I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

Amber Hollow is an unconventional horror / thriller.
In 1991, a tragedy occurs in the small town leaving only five survivors. All of their stories clash, and the accused suspect is supposedly dead.. ... moving on... reality is blurred....
no one leaves amber hollow.

good, solid, unique read.

A thoughtful horror sorry. It’s was a fast read and kept me guessing. It also made me do a little research on Wisconsin! The Who and why of Anthony Guntram drives the story but there is much much more. Highly recommend!

AMBER HOLLOW is the product of a very creative mind, a novel whose mysteries twist and turn, echoing backnon themselves, constantly changing appearances, till one doesn't know in which direction to look or whether one is coming or gping--because everyone lies, many of them in what they consider the service of a Greater Good-which isn't. A riveting novel of paranormal, Supernatural, contemporary tied to historical--even, perhaps, Lovecraftian. An amazing novel.

It's not often that a new book ends you hurtling back forty years.... not a new horror novel, anyway. But if you spent the 1970s devouring cheapo horror paperbacks, the sub-Stephen King variety that were so implausibly, gratuitously nasty that - well, you know the expression "so bad, it's brilliant?" That sums those books up. And that is where "Amber Horror" is targeted.

It's terrific No spoilers, no "you'll never believe the bit where." But there are a lot of parts that merit that warning, and while things don't get totally blood, guts and monster fun until you're nearing the end, any book that opens with an entire township, people and all, getting incinerated, then weaves Ed Gein, the French Revolution, a secret goldmine, a cannibal librarian, an ancient curse, a "yawning maw" and a dog named Roxie into an everyday tale of two Green Bay police officers, has to be special.

Indeed, author Swamp (please do not let that be a pseudonym) can only be admired for the ruthless complexity with which he mashes his ingredients together, while stirring in flashbacks and inexplicable visions, shifting allegiances, microfilmed mysteries and... oh, just read it, and marvel at the spectacle.

"Amber Hollow" is an irresistible yarn, a compulsive page turner, and if you have a shelf someplace where you keep your tales of killer crabs, ravenous rats, murderous wardrobes and all the rest, this is where it belongs. I loved it.

Amber Hollow is a horror story, and for those that like the genre it's a good one. It is replete with the undead, monsters, ghosts, witches and their spells and a dark and heavy atmosphere. The book's title is the name of a small town in the northern part of the state of Wisconsin. It was founded in colonial times and preserves it's own landmarks. No one leaves Amber Hollow and those that go outside to college or any other area always have returned to the town when they are finished with their tasks away.
On the 15th of July 1991 which is Bastille day in France the town of Amber Hollow, which for some reason celebrates the day, suffers a huge conflagration burning to the ground and killing most of the population. There are 5 survivors and these have been airlifted to a hospital for treatment and observation. Two detectives are assigned to look into the case and to interview the 5 survivors. These are detective Jeremy LeFevere and his partner detective Sadie Conrad and at first they are only able to learn a few things. One is that the town is apparently self sufficient due to a working gold mine that pays all expenses for the townspeople, second is a collection of stories that differ from one survivor to the next, and third that a man named Anthony Gunstram was the main cause of the blaze.
The reader is brought along with the detectives and their attempts to find out all they can about the town, the people and what caused the fire. Clues found lead to one impossible solution after another with an ever increasing background of terror and mystery surrounding the town, it's people. and what has happened. We know from the outset that it is a horror story, but the actuality is that the depths it falls to are shrouded in a mystery beginning about two hundred or more years ago with it's founding in colonial times. The author manages to keep stirring the pot and piling on more and more horror keeping the readers glued to the pages looking for the ending. When it does come all that I can state is that it is one definitely keeping with the rest of the book and the horrors that haunt the town of Amber Hollow.

If you like a story with a mystery and some horror aspects, this is the book for you. An intriguing story about a fire ravishing a town leaves you wondering what the survivors are hiding, why they're all so strange, and who actually is involved. While I didn't care much about the survivors themselves, I did love the main characters, Jeremy and Sadie. Sadie is easily one of the better character's I've read recently, and what is not to like about a badass female cop who is sure of herself and her career?

Though I enjoyed the story and didn't see the ending coming (probably partly because this isn't my usual type of read) I did feel that the ending dragged a bit in places. I wanted to get back to the "reality" of the story and started to get a bit bored by the multiple views we needed to get the whole picture. They were needed to complete the overall story, but I felt like they could have been shortened in places.

Overall though I enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it, especially on a chilly October day when you just want to curl up with a blanket and a bit of a creepy read!

This was a unique telling of a horror story, the characters were great and I was captured by the story itself. Mr. Swamp was able to create a good mystery in his horror novel and I like that when reading a horror book.

Amber Hollow begins as a fire is ripping through a village where only 5 out of the 600 people survive. The book follows the police investigation into what really happened in the isolated village. A place where secrets are everywhere and the survivors are clearly hiding something.

The premise is what drew me into this book and it didn’t disappoint. I loved how the book started with news articles/broadcasts detailing what was happening. I became invested in the mystery - and I loved the added touch of horror.

I enjoyed this book and I definitely didn’t see the ending coming. I’ll look forward to checking out more of this authors work.