Another great book by this author. This is a good series with great characters, hope the author will continue it. ( )

Code of the Hills by Chris Offutt
Mick Hardin #3

Stepping back into the Kentucky hill country with Mick, two years after he left, sees him drawn away from his retirement plans to once again deal with local crimes and solve murders. Great addition to the series!

What I liked:
* Mick Hardin: * retired Army CID officer, born and bred in the hills the story is set in, knows the culture, has an interesting moral compass, protective, puzzle solver, intelligent, lethal, someone I would want on my side, a bit of a loner, finds peace in the woods, a good man
* Linda Hardin: town sheriff, Mick’s sister, intelligent, professional, a bit of a loner, good leader, injured on the job in this book, wondering what her storyline will look like in the future
* Sandra: police dispatcher, divorced, seems to see Mick for who and what he is, might still be a potential love interest for Mick in the future
* Raymond: ex-marine, in relationship with JC, helps with JC’s taco truck business, an equal to Mick in many ways though more capable of maintaining a relationship
* Johnny Boy: deputy sheriff, map collector, talkative, wouldn’t mind being in a relationship, methodical, intelligent, has much to ponder
* How the community values and expectations play such a big part in the stories in this series
* The descriptions of the area and how they played a part in the story
* Police procedural aspects of the story, where they led, and how the various cases were tied up and dealt with by the end of the book
* Wondering what favors will be called in by Flowers and Shorty that Mick will one day need to repay
* Thinking about what will happen next in the series

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* The idea of revenge and how family feuds never actually end if one person is always needing to have their death avenged

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Definitely

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars ( )