Found You

Found You, the sequel to The Hollower, pits old and new characters against a new (and worse) Hollower. This book is the first one I've received since becoming a Leisure reviewer and I was so excited when I ripped open the envelope. My first ARC... and then I saw it was Ms. SanGiovanni's new book. I like everything I've read by her, so I had high expectations. Ms. SanGiovanni's writing is engaging from the first page and loaded with enough details on the backstory to make the book damn-near self-contained. It's evident that many of the people in the book mean something to each other; when someone dies, it hurts. There's an excellent balance between characters from The Hollower and new additions to the cast; one character works at the same precinct as the officer in The Hollower, another new victim is sponsored in a drug program by someone else from the first book. Ms. SanGiovanni handles her fairly large cast well, including (and especially) the Hollower itself. The book itself flows from characters' individual experiences, to their gradually coming together, to the final showdown smoothly, and the ending took me completely by surprise. Mary gets extra points for keeping me on my toes. This book will be good for fans of the first one, of course, but also for anyone who enjoys good horror at all.

With her second novel "Found You", Mary SanGiovanni proves she's a talent here to stay. In the sequel to "The Hollower", she weaves atmospheric fiction that thrills the senses. Blending chills with excellent story-crafting, "Found You" is the perfect late-night read for this Halloween season. Stacy Kohlar thought she was safe; her brother Dave promised she was. They'd killed the "Bad Thing", and now life was peaceful in Lakehaven's Oak Hill Assisted Living Center. She was content to live her remaining days in solitude until one quiet, moonlight night; she hears words whispered by a multi-tonal voice she hoped never to hear again: Found you. Come morning, Sally's broken body is discovered in an abandoned section of Oak Hill, with an impossible, bloody note scrawled on the wall: HOLLOW. For Dave Kohlar and the other survivors of the first Hollower, terror has returned. However, this time it' worse, because they've been found by the Primary - the highest order of Hollower - and It suffers none of its former's limitations. Dave and the others know they must join forces as before, but this time they're facing a creature seething with hatred, hungry for vengeance. Joining forces may be the last thing they ever do. Blending the vibes of classic ghost stories with literary sensibilities, SanGiovanni has crafted a winner. She creates believable characters struggling with real problems everyone can connect to. Given that type of insight into human nature, combined with a flair for the chilling, SanGiovanni proves she's among the best new writers today.

Horror is not the ideal genre for sequels. In the cinematic world, there is probably only one sequel that is comparable to the original, and that one--Bride of Frankenstein--was made over seventy years ago. It's part of the nature of the genre: at the end of the original story, either the heroes or villains are usually utterly vanquished, leaving little room for a follow-up that doesn't somehow negate the original story. Nonetheless, in books, the horror sequel pops up every now and then, and as with film, this is driven as much by commercial as by artistic consideration. Mary SanGionvanni's Found You is one such sequel, the successor to her novel The Hollower. I have not read this earlier book, but that is not essential: there is plenty of exposition to bring the reader up to speed (in fact, there is enough exposition that I don't feel any need to pick up the first book). The monster in Found You is a Hollower, an extradimensional being that is a fedora-wearing humanoid with no face. It feeds off the misery of others, and finds the most vulnerable among people and uses their fears and guilts to drive them to suicide. While the Hollower in the first book was bad enough, the one that appears in Found You is at a different level, a so-called Primary that is a leader among Hollowers. This Primary has targeted the survivors from The Hollower. Central among these survivors is David Kohlar, and the Primary's first victim is David's sister. Others on the Primary's victim list include Erik and Jake, a pair of ex-addicts; Steve, a closeted police detective; and Dorrie, a young woman with weight issues. Eventually, they will need to work together to try and stop the Primary, but even the experience of previously defeating a Hollower may not be enough to stop this one. Like with many horror novels, the ending to Found You is a little flaky but overall, this is a decent book. SanGiovanni has created a nice enough monster with the Hollower, and for the most part, it is a well-written work. But though she makes no mistakes, there is also something about Found You that isn't really all that engaging; it is missing that intangible quality that separates a decently written story from a real page turner. This should satisfy most horror fans, but it lacks the oomph that makes it a top-tier effort.

Though there is no indication on the front, back or anywhere else that this is a sequel, let me tell you - it is. This is the sequel to the book "The Hollower" and if the quality of its sequel is any indication, "The Hollower" is probably a darn fine book. I have not read "the Hollower" so I was a bit disappointed in the fact that I was reading them out of order... but since there was really no recap of the first, I feel pretty comfortable going back and reading it... although I do know who lives or dies in it since the survivors all re-appear in the sequel. Short Summary: There is a big nasty being... faceless but wearing a black trench coat and fedora... it stalks you and twists your mind against you, using your fears, your doubts, and your worst memories against you, twisting your reality until you cannot take it anymore. Those being stalked have killed one before, long ago... but this one is different, can they band together to defeat it? Or will it tear them apart through their own weaknesses and self doubt? Each of the characters is very flawed in their own way, making them multidimensional in their flaws, but still loveable to the reader. Dorrie was by far my favorite even though she was not a main character. It is hard not to love a big girl that is so insecure in herself but has such a huge heart. The Hollower was a creepy foe, and I have to admit, I didn't expect everyone to make it out of this trap alive... I'm not going to spoil it by telling you whether they do or not, but you will get that feeling too... that perhaps one or more of the six will have to make the ultimate sacrifice to save those that they love. With this being a sequel, I would have to advise reading "The Hollower" first... even though I didn't. If it is at least the same quality as this book then it should be a very good read. I intend to tear through it just as soon as I can get my hands on it. This is a fun and pretty quick read, it won't change your life in any profound way, but if you are looking for a good October book, this is it.

The Hollowers come from another dimension through a rip that allows them to enter other worlds. They have no features on their faces and thus can't smell, hear, taste or see and they wear a fedora, a black trench coat and dark clothing and shoes. They look at humans as tasty meat though they never kill directly. They can feel a person's fears and use those insecurities and trepidations to kill other humans or have them commit suicide. In Lakehaven six people actually killed a Hollower by studying its ways and learning what weapon to use (see THE HOLLOWER). Of the sextet, Sally becomes a resident of the Oak Hills Assisted Living Center. One night she hears voices and sees changes in the facility. She believes the Primary Hollower is there to avenge the death of the Secondary. Detective Steve Corimar informs Sally's brother David of her death. Steve knows that similar deaths have occurred by the Hollowers. Now others are targeted like Jake and Dorrie. Those survivors and the two new additions unite to fight the Primary Hollower who is much more powerful than the one they were barely fortunate to have killed. This sequel is as scary as the original so after finishing the tale readers will leave lights on as the dark is too "noisy". FOUND YOU is frightening from the opening message that the Primary whispers to Sally and never slows down. The tale is told by the multiple perspectives of scared individuals who know what to expect so are even more afraid but won't turn away from this fight. Mindful of early Dean Koontz, Mary SanGiovanni is a horror writer worth reading (if you can afford the electric bill). Harriet Klausner