Holy City

It certainly does not take many pages of Holy City by Henry Wise for the reader to realize what a remarkable debut novel is held in one’s hands.

Holy City is a novel about past wrongs, scars, human ghosts, and people trying to remain decent in a place and time where the past still rules the present. It is also a novel about resolutions, the promise and doubt of resolutions, even when realizing such things may never be possible, and seeking them may do more damage than if left buried.

Deputy Will Seems of Euphoria County, Virginia, works under Sheriff Jeffrey Mills. The Mills men have been sheriffs of Euphoria County for generations, each of them running the county as their private fiefdom, with Jeffrey Mills being no different.

Because of a traumatic incident as a boy, Deputy Seems habitually roams the rural roads of Euphoria County during his late-night off-duty hours searching for long-past demons from his past, as elusive as trying to hold smoke in one’s closed fist.

During one late-night prowl, he sees a glowing fire in the night and realizes it is the home of Tom Janders. Risking his own life entering the burning home, Seems finds Janders collapsed inside and pulls the body outside only to learn Janders is dead and has been murdered.

After others arrive, Seems sees a dark figure in the night and pursues the man. When he catches him, he learns it is Zeke Hathom, the father of Seems’ boyhood best friend, Sam.

Zeke professes his innocence and tells Deputy Seems he was only present to help but fled because others would believe him guilty. Even though Seems believes him, he is ordered by Sheriff Jeff Mills to place Zeke under arrest for the suspected murder of Janders.

As more information becomes known, the case against Zeke grows stronger, allowing Sheriff Mills to resolutely believe in his guilt, even though Seems slowly builds a case that Zeke is innocent.

The novel then follows Seems and others as they try to prove Zeke’s innocence while Sheriff Mills refuses to accept anything other than evidence that proves Zeke’s guilt.

Holy City is a wonderful debut by Henry Wise. The novel has layers and is deeply rich in many ways. The words and descriptive nature of the novel are lush and deep, just like the secrets contained within.

Other reviewers have complained that the novel is wordy, underwritten, and in need of a heavier editing hand. However, as an older reader, I greatly enjoy it when a writer, through the use of similes, metaphors, and other descriptive methods, can describe people, places, scenes, and situations in ways I have not read before. Wise does that quite often.

Another thing I enjoyed about this novel was how Wise forces the reader to mentally read between the lines by not always explicitly stating things outright.

Holy City is highly recommended to those who enjoy gritty, rural noir novels that linger after the last page has been read.

Holy City is available for purchase through all book retailers.