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Hector Lewis #1
Hunting Ground
Fifteen years ago, Hector Lewis's wife and young daughter vanished without a trace. People have long thought he was responsible, but the man he knows is behind their disappearance still walks free. As a police officer, he is sworn to uphold the law. But he has seen how little justice there is in the world. And when a newcomer's arrival sparks a harrowing series of crimes, Hector finds himself in a race to catch a man he is convinced is a killer. Evelyn Hutto knows what it is to be prey. She moved west to start over. But the remote town of Raven's Gap, Montana, is not as quiet and picturesque as it appears. The wild borderlands of Yellowstone National Park are home to more than one kind of predator. Women are going missing, and Evelyn's position at the local museum unearths a collection of Native American art steeped in secrets. As she traces the threads of the past and the present, she finds them tied to one man. Hector is a man obsessed with finding answers. Evelyn is a woman with secrets of her own. As winter whittles the land to bone and ice, the body count rises, and both become locked in a deadly game of cat and mouse with a dangerous man. A man who is as cunning as he is charismatic. A man whose new hunting season is only just beginning.
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 5, 2020
About the author
Meghan Holloway
11 books153 followers Meghan Holloway found her first Nancy Drew mystery in a sun-dappled attic at the age of eight and subsequently fell in love with the grip and tautness of a well-told mystery. She flew an airplane before she learned how to drive a car, did her undergrad work in Creative Writing in the sweltering south, and finished a Masters of Library and Information Science in the blustery north. She spent a summer and fall in Maine picking peaches and apples, traveled the world for a few years, and did a stint fighting crime in the records section of a police department.
She now lives in the foothills of the Appalachians with her standard poodle and spends her days as a scientist with the requisite glasses but minus the lab coat.
She now lives in the foothills of the Appalachians with her standard poodle and spends her days as a scientist with the requisite glasses but minus the lab coat.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
July 4, 2020
I have not read many books that made me check under my bed and ensure my locks were bolted, but this one certainly did. The characters of Evelyn and Hector are so complex and layered. Evelyn may very well be my favourite heroine in the crime fiction and thriller genres. She is pragmatic, intelligent, and incredibly relatable without being a quintessentially “good” character. I love that she is not a detective but is instead an archivist whose past has given her a keen intuition when it comes to predators and whose job is a fascinating segue into a mystery that is harrowingly prescient. Knowing who the killer is from the first pages only added to the heavy pall of dread that permeates the pages of this tale. Grief, vengeance, and obsession are explored in this haunting, disturbing read.
June 8, 2020
Hunting Ground is a fast-paced suspense read with an attention-grabbing plot. All the characters were flawed with some very questionable past behaviors and each one of them introduced some very fascinating aspects to the story. The author also takes a less than conventional way in writing this suspense novel by introducing the killer at the beginning of the story. In doing so, the reader gets to explore the inner workings of the killer’s twisted mind, which I found very interesting and not surprisingly, disturbing. I also enjoyed the Yellowstone National Park, Montana, setting of this book. With its beautiful landscape descriptions, I felt like I was right there, trudging through the snowy hiking paths in a search of the missing women.
Hunting Ground is an addictive, creepy, and suspenseful read and I highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys this kind of stories.
Thank you NetGalley, Polis Books, and the author for providing me with an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Hunting Ground is an addictive, creepy, and suspenseful read and I highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys this kind of stories.
Thank you NetGalley, Polis Books, and the author for providing me with an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
August 26, 2021
I’ve found another great author to follow!
My Rating: 4.5 ⭐️’s
Published: June 23rd 2020 by Polis Books
Pages: 336
#HuntingGround #MeghanHolloway #JustFinished #NativeAmerican #Murder #BookReview
After publication my reviews can be found at Amazon, Twitter, GoodReads, Barnes and Noble, BookBub, NetGalley, and Edelweiss
@AMeghanHolloway @PolisBooks
My Rating: 4.5 ⭐️’s
Published: June 23rd 2020 by Polis Books
Pages: 336
#HuntingGround #MeghanHolloway #JustFinished #NativeAmerican #Murder #BookReview
After publication my reviews can be found at Amazon, Twitter, GoodReads, Barnes and Noble, BookBub, NetGalley, and Edelweiss
@AMeghanHolloway @PolisBooks
December 27, 2022
“We’ve all got the power in our hands to kill,
But most people are afraid of it.
The ones who aren’t afraid
Control Life Itself”
4.5⭐️ One of the most perfect Cat and Mouse game thrillers that I’ve read this year!
“Murder is not about Lust
and it’s not about violence.
It’s about Possession”
A thriller in the eyes of the killer, the cop with a past not solved, and a woman in the path of our serial killer. This fast paced suspense will have you gripping your blankets wondering “Will he catch her?!… “Will they get him?!?” With many moments you think the heroine is screwed, you would be surprised!
I don’t think I’ve ever read a thriller in the eyes of the Killer. I was like “hold up…” Why are we being told who the killer is? But, you never really get the chance to see, hear, and feel their purpose to kill. We watch tons of Documentaries about these things. But do we actually hear it from the killers? This kept my interest sparked! Bring on the Cat and Mouse Game!!
Hector(Our small town Cop dealing with past not solved) is in the center of the action. His wife and Kid, gone missing years ago is still a process in his head. When more killings arise in his town, he gets the feeling he might finally find his killer. I will say, I’m a bit irritated with the purpose of Evelyn (not going to spoil👀) Of course, it all worked out in the end. But, what if it didn’t?
Evelyn was our FMC. Dealing with past struggles on being stalked; it has come to her attention that it is happening again. Moving towns is scary right? How about adding a stalker to the Mix? Especially knowing what the have done! You have to continue to run and hope your foot doesn’t get caught in a mouse trap.
Running into the topics of “He would never do that… Didn’t you already put 30 reports in?…. He said you are stalking them…” Evelyn runs into a troublesome path when he reports are being joked about. Trying to run from a dangerous man hunting her down, will she make it out alive?
The perfect mix of different POVs, a job that adds to the plot, and continuous thriller, Hunting Ground was a fantastic read! I’m ready to read more about Hectors story! Will he figure out the mystery of the disappearance of his wife and kid?
But most people are afraid of it.
The ones who aren’t afraid
Control Life Itself”
4.5⭐️ One of the most perfect Cat and Mouse game thrillers that I’ve read this year!
“Murder is not about Lust
and it’s not about violence.
It’s about Possession”
A thriller in the eyes of the killer, the cop with a past not solved, and a woman in the path of our serial killer. This fast paced suspense will have you gripping your blankets wondering “Will he catch her?!… “Will they get him?!?” With many moments you think the heroine is screwed, you would be surprised!
I don’t think I’ve ever read a thriller in the eyes of the Killer. I was like “hold up…” Why are we being told who the killer is? But, you never really get the chance to see, hear, and feel their purpose to kill. We watch tons of Documentaries about these things. But do we actually hear it from the killers? This kept my interest sparked! Bring on the Cat and Mouse Game!!
Hector(Our small town Cop dealing with past not solved) is in the center of the action. His wife and Kid, gone missing years ago is still a process in his head. When more killings arise in his town, he gets the feeling he might finally find his killer. I will say, I’m a bit irritated with the purpose of Evelyn (not going to spoil👀) Of course, it all worked out in the end. But, what if it didn’t?
Evelyn was our FMC. Dealing with past struggles on being stalked; it has come to her attention that it is happening again. Moving towns is scary right? How about adding a stalker to the Mix? Especially knowing what the have done! You have to continue to run and hope your foot doesn’t get caught in a mouse trap.
Running into the topics of “He would never do that… Didn’t you already put 30 reports in?…. He said you are stalking them…” Evelyn runs into a troublesome path when he reports are being joked about. Trying to run from a dangerous man hunting her down, will she make it out alive?
The perfect mix of different POVs, a job that adds to the plot, and continuous thriller, Hunting Ground was a fantastic read! I’m ready to read more about Hectors story! Will he figure out the mystery of the disappearance of his wife and kid?
June 20, 2020
Told from the different perspectives of three people, including the killer, makes this a great novel. All the way through, I was never sure of the real details of a past case and the connection to current events and it upped the suspense and it was a thoroughly fascinating read with more depth than usual given to the psychology of the killer. It was a much better than most of this genre and I will look for another by this author as I loved her style of writing and characters I could see were really complex.
July 20, 2020
Moving to the small town of Raven’s Gap, Montana, Evelyn Hutto just wants to start over after a terrible few years. When her car dies on the way into town, one of the first people she meets is aging deputy, Hector Lewis, a man who’s never got past the unsolved disappearance of his wife and daughter fifteen years earlier. Within days of Evelyn’s arrival, a young woman is found dead… and than another disappears… and another…
Told from the dual points of view of Evelyn and Hector, this is somewhat unusual for a whodunnit in that not only does the reader find out early on who the villain is, but both Evelyn and Hector also know… they just can’t prove it. The killer has been operating for years, getting away with it by taking women nobody is looking for, which brings up a central tenet of this work, the plight of missing and murdered Native American and Canadian women. The statistics, presented at the beginning of each chapter, are nothing short of horrifying, and I think it’s admirable of the author to try and raise awareness about this cause.
However, I think the message gets a little bit lost because Evelyn herself isn’t Native. And neither is the serial killer’s first victim, ‘Rose’, the subject of his obsession, lately supplanted by Evelyn. The other, Native victims, were just throwaways, unimportant to the killer, convenient to take the edge off his thirst without high risk of getting caught because he knew nobody would expend significant resources to look for them. And then he just starts randomly spree killing any woman he can get at, to rattle Evelyn.
I can see what the author’s trying to do here, but it becomes a problem when not only are none of the protagonists Native, but literally none of the surviving characters in the book are either. They’re only victims, people who don’t get to tell their own stories, face their own challenges… defeat their oppressors. Evelyn even gets a job working at a museum curating Native artifacts, a white woman portrayed as an authority on artifacts that aren’t her culture. The whole thing is just not sitting quite right with me, and it could have been fixed so easily by having Evelyn be of Native ancestry herself. Yes, it would have required some more work to accurately portray a Native woman as the protagonist; Evelyn would undoubtedly have experienced some microaggressions at the very least, would have reacted differently to her discoveries in the museum’s archives, but I think it would have made for a much better story, one with much more immediacy and visceral impact to it.
There are good parts about this story, and I do applaud the author for trying to raise awareness about an important issue, but I think it’s clumsily done and falls into some unfortunate traps. Overall, I’ll give it three stars.
Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this title via NetGalley.
Told from the dual points of view of Evelyn and Hector, this is somewhat unusual for a whodunnit in that not only does the reader find out early on who the villain is, but both Evelyn and Hector also know… they just can’t prove it. The killer has been operating for years, getting away with it by taking women nobody is looking for, which brings up a central tenet of this work, the plight of missing and murdered Native American and Canadian women. The statistics, presented at the beginning of each chapter, are nothing short of horrifying, and I think it’s admirable of the author to try and raise awareness about this cause.
However, I think the message gets a little bit lost because Evelyn herself isn’t Native. And neither is the serial killer’s first victim, ‘Rose’, the subject of his obsession, lately supplanted by Evelyn. The other, Native victims, were just throwaways, unimportant to the killer, convenient to take the edge off his thirst without high risk of getting caught because he knew nobody would expend significant resources to look for them. And then he just starts randomly spree killing any woman he can get at, to rattle Evelyn.
I can see what the author’s trying to do here, but it becomes a problem when not only are none of the protagonists Native, but literally none of the surviving characters in the book are either. They’re only victims, people who don’t get to tell their own stories, face their own challenges… defeat their oppressors. Evelyn even gets a job working at a museum curating Native artifacts, a white woman portrayed as an authority on artifacts that aren’t her culture. The whole thing is just not sitting quite right with me, and it could have been fixed so easily by having Evelyn be of Native ancestry herself. Yes, it would have required some more work to accurately portray a Native woman as the protagonist; Evelyn would undoubtedly have experienced some microaggressions at the very least, would have reacted differently to her discoveries in the museum’s archives, but I think it would have made for a much better story, one with much more immediacy and visceral impact to it.
There are good parts about this story, and I do applaud the author for trying to raise awareness about an important issue, but I think it’s clumsily done and falls into some unfortunate traps. Overall, I’ll give it three stars.
Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this title via NetGalley.
March 27, 2021
I was totally engrossed in this tightly written and intricately plotted, psychological thriller, the first book in Meghan Holloway’s new
Hector Lewis
series,
A real page turner!
Ms.Holloway employs first-person narrative for each of her three main protagonists and, although I usually prefer third-person, I felt it worked very effectively here. It gave me a real insight into each character’s psyche - their thoughts, emotions and motivations - which made the story all the more gripping.
All three characters are so well-drawn - complex and flawed in various ways. Hector Lewis is an ageing police officer who has been obsessed with bringing to justice Jeff Roosevelt, the man he knows was responsible for the disappearance of wife and daughter, 15 years ago. When he sees Jeff’s obvious interest in Evelyn Hutto, a newcomer to town, he’s even prepared to use her as bait to trap him. Evelyn has moved from Atlanta to Raven’s Gap to take up a position as the Park County Museum’s new assistant collections manager, but she is still haunted by the memory of the traumatic experience of being stalked,
Hunting Ground is unusual because the reader knows who the killer is from the very start. Jeff, like most serial killers, hides in plain sight. He’s handsome and charming and no one suspects him, until he sets his sights on Evelyn. Being able to plumb the depths of his twisted mind was disturbing, but it also added an edge to the story because I knew his intentions when none of the other characters did. Even then, his actions were far more chilling than I anticipated. There is one scene that really freaked me out. No spoilers but I’m so relieved I have a divan bed!
I couldn’t help but empathise with Evelyn, knowing the trauma she had gone through before, only to realise that it was all happening again. Jeff toys with Evelyn and, whatever she does, he always seems to be one step ahead, tormenting her. But there comes a point where Evelyn is forced to face her fears and take control of her life, which culminates in a nail-biting confrontation between them It is also a turning point for Hector who is guilt-ridden over treating Evelyn as a pawn rather than a women who desperately needs his protection, With it comes the realisation that, somehow over the past 15 years, he had lost his humanity.
One other character who really intrigued me was Faye Anders, who runs The River Inn, a seemingly shy, reserved woman, who is definitely hiding secrets.
I love Hector’s dog, a standard poodle called Frank, who plays an important role in the story, and obviously senses evil when he sees it.
Ms. Holloway cleverly gathers together all the various plot threads and I finally discovered - the true identity of the mysterious Rose, the significance of Jeff’s secret rose collection and the relevance of the Native American artefacts. There were some revelations I certainly didn’t see coming.
I admire Ms. Holloway for raising the awareness of, to quote her words, “the horror Indigenous women face on a daily basis” not only in her Author’s Note but also within this fictional story.
MY VERDICT: If you are looking for a thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat, I can highly recommend Hunting Ground and I’m looking forward to reading Hiding Place, the second book in series.
A real page turner!
Ms.Holloway employs first-person narrative for each of her three main protagonists and, although I usually prefer third-person, I felt it worked very effectively here. It gave me a real insight into each character’s psyche - their thoughts, emotions and motivations - which made the story all the more gripping.
All three characters are so well-drawn - complex and flawed in various ways. Hector Lewis is an ageing police officer who has been obsessed with bringing to justice Jeff Roosevelt, the man he knows was responsible for the disappearance of wife and daughter, 15 years ago. When he sees Jeff’s obvious interest in Evelyn Hutto, a newcomer to town, he’s even prepared to use her as bait to trap him. Evelyn has moved from Atlanta to Raven’s Gap to take up a position as the Park County Museum’s new assistant collections manager, but she is still haunted by the memory of the traumatic experience of being stalked,
Hunting Ground is unusual because the reader knows who the killer is from the very start. Jeff, like most serial killers, hides in plain sight. He’s handsome and charming and no one suspects him, until he sets his sights on Evelyn. Being able to plumb the depths of his twisted mind was disturbing, but it also added an edge to the story because I knew his intentions when none of the other characters did. Even then, his actions were far more chilling than I anticipated. There is one scene that really freaked me out. No spoilers but I’m so relieved I have a divan bed!
I couldn’t help but empathise with Evelyn, knowing the trauma she had gone through before, only to realise that it was all happening again. Jeff toys with Evelyn and, whatever she does, he always seems to be one step ahead, tormenting her. But there comes a point where Evelyn is forced to face her fears and take control of her life, which culminates in a nail-biting confrontation between them It is also a turning point for Hector who is guilt-ridden over treating Evelyn as a pawn rather than a women who desperately needs his protection, With it comes the realisation that, somehow over the past 15 years, he had lost his humanity.
One other character who really intrigued me was Faye Anders, who runs The River Inn, a seemingly shy, reserved woman, who is definitely hiding secrets.
I love Hector’s dog, a standard poodle called Frank, who plays an important role in the story, and obviously senses evil when he sees it.
Ms. Holloway cleverly gathers together all the various plot threads and I finally discovered - the true identity of the mysterious Rose, the significance of Jeff’s secret rose collection and the relevance of the Native American artefacts. There were some revelations I certainly didn’t see coming.
I admire Ms. Holloway for raising the awareness of, to quote her words, “the horror Indigenous women face on a daily basis” not only in her Author’s Note but also within this fictional story.
MY VERDICT: If you are looking for a thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat, I can highly recommend Hunting Ground and I’m looking forward to reading Hiding Place, the second book in series.
May 7, 2020
Although Hunting Ground is a work of fiction the information regarding the missing native women and children in America left me really surprised. As I never had contact with those communities I could never imagine that numbers were so high. The story is very well written and developments are adding increasing the tension and the brutality of the crimes. The main character is a woman who had already been stalked and now it´s happening again. The assassin is well known and respected in the small town and now he wants her for whatever reason his broken mind decided it. The description of the places and small details like the falling snow are beautifully written as well the descriptions of the characters peculiarities. Meghan Holloway sure does know how to use the words. First class entertainment!
May 6, 2020
This is a deadly game of cat and mouse. This story is unique for the fact that there is no guessing who the killer is. You know from the start. He is super creepy and Evelyn sees him for what he immediately.
Evelyn Hutto just wants to start over so she takes a job in Ravens Gap, Montana.
Hector Lewis’s wife and daughter went missing 15 years ago.He never stopped looking for answers. The wintry backdrop just makes everything more ominous. Even at the end there are still unanswered questions. So I’m sure there will be more books. Bring em on!
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Evelyn Hutto just wants to start over so she takes a job in Ravens Gap, Montana.
Hector Lewis’s wife and daughter went missing 15 years ago.He never stopped looking for answers. The wintry backdrop just makes everything more ominous. Even at the end there are still unanswered questions. So I’m sure there will be more books. Bring em on!
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
August 12, 2020
I believe this is a new genre for this author, but she doesn’t let it show. This lyrical, dark, and many times disturbing book sheds light on an equally disturbing issue. I look forward to seeing what she does next!
July 19, 2020
In hindsight one can see how a sociopath works. Carefully, clinically and soberly. No passionate spur of the moment decisions for him unless he is goaded by something beyond his control. This was a carefully thought out, planned kidnapping and murder and Evelyn did not have a clue that she was his victim, his ultimate goal in fact.
Moving to a small town to escape a very similar stalking situation which never got resolved (more on that later) Evelyn thinks that at last she has peace but from the word go, Jeff has his eyes on her. The Police Chief himself is a victim where his wife and daughter were abducted, never found. With a Native American population in the area Evelyn has arrived to handle artifacts check on authenticity, history and return them if possible to rightful owners. This is something she is passionate about and she is looking forward to working in this tiny town.
She did not envisage that a series of abductions and murders of girls would take place and all where she is the first person to discover their bodies. It is obviously she is a target and the Police Chief is sadly using her as bait to find out what has happened to the numerous women missing over a long period including his wife and daughter.
What follows is a cat and mouse suspenseful story where the killer is always one step ahead of law enforcement and where Evelyn eventually takes the law into her own hands, knowing fully well that she is finally responsible for her own life. That the law will come in too late for her.
Very well told, and a fabulous read.
Moving to a small town to escape a very similar stalking situation which never got resolved (more on that later) Evelyn thinks that at last she has peace but from the word go, Jeff has his eyes on her. The Police Chief himself is a victim where his wife and daughter were abducted, never found. With a Native American population in the area Evelyn has arrived to handle artifacts check on authenticity, history and return them if possible to rightful owners. This is something she is passionate about and she is looking forward to working in this tiny town.
She did not envisage that a series of abductions and murders of girls would take place and all where she is the first person to discover their bodies. It is obviously she is a target and the Police Chief is sadly using her as bait to find out what has happened to the numerous women missing over a long period including his wife and daughter.
What follows is a cat and mouse suspenseful story where the killer is always one step ahead of law enforcement and where Evelyn eventually takes the law into her own hands, knowing fully well that she is finally responsible for her own life. That the law will come in too late for her.
Very well told, and a fabulous read.
August 2, 2020
A creepy bookshop manager ... a guilt ridden detective ... a missing wife and daughter... a survivor ... a serial killer ...
I won this in an IG giveaway hosted by the author @ameghanholloway and am I ever glad I did.
This book made me triple check at night that my door was locked, that there was no one underneath my bed 😱 I don’t recall the last time I was this freaked out reading a thriller.
The 3 main characters were all very complex in their own way. I loved reading each of their perspectives.
I also really appreciated that this book raises awareness to the murdered and missing Indigenous women in the US. Unfortunately, we have a similar problem here in Canada as well. This is something our politicians and law enforcement needs to pay more attention to on both sides of the border.
I won this in an IG giveaway hosted by the author @ameghanholloway and am I ever glad I did.
This book made me triple check at night that my door was locked, that there was no one underneath my bed 😱 I don’t recall the last time I was this freaked out reading a thriller.
The 3 main characters were all very complex in their own way. I loved reading each of their perspectives.
I also really appreciated that this book raises awareness to the murdered and missing Indigenous women in the US. Unfortunately, we have a similar problem here in Canada as well. This is something our politicians and law enforcement needs to pay more attention to on both sides of the border.
August 10, 2020
Gripping tale throughout, but with one of the best endings I've read in a long time, on par with French's In the Woods.
March 28, 2020
First of all, I just wanted to thank NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book before its publishing date in a few months!
This gripping thriller follows the lives of several interesting characters.
Evelyn, a young woman with a traumatizing past, moves to Montana in the hopes of starting over after the death of her grandparents. Raven's Gap, a small, quiet town, seems like the perfect option to her--a chance to blend into the shadows and just be a normal person. She accepts a job at the small museum in town, where her job is to review and sort through Native American artifacts that have been given and stored in the museum for years.
Hector's wife and daughter went missing fifteen years ago, and he is certain he knows who is behind the kidnapping. They haven't been seen since, and he assumes they are dead. The only catch is, most people believe he was the one who did it.
Jeff Roosevelt works at the local bookstore. Charming, kind, and charismatic, Jeff is a man that all the women swoon over. . . all except Evelyn, who can see behind the mask he wears.
When women start going missing in the town after Evelyn's arrival, Hector is certain that the person who killed his wife is acting again. He plans to use Evelyn to lead him out to the open so he can watch the killer in the act and finally get vengeance on his wife and daughter's death.
A tale of suspense and mystery, Hunting Ground will keep you on your toes and questioning everything. As Evelyn's past comes to light throughout the novel, readers can see that she maybe isn't the innocent victim she seems to be on the outside. However, her motives are justified (in my opinion), and when she realizes that she is being stalked by a certain book seller, she plans to do something about it rather than let herself feel trapped again.
I absolutely loved this book. I honestly enjoy reading about the psychology behind people's actions and motives, and I was absolutely fascinated by Jeff. I would love to know more about his story. Evelyn was a character that I could connect deeply with, and I found myself feeling scared for her throughout the story. I wanted her to be okay and fight back. I loved Hector and his tough act, but I knew that he was truly hurt and brokenhearted and had been for the last fifteen years. (And side note: I would love to give Frank a big hug).
I absolutely recommend this book to lovers of mystery and thriller novels, and I highly encourage people to seek out this book when it is officially published!
5/5 stars.
This gripping thriller follows the lives of several interesting characters.
Evelyn, a young woman with a traumatizing past, moves to Montana in the hopes of starting over after the death of her grandparents. Raven's Gap, a small, quiet town, seems like the perfect option to her--a chance to blend into the shadows and just be a normal person. She accepts a job at the small museum in town, where her job is to review and sort through Native American artifacts that have been given and stored in the museum for years.
Hector's wife and daughter went missing fifteen years ago, and he is certain he knows who is behind the kidnapping. They haven't been seen since, and he assumes they are dead. The only catch is, most people believe he was the one who did it.
Jeff Roosevelt works at the local bookstore. Charming, kind, and charismatic, Jeff is a man that all the women swoon over. . . all except Evelyn, who can see behind the mask he wears.
When women start going missing in the town after Evelyn's arrival, Hector is certain that the person who killed his wife is acting again. He plans to use Evelyn to lead him out to the open so he can watch the killer in the act and finally get vengeance on his wife and daughter's death.
A tale of suspense and mystery, Hunting Ground will keep you on your toes and questioning everything. As Evelyn's past comes to light throughout the novel, readers can see that she maybe isn't the innocent victim she seems to be on the outside. However, her motives are justified (in my opinion), and when she realizes that she is being stalked by a certain book seller, she plans to do something about it rather than let herself feel trapped again.
I absolutely loved this book. I honestly enjoy reading about the psychology behind people's actions and motives, and I was absolutely fascinated by Jeff. I would love to know more about his story. Evelyn was a character that I could connect deeply with, and I found myself feeling scared for her throughout the story. I wanted her to be okay and fight back. I loved Hector and his tough act, but I knew that he was truly hurt and brokenhearted and had been for the last fifteen years. (And side note: I would love to give Frank a big hug).
I absolutely recommend this book to lovers of mystery and thriller novels, and I highly encourage people to seek out this book when it is officially published!
5/5 stars.
April 16, 2020
BLURB
Fifteen years ago, Hector Lewis’s wife and young daughter vanished without a trace. People have long thought he was responsible, but the man he knows is behind their disappearance still walks free. As a police officer, he is sworn to uphold the law. But he has seen how little justice there is in the world. And when a newcomer’s arrival sparks a harrowing series of crimes, Hector finds himself in a race to catch a man he is convinced is a killer.
Evelyn Hutto knows what it is to be prey. She moved west to start over. But the remote town of Raven’s Gap, Montana, is not as quiet and picturesque as it appears. The wild borderlands of Yellowstone National Park are home to more than one kind of predator. Women are going missing, and Evelyn’s position at the local museum unearths a collection of Native American art steeped in secrets. As she traces the threads of the past and the present, she finds them tied to one man.
Hector is a man obsessed with finding answers. Evelyn is a woman with secrets of her own. As winter whittles the land to bone and ice, the body count rises, and both become locked in a deadly game of cat and mouse with a dangerous man. A man who is as cunning as he is charismatic. A man whose new hunting season is only just beginning.
REVIEW
Psychological thrillers are not my usual choice for reading. Heck, that goes for movies as well...I remember a time when I was in my teens going to a double feature of Premature Burial and The Pit and the Pendulum. I didn't even make it through the first film before I left the theater. 😱 However, based on how much I loved the author's previous book, Once More Unto the Breach, I decided to dispense with my idiosyncratic character flaw and read Hunting Ground. It is, as the author mentioned to me, quite different from Breach, but there are similarities nonetheless. The characters are well crafted, realism in their demeanor's, their responses to events, the motives behind their actions, all lead the reader into an intense, taut drama. Meticulously detailed descriptions, whether it is of a small Montana town, or the sprawling, winter bound wilderness of Yellowstone immerses the readers in the surroundings, in the chilling events. As the story unfolded, and more secrets emerged, more details came to light, the twists and turns of this page turning thriller had this reader/reviewer pausing to remember to breathe. Oh, yes my peeps and fellow travelers on the reading road, this is a good one for sure. A psychological thriller that even the idiosyncratic flawed, like me, can enjoy.
5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Fifteen years ago, Hector Lewis’s wife and young daughter vanished without a trace. People have long thought he was responsible, but the man he knows is behind their disappearance still walks free. As a police officer, he is sworn to uphold the law. But he has seen how little justice there is in the world. And when a newcomer’s arrival sparks a harrowing series of crimes, Hector finds himself in a race to catch a man he is convinced is a killer.
Evelyn Hutto knows what it is to be prey. She moved west to start over. But the remote town of Raven’s Gap, Montana, is not as quiet and picturesque as it appears. The wild borderlands of Yellowstone National Park are home to more than one kind of predator. Women are going missing, and Evelyn’s position at the local museum unearths a collection of Native American art steeped in secrets. As she traces the threads of the past and the present, she finds them tied to one man.
Hector is a man obsessed with finding answers. Evelyn is a woman with secrets of her own. As winter whittles the land to bone and ice, the body count rises, and both become locked in a deadly game of cat and mouse with a dangerous man. A man who is as cunning as he is charismatic. A man whose new hunting season is only just beginning.
REVIEW
Psychological thrillers are not my usual choice for reading. Heck, that goes for movies as well...I remember a time when I was in my teens going to a double feature of Premature Burial and The Pit and the Pendulum. I didn't even make it through the first film before I left the theater. 😱 However, based on how much I loved the author's previous book, Once More Unto the Breach, I decided to dispense with my idiosyncratic character flaw and read Hunting Ground. It is, as the author mentioned to me, quite different from Breach, but there are similarities nonetheless. The characters are well crafted, realism in their demeanor's, their responses to events, the motives behind their actions, all lead the reader into an intense, taut drama. Meticulously detailed descriptions, whether it is of a small Montana town, or the sprawling, winter bound wilderness of Yellowstone immerses the readers in the surroundings, in the chilling events. As the story unfolded, and more secrets emerged, more details came to light, the twists and turns of this page turning thriller had this reader/reviewer pausing to remember to breathe. Oh, yes my peeps and fellow travelers on the reading road, this is a good one for sure. A psychological thriller that even the idiosyncratic flawed, like me, can enjoy.
5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
April 12, 2021
Una fanciulla.
Un lupo.
Un cacciatore.
Non è la fiaba di Cappuccetto Rosso dei fratelli Grimm, bensì il thriller Inverno di morte di Meghan Holloway.
Evelyn. Jeff. Hector.
Tre vite allo sbaraglio. Tre storie che si intrecciano inevitabilmente. Tre vittime del sistema.
Evelyn è già stata vittima di uno stalker, ma pur avendo chiesto aiuto alle autorità competenti, non è stata creduta e abbandonata a sé stessa e questo la costringe a prendere decisioni drastiche, a cambiare totalmente la propria vita, e a vivere costantemente nella paura e nel sospetto di essere seguita ancora.
Hector è doppiamente beffato dal sistema. È un agente accusato della scomparsa e della morte della moglie e della figlia. Accuse che lo vedano al centro del bullismo della comunità, e incompreso per il suo dolore, ma soprattutto alla crostante ricerca del vero colpevole.
Jeff, un uomo con dei disturbi mentali gravi, vittima per paradosso anche lui del sistema, un sistema a cui lui non si è mai rivolto e che non si è preoccupato di pensare al benessere dei propri cittadini.
L’autrice cambia genere e sceglie un particolare tipo di narrazione, facendo anche delle scelte azzardate che spiazzano il lettore sin dalle prime pagine.
Scritto in prima persona, si alternano capitolo dopo capitolo i punti di vista dei tre personaggi protagonisti.
Ad ogni capitolo, l’autrice si focalizza sia a portare avanti la narrazione secondo il punto di vista del personaggio di turno, ma approfondisce la storia facendo raccontare ora ad Evelynnn, ora a Hector o Jeff ricordi del passato, che aggiungono suspence alla storia, dettagli alla caratterizzazione del personaggio e sviluppano la trama.
Era perfetta. La luce del lampione si rifletteva sulle lenti dei suoi occhiali e brillava sulla cascata lunga e liscia dei suoi capelli.
Mi aveva ricordato casa fin dal primo momento in cui l’avevo vista girarsi al mio arrivo, con i capelli mossi dal vento.
Aveva fatto scattare qualcosa dentro di me, e vederla avanzare decisa lungo la strada deserta… Era stato strano e allo stesso tempo familiare.
Anche quella bizzarra fame che aveva iniziato a rodermi dentro era familiare. Era stato uno dolore sordo per così tanto tempo che avevo dimenticato la sua famelica intensità.
Quell’artiglio acuminato mi tolse il respiro. Erano anni che non mi colpiva con tale forza.
L’elemento spiazzante per il lettore è di sapere sin dall’inizio chi è l’assassino.
L’autrice non vuole cercarlo, non vuole studiarne il profilo per incastrarlo, non vuole depistare i lettore con falsi indizi per aumentare la suspence e sbalordire con il colpo di scena finale.
Non ha bisogno di questo, perché con la sua storia non vuole cercare un killer bensì stanarlo e cacciarlo.
E quindi ci rivela immediatamente la sua identità e ci fa conoscere i suoi più intimi pensieri, ma soprattutto il Mostro che si porta dentro.
Non per giustificare le sue azioni, né comprenderlo ed essere clementi con lui.
Jeff è consapevole della sua debolezza, del suo male, della sua sete pericolosa.
Jeff è intelligente e fa la sua scelta, senza ripensamenti e quindi perché averne pietà?
E così inizia una corsa contro il tempo: c’è chi scappa, chi semina trappole e chi insegue, senza distinzione dei ruoli.
Tutta la storia è una caccia continua: la preda scappa ma a sua volta diventa cacciatore per intrappolare un killer spietato; il lupo infastidisce, trama, svia e mette paura, ma ulula di nascosto alla luna, per non farsi scoprire.
E il cacciatore?
Imbraccia il fucile e le segue a distanza, come ha fatto da anni, senza fretta con calcolata e fredda determinazione, perché sa che un errore sarebbe fatale: perderebbe la fanciulla e non potrebbe catturare il lupo.
Ogni azione e pensiero dei personaggi si incastra perfettamente nella narrazione, nessuno dei tre prevale, ma viene concesso lo stesso spazio, perché tutti e tre sono importanti, ha lo stesso peso e la loro presenza deve essere equilibrata, ben dosata, per tenere il lettore sempre all’erta, attento a ogni dettaglio, immerso nella storia, come se ne fosse lui il protagonista.
L’autrice però con gran perizia accentua particolarmente la figura delle donne. Sono in tante a far parte di questa storia: le vittime del killer, Evelyn, Faye e le donne native americane che hanno un ruolo di denuncia nella storia e vogliono invece essere ascoltate e raccontare la loro storia, ormai dimenticata, e chiedono giustizia per i crimini commessi contro di loro.
Una storia forte e drammatica, analizzata da più punti di vista, che la rendono ancora più cruda e repellente. Potrebbe umiliare maggiormente le vittime di stalking e violenza, ed invece ne esalta il coraggio di non cedere e di non voler sottostare alla morbosità e follia del proprio predatore, e lancia il messaggio profondo di non arrendersi mai e di non aver paura di denunciare e reagire.
Una storia toccante ma anche di profonda speranza, quella che il male può essere sconfitto.
Un lupo.
Un cacciatore.
Non è la fiaba di Cappuccetto Rosso dei fratelli Grimm, bensì il thriller Inverno di morte di Meghan Holloway.
Evelyn. Jeff. Hector.
Tre vite allo sbaraglio. Tre storie che si intrecciano inevitabilmente. Tre vittime del sistema.
Evelyn è già stata vittima di uno stalker, ma pur avendo chiesto aiuto alle autorità competenti, non è stata creduta e abbandonata a sé stessa e questo la costringe a prendere decisioni drastiche, a cambiare totalmente la propria vita, e a vivere costantemente nella paura e nel sospetto di essere seguita ancora.
Hector è doppiamente beffato dal sistema. È un agente accusato della scomparsa e della morte della moglie e della figlia. Accuse che lo vedano al centro del bullismo della comunità, e incompreso per il suo dolore, ma soprattutto alla crostante ricerca del vero colpevole.
Jeff, un uomo con dei disturbi mentali gravi, vittima per paradosso anche lui del sistema, un sistema a cui lui non si è mai rivolto e che non si è preoccupato di pensare al benessere dei propri cittadini.
L’autrice cambia genere e sceglie un particolare tipo di narrazione, facendo anche delle scelte azzardate che spiazzano il lettore sin dalle prime pagine.
Scritto in prima persona, si alternano capitolo dopo capitolo i punti di vista dei tre personaggi protagonisti.
Ad ogni capitolo, l’autrice si focalizza sia a portare avanti la narrazione secondo il punto di vista del personaggio di turno, ma approfondisce la storia facendo raccontare ora ad Evelynnn, ora a Hector o Jeff ricordi del passato, che aggiungono suspence alla storia, dettagli alla caratterizzazione del personaggio e sviluppano la trama.
Era perfetta. La luce del lampione si rifletteva sulle lenti dei suoi occhiali e brillava sulla cascata lunga e liscia dei suoi capelli.
Mi aveva ricordato casa fin dal primo momento in cui l’avevo vista girarsi al mio arrivo, con i capelli mossi dal vento.
Aveva fatto scattare qualcosa dentro di me, e vederla avanzare decisa lungo la strada deserta… Era stato strano e allo stesso tempo familiare.
Anche quella bizzarra fame che aveva iniziato a rodermi dentro era familiare. Era stato uno dolore sordo per così tanto tempo che avevo dimenticato la sua famelica intensità.
Quell’artiglio acuminato mi tolse il respiro. Erano anni che non mi colpiva con tale forza.
L’elemento spiazzante per il lettore è di sapere sin dall’inizio chi è l’assassino.
L’autrice non vuole cercarlo, non vuole studiarne il profilo per incastrarlo, non vuole depistare i lettore con falsi indizi per aumentare la suspence e sbalordire con il colpo di scena finale.
Non ha bisogno di questo, perché con la sua storia non vuole cercare un killer bensì stanarlo e cacciarlo.
E quindi ci rivela immediatamente la sua identità e ci fa conoscere i suoi più intimi pensieri, ma soprattutto il Mostro che si porta dentro.
Non per giustificare le sue azioni, né comprenderlo ed essere clementi con lui.
Jeff è consapevole della sua debolezza, del suo male, della sua sete pericolosa.
Jeff è intelligente e fa la sua scelta, senza ripensamenti e quindi perché averne pietà?
E così inizia una corsa contro il tempo: c’è chi scappa, chi semina trappole e chi insegue, senza distinzione dei ruoli.
Tutta la storia è una caccia continua: la preda scappa ma a sua volta diventa cacciatore per intrappolare un killer spietato; il lupo infastidisce, trama, svia e mette paura, ma ulula di nascosto alla luna, per non farsi scoprire.
E il cacciatore?
Imbraccia il fucile e le segue a distanza, come ha fatto da anni, senza fretta con calcolata e fredda determinazione, perché sa che un errore sarebbe fatale: perderebbe la fanciulla e non potrebbe catturare il lupo.
Ogni azione e pensiero dei personaggi si incastra perfettamente nella narrazione, nessuno dei tre prevale, ma viene concesso lo stesso spazio, perché tutti e tre sono importanti, ha lo stesso peso e la loro presenza deve essere equilibrata, ben dosata, per tenere il lettore sempre all’erta, attento a ogni dettaglio, immerso nella storia, come se ne fosse lui il protagonista.
L’autrice però con gran perizia accentua particolarmente la figura delle donne. Sono in tante a far parte di questa storia: le vittime del killer, Evelyn, Faye e le donne native americane che hanno un ruolo di denuncia nella storia e vogliono invece essere ascoltate e raccontare la loro storia, ormai dimenticata, e chiedono giustizia per i crimini commessi contro di loro.
Una storia forte e drammatica, analizzata da più punti di vista, che la rendono ancora più cruda e repellente. Potrebbe umiliare maggiormente le vittime di stalking e violenza, ed invece ne esalta il coraggio di non cedere e di non voler sottostare alla morbosità e follia del proprio predatore, e lancia il messaggio profondo di non arrendersi mai e di non aver paura di denunciare e reagire.
Una storia toccante ma anche di profonda speranza, quella che il male può essere sconfitto.
February 11, 2022
🄰🅄🄳🄸🄾🄱🄾🄾🄺 🅁🄴🅅🄸🄴🅆
𝑯𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑮𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅
𝙱𝚢: @ameghanholloway
𝙽𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚘𝚛: @therealnatashasoudek , Adam Barr, Seth Podowitz
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: Thriller, Mystery, Suspense
𝙿𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚛: @dreamscape_media
𝙿𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝙾𝚗: July 21st 2020
@𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚜 𝚂𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚎: 4.15
𝙼𝚢 𝚂𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚎: 🌹🌹🌹🌹 / 5 Roses
🅂🅈🄽🄾🄿🅂🄸🅂
Hector Lewis’s wife and young daughter vanished without a trace. He has become a man obsessed with finding answers. As a police officer, he is sworn to uphold the law. But he has seen how little justice there is in the world. And when a newcomer’s arrival sparks a harrowing series of crimes, Hector finds himself in a race to catch a man he is convinced is a killer.
Evelyn Hutto knows what it is to be prey. The wild borderlands of Yellowstone National Park are home to more than one kind of predator. Women are going missing, and Evelyn’s position at the local museum unearths a collection of Native American art steeped in secrets. As she traces the threads of the past and the present, she finds them tied to one man.
Soon both Evelyn & Hector become locked in a deadly game of cat and mouse with a dangerous man. A man who is as cunning as he is charismatic. A man whose new hunting season is only just beginning.
🄼🅈 🅃🄷🄾🅄🄶🄷🅃🅂
This story is very well written and the developments add an increasing tension with the extreme brutality of crimes. Written in a three POV angle we have Hector, Evelyn and Jeff.
I especially love books when they include the villain/killer as one of the narrators. I love to see how the authors create them and their personalities. I mostly enjoy listening to audiobooks with the villain/killers having a voice be the narrator. There's just something about their creepy and disturbing tone coming through the headphones/speakers.
This story was very informational and I really enjoyed how all the characters quoted something before each of their turns. There were many cool quotes throughout this book and the statistics on Native American woman were staggering. I admire Holloway for raising the awareness of, to quote her words, “the horror Indigenous women face on a daily basis” not only in her author’s note but also within this fictional story. The high numbers of Native women who go missing and are never accounted for by the justice system. Holloway handles this haunting subject with a deft, sensitive hand. Her writing style is vivid, visceral, and highly visual.
I highly recommend you give this mysterious read a chance.
𝑯𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑮𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅
𝙱𝚢: @ameghanholloway
𝙽𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚘𝚛: @therealnatashasoudek , Adam Barr, Seth Podowitz
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: Thriller, Mystery, Suspense
𝙿𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚛: @dreamscape_media
𝙿𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝙾𝚗: July 21st 2020
@𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚜 𝚂𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚎: 4.15
𝙼𝚢 𝚂𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚎: 🌹🌹🌹🌹 / 5 Roses
🅂🅈🄽🄾🄿🅂🄸🅂
Hector Lewis’s wife and young daughter vanished without a trace. He has become a man obsessed with finding answers. As a police officer, he is sworn to uphold the law. But he has seen how little justice there is in the world. And when a newcomer’s arrival sparks a harrowing series of crimes, Hector finds himself in a race to catch a man he is convinced is a killer.
Evelyn Hutto knows what it is to be prey. The wild borderlands of Yellowstone National Park are home to more than one kind of predator. Women are going missing, and Evelyn’s position at the local museum unearths a collection of Native American art steeped in secrets. As she traces the threads of the past and the present, she finds them tied to one man.
Soon both Evelyn & Hector become locked in a deadly game of cat and mouse with a dangerous man. A man who is as cunning as he is charismatic. A man whose new hunting season is only just beginning.
🄼🅈 🅃🄷🄾🅄🄶🄷🅃🅂
This story is very well written and the developments add an increasing tension with the extreme brutality of crimes. Written in a three POV angle we have Hector, Evelyn and Jeff.
I especially love books when they include the villain/killer as one of the narrators. I love to see how the authors create them and their personalities. I mostly enjoy listening to audiobooks with the villain/killers having a voice be the narrator. There's just something about their creepy and disturbing tone coming through the headphones/speakers.
This story was very informational and I really enjoyed how all the characters quoted something before each of their turns. There were many cool quotes throughout this book and the statistics on Native American woman were staggering. I admire Holloway for raising the awareness of, to quote her words, “the horror Indigenous women face on a daily basis” not only in her author’s note but also within this fictional story. The high numbers of Native women who go missing and are never accounted for by the justice system. Holloway handles this haunting subject with a deft, sensitive hand. Her writing style is vivid, visceral, and highly visual.
I highly recommend you give this mysterious read a chance.
August 3, 2021
If you enjoy a fast-paced thriller and suspense, you should check out this book! From the author who gave us Once More Unto the Breach (a wonderful story of WWI, WWII, family and love) comes the first in a trilogy of suspense novels. Policeman Hector Lewis lives in the remote town of Raven's Gap, MT. His wife and young daughter disappeared 15 years ago, and he has been searching for them and the person responsible ever since. He has his suspicions of one of the town's residents but has no proof. When newcomer Evelyn Hutto moves in as a curator at the local museum, he thinks he may have found the person to help him pin his family's disappearance on the man he suspects is responsible.
Evelyn dives into artifacts that need to be returned to the local Native American tribes, and discovers several boxes that contain bone and burial items. When she discovers that some of the items belong to young Native American women who have gone missing over the last few years, she realizes that these women may not be alive, and these items may have been the killer's "souvenirs".
As she tries to unravel their stories, young women in the community are being murdered in a similar fashion, and she soon becomes a target herself. She needs to use her wits to stay a step ahead of the serial killer on the loose. A quick page-turner, I was hooked from the beginning. While this is a great suspense novel, it shines the light on a deeper subject of the staggering number of women who have disappeared and are whether they are alive or dead is unknown. According to the statistics, American Indians and Native Alaskan women disappear at an alarming rate - and they get little to no front-page coverage of their disappearance. Reading the author's notes is jaw-dropping. We should and can do better as a society.
The second book in the trilogy - Hiding Place - has a pub date of 8/10/21. From what I've read so far it can be a stand-alone, but the reader probably would enjoy it more if they read this first novel, as it sets up the characters. I will finish my ARC of Hiding Place this week and will post a full review - I'm sure it will be another "I can't put it down" book!
Evelyn dives into artifacts that need to be returned to the local Native American tribes, and discovers several boxes that contain bone and burial items. When she discovers that some of the items belong to young Native American women who have gone missing over the last few years, she realizes that these women may not be alive, and these items may have been the killer's "souvenirs".
As she tries to unravel their stories, young women in the community are being murdered in a similar fashion, and she soon becomes a target herself. She needs to use her wits to stay a step ahead of the serial killer on the loose. A quick page-turner, I was hooked from the beginning. While this is a great suspense novel, it shines the light on a deeper subject of the staggering number of women who have disappeared and are whether they are alive or dead is unknown. According to the statistics, American Indians and Native Alaskan women disappear at an alarming rate - and they get little to no front-page coverage of their disappearance. Reading the author's notes is jaw-dropping. We should and can do better as a society.
The second book in the trilogy - Hiding Place - has a pub date of 8/10/21. From what I've read so far it can be a stand-alone, but the reader probably would enjoy it more if they read this first novel, as it sets up the characters. I will finish my ARC of Hiding Place this week and will post a full review - I'm sure it will be another "I can't put it down" book!
July 11, 2020
Scary, hold-your-breath novel that transfers the prickling feeling of an unseen watcher behind every shadow. Was very absorbed by multiple threads of plot lines and characters of women in this community. Strong in some forms of routine life styles and yet unable to see beyond a mask of danger. The two main characters are well fleshed out in the form of Hector Lewis and Evelyn Hutto. Hector is sixtyish, determined or obsessed by the missing women suddenly occurring in his community. As police officer he is reluctant to give up any possible clues and also still reliving the disappearance of his wife and child fifteen years ago. Evelyn came from Atlanta to this small community near Yellowstone Park for many reasons. As a former stalker victim, she cannot stay in the same place anymore;; this is her first attempt to start fresh. She is an artifact catalogue researcher specializing in Native American/Alaska Native items. By coming here she is hopeful to gain fulltime employment after her grant is completed. Evelyn is jumpy, somewhat reclusive initially until she sees clues in her specimens that hint at dark and evil history that has been ongoing over time by a hidden serial killer. A secret, hidden greenhouse with roses, a name of "Rose", souvenirs with unusual backgrounds, a book club, and harsh winter conditions seal a tidy thriller up to the last pages, The ending is quite a revelation! I was given this free book to read and review. I have no connection to anyone involved. I truly enjoyed the book, kept me reading almost nonstop, and hope this becomes a series. The inhabitants of this community have many stories yet to tell.
August 23, 2020
Hunting Ground goes toe-to-toe with today's best thrillers with its roots deeply embedded in the Golden Age of mysteries. Author Meghan Holloway shows another side of her writing chops in her sophomore novel.
Meghan brilliantly crafts a thriller set in Montana in the borderlands of Yellowstone National Park. Told from three points of view, each character brings their own mystery and motivation as their paths cross amid a series of killings. Each storyline shows Meghan's consistent ability to write a character with heavy and complex backgrounds. This has become my favorite part of Meghan's writing, She writes as if she spends years learning about her characters. I can feel the weight that her characters carry with each line that she writes.
HUNTING GROUND also brings to light the staggering statistics of missing Native American women with no record of investigation. Its a topic explored in the book that I'm confident will make readers stop and think about the humanity that is out there. The stories that aren't covered in the news or in a book.
If you're a fan of a classic mystery (particularly Dorothy B. Hughes and Margery Allingham), a thriller with a serial killer, or would like to explore Yellowstone through Meghan's vivid descriptions of the setting, pick up HUNTING GROUND. Then be excited for book two in this trilogy in 2021. I can't wait.
Meghan brilliantly crafts a thriller set in Montana in the borderlands of Yellowstone National Park. Told from three points of view, each character brings their own mystery and motivation as their paths cross amid a series of killings. Each storyline shows Meghan's consistent ability to write a character with heavy and complex backgrounds. This has become my favorite part of Meghan's writing, She writes as if she spends years learning about her characters. I can feel the weight that her characters carry with each line that she writes.
HUNTING GROUND also brings to light the staggering statistics of missing Native American women with no record of investigation. Its a topic explored in the book that I'm confident will make readers stop and think about the humanity that is out there. The stories that aren't covered in the news or in a book.
If you're a fan of a classic mystery (particularly Dorothy B. Hughes and Margery Allingham), a thriller with a serial killer, or would like to explore Yellowstone through Meghan's vivid descriptions of the setting, pick up HUNTING GROUND. Then be excited for book two in this trilogy in 2021. I can't wait.
March 17, 2020
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Evelyn Hutto moved west to start over. But the remote town of Raven’s Gap, Montana, is not as quiet and picturesque as it appears. The wild borderlands of Yellowstone National Park are home to more than one kind of predator. Women are going missing, and Evelyn’s position at the local museum unearths a collection of Native American art steeped in secrets. As she traces the threads of the past and the present, she finds them tied to one man.
Fifteen years ago, Hector Lewis’s wife and young daughter vanished without a trace. People have long thought he was responsible, but the man he knows is behind their disappearance still walks free. As a police officer, he is sworn to uphold the law. But he has seen how little justice there is in the world. And when the newcomer’s arrival sparks a harrowing series of crimes, Hector finds himself in a race to catch a man he is convinced is a killer.
Hector is a man obsessed with finding answers. Evelyn is a woman with secrets of her own. They both become locked in a deadly game of cat and mouse with a dangerous man. A man who is as cunning as he is charismatic. A man whose new hunting season is only just beginning.
This was a pretty quick read, well written characters and told from different POVs. I don't really think it was my cup of tea but the premise was awesome!
Evelyn Hutto moved west to start over. But the remote town of Raven’s Gap, Montana, is not as quiet and picturesque as it appears. The wild borderlands of Yellowstone National Park are home to more than one kind of predator. Women are going missing, and Evelyn’s position at the local museum unearths a collection of Native American art steeped in secrets. As she traces the threads of the past and the present, she finds them tied to one man.
Fifteen years ago, Hector Lewis’s wife and young daughter vanished without a trace. People have long thought he was responsible, but the man he knows is behind their disappearance still walks free. As a police officer, he is sworn to uphold the law. But he has seen how little justice there is in the world. And when the newcomer’s arrival sparks a harrowing series of crimes, Hector finds himself in a race to catch a man he is convinced is a killer.
Hector is a man obsessed with finding answers. Evelyn is a woman with secrets of her own. They both become locked in a deadly game of cat and mouse with a dangerous man. A man who is as cunning as he is charismatic. A man whose new hunting season is only just beginning.
This was a pretty quick read, well written characters and told from different POVs. I don't really think it was my cup of tea but the premise was awesome!
June 3, 2020
Hunting Ground by Meghan Holloway is chilling! The author leads into each chapter either with quotes of previous serial killers or the horrifying statistics for the vast numbers of Native American women who go missing and/or murdered. This story is told by three characters.
Police Cheif Hector who lives with the stigma of his wife and little girl going missing fifteen years earlier. Many of the townspeople still believe he was responsible. Hector knows he didn't hurt them but continues searching for answers to the mystery.
Evelyn Hutto is moving from Atlanta to Raven's Gap, close to Gardiner, Wyoming. She had secured a job at the Park County Museum where she would be cataloging native artifacts. She is also running from fear and is constantly keeping a vigilant distance from others.
Jeff Roosevelt has many secrets. He also has a hidden rose garden he keeps manicured and tended. Jeff has a spirit inside of him that can not be kept subdued. It is just a matter of time for the right woman to cross his path.
The story is interesting, the characters are well written, and it is suspenseful. I won't post spoilers, but as you read the story you will find each character has flaws, and secrets. I also would have liked to have known more about Faye and Sam at The River Inn.
Publication Date: June 23, 2020
Thank you to NetGallery and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Police Cheif Hector who lives with the stigma of his wife and little girl going missing fifteen years earlier. Many of the townspeople still believe he was responsible. Hector knows he didn't hurt them but continues searching for answers to the mystery.
Evelyn Hutto is moving from Atlanta to Raven's Gap, close to Gardiner, Wyoming. She had secured a job at the Park County Museum where she would be cataloging native artifacts. She is also running from fear and is constantly keeping a vigilant distance from others.
Jeff Roosevelt has many secrets. He also has a hidden rose garden he keeps manicured and tended. Jeff has a spirit inside of him that can not be kept subdued. It is just a matter of time for the right woman to cross his path.
The story is interesting, the characters are well written, and it is suspenseful. I won't post spoilers, but as you read the story you will find each character has flaws, and secrets. I also would have liked to have known more about Faye and Sam at The River Inn.
Publication Date: June 23, 2020
Thank you to NetGallery and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
March 18, 2020
Meghan Holloway is a new author for me, the blurb outlined an interesting premise and I've always like the murder mystery genre.
Our 2 main characters are Evelyn who moved to a new place to start over and Hector who lost his wife and young daughter many years back. Hector who is a police officer is convinced that the person responsible for the death of his family still walks free. When Evelyn arrived into the small and remote town of Raven’s Gap, crimes started happening. Hector is convinced that it is the work of the same killer.
Was I wowed by the story, not really. It has potential but I wasn't wowed by it. The writing was perfunctory, the characters were quite fleshed out. I wasn't bored reading the book by any means but I do wish it wasn't too simple, it lacked nuance. It could be more, it has potential to be more and for this I will check out future books by Ms Holloway.
I received a copy from Netgalley, however the views above are all my own.
Our 2 main characters are Evelyn who moved to a new place to start over and Hector who lost his wife and young daughter many years back. Hector who is a police officer is convinced that the person responsible for the death of his family still walks free. When Evelyn arrived into the small and remote town of Raven’s Gap, crimes started happening. Hector is convinced that it is the work of the same killer.
Was I wowed by the story, not really. It has potential but I wasn't wowed by it. The writing was perfunctory, the characters were quite fleshed out. I wasn't bored reading the book by any means but I do wish it wasn't too simple, it lacked nuance. It could be more, it has potential to be more and for this I will check out future books by Ms Holloway.
I received a copy from Netgalley, however the views above are all my own.
July 18, 2020
Beautifully crafted book with a great storyline about a woman who takes a job near Yellowstone in a museum to catalog Indian artifacts. Little does she know the true meaning behind these artifacts. What’s interesting about this book is right off the reader is privy to who the “bad guy“ is. I love that there is a standard pool in the story. I have a standard poodle and I know how intelligent these dogs are. The dogs name is “Frank” which I find so appropriate since Poodle’s are not really dogs, they are humans dressed in Dog’s clothing so it is appropriate that the dog has a real person’s name. This book had me on the edge of my seat many times and I found it hard to put down. It has a good ending and I love how all It all comes together at the end which it will keep you guessing until the end.
July 27, 2020
I received this ebook through a Goodreads giveaway. It is fast paced and suspenseful. Evelyn moves to the small town from Atlanta for a job at the local museum. She has a lot of secrets and traumatic past. Hector is a cop in the town whose wife and daughter have been missing for 15 years. He was the prime suspect for a long time and has been tirelessly trying to prove who did it. Jeff works at the local bookstore and is liked by everyone but seems to be hiding a lot of secrets. I enjoyed the book. It kept my interest but I wished the ending had a bit more substance. It felt like it ended without all the questions being answered. Would recommend.
August 8, 2023
An Amazing novel!
Thanks to Goodreads for my Kindle copy!
This book was amazing!
I am fascinated by missing person novels and this one ranks up there for me!
Meghan weaves this story so well, I could not put it down.
I found myself saying just one more chapter!
I am always amazed at how many women go missing every year and how Native American women disappear in such high numbers and yet we never hear about that.
I appreciate the info that began each chapter even though it broke my heart.
I look forward to the next book moving forward with Hector’s character!
I highly recommend this book!!
Thanks to Goodreads for my Kindle copy!
This book was amazing!
I am fascinated by missing person novels and this one ranks up there for me!
Meghan weaves this story so well, I could not put it down.
I found myself saying just one more chapter!
I am always amazed at how many women go missing every year and how Native American women disappear in such high numbers and yet we never hear about that.
I appreciate the info that began each chapter even though it broke my heart.
I look forward to the next book moving forward with Hector’s character!
I highly recommend this book!!
July 24, 2020
I was hooked from the beginning of this book. I loved how it was told from three perspectives (the cop, the target, and the killer). In the last few pages the author delivers two twists, making it even more delightful. Although the book is fiction, it touches on the important issue of Missing and Murdered Native Women in North America. This issue doesn’t get the coverage it deserves and it was interesting to see it addressed in a fictional book. I am giving the book 5 stars for the ending, otherwise it would have been 4.5 stars.
August 25, 2023
The police officer wants to find who took his wife and daughter and he thinks he knows, but hasn't been able to prove it. Evelyn is a museum worker who realizes that artifacts she's studying may be a clue to a serial killer, a man who now seems to be stalking her, but like the man her grandfather killed for doing the same thing, no one seems interested in believing her.
That is, until other women in town are found dead and then Evelyn, too, turns up missing.
Can she be found in time and while Officer Lewis gets the knowledge he's been seeking for 15 years?
That is, until other women in town are found dead and then Evelyn, too, turns up missing.
Can she be found in time and while Officer Lewis gets the knowledge he's been seeking for 15 years?
November 14, 2020
This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.
I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. This is my own honest voluntary review.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.
I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. This is my own honest voluntary review.
July 28, 2021
Meghan Holloway is a very talented writer. She can paint an entire scene in just a few words. I also commend her mission through this book to bring awareness to a little known issue of missing Native American women. However there was enough in the book that seemed irrelevant or pieces that were mildly relevant but never really were fleshed out that I ended up skimming a lot of the book to get to the end.
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