Hemlock Island: A Novel

A standalone horror novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong.

Laney Kilpatrick has been renting her vacation home to strangers. The invasion of privacy gives her panic attacks, but it's the only way she can keep her beloved Hemlock Island, the only thing she owns after a pandemic-fueled divorce. But broken belongings and campfires that nearly burn down the house have escalated to bloody bones, hex circles, and now, terrified renters who've fled after finding blood and nail marks all over the guest room closet, as though someone tried to claw their way out...and failed.

When Laney shows up to investigate with her teenaged niece in tow, she discovers that her ex, Kit, has also been informed and is there with Jayla, his sister and her former best friend. Then Sadie, another old high school friend, charters over with her brother, who's now a cop.

There are tensions and secrets, whispers in the woods, and before long, the discovery of a hand poking up from the earth. Then the body that goes with it... But by that time, someone has taken off with their one and only means off the island, and they're trapped with someone--or something--that doesn't want them leaving the island alive.

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304 pages

Average rating: 7.8

15 RATINGS

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4 REVIEWS

Community Reviews

laucchi
Jan 13, 2025
8/10 stars
Four stars because even though the dialogue leaned more YA at times, this book did genuinely spook me.
Anonymous
Jan 12, 2025
8/10 stars
This will be a SPOILER-FREE review. Firstly, thank you NetGalley for letting me read the eGalley of this book. I give this book 4.5 stars in the horror genre because it DELIVERS. One part made me not want to read anymore horror books ever, but in a good way. It builds a sense of isolation, suspense and mystery throughout.
I recommend this book when it comes out SEPTEMBER 12, 2023!!!
Shahna
Jul 18, 2024
6/10 stars
The horror starts immediately which is great.

I'm glad it's not zombies.
Hartfullofbooks
Jun 24, 2024
6/10 stars
Hemlock island is a horror mystery thriller with a fun premise and some crazy twists! Laney has recently lost her sister, become guardian to her niece, been through a painful divorce she still doesn’t understand, and has had to rent out her island sanctuary to make ends meet. When strange things start to occur on the island she decides to go and figure out what is going on. Some uninvited guests show up with lots of unspoken tension making this initial visit much more complicated, especially when bodies start to show up. While this book isn’t perfect and I don’t see it working for everyone, I did enjoy it overall. Lots of gruesome scenes, lovable characters, and tons of twists. Hemlock Island is a really weird book and while it does suffer from too many inner dialogues it still managed to keep the action going and the end was pretty bonkers! If you like weird out there thriller/horror this one could be a fun read.

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