switterbug (Betsey)'s Reviews > A Killing in the Hills  A
Killing in the Hills by Julia Keller  's review Dec 04, 13  Read
from May 25 to 26, 2012  A Pulitzer prize-winning journalist
writes a first novel about a murder of three elderly men in the
West Virginia hill country. The possibilities intrigued me from
the first few pages, and I expected a well-written piece of work
--no fluff, no sloppiness, clean editing, and mature, solid plot
and theme structure. A good journalist is experienced in the
weight of a word, the sharpness of a sentence. Unfortunately,
this debut novel turned out to be derivative and prosaic, with
minimal tension and a telegraphed plot. It should also be billed
as a YA/crossover, due to the immoderately frisky voice, heavy-
handed platitudes, and transparent story.  In a rural mountain
coffee shop, the Salty Dawg, in the small town of Acker's Gap, a
door opens, a man aims a gun, and three men are shot in cold
blood. One of the witnesses is Carla, the sixteen-year-old
troubled daughter of