“Hemlock Island” is the eponymous setting for Kelley Armstrong’s new stand alone horror novel, and just the name of the island is a clue that it could be a dangerous place to visit. Laney, a divorced teacher who just published her first book, owns a beautiful house on the island. It was a gift from her ex-husband Kit when he walked away from their marriage. Laney must visit it because the current renters left in a huff after complaining about a blood-stained closet door, and that, in combination with other strange happenings, causes her to investigate what’s going on there.
With Laney is her niece Madison, who is now in Laney’s care after the death of Laney’s sister. When they get to the boat launch on Lake Superior, they find Laney’s ex-husband Kit there with Laney’s former best friend and his sister, Jayla. The four of them head to the isolated island five miles off the coast of Michigan, where the island is situated. There is no internet and no cell service. Nor is there anyone else who lives on the island. When Kit and Laney divorced, he insisted on giving her the island because it was her dream home in a place she loved. She had envisioned it as a place where she could write, unfettered by life on the mainland; just Laney and nature.
But while Kit is the CEO of his family’s tech company, Laney is an English teacher who just got her first book published. The only way she can afford the upkeep on the home is to rent it out when she isn’t there. And the problems she’s had with renters are legion. Her gazebo was burnt down, and renters used her kayak and other items that were clearly labeled as private. They destroy plants and allow the furniture to be marred. They draw hex signs on rocks, and they laugh it off when their teenagers write their names on the leather of the boat seat in indelible marker.
Armstrong provides clues about the strangeness of Hemlock Island. We learn that while Lake Superior has islands, there are none so far from shore, and that this island “has had locals scratching their heads for decades” because they don’t believe there should be an island in that location. But there is. While building the house, there were inexplicable accidents, but the beautiful house with its huge open glass windows to the outside was finally finished.
After the four arrive on the island, two more unexpected visitors are dropped off by a charter boat. The new visitors are Sadie and her brother Garrett, who both have ties to Laney, Kit, and Jayla going back decades. Sadie was one of Laney’s best friends until something unexplained happened. We know that Kit, Laney, and Jayla don’t trust or like Garrett, but Armstrong doesn’t share why until almost the end of the novel.
When bodies start appearing and people start disappearing, things get scary. Laney is a main character who may seem to be way too nice for many readers. But Jayla and Kit’s suspicions and caution balance Laney’s forgiving personality. All of them are united in their desire to protect Madison from whatever danger there is.
Armstrong is a master at building tension, and she holds back information to leave plenty of room for twists and turns and surprise revelations. And while we may think that evil forces are at play, Armstrong provides us with a novel instrument of violence. And her ending isn’t a “happily ever after” ending, but rather one that is more thoughtful and nuanced.
As I was reading the novel, I kept thinking about what a great movie or limited series this would make. The descriptions are so clear that we can almost see the group making its way across the small island. We can see the grandeur of the house that Kit build for Laney, and we shiver at the huge expanses of glass that provide no privacy from those outside. And who among us (who read suspense or mystery novels) hasn’t thought about houses with huge uncurtained windows facing a forest and how little privacy such openness provides; how there could be danger looking in through those very windows.
Both horror fans and mystery readers will enjoy this one. And It’s not just about the horror. There is Laney, and there’s plenty of mystery about her, her backstory, and her relationships with the others on the island. The revelations keep us reading because we want to know about that as much as we want to learn about whatever human or inhuman entity is causing all the violence.
Please note: This review was first posted on Bookreporter.com.