Code of the Hills by Chris Offutt

 

First Line: Janice drove slowly to avoid jostling the plastic containers of food on the floor behind her seat.

 

Mick Hardin has retired from the military. He plans to visit his sister in Kentucky and then head for a new life in Corsica. But plans have a habit of changing when you least expect it.

 

Mick's sister, Linda, is the recently reelected sheriff in Rocksalt, Kentucky. She and her deputy Johnny Boy Tolliver are investigating the murder of Pete Lowe, a talented mechanic at the local racetrack. Linda is shorthanded, so Mick reluctantly agrees to intervene in a family dispute. His intervention leads to his uncovering illegal cockfighting and another body that is somehow linked to Pete Lowe. 

 

Then Linda steps into harm's way, and Mick finds himself investigating the crimes himself.

 

~

 

I have been appreciating Chris Offutt's skill in characterization, in describing the landscape, and in acquainting his readers with the people and culture of the hills and hollers of eastern Kentucky. There is such a thing as the code of the hills, and it's brought to life here, even in the smallest of details such as the proper chair to sit in when visiting the home of a deceased man. Mick knows all these things, and readers can trust him to lead them through each situation.

 

I love Offutt's descriptive and often poetic language that can bring rural life into sharp focus: "...it scratched around in the back of his mind like a rat in a corn crib" or "...the junk store had been run by a man who was legendary for locking customers inside until they bought something." Having grown up in a small farm town, I'm familiar with playing in corn cribs (after being told not to), and of the "colorful" characters that can be found in rural communities. (Just ask me about Maxine.) I've also grown accustomed to taking note of the birds that make appearances in each of his books: indigo buntings, sparrows, crows, blue jays, owls, mourning doves, meadowlarks... Offutt has a way of bringing me right into the landscape so that I'm walking the hills right along with Mick.

Code of the Hills has a strong mystery and an even stronger setting and cast of characters. If you're the type of armchair sleuth who enjoys learning about out-of-the-way places and other cultures, make the acquaintance of Mick Hardin.

Code of the Hills by Chris Offutt

eISBN: 9780802161925

Grove Press © 2023

eBook, 220 pages

 

Noir, #3 Mick Hardin

Rating: A

Source: Purchased from Amazon.