.

.

Thursday, January 21, 2016

A Killing In The Hills by Julia Keller

A Killing In The Hills is the first in the Bell Elkins mystery series, written by Pulitzer Prize winning author, Julia Keller.  And it's a corker.  I really enjoyed my initial visit to Acker's Gap, West Virginia, a state that I've only visited a couple of times.  What I remember about West Virginia is green beauty, hills and trees.  What I had heard about West Virginia - Appalachian mountains, Harper's Ferry, coal mines, mountain people, folk music, poverty.  Here's a quote to set the scene:

...Just outside the city limits was a handful of played-out coal mines and, beyond and above them, the corrugated foothills of the Appalachians, their sides dense with sweet birch trees and scarlet oaks, the ground crowded with mountain laurel and black huckleberry.
     It was a beautiful place, especially in the late spring and throughout the long summer, when the hawks wrote slow, wordless stories across the pale blue parchment of the sky, when the tree-lined valleys exploded in a green so vivid and yet so predictable that it was like a hallelujah shout at a tent revival.  You always knew it was coming, but it could still knock you clean off your feet.

A Killing In The Hills begins with a multiple shooting - three elderly men drinking coffee together at a local fast food joint.  The shooter comes in and goes out and nobody sees much.  Also, no one knows if this was directed at one of the men or all of them or if they were just random victims.  The restaurant was full of people, including Carla Elkins, 17-year-old daughter of Bell Elkins, the prosecuting attorney for the county.

Bell (or Belfa) and her ex-husband, Sam, were raised in Acker's Gap and left as fast as they could.  They both became attorneys and Sam is now a lobbyist in Washington.  He and Bell came to a parting of the ways when she wanted to return to West Virginia to help with the problems if she could.  Sam told her that he couldn't go back.  Bell and Carla have lived in Acker's Gap for five years and their relationship has been strained of late - teenage girl, mom with demanding job, both stubborn as all get out - you get the picture.

Along with local sheriff Nick Fogelsong, a man that Bell met when she was a young girl and her family was falling apart, Bell fights crime in a town that is struggling with deep poverty and the crimes that come along with it.  She really wants to focus on the drug trade that is taking their young people, who have few choices in life, and turning them into wrecks before they even grow up.

I was totally gripped by the story presented in this first entry to a series that now has four books.  The setting was described in such a way that I could almost see and feel it.  I did figure out the reason for the shootings and also the shadowy figure behind it, but that didn't lessen my positive experience.  I was impressed with how appealing Julia Keller made this area, while still being very candid about the issues and problems that are ongoing.  I'll be glad to continue with the next book in the series, Bitter River, very soon.  If you like a mystery with a passionate, no-nonsense main character, you'd probably like Bell Elkins.  I look forward to watching her as she loves her home, hates it, and champions the people who need her.
 

21 comments:

  1. I'm glad you enjoyed the first novel in this series. I hope you enjoy the others just as much.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I suspect I will, Pat. I loved the setting.

      Delete
  2. This sounds like a fantastic series!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This first book was certainly one I enjoyed. Hope to read the second one before too long.

      Delete
  3. I really need to read this one. I've had it for a while but every time I start to pull it out of the stack something else comes along demanding more attention!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can't imagine that happening to me, Becky! LOL LOL

      Delete
  4. This sounds really good! From your description it reminds me a bit of Margaret Maron's Deborah Knott series though this sounds a bit grittier. I'll have to look for this author!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, that would be a good comparison, but like you say - grittier.

      Delete
  5. I echo the others; this definitely sounds like a good one. I'm glad to hear the setting was well described as well as they do play a big part in a good story. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I liked the setting very much. Look forward to reading more about this area.

      Delete
  6. I did enjoy it a lot, Vicki. Hope you try it.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm so glad you gave this series a try -- and liked it! It definitely gets better as it goes, but I think the things that stand out in the first book are the things that continue to stand out: the setting, Bell in all her complexity, and the way Keller makes West Virginia come alive.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Susan - I think I had forgotten that your reviews of this series were the 'push' I needed to begin. So, thank you, thank you!! I love this book and look forward to moving on with Bell. And to hear it gets better - lovely!

      Delete
  8. What a horrible crime! I haven't heard of this series or author, but your review has me thinking it will be one I would like to try. I like books with a strong sense of place.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This book definitely has that. I liked it a lot and yes, the crime was pretty bad.

      Delete
  9. It sounds good to me! I've only visited West Virginia in books, and I'd love to go back. :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Then you'd probably like this one, Diana. :-)

      Delete
  10. Oh, I'm adding this to my list right now!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope you get to read it. It was a good one.

      Delete
  11. Great review, Kay! I would like to read this series and I think I have to mention this one to my book group. I think it would be a good one for my group.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think your group would enjoy this one. It's a good start to the series.

      Delete

Thanks for stopping by! I am so happy to hear your thoughts and will respond as soon as I can. Happy Reading!