Hinton Hollow Death Trip by Will Carver

I was so excited to read Hinton Hollow Death Trip, the latest from Will Carver, as I was desperate to see what he had in store for us this time. And I was not disappointed. He blew my mind. Again. Huge thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for inviting me on the tour and to the publisher for my review copy. 

The Blurb:

It’s a small story. A small town with small lives that you would never have heard about if none of this had happened.

Hinton Hollow. Population 5,120.

Little Henry Wallace was eight years old and one hundred miles from home before anyone talked to him. His mother placed him on a train with a label around his neck, asking for him to be kept safe for a week, kept away from Hinton Hollow.

Because something was coming.

Narrated by Evil itself, Hinton Hollow Death Trip recounts five days in the history of this small rural town, when darkness paid a visit and infected its residents. A visit that made them act in unnatural ways. Prodding at their insecurities. Nudging at their secrets and desires. Coaxing out the malevolence suppressed within them. Showing their true selves.

Making them cheat.
Making them steal.
Making them kill.

Detective Sergeant Pace had returned to his childhood home. To escape the things he had done in the city. To go back to something simple. But he was not alone. Evil had a plan.

Hinton Hollow Death Trip was published by Orenda Books as an eBook on 12th June 2020. It comes out in paperback on 13th August 2020. You can purchase/pre-order it (depending on edition) from the publisher, Hive, Waterstones, Amazon and all good booksellers. 

My Review:

Oh man, where on earth do I start? This is the third in the Detective Sergeant Pace series and follows on from Nothing Important Happened Today (see my review here). Don't worry if you haven't read the preceding books - I haven't read the first, Good Samaritans, yet - as this works just great as a standalone. Pace is not really a central character and relevant details from the previous books are included here (I was surprised how much was said about NIHT actually). 

With a name like Hinton Hollow Death Trip and a gorgeous floral front cover you might be forgiven for thinking you were picking up a cosy crime novel. But this is anything but cosy. It couldn't be any further from cosy - it is seriously dark. 

Our narrator for this tale is Evil itself. How mad is that? It's insane genius and it works. Evil accompanies Detective Sergeant Pace back to the town where he grew up. But Evil has already begun his (its) work in Hinton Hollow.  And he (it?) warns us right at the beginning of the book that we're not going to like it, tells us to stop reading and do something else. I have never seen anything like that in any other book. 

Set over five days Hinton Hollow Death Trip tells of a week that changed a town. A week when Evil came to visit and turned everything upside down. But in some cases he (it) doesn't have to push to hard. Sometimes it's just a whisper here, a thought, a wee nudge there that pivots someone's behaviour. Playing on someone's existing anxiety. Other times Evil has to work much harder, Throughout the book we are treated to seemingly random facts about the residents of Hinton Hollow, and about Evil itself. 'Another way Evil manifests itself: Estate agents.' Priceless. (*No offence to any estate agents reading this - blame Will Carver! 😂) 'What I know about the human soul: It's not my department.' But most of all Evil makes us question our own feelings, motivations and actions. 

Having Evil as the narrator is original, dark and twisted. But as he (it?) points out, if people could only be better, nicer, more considerate, he wouldn't have to work so hard and things wouldn't have to be so dark. It's interesting to see how little work he needs to do in some cases - shows it doesn't take much for people to snap. And I loved we got to know some of the residents of Hinton Hollow, and what a varied bunch they are. All vividly described. And the kids. The kids are beautiful. And heartbreaking.  

It's so hard to review this book. Not because I didn't enjoy it - I really did - but because it's so hard to describe. It won't be for everyone. It includes explicit descriptions of violence and its aftermath, sex and animal abuse. It is not a comfortable read. But it is worth the effort. It touches on the effects of social media, and bullying. Questions why we behave in certain ways. Prompts us to think about how we treat others, how we treat animals, what we eat and drink. Encourages us to look at our priorities and motivations. All the while delivering an original, shocking story of madness descending on one small community. 

It's unique, violent, challenging, uncomfortable, thought provoking, shocking. And quite brilliant. Carver has yet again delivered something that blew my mind. It will be one of my most, if not the most, memorable reads of this year. An easy five stars from me.  

The Author:

Will Carver is the international bestselling author of the January David series. He spent his early years in Germany, but returned to the UK at age eleven, when his sporting career took off. He turned down a professional rugby contract to study theatre and television at King Alfred’s, Winchester, where he set up a successful theatre company. He currently runs his own fitness and nutrition company, and lives in Reading with his two children. Good Samaritans was book of the year in Guardian, Telegraph and Daily Express, and hit number one on the ebook charts.