“The lean prose elicits more than a hard-boiled style, and while the brisk yet gnarled atmosphere is reminiscent of Winter’s Bone, the dime-store crime novels of Jim Thompson, or even William Faulkner’s Sanctuary, Offutt brilliantly evokes the body and soul of his wounded hero. It adds up to a mesmerizing and nightmarish view of what lurks just over the hills. This is sure to be Offutt’s breakout.”
NO MAJOR SPOILERS
This story takes place in the rural hills of Kentucky where the families who live there have done so forever and outsiders are not tolerated. These families at times take the law into their own hands as families often take care of their own and have their own brand of justice.
Linda Hardin has just become sheriff of this small town and now she has a murder to deal with. A local woman has been found strangled and thrown off a cliff in the local forest. Her brother Mick is currently in town because his wife is pregnant. Mick is on temporary leave from the military where his job is investigating deaths for the military. Linda asks for his help and he agrees.
They need to find the killer as the family of the victim will seek there own justice. To complicate things, Mick has marital problems and has now gone AWOL. The military is looking for him but he won’t leave until he helps his sister and deals with his marriage.
The Story become a race against time.
There are many interesting characters here and the story flows quickly to its end. A quick but absorbing read, the author catches the ambiance of the area and it’s locals as only a true local resident can making this book well worth reading. A very good short but right to the point book.
Recommended.
Reviewed by:
Richard Franco
Added 23rd September 2021
