Book Review - A Killing in the Hills by Julia Keller

Another atmospheric mystery set in the back blocks of the USA. This time it’s the Appalachian Mountains. A beautiful but deadly setting. A scattered small town society where the mines have closed down, there are few jobs and the quickest way to easy money is to feed the habits of intergenerational drug users. The county's Prosecuting Attorney grew up here and has come back to make a difference but questions her decision as a murder investigation involves her family. The author does such a good job of depicting the unrelenting misery of most of the town's inhabitants, that this obscures a fine development of cause and effect. Wendy