Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

Watch Hollow is a dark fantasy novel for children and preteens written by Gregory Funaro. Lucy and Oliver Tinker had had to grow up rather more quickly than most other children their age, ever since their mom passed away after a debilitating illness. As she grew weaker, their father seemed less and less able to focus on keeping Tinker’s Clock Shop and their lives afloat. His recent foray into antiques had been the money pit his son had predicted and maintaining the necessities of life, such as food and clothing, had become a struggle.

They had been about to close the shop that rainy afternoon, when Lucy noticed an expensive black sedan idling outside. She watched and waited as the storm subsided, and the man who was obviously waiting inside ventured out of his car. He had an intriguing opportunity to offer Charles Tinker -- he would be repairing a most unusual clock in the Blackford House in Watch Hollow, Rhode Island. This clock, when functioning correctly, generated all the electricity needed to keep the house fully functioning. Mr. Quigley had recently acquired the property, and he was willing to pay handsomely for the Tinkers’ services. The golden coins he emptied onto the shop counter were just a fraction of the compensation offered for a successful completion of the task. Charles Tinker was naturally suspicious of something that did seem, after all, just too good to be true, but the three of them, after talking it over that evening, decided it was too good an opportunity to pass up.

Gregory Funaro’s dark fantasy novel, Watch Hollow, will delight horror fans of all ages, despite the choice of genre category. I had a grand time following Lucy Tinker as she and her brother work to unlock the mysteries behind the moldering Blackford House and the somber and threatening woods that surround it. Lucy is such a splendid character! She masters her fear and is the brave force behind everything the Tinkers do in this compelling and exciting story. Funaro’s plot is first-rate; his characters are finely honed and believable; and his writing style works perfectly with the story. Matthew Griffin’s inspired illustrations put the final touches on this classy, spine-tingler of a tale. Watch Hollow is most highly recommended.