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A very different feel to this sequel - but equally page turning. From the gritty city streets to an equally gritty country house mystery. Can't wait to see where William and Phyll end up next

Having not read the first book in this series, I found I had difficulty getting to grips with the central characters here, so I would recommend one reads that first. But that aside, it was an enjoyable read with plenty of gothic detail and twists and turns round every corner.

Set against the backdrop of 1930s Warwickshire, Natalie Marlowe’s “The Red Hollow” isn’t your average cozy murder mystery. It’s a heart-pounding descent into madness where the lines between reality and delusion blur magnificently.

Marlowe paints a picture of Red Hollow Hall, a sanatorium for men, with such vivid strokes that you practically feel the damp creeping up the walls and the weight of secrets pressing down. The patients themselves are a captivating cast, their fractured psyches adding a layer of unease that perfectly complements the rumors of a vengeful mermaid haunting the flooded grounds.

This is a novel that unfolds with the slow, deliberate grace of a creeping fog. Each twist is a punch to the gut, leaving you questioning everything you thought you knew. Just when you think you’ve grasped a thread of truth, Marlowe yanks it away, sending you spiraling deeper into the unsettling world she’s crafted.

Prepare to be unsettled. “The Red Hollow” flirts with the surreal, weaving elements of the occult and the psychological into a tapestry that’s as disturbing as it is enthralling. Marlowe’s prose is sharp and evocative, perfectly capturing the grim atmosphere of the era.

If you’re looking for a light, fluffy mystery, look elsewhere. But if you crave a dark, atmospheric tale that will stay with you long after the final page, then “The Red Hollow” is a must-read. I hope there are more to follow.

Investigating team William and Phyll return - this time venturing away from Birmingham to Red Hollow Hall. A sanatorium for men where Phylll's brother is being treated. He is among a small group of men who believe they are being tormented by a mysterious legendary mermaid, a phantom that avenges women mistreated by men. There is definitely something going on at the hall and the not so merry band of characters become part of a noir thriller in an isolated country house, slowly being attacked, murdered and drugged - but is the culprit a vengeful spirit or something far more deadly.

The return of William, Phyll and Queenie is another compelling thriller. There was a lot of this I really enjoyed, the only problem for me was the section of the book where hallucinations and drama merge and it's difficult to work out what might be 'real' or imagined. However I'm still looking forward to seeing what happens to the characters.

I loved Needless Alley and liked this one, a mix of noir and gothic. It's a well plotted and enthralling story that kept me guessing.
I appreciated the characters, was glad to catch up with the detectives. The mix of gothic and noir works fine but I found it a bit slow at times
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

William Garrett and his partner Phyll are called in to investigate a mysterious death at Red Hollow. This is the sanitarium where Phyll's brother, Freddy, is being treated for the after-effects of the war. When they arrive they find the residents terrified of the 'mermaid', a monster that appears in wet weather and who kills abusive men.
I really enjoyed Marlow's first novel and this is even better. It's a wonderful combination of 1930s detective grounded in Birmingham mixed with gothic-inspired horror which shouldn't work but it does. The period detail is fantastic and the setting suitably scary. This is a very original book and well worth reading.

William (Billy) Garrett and Phyll (Hall) are back, six months after the events of Needless Alley, for another investigation in the 1930s Midlands. In this story, though, Marlow moves away from the noir-ish atmosphere of the earlier books, with its dark, smoky cityscape and its themes of political and economic corruption, and gives us something more like a classic 30s murder mystery in which a group of people are stranded in a remote country house. The sense of place is equally strong. But so is the sense of cloying evil - reminding me of Sherlock Holmes's comment that the vilest crimes take place in the countryside.

The story opens with a call for help. Phyll's brother, Freddy, is being cared for in a private asylum in the village of Red Hollow "out in the county" (though within a short driving distance). The fees for this have swallowed up the family money, explaining why she's been so desperate for cash and now its proprietor, Dr Moon, asks her and William to investigate strange disturbances and a death that have taken place. The unspoken deal is this will cover some of the fees.

So Phyll and William venture out into the woods, and soon find themselves out of their depth, The surviving patients - including Freddy - put the strange events down to the legendary man-hating "mermaid" which is said to haunt the local lake. This creature recurs, in folkloric allusions, a carving in the local church, and as part of the family backstory of Lady Pike, who owns the Hall but has been forced to let it out. her family has, it seems, many eminently hateable men in its lineage.

A phantom mermaid can't, however, have been killing and mutilating patients, even if the weather has taken a preternatural turn for the torrential, stranding Phyll overnight. Fretting alone in Birmingham, he calls on his old gangster friend Queenie for help. Then the fun really begins...

This is an exceptionally creepy, tense novel, mainly focussed on the events of a single night during which William, Phyll, Queen and Moon, joined by a ragtag collection of patients and the fearsome dowager Lady Pike, sustain themselves variously by copious amounts of drugs, drink and tobacco. There are gruesome deaths (the local vicar is bludgeoned in the first few moments). There are disturbing visions. And there is a tangled plot bringing together the unspoken secret of Red Hollow Hall, modern gang violence and of course the shadow of the War.

As to the latter, this book is soaked in the backwash of the Trenches - most of the male characters played some part and it shapes their hopes and fears, their responses to, especially, the kind of stress they find themselves under here. This is very much an asylum where the patients are in charge - indeed Moon himself struck me as a man who could easily be on either side of the padded door, as it were. So, be assured, the switch to something that at first sight looks like a cosy Golden Age mystery doesn't mean that Marlow is going soft on us, indeed the opposite is true. Nor, in the end, are we free of political or at least social commentary with two very different historical trends - the stifling hand of the aristocracy, and the dark stirrings of organised crime - surfacing. (Or perhaps, not so very different trends, isn't aristocracy just gangsterism which has forgotten its roots?)

Plot strands wrap together - the delusions of the patients, that relentless fear of something evil in the dark, the decline of the Pike family in the face of coal mines and clay pits eating up their land and dissolute fathers and sons eating up the estate, Queenie's uneasy sway over the Birmingham underworld, and more.

It makes for a messy, compromising, affair, one that nobody comes away from with clean hands, but which is a fascinating, nail biting read and one I'd strongly recommend.

The Red Hollow is the follow up to Needless Alley and is another noirish Brummie thriller featuring private investigator Will Garrett and his ex-journalist sidekick Phyll Hall.

This time the duo are called to investigate strange happenings at a country house where shell-shocked soldiers try to regain their mental health under the care of Dr Moon. Phyll's brother is one of the patients who reports sightings of a vicious sharp-toothed mermaid as flood waters rise around the house. This is dismissed as a hallucination, dream or imagination, but then men start going missing and mermaid hysteria fully takes hold.

A really gripping read.

"People associate stories of ill omen with strange landscapes and places. It’s part of human nature."

The film 'Teeth'... Meets The Little Mermaid...

Red Hollow is an isolated, desolate place, inhabited by the mysterious psychiatrist Dr. Moon and his live-in patients. Surrounded by forest and lake, the patients are pretty cut off from the main, which becomes even more of an issue when the torrential storm floods the surrounding roads. There also happens to be a local legend about a mermaid who seeks revenge on bad men during storms... And oh... Bites their manhood off.

Private detectives Phyll and William have been requested to assist at Red Hollow Hall as weird things have been occurring - a patient found dead in the bath, and all residents citing they've seen or fear the mermaid is at work. Phyll just happens to be the sister of a patient there so the two embark on a journey in the storm to get to the bottom of it. However, they get cut off with the storm flooding the land, and the weird things don't end there, but is the mermaid at work or is it something more ethereal?

This was a bit of a bumpy ride thriller. Lots of mysticism and folklore at play, and at times I didn't know whether it would be a logical and reasonable explanation for the occurrings or not and this kept me hanging on till the end. I did find the story a bit convoluted at times, and difficult to keep up with, and it probably could have ended a lot earlier than it did as it felt it dragged on a bit towards the end. Also difficult to keep up with was the speech in the book, as it wasn't always clear who was speaking and conversations could be all in one sentence. However, it was a fun take on a murder mystery/thriller/supernatural /sanitarium style read and I've not read anything like it before. I shall now have a fear of mermaids. Thanks!

A sequel for Needless Alley. A well written and atmospheric mystery that kept me engaged throughout. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

Local legend claims that the mermaid of Red Hollow kills young men. If you believe she is real, can she kill you? Mr Trent believed and Mr Trent died. Died in the bath, cardiac arrest, nothing suspicious. The mansion at Red Hollow is now a sanatorium for young men with psychological problems. Whether they believe in the mermaid or not, the residents and staff are aware that an intruder has been sneaking around the house and grounds, and the crypt in the nearby Church. Many have left – ‘just in case’. Private detectives Billy Garrett and Phyll Hall know nothing of this as they sit in their office in Needless Alley, Birmingham, trawling for business, until a call comes from Dr Moon, the Psychologist in charge of sanatorium. He wants someone to investigate the intrusions and has contacted them because Freddy Hall, Phyll’s brother, is a patient there, suffering from what they would have called “Shell Shock” and we might call PTSD. While staying there overnight, Phyll disappears, and Billy and Queenie (his paramour in a love hate relationship) rush to find her. By the time they arrive there’s a tremendous thunderstorm, the fields are flooded, the sanitorium is an island and The Red Hollow lake has overflowed – the lake where the mermaid dwells. And then things really starts to get chaotic and people start to die.
This is a sequel to “Needless Alley” but can be read as a standalone. There are allusions to the earlier events which are pertinent to this story, but mainly because they help to explain the relationships between Billy, Phyll and Queenie, and highlight Billy’s own mental fight coping with the aftereffects of WWI. As I noted in my review of the first book, the writing style is fairly authentic to its time period, 1934, and not pastiche. There are a number of twists and the main one is good, and not easy to spot, although the clues are there. However, the overall plot is a bit overwrought, the end sequence is too long and there are some details that I don’t think work. On the other hand, it’s basically a melodrama: a murder mystery with gothic touches and a cast of unlikely individuals. It’s unbelievable but perhaps that’s the point. I don’t really think it’s a 5, but I enjoyed it too much to give it a 4. So I’m calling it 4.5 and rounding up.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

I would like to thank Netgalley and John Murray Press for an advance copy of The Red Hollow, the second novel to feature Private Enquiry Agent William Garrett and his partner Phyll Hall, set in the Midlands in 1934.

Billy and Phyll are asked to investigate strange goings on at Red Hollow Hall, a private asylum for damaged men run by Dr Moon. There has been vandalism, noises and sightings of a mermaid who wreaks vengeance on men when it rains.

I enjoyed The Red Hollow, which is a mixture of crime fiction, the occult, murder and hallucinations. I have not read the previous novel, Needless Alley, so it took me time to get to know the characters and their relationships, but once that was done I think that the novel works well as a stand-alone.

It is a difficult novel to categorise. It is a compelling crime story with several murders and unexplained happenings and is full of twists and turns. I admire the way the author has gone about her plotting by muddying the waters with occult practices and ghost stories. It is hard to see clearly, making each twist a surprise. It has a much harder edge than I am used to in historical fiction with a fair amount of violence and some nasty characters. I think it suits the tone of the novel that not all the ends are tied up neatly and not everyone gets their just deserts. I was less enthusiastic about the drug fuelled hallucinations. I think that William learns something from them but it was all unnecessary gibberish to me.

The novel moves along at a fast pace and is very atmospheric, not just the setting of a country house in a storm, but also the unease of the characters and the malevolence of the mermaid legend. It gets quite creepy at times. It is interesting that the majority of the male characters served in WWI. I think that the author does a great job of showing the long term effects of what would now be called PTSD.

The Red Hollow is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

The second in the William ‘Billy’ Garrett series set in Warwickshire in 1934. Billy is a Private Detective and Phyll Hall is his associate working from Needless Alley in Birmingham. I haven’t read the earlier book and this one read well as a stand-alone although I think it might have helped to read the first book. Billy and Phyll are called to Red Hollow Hall to investigate the mystery of the mermaid of Red Hollow. Red Hollow Hall is a sanitarium, where Phyll’s brother Freddy is being treated, however many of the patients and staff have left believing the mermaid is going to kill them. There is quite a cast list but they were distinct enough that it was easy to follow. The writing is quite idiosyncratic and there is some lovely prose, but I did find a bit of it a little confusing.

Briefly, before even getting to the hall they stumble across the body of a vicar and it’s clear that there is a killer on the loose. Freddy has found a mermaid carving in the church and he explains that the legend says the the mermaid will kill men who treat women badly by emasculating them. With all sorts of strange happenings at the Hall and in the church our detectives have a lot on their hands.

The setting of the novel is very atmospheric and it was difficult to tell what was real and what wasn’t - the mind is a complicated thing. This is a dark gothic read with a Golden Age detective vibe and a real bunch of complicated characters - shocking secrets, oodles of tension and a lot of twists and turns. Crime fiction with a kick and an entertaining read.

I didn't think it would be possible to surpass Needless Alley, but Natalie Marlow has managed it. Another great read steeped in gothic history which makes the reader feel like they've went back in time. Do I dare hope for another in this series? 4 stars

I though Needless Alley (the first book in the series) was good but wow the follow up is even better. Gritty but beautifully written. I can't wait to read the next one !

William Garrett and Phyll Hall are called in to investigate sinister goings on at The Red Hollow Hall! by Dr Moon. Dr Moon is running an addiction clinic, where Freddy (Phyll's brother) is living. Billy and Phyll learn about a local myth of a mermaid, who haunts the hall. It is set in 1934 near Birmingham. The story is full of twists and turns with a few red herrings with a shocking conclusion that I didn't see coming. It is a dark tale of greed and very descriptive. I will be recommending this book. I hope there is a book 3!

The talented Natalie Marlow writes a chilling, eerie, and richly atmospheric follow up to the terrific gritty 1930s historical fiction, Needless Alley, shifting in direction here, as we once again aquaint ourselves with, the traumatised by his childhood and the mental scars of the war, the complicated Birmingham Private Inquiry agent, William 'Billy' Garrett, still reeling from previous events, he is trying to pick up the pieces of his life and business. He is a man of integrity, driven by the need for justice, characters return, such as Phyllis 'Phyll' Hall, Queenie Maggs, and others, along with a host of new additions.

Phyll has a brother, Freddie, who resides at the troubled, men only asylum of Red Hollow Hall in rural Warwickshire, run by psychiatrist Dr Moon. A survivor of the war, Freddie suffers from associated mental health issues. Tensions are running sky high in this dark and well plotted novel as we become immersed in events at Red Hollow, where patients are terrified of a intruder, elements of the supernatural are woven in, it is believed that the legendary ghostly mermaid of Red Hollow, a murdered young girl, is seeking revenge in the men she targets during the floods. As Billy and Phyll investigate, matters have begun to ominously escalate to a horrifying murder and madness, it is hard to make sense of what is going on, but are they hunting for an all too human killer?

Marlow demonstrates her versatility as a writer in this sequel, and the intrigue, the characters she creates and develops, kept me totally gripped, along with the twists and turns in her marvellous storytelling. I cannot wait to see where she goes next in this stellar series. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

Great characters and sense of time and place in this dark, disturbing mystery. Once again Phyll and Billy are combining forces to solve the deaths of young men in an asylum. Good series, very different.

I’m such a fan of Needless Alley so absolutely delighted for another outing with William & Co

Under the cloud of a brewing war in Europe, William and Phyll are scrabbling for cases. When they are contacted by a Dr Moon regarding some strange goings on at Red Hollow asylum, they travel into the Warwickshire countryside to investigate.

At Red Hollow William & Phyll immediately enter a world of uncertainty. Are the disturbances supernatural or something mych more earthly? The isolation, the strangeness of the house and its occupants and the myth of the mermaid that have the men so worked up all go to putting William (and the reader) off balance.

There is a real sense of eerie claustrophobia as William hunts the killer and as well as being throughly creeped out, I had absolutely no idea which way it was going.

You can read this without having read the first in the series, but I think you will have a better feel for the characters if you’ve read Needless Alley. I enjoyed their development in this book too as William battles his own demons and his love/hate relationship with the brilliant Queenie continues.

As in Needless Alley, there is something very filmic about this story. These books would translate so well to the screen - hint hint any TV folks reading!

A cracking addition to this series and excited that there are more on the way

To say that “The Red Hollow” by Natalie Marlow loomed ominously over my reading at the beginning of February is something of an understatement. The follow-up to Marlow’s outstanding “Needless Alley” from 2023 (which just happened to be my Book of the Month for January 2024), this is another historical mystery set in 1930s Birmingham and featuring detective William Garrett. “Needless Alley” is a book that not only kicked off 2024 for me in the best possible way, but it has also helped me rediscover my love of historical crime fiction; my favourite genre, which I have been somewhat out of sorts with for a few years. Thanks to “Needless Alley,” I have spent the month of February delving into historical mysteries such as S. J. Parris’ “Heresy,” Robert Harris’ “Act of Oblivion” and one of my favourite books ever written, “Dissolution” by C. J. Sansom. And this may be my favourite month of reading since I started doing this on Instagram nearly 2 years ago. Natalie Marlow’s writing unlocked something within me that I haven’t felt for a long time.

So, as I said at the start: “The Red Hollow” has been looming ominously.

Sequels are hard, particularly in ongoing novels like this. I find that they’re never quite as good as the first instalment, at best coming out as an equal, but often with a spark that will ignite an outstanding third entry. “The Red Hollow” not only breaks that convention – it truly and utterly shatters it. “The Red Hollow” absolutely kicked my arse in the best possible way.

Picking up in 1934, “The Red Hollow” follows William Garrett as he investigates a break-in at the titular Red Hollow Hall, a male-only sanatorium run by psychiatrist Dr Moon. There are mysterious goings on at the hall, however, and the patients believe they are being menaced by an otherworldly mermaid – a creature formed by the ghost of a murdered girl intent on wrecking terrible revenge on men. Before long, Garrett and his partner-in-crime, Phyll Hall, find themselves stranded at the hall during a flood, with gruesome murders and this supernatural threat looming.

By moving away from the standard Chandler-esque noir style of “Needless Alley,” Natalie Marlow has managed to create a tale that caught me off guard almost immediately, both from a story and character perspective. There have been changes in Garrett’s life since we last saw him; he is a broken man trying to rebuild his soul, but still overwhelming impacted by the events of the first novel. Phyll, too, has much more of a personal connection to the narrative this time around, which keeps things interesting. Marlow even finds clever ways to keep characters like the wonderfully entertaining Queenie at the heart of the action. For me, though, it is all about Garrett and I am willing to go so far as calling him one of my all time favourite protagonists in crime fiction.

As the novel progresses and the layers of the supernatural are delved into (with multiple moments that feel like they’re straight out of a horror story), we come to have a clearer picture on what is happening; but, even when we think we have a firm grasp on things, Marlow’s expert plotting manages to pull the rug out from under us. I never quite felt I knew where “The Red Hollow” was going to take me next, which made the experience just as delightfully enticing as “Needless Alley.” There is a third act twist that alters the perspective on events even further and I genuinely gasped, particularly as I’m sure there is enough deliciously subtle seed planting in the first two acts to make it feel like a wallop without coming out of nowhere.

When I finished “The Red Hollow,” I could do nothing except exhale. Much like “Needless Alley,” this was an experience that bowled me over in the best possible way. As far as craft goes, “The Red Hollow” is head and shoulders above its predecessor, which is high praise given that “Needless Alley” was utter perfection. Natalie Marlow is on to something special with this series and I cannot wait for her next book.