A Killing in the Hills

In this powerful, intricate debut from a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Julia Keller, a mother and a daughter try to do right by a town and each other before it's too late.

What's happening in Acker's Gap, West Virginia? Three elderly men are gunned down over their coffee at a local diner, and seemingly half the town is there to witness the act. Still, it happened so fast, and no one seems to have gotten a good look at the shooter. Was it random? Was it connected to the spate of drug violence plaguing poor areas of the country just like Acker's Gap? Or were Dean Streeter, Shorty McClurg, and Lee Rader targeted somehow?
One of the witnesses to the brutal incident was Carla Elkins, teenaged daughter of Bell Elkins, the prosecuting attorney for Raythune County, WV. Carla was shocked and horrified by what she saw, but after a few days, she begins to recover enough to believe that she might be uniquely placed to help her mother do her job.

After all, what better way to repair their fragile, damaged relationship? But could Carla also end up doing more harm than good—in fact, putting her own life in danger?

My thoughts...

The murder of three elderly gentlemen in a burger joint quickly grabs your interest. The door opens, in walks a gunman, he takes aim at the men and within seconds all are dead. With several customers at the time no one is able to give a description of the killer to the police. However, one teen not only saw him but knows who he is, she met him at a party once where illicit drugs were being used and doesn't want her mother to know. She doesn't know his name or where he lives though and sets out on a journey to learn this information only to get herself in a lot of trouble. She hoped to be able to give this info to her mother, the D.A. and by doing so not be in so much trouble.

Sound good? I was disappointed with the storyline, it could've been so much more intriguing. I expected exciting parts throughout that would have me glued to the book...it was actually a little boring. A teen witnessing a murder and is worried about being grounded for life for attending this party instead of being horrified at what she had just witnessed.

There area several plots in the book and none are believable. It's not hard to figure out who the mastermind was behind the murders. I give it 3 out of 5 stars.

I received an ecopy of this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.