A Killing in the Hills and Bitter River by Julia Keller

In A Killing in the Hills, the rural West Virginian town of Acker's Gap is stunned when three seniors gathered together for coffee are summarily gunned down. The town's prosecuting attorney, Bell Elkins, is determined to get to the bottom of the shooting and restore the quiet to her small town. Unfortunately, her teenage daughter, Carla, witnessed the killing and decides to solve the mystery too, without realizing the danger involved. Murder continues in Bitter River, when a pregnant teen is found dead in a river but not from drowning. Bell has her hands full solving the girl's death while puzzling out why her close friend, the town sheriff, is so distracted and remote, and why an old acquaintance from her city life in D.C. has suddenly resurfaced in her small town.

Keller keeps the suspense building throughout her Bell Elkins mystery series but doesn't sacrifice the detailed descriptions and atmospheric setting of rural Appalachia. This is a wonderful new series that will appeal to most mystery fans, especially those who enjoy realistic characters dealing with a lot of family drama. For newcomers to the series, be sure to delve into the rest of the Bell Elkins series, and for established fans, the fourth installment, Last Ragged Breath, will be out in August.