investigation Lab for the past four years under the watchful eye of Dr. Wick Kester, who has fostered a welcoming life for her with the possibility of education and advancement.

Essa is approached by the local police. Earlier that morning, the church was destroyed by a massive fire that not only consumed the building but also took the lives of two teenagers (apparently caught unaware during a tryst). The police seek Essa’s help in coaxing a confession from her brother Clyde, the only suspect. It is common knowledge that Clyde angrily confronted and even cut Micah in the past. This event draws other women into the web of deceit. Juliet Usher, who scratches out a living as a medium, is the pregnant girlfriend of Clyde and will do anything to protect her evolving family. She is both assertive and ruthless—the polar opposite of Essa. Covering the fire and hoping to discredit Micah Granieri is the opportunistic and ambitious journalist Merritt Callahan. There is no barrier she wouldn’t hurdle to advance her career, and this may be the story to cement her future.

Micah has been infatuated with Essa from afar for years. She is made to feel it’s absolutely necessary to confront the pastor and beseech him to approach the authorities to clear Clyde of any involvement in the fire. He agrees but adds, “I only need one favor in return. Can you guess what it is?”

Erica Wright masterfully weaves together these twisted plotlines into an engaging mélange of escalating tension and intrigue, culminating in a meaningful denouement. The multiple points of view are presented in alternating chapters of the four main protagonists, gradually revealing their motivations, expectations, and fears. Wright propels the narrative and character development with almost magical, lyrical prose, exploring the universal presence of exploiting weakness and inequality to propagate power and fame.

Thanks to Erica Wright for providing an Advance Reading Copy in exchange for an honest review. Although this is my first foray into the oeuvre of Erica Wright, it certainly won’t be my last.

I've never read or seen Measure for Measure, and while I agree with other reviewers who say it's not necessary, I do think some familiarity with that story might have deepened my appreciation for this one. The setting and overall atmospheric vibes were fantastic, it felt very real and gripping and like I could know these people. The mystery itself kept me guessing to the end, but ultimately left me a tiny bit underwhelmed at the resolution. I am not much of an epilogue person, and I don't think I see it much outside of romance - and it felt unnecessary here.
TW in the book for on-page assault: Multiple instances of forcible kissing.
Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House for the eARC.

Erica Wright’s Hollow Bones may be a crime novel set in West Virginia but it is inspired by Shakespear’s Measure for Measure. No knowledge of the original tale is needed to enjoy this complex, character-driven story.
The cold open of Hollow Bones introduces readers to Father Micah, a preacher who has taken over a church in Vintera, West Virginia, where worship involves poisonous serpents (not snakes). This is a week before a fire that destroys the church building. The fire is blamed on Clyde, one of the two children of the former pastor and his wife who both died from snakebite. The other, Essa, lives in the old rectory and has drawn the attention of Father Micah and who offers her a Mephistophelian deal.
The narrative of Hollow Bones focusses on three very different women. Eighteen year old Essa, Clyde’s pregnant girlfriend and town psychic Juliet, and Merrit, an ambitious news reporter who has her own suspicions about Micah. And then there is Micah himself, a man who has the ability to exploit the weaknesses in others, but who finds himself obsessed with breaking Essa.
It is Essa’s story in particular where Wright has drawn her inspiration from Shakespeare. In Measure for Measure the corrupt priest (Angelo) sentences the young man (Claudio) to death but falls in love with the man’s sister (Isabella) when she comes to beg for her brother’s life. The deal that Angelo offers to Isabella is the same as Micah offers to Essa, as is the way the two young women respond.
But this is still also a well constructed crime story, with more crimes following the destruction of the church, including a murder, and an unexpected resolution. In doing so Wright also delves into one of the more bizarre subbranches of American Christianity (a group who also feature in Christian White’s debut The Nowhere Child). Wright has successfully threaded a needle here in delivering this melange of crime fiction inspired by Shakespearean characters and situations in this modern, West Virginian setting .

I read a lot of incredible books this year, but didn’t expect this one to be my favorite. More than a murder mystery, although I love those too. A retelling of Measure by Measure set in Appalachia where a duplicitous pastor has the souls of his community in his hands while the women caught in his orbit fight for the lives they deserve. The setting and characters were expertly wrought, and I found myself not wanting to leave Essa and Juliet.

I wasn't love at first pages but it was a love story that lasted till the the end and caused me book hangover.
It's an atmospheric and well done story, a fascinating travel into religious trauma and the world of cults in an isolated site
Loved it, well done
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

From the prologue, the reader is made to feel uncomfortable and weary. There is something... off about Pastor Micah, and it's not snake handling.
This story centers on the lives of three women that become intertwined through a church none of them attend. Essa's father was the previous pastor for New Hope, a church that still partook in the controversial use of snakes in their services, and his wife, Essa's mother assisted with the snakes. After a freak accident during a service a few years prior, Essa and her brother Clyde suddenly became orphans. Neither attend the church after the arrival of the new pastor. Essa is quiet, keeps to herself, wears her mother's clothing, and works in a kind of animal medical examiner's office. She has heard about but never really interacted with Clyde's girlfriend Juliet, who we also follow. Juliet is a psychic of sorts and at points communicates with ghosts. I find her fascinating. The third woman we follow is Merritt, a reporter who was just doing a story on Pastor Micah's programs to combat narcotic use in the rural area who stumbles on the story of her career after New Hope is burned to the ground with two teens inside. We also get a few chapters from Pastor Micah's POV, which were the most uncomfortable and creepy chapters by far.
I really liked the way the author painted the story and crafted this small town. Though the town (and the county?) do not exist, it feels real. Though this book does deal a bit with religion, it mostly focuses on personal development for the main three women through the police investigations of the church arson that has narrowed in on Essa's brother, Clyde.
I think the story could have used a bit more of a resolution with the whole Pastor Micah situation and with his character. Things remain a little vague in my opinion for certain things that are spoilers.
If you like mysteries that lean towards the creepy and possible supernatural, I think this book will give you that! I haven't read Measure For Measure, the Shakespeare play this story is loosely based on, but I did read a synopsis after finishing and I would say it likely stands up as a good retelling that makes its own divergences.

“Almost Heaven, West Virginia “ goes the song, but it’s also the only state where it is still legal to pick up serpents during church services – a rare show of faith practiced by some small, rural congregations. In the township of Vintera, the Pastor of the New Hope Pentecostal Church had been Essa Montgomery’s great grandfather, then grandfather, then father. Deaths by snakebite in such churches are few but a few years ago, her mother had died this way followed a little later by her father. Thus, at age fifteen, Essa became an orphan and her brother, Clyde, became her legal guardian at eighteen. Neither has ever returned to the church.
Now, five years later, Essa still lives adjacent to the Church in what was the family home. She works as lab assistant to the local necrologist, helping to identify the cause of death for animals, and providing forensic information in legal cases. She has never had a boyfriend, wears her hair in a long braid and dresses in her mother’s old (and very old fashioned) clothes. Her only ‘friend’ is a stuffed hawk called Greta. Clyde, a short-tempered man with a chip on his shoulder when it comes to the Church, lives with his partner Juliet, a fortune teller with a real gift for seeing into people’s minds – and what appears to be a real ability to see phantoms.
Following their father’s death, the siblings had hoped the church would slowly fade away but, instead, three years ago a new, handsome and charismatic Pastor, Micah Granieri, had taken over. His looks and personality had boosted the congregation, especially when he started using the picking up of snakes to cure drug addicts. He also has a lustful eye on Essa, who has no idea of this but has ignored him anyway since his arrival.
And then the church is destroyed in an arson attack, inadvertently killing two teenagers who had been using it as a trysting place. Clyde is the obvious suspect and taken in for questioning. Enter, Merritt Callahan, a young reporter on the make. Can the three young women solve the murder while saving Essa from the predatory Parson?
On the face of it, this is a whodunnit with a more than usually weird background. It is told largely from the point of view of Essa, but with significant angles from Juliet, Merritt and Micah. The writing is quite good and invokes the claustrophobic atmosphere in which the story unfolds. It starts with the fire, and proceeds quite slowly as background is infiltrated into the narrative. Into the home straight, though, things happen quite quickly and the tight timelining of the earlier chapters seemed to fall apart a bit. The characters are fairly believable except that I couldn’t see why Juliet’s ‘supernatural powers’ are needed in the plot. It is quite difficult to work out the who and the why, but the answers are perfectly sensible.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

This book follows the story of Essa Montgomery in a small town in West Virginia called Vintera. Essa's dad was the pastor at the church, before he and his wife passes away. Essa struggles with religious trauma and being the serpent orphan. When the New Hope church is burned down, with two teenage kids inside, her brother Clyde is the first suspect after Pastor Micah blames him for it.
Essa gets caught in the middle of the investigation where to cops are trying to use her to incriminate her brother, and the pastor tries to use his power in the town to manipulate her into giving into his dark desires. This book was eerie and unsettling from the very beginning. It takes dark twists and turns, and there were parts where I felt like any character was capable of doing desperate things in dark times.
Essa's character developed from a timid, traumatized girl, to realizing her potential, and being grateful for the people and opportunities she had in her life. She was able to think for herself and took matters into her own hands when she felt others couldn't be trusted.
I like the style of writing in this book. You could hear the way the talked and envision the scenes as they played out in the story. I did find it to be predictable, but that doesn't mean anything, as I can usually predict the ending. It has been a long time since I read a book that surprised me.
THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY FOR GIVING ME EARLY ACCESS TO THIS BOOK.how

I can't tell you precisely what drew me to this book although I am a thriller/mystery reader at heart, this book was more than just a mystery, and if anything I was less concerned with the mystery being solved than I was about the main characters all being ok. Reading this was was like observing life in a small US town and the way everyone interacted with each other, throwing in a fire, snakes, spirits, and some fairly unsavoury characters made me want to continue reading.

There are three main characters telling the story here, although there is a whole wider cast playing its part, and was very diverse.

I even ended up looking in to churches that have snake handlers, as whilst I was aware of them as a movement I didn't know enough about them and so I definitely expanded my own knowledge whilst reading this book.