Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

The tightly interwoven community of -Acker's Gap, WV, will never experience another 24 hours like this day. Drugs have caused a problem before, but now a batch of heroin laced with a toxic substance is wreaking particular devastation. As many in the area overdose or die, the race is on for county prosecutor Bell Elkins, the sheriff, and the EMTs who frantically rush to save lives and identify the local dealer. As people's stories emerge amid the tragedy, we learn about a burgeoning interracial romantic relationship, a damaged veteran who painfully yearns to parent his young daughter, and a kind pastor who is not quite what he seems. Bell's sister, Shirley, who served time for killing their father, also shares a tale, one that leads to a stunning, life-altering discovery for Bell. VERDICT Keller (Pulitzer Prize winner for Feature Writing; Summer of the Dead) tackles the current national opioid epidemic in an economically ravaged Appalachian region. This outstanding, taut mystery presents an important social issue with compassion and great humanity. [See Prepub Alert, 2/13/17.]-Gloria Drake, Oswego P.L. Dist., IL © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Despite its 24-hour timeline, Keller's sixth Bell Elkins novel (after 2016's Sorrow Falls) feels less than urgent. In a plot inspired by a true story, a tainted batch of heroin makes its way through Acker's Gap, W.Va., putting police and paramedics into overtime as dozens of addicts overdose. County prosecutor Bell and Deputy Jake Oakes quickly trace the source and warn a community to which they sometimes turn a blind eye. Procedural readers will be disappointed by the lack of case-changing reveals, but they may be assuaged by Keller's skill in depicting the strained relationship between a realistic but unjaded law enforcement team and those whom they could but don't generally prosecute, while treating all the players with human compassion. Keller keeps a core series theme-deep connections in a small multigenerational community-strong by bringing in old family secrets through a secondary plot focusing on child abuse and dramatic developments in Bell's relationship with her ex-felon sister. Agent: Lisa Gallagher, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

A macabre 24 hours discloses a world of pain for Raythune County, West Virginia.Acker's Gap, the county seat, embodies all that's gone wrong in Appalachia. The loss of dangerous but well-paying coal mining jobs has sunk many of the residents into an apathy so deep it can be relieved only for short periods by the cheap heroin flooding the area. Just after midnight, sheriff's deputy Jake Oakes, arriving at the local gas station, finds a young woman near death from an overdose. Bell Elkins, the county's tough chief prosecutor, is a local who came home eight years ago to make a difference (Sorrow Road, 2016, etc.). But now she's seriously considering a proposal from a law school friend to become a partner in a new firm in D.C. Bell refuses to let her love affair go anywhere, and the hopeless poverty and drug abuse surrounding her is getting her down. The night brings more and more reports of overdoses. Most victims are treated with Narcan and recover, but several die, including the first woman, who came from a loving family, and a wealthy lawyer. Once they learn that the heroin has been cut with a fatal dose of elephant tranquilizer, the sheriff's department and EMT squads race with death as they treat more overdoses and scramble to find the local distributor. In the morning, Bell's sister, Shirley, who served a jail sentence for killing their abusive father, tries to meet with her following a discussion with pastor Paul Wolford to discuss two life-changing secrets she's been harboring. The passing hours gradually reveal the pain, suffering, indifference, and duplicity of people who will do dangerous and illegal things to stay afloat. Although Bell's not religious, a hymn a friend recites to her brings her a moment of peace that looks depressingly short-lived. Keller's prose is so pure that her exploration of the desperate scourge of drugs and poverty and her forecast of a grim future for her heroine are a joy to read. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

*Starred Review* Prosecutor Bell Elkins has fought the scourge of drug addiction in Acker's Gap, West Virginia, for years. Then, on a single day, the problem peaks after a batch of heroin laced with toxic carfentanil causes multiple overdoses and several deaths. More than one authority figure voices the problem, but many think that people who use drugs have no one but themselves to blame. But those whose job is to protect the populace still work feverishly to find the local dealer and spread the word about the bad heroin. In the midst of this crisis, Bell's sister, Shirley, has vital secrets to share; a damaged vet fights to keep his young daughter in his life; feelings grow between a deputy and an EMT; and a compassionate pastor confronts his failings. Keller's series featuring Bell Elkins is remarkable for its humanity and its fully realized characters, Bell foremost among them. Here two of the people who matter most to Elkins her daughter, Carla, and Elkins' lover, Clay appear only in brief text messages, as Bell focuses on the problems at hand and her own future, with a stunning revelation in the closing pages leaving only questions. Keller's finely honed prose and emotional depth mark this series as exceptional in the world of crime fiction.--Leber, Michele Copyright 2017 Booklist