Following her powerful debut in The Witch’s Orchard, private investigator Annie Gore returns in Brimstone Hollow, bringing readers back to the mountains that author Archer Sullivan, a ninth-generation Appalachian, knows so well.
There
isn’t much that happens in the Appalachian Mountains that Private
Investigator Annie Gore hasn’t seen. Before she was an Air Force Special
Investigator, she was born and raised in those rolling hills, and
lately Annie's cases have called her away from her Louisville office and
closer to the small towns of her youth than she ever anticipated. But
when her newest client asks if she’s ever been to a snake-handling
church, Annie knows she’s about to enter unknown territory.
Katie
May has been estranged from her father—one of Appalachia’s last
infamous snake handling preachers—for twenty years. But when Katie finds
out he’s been fatally bitten, and a funeral was held within twenty-four
hours, she questions whether someone deliberately rushed the process.
Despite Annie’s doubts, she takes the case. After all, when she looks at
Katie, she sees a version of herself: a girl who needs to understand
her father in order to understand herself.
As she navigates the
hidden hollers and dangerous secrets of this insular Eastern Kentucky
town, Annie works fast, hoping to find the truth in record time for her
client—and before too many memories from her own childhood surface. But
it soon becomes apparent that someone wants Annie’s investigation to
stop—by any means necessary.
What I thought of Brimstone Hollow
Annie Gore investigates the snake-handling preacher of The Church of the Healing Redeemer at the request of his daughter, Katie, after she receives a supernatural message that makes her think there's something amiss in Brimstone Hollow.
Annie works with the local Chief of Police to investigate the death of the snake handling preacher who was discovered deceased from snake bites. But what seems obvious starts to unravel as Annie asked questions. I really liked how Annie and the Chief work together to get to the truth. I appreciated that Annie was respected and treated well during her time in Brimstone Hollow, except for that little car problem designed to scare her away. But Annie does not give up, and she really sorts out a nest of human vipers in this Appalachian town.
The center of this story is Annie as the narrator and it's her skills as an investigator that crack the case. I also liked her relationship with the people of Brimstone Hollow. The criminals were also multi-dimensional, and some were as much victims as they were bad guys. I liked that about the story. The snake material was also well done, giving me the chills at times. I finished reading this quickly because it was easy to read and the story moved along at a good pace.The connections between Annie's younger life and this case made the story very interesting.
If you are looking for a small town mystery with a nice level of complexity and a likable private investigator, you might like Brimstone Hollow.
4 stars
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