Part of Butch Karp, book 14
First published 2003
Butch Karp enjoys a peaceful summer with his family at their Long Island farmhouse. His wife Marlene trains guard dogs while their daughter Lucy helps with the business and watches her twin brothers. The quiet breaks when Marlene befriends Rose Wickham-Heeney, a northeastern aristocrat married to West Virginia coal union leader Ralph "Red" Heeney. After weeks of barbecues and lazy afternoons together, the Karps learn that Rose, Red, and their daughter Lizzie have been murdered in McCullensburg. The West Virginia governor appoints Karp as special prosecutor to investigate the killings in the corrupt mining town. Karp must confront union bosses and their criminal associates while Marlene joins him in the dangerous hunt for the killers. The case forces Karp to protect his own family from the deep corruption that permeates the coal mining community.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: family-drama, investigation
Setting: Long Island, McCullensburg, West Virginia
Period: 20th-century
480 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Pocket Books
Content warnings: violence