Review of The Mystery of Hollow Places


The Mystery of Hollow Places by Rebecca Podos


To be published on January 26, 2015
by Balzer + Bray

Source: eARC for review from publisher

Plot Summary for The Mystery of Hollow Places

All Imogene Scott knows of her mother is the bedtime story her father told her as a child. It's the story of how her parents met: he, a forensic pathologist, she, a mysterious woman who came to identify a body. A woman who left Imogene and her father when she was a baby, a woman who was always possessed by a powerful loneliness, a woman who many referred to as troubled waters. When Imogene is seventeen, her father, now a famous author of medical mysteries, strikes out in the middle of the night and doesn't come back. Neither Imogene's stepmother nor the police know where he could've gone, but Imogene is convinced he's looking for her mother. She decides to put to use the skills she's gleaned from a lifetime of her father's books to track down a woman she's never known, in order to find him and, perhaps, the answer to the question she's carried with her for her entire life. 

Review of The Mystery of Hollow Places

Really enjoyed this one! I'll say right off that The Mystery of Hollow Places is not really a traditional mystery, with a body and suspects and clues. But it is a book that centers around a mystery -- or two mysteries, really. First, what happened to Imogene's missing father? And second, what happened to Imogene's long-lost mother, a woman who abandoned Imogene when she was a baby?

If you're a mystery fan, I think you'll really enjoy this. Imogene, the daughter of a famous mystery writer and a mystery reader herself, references both her father's (imaginary) mystery stories and also real mystery writers -- she's kind of a student of mystery novels in a way that made me smile. I loved the writing in this and thought everything felt real to me -- Imogene felt like a genuine teenager, with a mostly loyal but sometimes flaky best friend and a somewhat unattainable boy she has her eye on.

Again, The Mystery of Hollow Places is more of a "figuring out life" story than a "who-done-it" kind of story, but that was fine with me. It's not a thriller but I did find it a really gripping story that looks at why people make the choices they make. And I'll definitely be checking out whatever Rebecca Podos writes next!

Comments

  1. Glad to hear you enjoyed this! I am going to be starting it in a week or so and I thought it sounded really great. Good to know it isn't a thriller though so I can kind of know that going in. Great review!

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  2. I only usually like a little who dunnit, so the focus on figuring out life might be a good one for me

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  3. I've really been wanting to read this book, I'm so glad you liked it!

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  4. I never really put attention to this one, but it sounds great! I have to add it to my TBR pile. Thanks, Jen!

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  5. I'm glad this worked out well for you, Jen! I was hoping for more of a mystery rather than "figuring out life" so I appreciate the heads up. It does sound wonderful, I'll keep it in mind for when I'm in the mood for something more along those line. Thanks :)

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  6. Ha, you know how I feel about this one! So glad it worked out for you to. I'm finding that I actually enjoy these kinds of 'quieter' mysteries than the action packed, police-procedural ones.

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  7. The Mystery of Hollow Places looks awesome! I've only recently started really getting into thrillers and mystery type novels (even though my favorite genres are still Contemporary & Fantasy) but seems like the kind of book I'd enjoy. It's great that you distinguish the novel as not being a traditional "whodunnit" type of story because I feel like those are the kind people are most exposed to. I'm definitely adding this to my tbr!

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  8. life is mysterious. there doesn't have to be murder or thievery to make for a fun mystery novel. :D

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  9. I grabbed this one from Edelweiss and now I'm glad that I did since you liked it. I'm planning on reading it this month, so hopefully I'll like it too. :)

    Tressa @ Wishful Endings

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