A Killing in the Hills: The First Bell Elkins Novel (Bell Elkins Novels #1) (Paperback)
Other Books in Series
This is book number 1 in the Bell Elkins Novels series.
- #2: Bitter River: A Novel (Bell Elkins Novels #2) (Paperback): Email or call for price
- #3: Summer of the Dead: A Novel (Bell Elkins Novels #3) (Paperback): $19.99
- #4: Last Ragged Breath: A Novel (Bell Elkins Novels #4) (Paperback): $29.99
- #5: Sorrow Road: A Novel (Bell Elkins Novels #5) (Paperback): $19.99
- #6: Fast Falls the Night: A Bell Elkins Novel (Bell Elkins Novels #6) (Paperback): $19.99
- #7: Bone on Bone: A Bell Elkins Novel (Bell Elkins Novels #7) (Paperback): $21.99
- #8: The Cold Way Home: A Novel (Bell Elkins Novels #8) (Paperback): $19.99
September 2012 Indie Next List
“Keller makes a powerful entry into the crime fiction field with the introduction of Bell Elkins, a prosecutor in rural West Virginia, who must not only deal with a triple murder but also must constantly contend with a deteriorating society beset by the scourge of methamphetamine. Finely drawn characters, strong plot lines, and keen attention to a growing problem in rural America make this a gripping read.”
— Bill Cusumano, Nicola's Books, Ann Arbor, MI
Description
In A Killing in the Hills, a powerful, intricate debut from 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?
*BONUS CONTENT: This edition of A Killing in the Hills includes a new introduction from the author and a discussion guide
About the Author
Julia Keller, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and former cultural critic at the Chicago Tribune, is the author of many books for adults and young readers, including A Killing in the Hills, the first book in the Bell Elkins series and winner of the Barry Award for Best First Novel (2013); Back Home; and The Dark Intercept. Keller has a Ph.D. in English literature from Ohio State and was awarded Harvard University’s Nieman Fellowship. She was born in West Virginia and lives in Ohio.