“This sensational small town crime thriller is a perfect beach read.” –Best ThrillersIt’s an unseasonably hot April night in 1965. The social revolutions rocking America have mostly bypassed Burr, a tiny rural community in western Oklahoma. Like much of the state, Burr remains as it’s always been: Religious. Conservative. And 100% white. When an unknown young African-American woman is found … 100% white. When an unknown young African-American woman is found murdered on the railroad tracks outside town, most of Burr would rather look the other way. The town’s police chief, troubled local hero and ex-Marine Emmett Hardy, doesn’t have that luxury. A lover of books and jazz in the land of football and country & western, Emmett is an outsider in a place he knows like the back of his hand. In his search for the killer, he’s forced to slice through layers of hate and hypocrisy to confront the ethical rot at the town’s core, while being haunted by the vision of a life and love that might have been.
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Really enjoyed this novel – got me into the same type of head space as Jim Thompson, but a little more mild. Great characters, awesome voice. Look forward to more from Chris Kelsey!
Great mystery until the end, realistic and compassionate characters. Hope to see more from this author.
This was the best book I’ve read in years.
I love this book! Old school and very entertaining. If you appreciate down home characters and dialog, you will love this book. A breath of fresh country air! It was like reading an old friend. I’ll keep my eye out for the second book by Chris Kelsey!
This is a book that creeps up on you and stays with you long after you finish it.
I am conflicted about this review. I loved all the humor at the beginning, especially since it’s southern humor. I also liked the suspense of trying to figure out the culprit. But all the typographical errors were maddening. And I despised how this author made the main character ‘s obvious alcoholism seem ok… it’s not. And then there were the gratuitous jabs at Christianity. Just too much to dislike to give it five stars. And the title is “off”.
just shows there are still some pepole with a contiounce
I really liked the main character, he was funny a lot and engaging as he tried to solve a murder. He didn’t have formal law enforcement training but seemed to be a natural at being a detective. All of the character were well drawn out.
hated the language!!
This is one of those books I could go back and read again. The main character told the story. He was purely human, had a lot of faults and more important he was beliveable as a person.
Excellent first book from a new author. I can hardly wait for his next book. Really took me back in time. Never been to Oklahoma so I found that interesting.
Luv the characters and the era it was written
IF you’ve been too or lived in the region talked about you recognize some of the characters otherwise, speaks to a time period.
The author deals with a subject that needs to see more light-of-day, that is -> how in many U.S. southern towns, black lives were valued differently than whites, especially when it came to the administration of ”justice” by an unequal & antiquated system controlled by whites. When a young AfroAmerica girl shows up dead in his town, the protagonist small town police chief goes against the grain to find find her murderer, even though state law enforcement personnel & local political D.A. would sweep the crime under the rug, after all: it is only a black girl. A good read with interesting, developed characters, and a message for us all.
Great read.
Excellent read.
This was a good story. I’d have preferred to have less strong language, though.
Old prejudices die hard. The south put on a new face when the civil rights act became law but deep down, the hard hearted held on for dear life to the old face, The mangled body of a black woman is found on the train tracks near to where Darlene, the one woman Sheriff Hardy has ever cared for, lives with her wealthy husband. Did he put the woman there? Who else could have done this crime and why? Characters are complex and the book held my attention to the end.
This is a great read! The character development and writing is excellent. The plot is airtight and keeps you guessing, and turning pages, to the end. The author created a fantastic story that will make you laugh, at times make you feel like crying and always glued to the pages.
I didn’t realize when I started reading this book it was set decades earlier. It started out a little to “folksy” for me with the way the Sheriff spoke about people and places. All in all, the characters were likable and the story kept me interested.