Amber Hollow by Edgar Swamp

I was given this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
(may contain spoilers)

In 1991, an isolated village in Northern Wisconsin is ground zero for an unprecedented, fiery tragedy. Of the community's 600 residents, there are only five survivors. Detailed accounts by the victims contradict each other; the only link is a man named Anthony Guntram, but because he is presumed to be dead, this claim can't be verified. Further investigations reveal a culture enshrouded in mystery. What are the survivors hiding? Only the villagers know the secret of Amber Hollow, a place where sanity is checked at the town line and the parameters of reality become blurred. An unconventional horror story by design, Edgar Swamp delivers an action-driven page-turner that will keep readers guessing until the calamitous ending.

Let me preface by saying this. Books like this are the reason I love indie authors so much. I find more gems than duds, and I definitely am going to look into more of this authors books.

When you first start the book, you think you are going to read a crime thriller. A huge fire kills an entire village, except for five. And those five survivors have different stories that don't match up with the crime scene. Two detectives are tasked with finding out the truth. As they get closer to the truth, it only gets weirder and weirder. You will start to notice that this book isn't necessarily a crime thriller, but supernatural/horror. If you know anything about me, you'll know that I love this stuff. I especially love this stuff if it's done right, and for the most part it is.

The pacing in this book was perfect. It kept moving. It didn't seem like it was rushed to finish. But it was quick, and if you read through, you will know why. It seemed quick, because there was a deadline to find out what was happening with these survivors and what was happening to the village.

There were some eye rolling moments (Agent Scully, really?). The ending was great except for one thing. It jumped into more of a monster like creature than anything demon like, which is referenced through flashbacks in the book. That was a bit disappointing to me. At least it ended with you finding out what happens to all the characters introduced in this book. Not to mention a healthy dose of vengeance.

I truly enjoyed this book. It was interesting and it was thrilling. I definitely recommend adding this book to your TBR pile, and while you're add it, add this author in general to that pile as well. This book is a hidden gem amongst the supernatural genre, and I know you will all enjoy it.




Edgar Swamp is the author of the “Gyre Mission,” “Glitch in the Machine,” and “Blackout.” His short stories have appeared in Alienskin, Macabre Cadaver, and Urban Reinventors. When he isn’t holed up in his office playing online poker, he likes to dig up the recently deceased and make furniture out of their skin. He lives and works in San Diego, California.