Brimstone Hollow is book 2 in Archer Sullivan’s Annie Gore series of mystery novels. Although it’s the second book in the series it can be read as a standalone novel.
Annie is hired to look into the sudden death of a snake handling preacher in a small town in Eastern Kentucky. She doesn’t expect to find anything suspicious, but when something happens soon after her arrival, Annie is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery.
The story is told in first person from Annie’s point of view. It follows the format of a police procedural, although the main character is a private investigator.
I found the pacing of the story was good, and the story kept my attention so I was able to finish it over the course of two days.
Since I didn’t read book one, I don’t know if this is typical of this series, but I didn’t care for the flashbacks to Annie’s childhood. For the most part they didn’t add any insight into the mystery so they just irritated me.
There was also one twist near the end that I found disappointing.
That said, I enjoyed Brimstone Hollow and will look for other books by the author. I would recommend it to any mystery lover.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Brimstone Hollow will be available on August 11 2026.
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