Hemlock Island

Hemlock Island drops the reader into a tense situation and dials up that tension steadily. The strange goings-on at the island seem to be unpleasant mundanities, but soon take on a much stranger tone.

The characters in this book are two-dimensional and do not develop over the course of the story. The protagonist spends a lot of time with her internal monologue, much of which seems to be constructed to inform the reader of what a thoughtful, progressive, liberal-minded person she is. None of which has a material effect on the plot. The other characters are similarly flat and many seem designed in service to the plot and its conflicts, rather than interesting characters between whom a plot arises.

As the book approached its conclusion, I was interested in the twist that the plot appeared to be building toward. Unfortunately, the author didn't stop at allusions and references, but felt it necessary to bludgeon the reader with the references by the end.

There are some genuinely tense moments in this story and, if you were looking for a summer thriller to pass a few hours, you could do much worse than this one. However, it's not breaking new ground and certainly not going to set anyone's world alight.