Hollow Spaces

A New York Times Best Crime Thriller of the Year & Best Mystery of the Year
A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice & Notable Book of the Year
CrimeReads, A Best Debut Novel of the Year

“If Suthammanont’s debut is anything to go by, he is destined for a major career as a novelist.” —Sarah Weinman, The New York Times

“Suthammanont unspools [the mystery] with gorgeous precision. The heart of Hollow Spaces lies in the way children repeat their parents’ mistakes—and the not-so-casual racism in privileged spaces.” —Sarah Weinman, The New York Times Book Review

“Suspenseful and full of nuanced observations and crisp writing.” —Cary Barbor, WGCU-FM/Gulf Coast Life

“It is ambitious, both gorgeously rendered and highly readable, and far too timely for comfort. It is accomplished.” —Lori Rader-Day, Chicago Review of Books

“Evoking riveting murder and courtroom dramas from its start, Victor Suthammanont’s debut novel Hollow Spaces combines the satisfaction of solving a mystery and the adrenaline of a thriller. With tight, descriptive language and carefully developed depictions of emotion and relationships, it also presents as a literary family drama in which the siblings’ opposing beliefs about their father’s guilt have driven them into lives they aren’t sure they want . . . In successfully layering his timelines, writing beautiful prose, dropping clues to the mystery, and building suspense through carefully timed revelations, Suthammanont serves the great things offered by thrillers and rich family novels. Because his book is both, the themes in Hollow Spaces are vividly clear, engaging, and satisfying to consider.” —Jessica Ribera, The Coachella Review

“It’s an excellent year for legal thrillers, but Hollow Spaces is something else: a psychological thriller about lawyers, in which the adult children of an acquitted murderer are spurred to reinvestigate the case that once tore their family apart . . . A delicate and devastating portrait of the limits of the American dream, deeply resonant in today’s landscape.” —Molly Odintz, CrimeReads

“An intriguing […] combination of sleuthing and character study from a talented writer. Come for the murder mystery, stay for the lyrical passages on love and loss.” —Kirkus Reviews

“With its strong messages about racism, sexism, jealousy, lust, and love plus deeply flawed and often unlikable characters, graphic sex, physical and psychological trauma, and a bleak view of humanity, hard-core thriller fans will find the pulse-pounding twists and unexpected turns in Suthammanont’s debut gripping.” —Booklist

“Attorney Suthammanont blends elements of Presumed Innocent and Serial for his intricate debut, about two siblings who investigate whether their father committed the murder he was acquitted of 30 years earlier . . . [A] well-plotted human drama.” —Publishers Weekly

“Cerebral, sexy, and provocative, Hollow Spaces is a can’t-put-down exploration of marriage, infidelity, and murder. Every page is steeped in sophisticated commentary on the far reaching effects of violence. A smart, compelling read that pays particular attention to the nuances of family and what both brings people together and tears them apart.” —Lo Patrick, author of The Night the River Wept

“Fast-paced and suspenseful, Hollow Spaces by Victor Suthammanont exposes deep fault lines that run through a family and the American justice system. Decades after a murder acquittal that nonetheless destroyed their father, his children seek out the truth and a way forward. A compelling debut.” —Vanessa Hua, author of Forbidden City

“Victor Suthammanont has given us a layered, gorgeously written novel about the limits of courtroom justice and family duty. If I didn’t know for certain this was a debut, I wouldn’t believe it. Hollow Spaces is a masterful piece of fiction.” —Lori Rader-Day, award-winning author of The Death of Us

“Brennan and Hunter Lo, the children of a lawyer who was found innocent of murder but saw his life destroyed anyway, have spent their lives avoiding all sorts of truths, and each other. Hollow Spaces is the twisty, compelling, well-written, and human story of what happens when they join together to understand the father they lost, and the crime that ripped their lives apart.” —Jamie Harrison, author of The River View