A Killing at the Creek - (Ozarks Mysteries) by Nancy Allen (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Prosecutor Elsie Arnold loves her small-town home in the Ozark hills, but she's been waiting for a murder to come along and make her career. So when a body is found under a bridge, throat cut, Elsie jumps at the chance to work on the case, even if it's alongside the brash new chief assistant, Chuck Harris--and her latest flame, Detective Bob Ashlock.

But when the investigation reveals that the deceased woman was driving a school bus, and the police locate the vehicle, its interior covered in blood, the occupant and only suspect is a fifteen-year-old boy. Elsie's in for more than she bargained for.

Win or lose, this case will haunt her. No one has successfully prosecuted a juvenile for first-degree murder in McCown County. If she loses, it's her career on the line and a chilling homicide unresolved; if she wins, a boy's liberty will be taken from him before he reaches his sixteenth birthday.

Review Quotes

"Allen's heat-drenched Ozark courtrooms, her heroine stifled both literally and metaphorically by the circumstances surrounding her, are rendered hotter than hell by her talent for crafting a truly disturbing young villain. The Elsie Arnold series deserves to run and run." -- Alex Marwood, author of The Wicked Girls and The Killer Next Door

"A court investigation story with a quick pace and intriguing bits and pieces: a blood-covered school bus, teenagers who are as evil as Hannibal Lecter. If you're looking for a villain worthy of the name--or perhaps not?--then A Killing at the Creek is worth your time." -- Criminal Element

"A smartly written page-turner, and entertaining expose of Ozark justice and injustice." -- Reed Farrel Coleman, New York Times bestselling author of Robert B. Parker's Blind Spot

"An absorbing, authentic legal thriller that gives riveting insider glimpses into a world rife with injustice and robust personalities. Elsie Arnold is a dynamic character, quick-thinking and big-hearted. I LOVED this book." -- Kristi Belcamino, author of Blessed Are Those Who Weep