The Mystery of Hollow Places - by Rebecca Podos (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

The Mystery of Hollow Places is a gorgeously written, stunningly original novel of love, loss, and identity, from debut author Rebecca Podos.

All Imogene Scott knows of her mother is the bedtime story her father told her as a child. It's the story of how her parents met: he, a forensic pathologist; she, a mysterious woman who came to identify a body. A woman who left Imogene and her father when she was a baby, a woman who was always possessed of a powerful loneliness, a woman who many referred to as "troubled waters."

Now Imogene is seventeen, and her father, a famous author of medical mysteries, has struck out in the middle of the night and hasn't come back. Neither Imogene's stepmother nor the police know where he could've gone, but Imogene is convinced he's looking for her mother. And she decides it's up to her to put to use the skills she's gleaned from a lifetime of reading her father's books to track down a woman she's only known in stories in order to find him and, perhaps, the answer to the question she's carried with her for her entire life.

Review Quotes

"This heartfelt and page-turning debut introduces readers to a whip-smart and wise heroine." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Sharp plotting, unexpected twists, dynamic characters, and a sensitive treatment of mental illness make Podos a writer to watch." -- Booklist (starred review)

"Debut author Podos creates an engrossing mix of detective story and family story, as Imogene compulsively follows the trail but also begins to realize the fantasy that has driven her family narrative." -- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review)

"Debut author Podos makes capable use of believable characters and addictive clues to keep readers guessing." -- Publishers Weekly

"Podos delivers an eerie debut novel that is a solid homage to mysteries and Gothic novels alike." -- SLJ