THE KILLING HILLS is part thriller, part bittersweet tribute to author Chris Offutt’s Appalachian roots. The curious mix of elegiac prose, violence and quirky humor delivers a vibrant yarn that keeps readers engaged right up until the last uplifting page.

Mick Hardin, an Army CID agent who is on leave for the birth of his wife’s (though not his) first child, gets caught up in a murder investigation. Between sorting out his marital issues and details of the crime, Mick overstays his leave, thereby adding one more complication to his already messy life.

"The curious mix of elegiac prose, violence and quirky humor delivers a vibrant yarn that keeps readers engaged right up until the last uplifting page."

Mick’s sister, Linda, is the sheriff of Rocksalt, a backwoods town in Kentucky where people are known by their family ties. When Mike asks one suspect if he’s “Big Joe or Little Joe?” the response is “Neither one. They’re my cousins. They call me Little Big Joe.”

Linda asks for Mick’s help in finding out who killed Nonnie Johnson, a middle-aged woman whose body was discovered by an old man while hunting for ginseng plants in the woods.  Mick has a remarkable facility for worming the truth out of people who prefer to keep their actions and motives to themselves, and there are many who have reason to hide both.

Meanwhile, Nonnie’s family wants revenge, a local politician wants a scapegoat so that the investigation can be closed, and Linda wants credit for finding the killer. Whether Mike can satisfy all three is one of the propellants that keeps readers turning the pages of this slim but compelling work of literary suspense.