Detective Nick Belsey is in a bit of trouble: he's broke and the creditors are lining up. He's got no place to live and he's just woken up bloody and bruised, laying in the grass. Nearby he finds a wrecked cop car (not even from his district) and no sign of his phone, wallet, or ID. Not to mention the fact that he has little to no memory of how he got here. It's a great way to start the day. When he arrives in the office he finds a missing persons notice on his desk. A wealthy businessman has disappeared. Belsey soon hatches a plan to get himself out of London. But as he learns more about the man, in an attempt to to steal his money, the detective gets roped into a case that's more twisted than he could have expected.
Oh, my. The Hollow Man was either the perfect read or just happened to hit me at the perfect time. I zipped through this much quicker than I'd expected. Belsey and his dirty, dirty ways captivated me. I mean here he is, his life is basically falling apart (all his fault) and he's digging the hole deeper -- all the while investigating a case that becomes more complicated with each new clue. And all for the sole purpose of ripping off a dead guy!
Belsey is a fascinating character. He's really not a good guy, but even in the midst of his worst plans he also comes across somehow as not being all that bad. He commands attention, to say the very least. While his motives are completely self serving, he's kind of a crazy great detective.
This is very much one of those books that should come with a warning. Something like: Warning -- you won't get anything done until you finish this book! Or maybe: Warning -- don't plan on sleeping tonight! Possibly even: Warning -- don't read on your lunch break, will cause compulsive and uncontrollable reading break urges!
The Hollow Man (along with Lynda La Plante's latest Anna Travis installment, Blood Line) just happens to be one of the inaugural titles in HarperCollins brand new Bourbon Street Books imprint. Considering how much I enjoyed Harris's debut, I have to say I'll definitely be looking into other Bourbon Street titles for sure.
To see the complete list of tour stops for both Hollow Man and Blood Line, visit the official TLC tour page here.
For more on Oliver Harris, check out his website here. You can also check out the first chapters of Hollow Man here and follow Harris on Twitter. And you can like Bourbon Street Books over on Facebook.
1 comment:
Thanks for all the warnings - I'm posting your review on TLC's Facebook page so other readers will be fairly warned. :)
Thanks for being on the tour!
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