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The Rock Hole

by Reavis Z. Wortham
The Rock Hole: A Red River Mystery. Jun. 2011. Poisoned Pen. c.250p. ISBN 9781590588840. $24.95; pap. ISBN 9781590588864. $14.95. M
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Texan farmer Ned Parker takes his part-time role as a constable seriously, so when mutilated animals with symbolic messages attached to their bodies start showing up in his neck of the woods, he pays attention. He makes sure his friend, black deputy sheriff John Washington, knows about the crimes as well. His ten-year-old grandson, Top, has just come to live with the Parkers, and much of this tale is told from Top's viewpoint. If anyone was hoping for an Andy of Mayberry story, this isn't it, because the rural area is harboring a serial killer. And the killer has plans for Parker's family.
VERDICT Wortham does a great job of creating a foreboding atmosphere from the get-go. His assured debut is multilayered and shows his love of storytelling. The juxtaposition of the old ways with the new era—the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War
Reviewed by Teresa L. Jacobsen , May 01, 2011
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