{"product_id":"house-on-hollow-hill-house-of-secrets-1-ebook","title":"House on Hollow Hill | House of Secrets #2 | Ebook","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePre-Order, Releasing May 29\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eIt’s Albert Sinclair’s 80th birthday, and his family has gathered to celebrate at his home on Hollow Hill.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e But as the last guest arrives, a flash flood warning cuts across the evening news, urging residents to stay inside and off the roads.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWith the storm closing in, dinner begins. The wine flows, and conversation drifts from one topic to the next. And then, without warning, Albert chokes. One moment he’s laughing. The next, he’s on the floor.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHis son rushes to his side as the family looks on in horror. But within minutes it’s over, and Albert is dead.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOr so they think.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSomething isn’t right. And whatever is happening inside that house is only just beginning.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eFrom New York Times and 16-time USA Today bestselling author Cheryl Bradshaw\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e comes a chilling new novella series for fans of Stephen King, Joe Hill, and Shirley Jackson.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSNEAK PEEK OF CHAPTER ONE:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Century Schoolbook',serif;\"\u003eMy name is Albert Sinclair, and this is my story.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Century Schoolbook',serif;\"\u003eI turned eighty years old today, and I’ll admit right from the start that my original plan was to do something simple, to enjoy a quiet, respectable birthday, the kind a man earns after eight decades of doing his best and surviving the rest. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Century Schoolbook',serif;\"\u003eI keep a bottle of bourbon on the top shelf of the cabinet in my study, one I have been saving for years, waiting for the right moment to open it. I had imagined pouring a glass or two today, settling into my chair, and letting the day pass without much interruption. But the day didn’t work out that way, and we’ll get to that in a moment.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Century Schoolbook',serif;\"\u003eI’ve lived a full life, a good life I’d say, for the most part. There have been setbacks along the way, of course, and some choices I wish I could take back in the hope they might have gone in a different direction. But all in all, I suppose I have no real complaints.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Century Schoolbook',serif;\"\u003eBack in the eighties, I was married to my high school sweetheart, Susan. I thought we would be together until the day I died, and for a long time, I never considered the possibility of any other outcome. We had three children, a modest home, and a decent life. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Century Schoolbook',serif;\"\u003eOr so I thought.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Century Schoolbook',serif;\"\u003eThe problem was I worked too much and paid Susan too little attention. I told myself it was okay because I was doing it for our family. I worked long hours and late nights, always chasing the next sale. It was my belief that providing for my family made up for everything else. I had no idea what it was like for her, or how quiet the house felt at night when she sat alone in the living room after the kids went to bed.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Century Schoolbook',serif;\"\u003eOne night, I arrived home to find her suitcases packed. When I asked her what was going on, she told me her parents had picked up the children, giving us time to have an important discussion. I didn’t understand it, not at first. But I can tell you one thing. I’ll never forget the way she looked at me or the tears in her eyes when she said she was tired of raising the children on her own and of feeling like she was the only one trying to keep our marriage alive.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Century Schoolbook',serif;\"\u003eThen she left.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Century Schoolbook',serif;\"\u003eBy the time I realized what I had done, she’d already made up her mind. She moved back into her parents’ house and closed the door on the life we had built together. For a while, I tried to fix it, showing up with flowers, promises, and apologies. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Century Schoolbook',serif;\"\u003eIt didn’t matter. \u003cspan style=\"mso-spacerun: yes;\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Century Schoolbook',serif;\"\u003eI’ve always said there’s a moment in a man’s life when he understands he’s crossed a line he can’t step back over.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Century Schoolbook',serif;\"\u003eThat one was mine.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Century Schoolbook',serif;\"\u003eThe years that followed weren’t easy. I spent a lot of time thinking about the kind of man I had been and the one I wanted to become. I tried to be better, even if there was no one there to see it. For a long time, I was alone. Then, in the nineties, I met Wanda.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Century Schoolbook',serif;\"\u003eWanda was different from Susan in ways I didn’t recognize, and in ways I came to appreciate over time. Where Susan had been quiet and patient, Wanda was direct. She said what she meant and expected me to do the same. When she got upset, she didn’t let things sit and fester. If something was wrong, she told me.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Century Schoolbook',serif;\"\u003eWe’ve been together ever since.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Century Schoolbook',serif;\"\u003eDuring my working years, I was an insurance salesman. It wasn’t glamorous, but it paid the bills and gave me structure. I suppose there’s something to be said for that, even if it wasn’t the dream I once imagined.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Century Schoolbook',serif;\"\u003eBecause I did have a dream once. I wanted to be a screenwriter, and I spent a fair amount of time daydreaming about writing stories that meant something. When I was younger, I talked about it all the time, to anyone who would listen. I had plots in my head and characters so fleshed out they almost seemed real.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Century Schoolbook',serif;\"\u003eThe trouble was, I never wrote any of my ideas down. I told myself I would get to it when the timing felt right, and it never did.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Century Schoolbook',serif;\"\u003eFunny how we always think there’s more time, putting off until tomorrow what should be done today.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Century Schoolbook',serif;\"\u003eBut enough about that. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Century Schoolbook',serif;\"\u003eI’d rather talk about something more positive and upbeat, like my children. Two boys and a girl, who all turned out well. I’d like to think I had a hand in that somewhere along the line, but most of the credit belongs to Susan. She was the one who was there, day in and day out. I showed up when I could, trying to be the kind of father they deserved. I gave them my best, always hoping my best was good enough.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Century Schoolbook',serif;\"\u003eI suppose I’m getting ahead of myself, what it is I want to say, and the story I’m about to tell. There are some who would say I’m dead, you see. I don’t believe it, of course. But I ought to mention it now, so you’re not surprised when it comes up later.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Century Schoolbook',serif;\"\u003eTo understand how we got to that point, we’ll need to start at the beginning, to where it all began, and how it all went wrong.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Century Schoolbook',serif;\"\u003e\u0026lt;\u0026gt;\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Century Schoolbook',serif;\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"a-text-bold\"\u003eReaders of Cheryl Bradshaw's Books Say:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I will definitely read more from this author.\" ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Ms. Bradshaw provides the reader with page-turning books and leaves you wanting more.\" ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"She is one of the most talented authors I've had the pleasure of reading, and I've read over 30 of her books.\" ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I would recommend anyone who likes mysteries well-written stories to read her books.\" ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I’ve been totally engrossed with every book I’ve read by Cheryl Bradshaw! She’s extremely talented and knows how to hold her reader’s attention!\" ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Cheryl Bradshaw Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45222942867503,"sku":"HOS-HHH-2-E","price":3.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0552\/2902\/2255\/files\/HHH-Shopify.png?v=1776727874","url":"https:\/\/cherylbradshawstore.com\/products\/house-on-hollow-hill-house-of-secrets-1-ebook","provider":"Cheryl Bradshaw Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}