The Hollow Boys by Tariq Ashkanani review

About The Book

Book: The Hollow Boys 
Author: Tariq Ashkanani
Standalone or Series: Standalone
Publisher: Viper Books
Publication Date (UK): 14th May 2026

🔍Standout Read. Awarded to books I highly recommend.

My Review

Ashkanani’s previous book, The Midnight King, was one of my favourite reads of last year, so I was excited to get my hands on a proof of The Hollow Boys.

Set in the small Appalachian town of Aurora, the book opens with a bang as we find the mother of a missing child performing some sort of dark ritual. Later her son returns, walking into a football stadium mid-game after being presumed dead for 10 months, before promptly collapsing.

The child is Danny. He and his best friend Will had taken Will’s family boat out, only for the boat to be found submerged with no sign of either boy. Searching the lake produced no bodies or answers. Only now Danny is back. And he’s convinced he’s actually Will! I found this hook so intriguing.

Each family handles the situation very differently. Danny’s mum is broken and goes to intense lengths she believes will help return her son. However when he does, he’s covered in scarring. She comes across as unhinged and potentially dangerous. Whereas Will’s family unit seems more stable, but they have redecorated his room and appear to be moving on in his absence and happy to accept whatever fate befell the boys that day.

We spend a lot of time with the Aurora police department, Chief Deacon, and the FBI, as they try to uncovere where Danny has been and exactly what happened.

Another member of the cast of characters is the location itself.  A few miles away from the town there is a deep seam of coal burning underground, the fires of which draw nearer every year. The descriptions make you feel the heat of the fires and the despair of the dwindling residents.

I loved the premise of The Hollow Boys. I had absolutely no idea what was happening right until the end, when it was finally spelled out for me. The book starts off dark and becomes increasingly intriguing, at one point I even wondered if it might be lighter than The Midnight King… then the ending happened. When everything is brought into the light, you realise just how dark the story has been all along! Another wonderful thriller from Ashkanani.

Thank you to Viper Books for the proof.

Interested in more from Ashkanani? Here’s my The Midnight King review.