Scan barcode
markhoh's review against another edition
5.0
Will Carver is a real master of a unique genre of storytelling with Hinton Hollow Death Trip being something of a cross between a procedural crime thriller, a documentary on the the plight of humankind, a statement that uncovers the depravity that exists in all of us just beneath the surface, and a self-help book that actually states what is blatantly obvious yet is so needed in order to jolt us in someway out of our unrelenting stupor.
Hinton Hollow Death Trip is the third in Carver’s Detective Sergeant Pace series and sees Pace return to his childhood home in an attempt to get away from himself and the aftermath of the ‘people of choice’ multiple suicide groups in the city. Pace brings Evil with him and Evil wreaks havoc in the small town, bringing to bear all that which exists just beneath the surface in horrific, violent and devastating ways.
Somehow amidst the darkness that envelops the usually sleepy town, Carver shines a spotlight on the fragility of humans, the facades and the facts that they cover up and the propensity that people have to believe their own rhetoric and self-deception. Humans are paradoxical by nature and Carver’s tale brings this to bear in the most vivid of ways.
Detective Sergeant Pace is a dark and broody character, almost a caricature in some ways. He is a sad and pathetic character in all reality, likeable because we are all Pace at times. I think that’s the starkness of this book... there’s something very pulp about it but at the same time there’s something very real, and sometimes we don’t want to look at the real. The facade is so much easier until it’s not easy anymore and the bandaid has been ripped off to reveal the scars underneath.
Hinton Hollow Death Trip is the third in Carver’s Detective Sergeant Pace series and sees Pace return to his childhood home in an attempt to get away from himself and the aftermath of the ‘people of choice’ multiple suicide groups in the city. Pace brings Evil with him and Evil wreaks havoc in the small town, bringing to bear all that which exists just beneath the surface in horrific, violent and devastating ways.
Somehow amidst the darkness that envelops the usually sleepy town, Carver shines a spotlight on the fragility of humans, the facades and the facts that they cover up and the propensity that people have to believe their own rhetoric and self-deception. Humans are paradoxical by nature and Carver’s tale brings this to bear in the most vivid of ways.
Detective Sergeant Pace is a dark and broody character, almost a caricature in some ways. He is a sad and pathetic character in all reality, likeable because we are all Pace at times. I think that’s the starkness of this book... there’s something very pulp about it but at the same time there’s something very real, and sometimes we don’t want to look at the real. The facade is so much easier until it’s not easy anymore and the bandaid has been ripped off to reveal the scars underneath.
hannahledavies's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
What started as a really interesting and engaging concept, got tiring very quickly. The narration became repetitive and overdone with unnecessary emphasis on certain sentiments and themes and it actually began to annoy me. As silly as it may sound, quite a downer of a book and left me feeling a bit “meh” and hello month long reading slump.
phaedraismyusername's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
kilosmom7's review against another edition
4.0
I don't even know where to start.
first of all, i LOVE that this was narrated by Evil. It makes the whole story more chilling knowing that these people were not of sound mind but had no idea they were being tormented by Evil itself.
I liked the suggestion of certain scenarios, somewhat like daydreaming. The way it makes you question yourself and those in the book.
It took me a little longer to read than I would've liked, but I kept getting caught up in the different characters. I have to say, my favorite "character" was Evil. the way it gripped every person in this book, even the ones we didn't hear about. the way it toyed with the minds of people like Oz and Detective Pace and Darren. Which, if i must say, was a GREAT twist.
had i not read "Nothing Important Happened Today", I still would've been into this book. The only thing that really hooked into the previous book (other than Maeve) was on the very last page. the very last sentence. and it all comes full circle.
I liked this book a lot. I had been hesitant, prior to reading "Nothing Important Happened Today", because of the cover of this book. Doesn't really seem like a book narrated by Evil but man did it fool me.
READ IT!
first of all, i LOVE that this was narrated by Evil. It makes the whole story more chilling knowing that these people were not of sound mind but had no idea they were being tormented by Evil itself.
I liked the suggestion of certain scenarios, somewhat like daydreaming. The way it makes you question yourself and those in the book.
It took me a little longer to read than I would've liked, but I kept getting caught up in the different characters. I have to say, my favorite "character" was Evil. the way it gripped every person in this book, even the ones we didn't hear about. the way it toyed with the minds of people like Oz and Detective Pace and Darren. Which, if i must say, was a GREAT twist.
had i not read "Nothing Important Happened Today", I still would've been into this book. The only thing that really hooked into the previous book (other than Maeve) was on the very last page. the very last sentence. and it all comes full circle.
I liked this book a lot. I had been hesitant, prior to reading "Nothing Important Happened Today", because of the cover of this book. Doesn't really seem like a book narrated by Evil but man did it fool me.
READ IT!
toellandback's review against another edition
5.0
When Evil literally descends on the small town of Hinton Hollow (pop 5,000+) it changes the town and inhabitants over the course of five days! However for anyone who has read Will Carver's previous work, especially Nothing Important happened today, then you'll know that it wont be as simple as that. This is an unusual, engrossing and captivating read with many interlocking characters and storylines. Its violent and gruesome with noone safe from Evil regardless or age or status in the town. It wont be enjoyed by everyone and dont expect everything to be tied up in a neat little bow at the end. Its certainly not a book that will easily be forgotten!! Highly recommended.
flossibunda's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
maitaylor01's review against another edition
4.0
I have grappled with writing this review for some time – in fact it has been twelve days since I finished reading to now where I find myself finally ready to put words into sentences. This is not because I didn’t enjoy the book by any means, just that it is one of those books that is so totally brilliant in its construction that it completely blows your mind. Even now, I am fairly sure that whatever I say here simply won’t do the genius of Will Carver justice.
Hinton Hollow Death Trip marks the return of Detective Sergeant Pace, a character who I first met in the equally brilliant Nothing Important Happened Today although this is in fact his third outing. I really need to backtrack and read Good Samaritans, the first book in the series, although that said if you haven’t read the series, this book stands up perfectly well as a standalone.
The short disjointed sentences make for snappy reading, and although there was a part of me that wanted to heed Evil’s warning and turn away while I still could, there was a larger part of me that felt compelled to keep reading and find out just why I was being told to run for the hills!
Our narrator for our brief sojourn to Hinton Hollow, Evil himself, is a curious character. He feels almost reluctant to enact his true nature, wishing humans could be better, kinder, so that he needs to cultivate less evil to create a balance. However, in a world where genuine goodness is rare, and what was normal is now good and what was bad is considered normal behaviour, he feels compelled to create worse and worse acts, and this is not something that seems to sit comfortably with him. Although the innate evil of the human race is chilling, there is a dark humour to Evil’s observations and narration, and he has a surprising amount of empathy and a strong sense of justice. Over the course of the book, I found myself seeing not, as expected, a character to dislike, but instead one that I grew rather fond of in a strange way.
Hinton Hollow is a book full of uncomfortably truths, and Carver once again proves that he is an expert at tapping into the human mind, and getting right under the skin of his readers.
The worrying thing is that Hinton Hollow could so easily be the town I have lived in for my whole life, right down to the finer details of the cash machine theft, and reading it made me wonder just how far we had slipped from the safe, friendly place of my childhood.
Hinton Hollow Death Trip is not a light read, not a particularly comfortable one, but it is this that make it such a great book. It is far too near the knuckle to be easy reading, but it is a fascinating look at how little ripples can change people and entire communities forever. As unsettling as it was, it was totally gripping and I couldn’t put it down.
Anyone else who has read this book already, please feel free to get in touch. I have things I need to discuss that I cannot mention here without spoilers!
Hinton Hollow Death Trip marks the return of Detective Sergeant Pace, a character who I first met in the equally brilliant Nothing Important Happened Today although this is in fact his third outing. I really need to backtrack and read Good Samaritans, the first book in the series, although that said if you haven’t read the series, this book stands up perfectly well as a standalone.
The short disjointed sentences make for snappy reading, and although there was a part of me that wanted to heed Evil’s warning and turn away while I still could, there was a larger part of me that felt compelled to keep reading and find out just why I was being told to run for the hills!
Our narrator for our brief sojourn to Hinton Hollow, Evil himself, is a curious character. He feels almost reluctant to enact his true nature, wishing humans could be better, kinder, so that he needs to cultivate less evil to create a balance. However, in a world where genuine goodness is rare, and what was normal is now good and what was bad is considered normal behaviour, he feels compelled to create worse and worse acts, and this is not something that seems to sit comfortably with him. Although the innate evil of the human race is chilling, there is a dark humour to Evil’s observations and narration, and he has a surprising amount of empathy and a strong sense of justice. Over the course of the book, I found myself seeing not, as expected, a character to dislike, but instead one that I grew rather fond of in a strange way.
Hinton Hollow is a book full of uncomfortably truths, and Carver once again proves that he is an expert at tapping into the human mind, and getting right under the skin of his readers.
The worrying thing is that Hinton Hollow could so easily be the town I have lived in for my whole life, right down to the finer details of the cash machine theft, and reading it made me wonder just how far we had slipped from the safe, friendly place of my childhood.
Hinton Hollow Death Trip is not a light read, not a particularly comfortable one, but it is this that make it such a great book. It is far too near the knuckle to be easy reading, but it is a fascinating look at how little ripples can change people and entire communities forever. As unsettling as it was, it was totally gripping and I couldn’t put it down.
Anyone else who has read this book already, please feel free to get in touch. I have things I need to discuss that I cannot mention here without spoilers!
sarah_faichney's review against another edition
5.0
Wow! An innovative format. Incredibly dark read but impossible to put down. Hinton Hollow has more murders than Midsomer. It's Sophie's Choice on acid, narrated by Evil. Will Carver's latest work is messy, twisty genius. That Evil "can work wonders with a feeling of inadequacy" is one of the greatest truths ever told. Audiobook brilliantly narrated by Ciaran Saward.
ohhdeanna's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I knew shortly after starting this book that it would become a new favourite. Reaching the end, it is a clear 5 star read for me. There was something so sinister and dark about this book, and it felt like a stunning culmination of everything that had come before in the first two Pace books.
The characters were real and their reactions raw, the twists and turns kept coming and the ending had me gasping out loud. I feel like this series has been wrapped up neatly in this third book but gosh, I'd love to read more.
I felt very unsettled during this book; almost like I had to look over my shoulder. The premise of Evil narrating a story was so clever and really well done. I can't rate this one enough!
The characters were real and their reactions raw, the twists and turns kept coming and the ending had me gasping out loud. I feel like this series has been wrapped up neatly in this third book but gosh, I'd love to read more.
I felt very unsettled during this book; almost like I had to look over my shoulder. The premise of Evil narrating a story was so clever and really well done. I can't rate this one enough!