The Hippie House

Dave Jenkinson is a professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba and the author of the “Portraits” section of Emergency Librarian.

Although The Hippie House initially appears to be a murder mystery, it
is not. Instead, it is a series of rich character studies embedded in
Holubitsky’s recreation of an earlier, more innocent time period. The
novel’s action occurs principally between April 1970 and about May
1972. A number of happenings during those two years cause the central
character, Emma Jenkins, to conclude at the end of the book: “[T]he
experience had cut deep and the inherent trust in the world we had known
as children was lost.”

Emma, who is almost 14 at the story’s outset, lives with her parents
and older brother Eric on a farm outside Toronto. It is a trusting time
when people still leave their doors unlocked. Emma’s father’s tiny
workshop, the remotely located Hippie House, has been converted into a
practice studio for Eric’s rock band. The area’s peaceful and safe
environment is altered, however, when Katie Russell, 18, suddenly goes
missing in early November 1970 from the small nearby community of Pike
Creek. Things change further when, in December, Eric stumbles upon her
raped body tied to a post in the Hippie House, a place he had not
visited for more than two months. Suspicions abound locally regarding
the killer’s identity. The community’s concern significantly
increases when another girl goes missing in March 1971; her body is
located three weeks later.

Near the end of the book, readers will be on the edge of their seats as
Emma naively accepts a ride from the killer and unknowingly escapes
being his last victim. Highly recommended.