The Dreadful Hollows

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. From the publisher - Prior’s Umborne was a poisoned village, no doubt about that. The small town of Prior’s Umborne is alive with gossip and accusation. A rash of poison pen letters has been sent to some of the inhabitants. Bleeding out buried secrets from the recipients’ pasts, the letters have already driven one man to take his own life. With fear and suspicion spreading like wildfire, Private Investigator Nigel Strangeways is called in by Sir Archibald Blick, a wealthy businessman with his own set of enemies, to determine who is behind these malicious letters. But as Nigel becomes a part of village life, he uncovers more than just the author of these deadly notes. When another body is discovered, Nigel must work quickly to untangle a web of family secrets and rivalry, love triangles and ultimatums before old grudges claim another life.

This is my first Nigel Strangeways book but it certainly won't be my last!!! 1. Best detective name EVER. 2. Great placename for an English village - I expect nothing short of a quirky name when dealing with England. 3. I had zero idea going into this review that the book was first published in 1953 (so I will have to get books one through nine of the series via Kindle) as it didn't really seem dated. 4. Nicholas Blake is the pen name of Poet Laureate Cecil Day-Lewis, father of insanely talented actor Daniel. 5.. Sir Archibald Blick made me think of disgraced businessman/"Baron of Crossharbour" Conrad Black (that's the Canadian in me, though!) 6. Bullying is not a new thing and the poison pen letters prove that in a book written 55 years ago. 7. I will not share any more of the plot as I hate spoilers, especially in book reviews that spit out the whole plot or content of the book.

8. Did the book's title make me think "Harry Potter"? Yes.

The book is wonderfully written, just as one would expect from a celebrated man of letters and it his style and deftness in writing that makes it such a great mystery novel. You get caught up in the words and the plot and forget that you guessed the culprit early on and don't mind the revelation and their comeuppance. I was sad when it ended but I know that there are at least 11 more I can read ... the sooner the better!