Editorial Review: The Hook by James Pack

Ernest Kemp arrives in the small town of Hallowell, Maine, as an outsider looking for his wife and baby daughter but discovers that the place holds much darker secrets than he ever expected. While facing distrust and fear from almost everyone in town, he also realizes that not all monsters look like you expect them to. 

The Hook by James Pack opens in October of 1976 with the gruesome discovery of a murder near the town of Hallowell, Maine. Even Samantha Belcher, a reporter for the Kennebec Journal, is shocked by what she sees when she sneaks onto the crime scene. A day later, Ernest Kemp arrives in town while searching for his wife and daughter. While operating as a Navy Hospital Corpsman in Vietnam, his wife, Linda, gave birth to Ernest’s daughter, Amy. Still, both vanished shortly before his return from a two-year tour in Cambodia. Ernest is desperate to reunite with his family, and the only clue he has about their whereabouts is from an old friend of Linda telling him about her going to Hallowell. 

James Pack ensures plenty of intrigue right from the get-go as readers are introduced to Samantha Belcher and Ernest Kemp, who are both struggling with their own personal issues. Ernest finds the town very unfriendly towards him due to his military background, and the murders have put people even further on edge. Ernest finds employment at the general store when it looks like his search for his wife will take longer than he expected. Meanwhile, Samantha has to deal with a boss who isn’t big on female journalists and a mother who is in a Mental Health Institute. Nevertheless, she takes pity on Ernest and agrees to help him in his search for his wife. However, when further tragedies rock the town, everyone suspects Ernest, which makes him more determined to find out what is really going on.

Ernest’s search for his family makes up a large portion of the book, but there is a lot more to the story. It is also the tale of three mysterious women, lots and lots of bullfrogs, and ever-present ravens. Horror fans will quickly suspect where the story is heading, but the author has still managed to include a few shocking revelations to keep readers guessing. Setting the story in the late seventies adds to the suspense as there’s no internet or cellphones to help Ernest in his search. Samantha also has to do her research in the old-fashioned way by going to the library or contacting experts. Ernest is an easy character to sympathize with as he is a good man caught up in a bad situation. Anyone with children will be able to relate to the frustration and fear Ernest feels as he searches for his family, and some events later in the book are even more nerve-wracking. 

Most of The Hook is told from the perspectives of Ernest and Samantha, but the historical elements of the story are fleshed out via journal entries written by another character. These entries are just as compelling and add to the suspense. Overall, The Hook is a gripping story with high stakes and many dark elements. While it does contain some supernatural elements, they are seamlessly woven into the story to add to the suspense instead of detracting from it. Even horror fans who think they might know exactly what to expect from this tale will find it compelling and surprising in many ways.