#1507. Code of the Hills by Chris Offutt

Mick Hardin left his old Kentucky home 20yrs ago after high school. Got out of the hills by joining the Army. Did his 20 and is retiring from his service as a military police investigator. His plan is to retire to Corsica and live with an Army buddy. But first, he feels the need to head home first before completely turning his back on Kentucky.

His sister Linda and he have an OK if not close relationship. She sort of followed in his footsteps by becoming the county sheriff leading a small staff of subordinates, mainly her primary, if still green, deputy Johnny Boy Tolliver.

Pete Lowe is/was a local resident. ‘Was’ because he went and got himself killed. In a small town like Rocksalt, KY, when someone gets killed, everybody knows who did it and why. Not this time. Linda and Johnny Boy start with what few clues they can find, and Mick goes along for the ride.

Most every clue is at the end of some long, curvy, dirt road that creeps deep and up into the Kentucky hills. First ‘break’ is when a local calls up wanting the sheriff to evict a squatter who’s taken up residence in his hen house. Linda would also have to evict the squatter’s wife but she already up and left. Can't imagine why. Guy is sharing the hen house with a bunch of hens and a couple roosters, one of which really isn’t native to the area.

Another guy, a local legend when it comes to dirt track car engines, also turns up dead. When Linda starts trying to shake a few limbs, she ends up getting shot in leg. Pretty bad wound, too. She’ll be ok, but she’s out of any primary investigation that would put her on her feet. So Johnny Boy is now the acting sheriff and temporarily deputizes Mick.

This rather dark tale of the KY hollers and hills takes a number of turns and Offutt deftly directs our attention in multiple directions between Rocksalt and Detroit involving drugs to liquor to money laundering to extortion and even cock fighting before finally leading Mick to the source of the murderous goings on.

Offutt isn’t new to us as we have favorably reviewed two earlier books, Country Dark and The Killing Hills. Personally, I like Country Dark the best. But don’t let that turn one away from this or his other books. Offutt knows how to deal up country/redneck/hick noir with the best of ‘em. If that kind of story trips your trigger, you'll need to make sure you run down anything by Chris Offutt.

Thanks to NetGalley for access to an advance reader copy.

Release date: June 13, 2023

 

East Coast Don