Summer of the Dead

July 7, 2014
After two savage, seemingly senseless murders within weeks, Bell Elkins starts to feel the heatâand that's even without the mess of trouble simmering at home with her headstrong, recently paroled big sister, Shirleyâin Keller's character-driven, plot-compromised third novel starring the steely West Virginia prosecutor (after 2013's Bitter River). As residents of Bell's hardscrabble Appalachian hometown of Acker's Gap shy away from even simple summer pleasures for fear of a serial killer in their midst, she doggedly pursues the scant leads while trying to forge an adult relationship with the sibling whose selfless act decades earlier spared her from their father's abuse. Though the investigation uncovers a sad story behind almost every sagging porch (among them the plight of teen bookworm Lindy Crabtree, who turns the cellar of her crumbling family place into the simulacrum of a mine to comfort her demented and possibly dangerous father, a retired miner), and culminates in a denouement surprising largely because it seems so contrived, the book's prime pleasure lies in joining the complex Bell on the long journey toward making peace with her past. Agent: Lisa Gallagher, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates.

August 1, 2014
Even though her life seems to be spiraling out of control, Bell Elkins still has to care for her family members and do her job as a West Virginia county prosecutor. Bell's sister, Shirley, has finally been released from prison after serving a long sentence for killing their father before he got around to molesting Bell. Unfortunately, Shirley, who's living with Bell, has been overwhelmed by alcohol-fueled attacks of rage against Bell, who's eagerly awaiting the arrival of her daughter, Carla, for the summer. Bell is furious when her ex-husband arranges for Carla to spend the summer as an intern in London and has trouble controlling her rage when a man who's molesting his stepchildren is freed because none of them will testify. Bell's hometown of Acker's Gap is dirt-poor and beset by drug and alcohol use and high unemployment. When two people are brutally murdered, Bell and Sheriff Nick Fogelsong have little to go on. The big draw for the summer is the arrival of former governor Riley Jessup, a native son who's donating an MRI machine to the new hospital. After growing up poor, he went into politics and made a fortune, but all his money can't save his beloved, sickly grandson. In the meantime, Lindy Crabtree can barely cope with the deterioration of her father, a former coal miner who's slowly losing his mind. Lindy, who loves to read, works nights at a gas station. To soothe her unstable father, she's fixed the cellar of their decrepit house to resemble a coal mine. While Lindy worries that her father may be the killer, Bell traces a telltale business card to a company owned by Jessup but is stonewalled by the politician. In her powerfully written third appearance, Bell (Bitter River, 2013, etc.) emerges as a compelling heroine with an especially vexing mystery to solve.

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Starred review from August 1, 2014

In the West Virginia town of Acker's Gap, county prosecutor Bell Elkins (introduced in Keller's acclaimed debut, A Killing in the Hills) has her hands full dealing with her sister Shirley's release from prison, as well as trying to identify a killer stalking the streets. At the same time, Lindy Crabtree, a true coal miner's daughter, struggles to keep family secrets from exploding into the world. When these women's lives collide, Bell must do her best to ensure that the body count does not climb any higher. VERDICT Keller seamlessly weaves together Bell's past and present in her third outing (after Bitter River). The gritty Appalachian setting and plot will keep readers' attention locked on the pages. This title will especially appeal to fans of such rural noir authors as Tom Bouman (Dry Bones in the Valley) and Daniel Woodrell. [Library marketing; Keller was recently profiled in NPR's "Crime in the City" series, ow.ly/yFJdp; see also Books for Dudes, ow.ly/yEKqK.--Ed.]

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from July 1, 2014
Family problems and a brutal murder are plaguing Bell Elkins, the prosecutor in the poverty-stricken town of Acker's Gap, West Virginia. Bell's older sister, Shirley Dolan, is struggling after serving a prison term for killing their abusive father, who had begun to eye Bell after molesting Shirley for years. As Bell deals with her debt to Shirley and her still-raging hatred of her father, 19-year-old Lindy Crabtree tries to manage her job and care for her widowed father, whose physical and mental health are in a steep decline. Two more murders frighten the people of the small town and raise the possibility of a serial killer for Bell and Sheriff Nick Fogelsong, her closest friend. Bell, who finds solace from her vengeful rage by immersing herself in the law, is one of the best-developed characters in all of modern crime fiction, and she is surrounded by a similarly well-rounded cast. Plot lines take unlikely turns in this third installment, but Keller is such an accomplished prose stylist and storyteller that she leaves readers with only one dilemma: whether to read nonstop to reach the outcome or to take time to savor the well-wrought complexities of this exceptional novel.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)