The Killing Hills
- Downloads：5377
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-10-10 11:21:02
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Chris Offutt
- ISBN：1666506249
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
James Willey
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Another combat veteran comes home to deal with murder， corruption， and personal demons。
Dennis P Moore
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5。
Gail Goodrick
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I really liked this book。 The mystery of a murder anchors the book but the real story is the people and the culture of the hills。 The author takes us to the hills and hollers where people still believe in family honor。 The trees， plants and birds are important parts of the story as well。
Wyndy
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This book had just about everything I most enjoy in any story: believable characters; realistic dialogue; perfect pace and place。 Throw in a sprinkle of wry humor in all the right places， and I’m in 4-star heaven。“For a while she worried about him in California with all those serial killers and vegetarians but she figured a Marine could take care of himself。” ~ “Shifty” Camille KissickThis is my second novel by Chris Offutt， and I met a new favorite literary protagonist: Mick Hardin。 Mick， a bor This book had just about everything I most enjoy in any story: believable characters; realistic dialogue; perfect pace and place。 Throw in a sprinkle of wry humor in all the right places， and I’m in 4-star heaven。“For a while she worried about him in California with all those serial killers and vegetarians but she figured a Marine could take care of himself。” ~ “Shifty” Camille KissickThis is my second novel by Chris Offutt， and I met a new favorite literary protagonist: Mick Hardin。 Mick， a born and bred Kentucky boy turned homicide detective in the US Army’s Criminal Investigation Division， is a character any reader will like。 He’s principled， resourceful， kind， and completely unpretentious。 But he has his flaws， as most of us real people do， which merely add to his likeability。 When the story opens， Mick has taken emergency family leave from an overseas assignment to tend his very pregnant wife who remains in their hometown of Rocksalt in eastern Kentucky， a place where every conversation between strangers begins with “Who’s your people？” Mick has only been stateside a couple of days when his sister Linda， high sheriff of Rocksalt， tells him “I’ve got a dead body。” And that’s when things get really interesting。 The women here are wonderfully written， with an especially memorable scene between Linda and Mick’s wife Peggy。 Then there’s “Shifty” who adopts a stray chicken， names her Sparky， and teaches her to walk backward。 Shifty has a boy named Fuckin’ Barney and carries a sidearm in her bathrobe pocket。 As the title implies， there are crimes to be solved in these Kentucky hills， but the true stars are the people and the place。 You won’t forget either one。 Can’t wait for the next installment in what is rumored to be a forthcoming series featuring Mick。 4。5 highly entertaining stars。“He’d missed the swapping culture of the hills。 Prolonged negotiations provided men an opportunity to display their knowledge without being show-offs。”“Appalachian people lived by old codes that compelled them to take action。 Affronts were always personal。 Acts of vengeance maintained themselves through generations。” 。。。more
Tom Taylor
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I enjoyed this book， especially the relationship of Mick and his sister， the sheriff。 The story of the murder of Nonnie was satisfying and the mores of the hill’s people was rigid。 I especially liked Mr Tucker who represented the morality of the area。 It also was admirable that they were not all stereotyped into meth smoking， unintelligent folks， but people with a sense of duty and justice。 Good book
Diane Barnes
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This was a thoroughly entertaining crime novel， Offutt's first foray into this genre。 The crime was not as important and the people who may or may not have done it， and the people investigating it。 The dialog was realistic but sparkling， using country terms that I've heard before by older relatives， as in calling a biscuit a pusher。 "Reach me a pusher， Mick。" Because that's how you use a biscuit， to push food onto your fork。 Duh！ While my total love is reserved for Tucker in COUNTRY DARK， Mick w This was a thoroughly entertaining crime novel， Offutt's first foray into this genre。 The crime was not as important and the people who may or may not have done it， and the people investigating it。 The dialog was realistic but sparkling， using country terms that I've heard before by older relatives， as in calling a biscuit a pusher。 "Reach me a pusher， Mick。" Because that's how you use a biscuit， to push food onto your fork。 Duh！ While my total love is reserved for Tucker in COUNTRY DARK， Mick was another hero who used a combination of good old fashioned common sense and his military training to outsmart just about everyone else in this novel。The conclusion was completely unexpected， and a little unsettling， until I found out that there is a sequel in the works， possibly two more in the series。 Ahhhh！If you're looking for a trip to the hills of Kentucky with a knowledgeable guide， a great sense of humor， and a way with words， Offutt is your man。 。。。more
Zoeytron
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The backwoods of Kentucky are filled with things of the hill country。 Woodpeckers with their requisite rat-a-tat-tatting， keeping busy and feeding。 It's not unusual to come across miscreant peckerwoods， up to no good。 Snakes are a given。 You can look， but probably will not see an old man harvesting ginseng by early morning light。 Virginia creeper is abundant， with vines strong enough to hog-tie a man if need be。 The folks who live here are hill-bred， their families have been here for gener The backwoods of Kentucky are filled with things of the hill country。 Woodpeckers with their requisite rat-a-tat-tatting， keeping busy and feeding。 It's not unusual to come across miscreant peckerwoods， up to no good。 Snakes are a given。 You can look， but probably will not see an old man harvesting ginseng by early morning light。 Virginia creeper is abundant， with vines strong enough to hog-tie a man if need be。 The folks who live here are hill-bred， their families have been here for generations， and they have long memories。 Best to remember that your own self before committing an act that might dictate any kind of retribution。 Right or wrong， blood kin reigns supreme。 The author wastes no words with this story and it is all the better for it。 。。。more
Meg Ulmes
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This is the best novel that I've read in a while。 It is a real story with believable characters working on solving a tangled mystery and living their equally tangled lives。 The setting is authentic。 It ended much too soon。 Excellent read。 Highly recommended。 This is the best novel that I've read in a while。 It is a real story with believable characters working on solving a tangled mystery and living their equally tangled lives。 The setting is authentic。 It ended much too soon。 Excellent read。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Salty Swift
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Sometimes I wish what is marketed as a thriller actually held a bit of mystery and a slew of interesting characters。 Unfortunately， this book fails on both fronts。
Christi
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This book was wild！ There are a lotttt of "eastern Kentucky-isms" in here which equally cracked me up and grossed me out。 The story itself is a bit all over the place， though， and I expected it to be a bit more focused on Mick solving the murder。 There are a ton of different POVs and I think that's why it feels so unfocused。 If it was all told from Mick's POV I probably would have liked it more。 A lot of the dialog uses country slang which I love， but the rest of the writing is also pretty simpl This book was wild！ There are a lotttt of "eastern Kentucky-isms" in here which equally cracked me up and grossed me out。 The story itself is a bit all over the place， though， and I expected it to be a bit more focused on Mick solving the murder。 There are a ton of different POVs and I think that's why it feels so unfocused。 If it was all told from Mick's POV I probably would have liked it more。 A lot of the dialog uses country slang which I love， but the rest of the writing is also pretty simple which makes this a really short easy read， but I think it lacks a little in entertainment value。 。。。more
Jenny Powell
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Excellent and very absorbing mystery story。 I'm always happy to support Appalachian writers。 Fortunately， Chris Offutt makes this task easy。 Great read！ Excellent and very absorbing mystery story。 I'm always happy to support Appalachian writers。 Fortunately， Chris Offutt makes this task easy。 Great read！ 。。。more
Matteo Mazzoli
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3。5: Offutt è uno di quegli autori che， quando arrivano in libreria， tocca leggere per forza。 Le storie del "suo" Kentucky sono in grado di farti entrare in quel microcosmo di natura feroce e anime perse come nessun altro。 Stavolta seguiamo le orme di Mick， veterano di guerra e investigatore militare， che torna a casa alla notizia della gravidanza della moglie。 Un omicidio scuote le colline， e i silenzi delle donne e degli uomini che abitano quei luoghi sono il preludio a un bagno di sangue per 3。5: Offutt è uno di quegli autori che， quando arrivano in libreria， tocca leggere per forza。 Le storie del "suo" Kentucky sono in grado di farti entrare in quel microcosmo di natura feroce e anime perse come nessun altro。 Stavolta seguiamo le orme di Mick， veterano di guerra e investigatore militare， che torna a casa alla notizia della gravidanza della moglie。 Un omicidio scuote le colline， e i silenzi delle donne e degli uomini che abitano quei luoghi sono il preludio a un bagno di sangue per fare giustizia。 Mick sa che deve agire prima che qualcosa di terribile possa accadere， aiutando anche sua sorella， sceriffo della città。 Ora， partiamo dal presupposto che， al di là della brevità del romanzo， poco più di 200 pagine， me lo sono divorato in un paio di giorni。 Il dilemma che mi ha colpito alla chiusura del romanzo è stato: quanto davvero mi è rimasto dentro？ I temi sono importanti， onore， rispetto， famiglia， perdono， tutti aspetti della vita di Mick e di quelle anime solitarie che lo circondano che risaltano certamente dalla lettura。 Detto questo， però， alla chiusura del libro mi sono sentito tiepido。 Non ho trovato un guizzo， uno spunto potente che mi facesse saltare sulla poltrona， un momento， una scena， che mi abbia tagliato in due。 È certamente un bel romanzo， ben scritto， godibile， ma che non mi ha "graffiato"， e non ha lasciato segni。 Peccato perché credo in Chris Offutt。 Aspetterò qualcos'altro di suo， convinto che tornerà a colpirmi。 。。。more
Cathrine ☯️
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4 🥃 🥃 🥃 🥃Chris Offutt does not churn out books。 He likes to take his time in the writing and the telling。 His words and style alone make it worth yours。I love this genre and would agree that the southern grits which are so addictive are often bubbling over， and we like it。Offutt is able to serve up Appalachia with credibility， entertainment which honors the culture， and true to life characters you can set yourself down with a spell—well not all of them。 Southern lit almost demands that a mule sh 4 🥃 🥃 🥃 🥃Chris Offutt does not churn out books。 He likes to take his time in the writing and the telling。 His words and style alone make it worth yours。I love this genre and would agree that the southern grits which are so addictive are often bubbling over， and we like it。Offutt is able to serve up Appalachia with credibility， entertainment which honors the culture， and true to life characters you can set yourself down with a spell—well not all of them。 Southern lit almost demands that a mule should factor in somewhere and the tie in here gets the redneck first place prize。 Just when I was thinking it was plain to see how it would come together， it went down another road and took me by surprise。This is one for those who favor a fine sipping whiskey verses a straight shot or enough beers to last the night with toasts along the line ofMay we never go to hell but always be on our way 🍻 。。。more
Larraine
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I decided to read this based on a review although I wasn't sure it was my kind of book。 Well I'm sure now and would love to see this author write more crime novels because this one was absolutely riveting。 Mick Hardin is an Army CID investigator on leave to be with his pregnant wife。 Shortly after he arrives a local woman is found murdered。 She was a beloved figure who had no enemies or so her friends and relatives say。 In the meantime Mick is on an alcoholic binge after seeing his wife。 His sis I decided to read this based on a review although I wasn't sure it was my kind of book。 Well I'm sure now and would love to see this author write more crime novels because this one was absolutely riveting。 Mick Hardin is an Army CID investigator on leave to be with his pregnant wife。 Shortly after he arrives a local woman is found murdered。 She was a beloved figure who had no enemies or so her friends and relatives say。 In the meantime Mick is on an alcoholic binge after seeing his wife。 His sister， the sheriff， asks for his help because authorities are trying to take the investigation away from her。 The story takes place deep in rural Kentucky and does a terrific job bringing the culture of the area to life。 I REALLY enjoyed this book。 It's terrific。 I'm probably going to try to read some of his other books although I don't need yet another author to follow。 Still if he brings back Mick or writes another one like this I'll be putting it on reserve。 。。。more
Benjamin Pearce
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 It was a decent read。 The dueling plots of the murder mystery and the main character's marriage were intriguing。 However， I found the action sequences and characters pretty cheesy。 I picture Mick as Mark Wahlberg running around outsmarting and out muscling Kentucky rednecks。 By the time the murderer was revealed I wasn't shocked or satisfied。 I was more interested in what was going to happen with Mick's marriage。 It was a decent read。 The dueling plots of the murder mystery and the main character's marriage were intriguing。 However， I found the action sequences and characters pretty cheesy。 I picture Mick as Mark Wahlberg running around outsmarting and out muscling Kentucky rednecks。 By the time the murderer was revealed I wasn't shocked or satisfied。 I was more interested in what was going to happen with Mick's marriage。 。。。more
Ken
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A quick read。 The story is just okay， but the author does a great job of providing an imaginative image of Appalachia and its people。
KM
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easy read， well written story
Thomas Henry
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Not as good as Kentucky Straight and Country Dark。
Bob Mustin
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Imagine an isolated portion of the U。S。 where law fails to govern life。 In Chris Offutt’s rural Kentucky， families are insular， having little to do with other ones。 Consequently， there are grudges， grudges are settled with guns， and Old Testament values prevail。In this work of fiction， Mick Hardin is an Army CID Warrant Officer home from Afghanistan because his wife is pregnant and about to deliver。 Mick’s sister， Linda is the local sheriff， a man has been killed in the deep woods， and she enlis Imagine an isolated portion of the U。S。 where law fails to govern life。 In Chris Offutt’s rural Kentucky， families are insular， having little to do with other ones。 Consequently， there are grudges， grudges are settled with guns， and Old Testament values prevail。In this work of fiction， Mick Hardin is an Army CID Warrant Officer home from Afghanistan because his wife is pregnant and about to deliver。 Mick’s sister， Linda is the local sheriff， a man has been killed in the deep woods， and she enlists Mick’s help in solving the crime。 Mick agrees and risks being arrested for being AWOL。 The gift of Offutt’s work here is understanding that even in the 21st century in this backwoods culture， many acts that would normally be considered felonies are – must be – forgiven and forgotten， and he makes this condition seem normal。Offutt’s prose， particularly his dialogue， is true to the vernacular of Appalachia。 Offutt has a particularly perceptive eye and ear for the woods of Kentucky and the people who live in it。 He tells his story smoothly with few bumps; it’s a book that lends itself to being read in one sitting。 If I were to criticize such a novel， one as close to perfect as you’ll normally find in the mystery genre， it’s that his dialogue occasionally pales and he’s overly generous with the details of narrative。 Finally， a book I truly enjoyed reading， one that didn’t torture my eyes and mind with failed hopes of turning to the next page to find good prose and well crafted story。My rating: 19 of 20 stars 。。。more
Sharon C
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The Killing Hills is the first novel I've read by Chris Offutt， but I can see from other reviews that he is quite popular and this latest book is getting a lot of positive buzz。 The novel's protagonist is Mick Hardin， who is with the Army CID。 He's back home in the backwoods of Kentucky because his wife is pregnant， but while he's there， he gets a request for help from his sister Linda， who is a sheriff。 A woman has been murdered， and Linda needs Mick's help to catch the killer。 Aside from Mick The Killing Hills is the first novel I've read by Chris Offutt， but I can see from other reviews that he is quite popular and this latest book is getting a lot of positive buzz。 The novel's protagonist is Mick Hardin， who is with the Army CID。 He's back home in the backwoods of Kentucky because his wife is pregnant， but while he's there， he gets a request for help from his sister Linda， who is a sheriff。 A woman has been murdered， and Linda needs Mick's help to catch the killer。 Aside from Mick and Linda， the third major character is the Appalachian territory where the action takes place。 Offutt does a fantastic job of bringing the area and its inhabitants to life。This is a very short novel， one that you can finish in a few hours。 It's a formulaic procedural that is well written， but it didn't ever really capture my attention or my empathy。 To me it was a simplistic version of a Jack Reacher novel （by novelist Lee Child）。 We have a taciturn loner， a career military man， whose capabilities are oversized。 If you enjoy this genre， definitely pick up The Killing Hills。 I'll stick with Reacher。My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Victoriya
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2。5 underwhelming ending， weak story
Debra
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I could not turn the pages fast enough as the tension moved the story along。 This is Kentucky where family is everything。 Feuds are real and scores are settled and the only right reason is revenge。 Characters are memorable even the bad ones。
Jason A Wick
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fabulous bookThe imagery is wonderful but not long-winded。 The main character is tough but likable， and he's observant， smart。 Overall， an easy read with a good plot， and an interesting portrayal of Appalachian culture。 fabulous bookThe imagery is wonderful but not long-winded。 The main character is tough but likable， and he's observant， smart。 Overall， an easy read with a good plot， and an interesting portrayal of Appalachian culture。 。。。more
Emily Sanders
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Wonderfully written， full of detailed imagery of both people and Kentucky。 I could almost hear the local accents in my head。 The mystery was secondary to the atmospheric writing。
Barb
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Not as good as Country Dark but still better than most books。 I get such a kick out of his vernacular！ I hope Mick Hardin comes back in another book。 Dare I hope for a sequel？
Tj
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Great book。 Mick reminds me of a cross between Jack Reacher and Raylan Givens。 The Kentucky holler setting had shades of a Raylan story， but this was its own animal。
Al
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Set in the same rural environment as Country Dark， TKH is a crime novel featuring Mick Hardin， a son of Kentucky who has a US Army career overseas as a Crime Investigator。 He's home on temporary leave to see about his wife， pregnant with their first child。 A murder has recently occurred， and Mick's sister， the local sheriff， asks for his help。 It's pretty standard fare， but the story elevated by Offutt's display of his knowledge and love of the Kentucky hills and the people who live （and die） t Set in the same rural environment as Country Dark， TKH is a crime novel featuring Mick Hardin， a son of Kentucky who has a US Army career overseas as a Crime Investigator。 He's home on temporary leave to see about his wife， pregnant with their first child。 A murder has recently occurred， and Mick's sister， the local sheriff， asks for his help。 It's pretty standard fare， but the story elevated by Offutt's display of his knowledge and love of the Kentucky hills and the people who live （and die） there。 If that environment interests you， you'll probably enjoy TKH。 。。。more
Sarah
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Beautifully written mystery。 A woman's body is discovered on a rural hill in Appalachian country。 Beautifully written mystery。 A woman's body is discovered on a rural hill in Appalachian country。 。。。more
Mary Robideaux
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I don't read many mysteries， but I do read Chris Offutt。 I can see this one being made into a movie。 There are enough plot set-ups to make this interesting。 Except for the protagonist and his sister， the characters are just throwaways but have interesting quirks。 The short format doesn't allow for much more development。 Mick and Linda were quite good and their circumstances were interesting。 While I wanted to give this a higher rating because of my reading history with this author， I did get tir I don't read many mysteries， but I do read Chris Offutt。 I can see this one being made into a movie。 There are enough plot set-ups to make this interesting。 Except for the protagonist and his sister， the characters are just throwaways but have interesting quirks。 The short format doesn't allow for much more development。 Mick and Linda were quite good and their circumstances were interesting。 While I wanted to give this a higher rating because of my reading history with this author， I did get tired of the back in the holler insularity of the story。 On the other hand， it was a quick read and I enjoyed it。So maybe 3 1/2 stars？？？ 。。。more
Luke X。
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