A review by noveldeelights
Hinton Hollow Death Trip by Will Carver

5.0

Here are three things what I learnt from reading Will Carver’s books.

Always expect the unexpected.
I do not possess the vocabulary skills required to review his books.
My head WILL hurt!

Where do I even begin? How about the stroke of genius Will Carver had by deciding this story should be narrated by Evil. Evil is a character all on its own, though not in a physical presence. Evil is everywhere but right now, Evil is mostly hanging out in Hinton Hollow like a dark and threatening cloud. It only takes five days but this small town of 5, 120 residents will never be the same again.

Also hanging out in Hinton Hollow, is Detective Sergeant Pace. He has returned to his childhood home, in an attempt to escape the things he’s done in the city. This should be a clue right here that, in my personal opinion, you should most definitely read “Nothing Important Happened Today” before you tackle this one. Not just because of Pace’s background story but also because it’s just really, really good.

Not hanging out in Hinton Hollow is little Henry. He’s on a train ride to a destination that is far, far away from Hinton Hollow. Because something is coming. Something bad. But what is it? Or who? And why? When and where does it begin and how will it end? I wasn’t even going to try and figure it out. After having read Will Carver’s previous books, I know better than that.

I don’t want to say too much because I feel the less you know, the better. As far as crime fiction goes, you won’t find anything more original or unique than the things Will Carver’s brain concoct. It’s wonderfully weird, or weirdly wonderful and just like its predecessors, Hinton Hollow Death Trip is utterly refreshing. Obviously, there are murders and sure, they’ve been done before but Will Carver puts such a spin on things that it feels as if you’ve never read anything like it before. If there are any rules in the world of writing, here’s an author who breaks them in his sleep. And all the while, a spotlight shines on modern society; our way of life, perceptions and judgements, good versus evil. Suddenly you find you are constantly questioning yourself. It’s all immensely thought-provoking in the midst of desperately trying to figure out what the heck is going on in this town. Some things will not make any sense until you’re finally able to see the bigger picture and when that happens, well, if you could you’d stand up and applaud until your hands hurt.

Sprinkled throughout the story are delightful and often insightful nuggets of wisdom, that had me vigorously nodding my head in agreement. Seriously, I could quote this book the whole bloody day, which is why I’m not doing it in this review or there won’t be an end to it. Gems though, each and every one of them. Harsh truths, as well.

My head did hurt. It started quite early on, actually. Mostly I wondered WTF I was reading but then that’s my normal state of mind when reading Carver’s books and I always know that it’ll be worth my while in the end. Dark, disturbing, brilliantly twisty, shocking, … I really don’t know what more I can say. Buy it, read it, be blown away. Experience the uniqueness that is Will Carver. Your life will never be the same either. (Too dramatic?)