The Mystery, Crime, and Thriller Group discussion

Please join Grace for your discussion of The Cumberland Killers: A Kentucky Mystery. There is also a spoiler thread for this book. Happy reading!

Hi all, glad to see this mystery got picked. Please share your comments and critiques as we go along.

I enjoyed the mysteries told in the first person, by the main character, such as the Longmire books and the Bernie Gunther historical mysteries, so I decided to check this book out, since the main character tells the story. I was not disappointed. This mystery starts out in a college town and includes a road trip into a remote spot in the Appalachian mountains with some interesting twists and turns. Enjoyed it very much, and I wish the author would get around to finishing a sequel.

I liked this book a lot, especially since it takes place in several parts of my home state, Kentucky. Here's a tip for those reading now, the fictitious town of Eureka, I think is really Bowling Green. The author posted a road trip map, I forget where, and it sure looks like Bowling Green is where the story starts. Then it moves deep into the mountains. Will post more on the spoiler thread later.

The story is more than just good guys vs bad guys, as some of the murder suspects turn out to have had tragic lives. I also found the historical detail from 1985 fascinating.
The road trip described in the book is here. The author posted it awhile back on his Goodreads blog.
https://tinyurl.com/s6z64gg

I am planning to join. Rural Noir and Southern Mysteries are becoming favorites. Thank you for sharing the extra content.

Just started this one and I’m reading the physical copy, not on a tablet. I really wish I was reading on a tablet though because every inch of space on the page is used, it’s overwhelming. Hoping I can look past it and jump into the story.

This book was crammed with interesting characters but it moved right along. I enjoyed the historical and environmental detail as they journeyed into the mountains in the mid-1980s. Seems funny to think about, but I suppose the '80's now qualify as 'historical fiction' for some. I will post more observations in the spoiler section later on.

Thanks. I knew I had seen a map of that road trip somewhere.
I enjoyed the story very much and the characters were an interesting bunch.

Harry wrote: "The story is more than just good guys vs bad guys, as some of the murder suspects turn out to have had tragic lives. I also found the historical detail from 1985 fascinating.
The road trip describe..."

I really enjoyed this book. It has a real sense of place, and the historical references to the 1980's were quite interesting. The environmental angle was handled very well and I thought the characters were intriguing. The first book in the series was pretty good but this one was much better. Will post another comment in the spoiler section.

I liked it. One particular bad guy was portrayed so well, you really wanted him to get his just desserts. The Russell character was a good story teller, his point of view was interesting.

Most books I finish quickly, I don’t know what it is about this one but I am struggling to dive in. Not quite half way yet and I like it enough but still can’t find the bit that really grips me and begs me to keep reading. It’s seriously in danger of getting abandoned for a long awaited preorder that arrived on my doorstep today 🙈

For me, the plot really took off when they took the job at the illicit logging camp. More clues began to come in and the main character, Russell... .well, I'll just say he makes interesting connections as he goes along.

Wow did this book start off sloooowww. I really wondered if I would finish it but I am glad I stuck with it! While the first 100-150 pages didn’t really draw me in, the last 100 or so pages kept me going and I finished the last bit in one sitting. Overall a decent book, I just wish it would have picked up the pace earlier on.

I enjoyed it. Interesting main character tells the story and he is not the usual hard-bitten detective but rather a young guy who seeks to solve the murders from a sense of outrage as much as anything.
Very interesting environmental aspects added depth to it, I thought.

One of the things I liked about the book was the portrayal of things happening in the 1980s and how they were a prelude to much of what we see today. Like the family farms going under and the problems newspapers were running into. I worked for a newspaper briefly and that was a real nostalgia trip. And of course the environmental issues have kept building since that time as well.

Hi!

I've just begun reading this one. Since it isn't available in audible format, it may take me a while; my eyes aren't what they used to be! Please bear with me?

Glennie, I am also from Kentucky (Owensboro from age 7, with my BA degree from Murray State; thus my interest in this book.

Welcome Pam, I will be interested in your observations on the book, since to me, it seemed to carry a strong sense of place in Kentucky, and the people.

Pam wrote: "Hi!

I've just begun reading this one. Since it isn't available in audible format, it may take me a while; my eyes aren't what they used to be! Please bear with me?

Glennie, I am also from Kentuc..."

Hi Pam, I don't know if you noticed, but earlier in this discussion one of the readers posted the author's map showing the route of their road trip. My theory is, the University that Russell went to was probably Western Kentucky in Bowling Green, which he disguised as Eureka. Seems like all the other places are real, though.


Pam wrote: "Hi!

I've just begun reading this one. Since it isn't available in audible format, it may take me a while; my eyes aren't what they used to be! Please bear with me?

Glennie, I am also from Kentuc..."

I've spent a lot of time in Kentucky and really enjoyed the descriptions and characters. The mystery was pretty good too and I was a bit surprised when the killer was finally revealed.

I was able to write a post about this book https://thenewbookreview.blogspot.com... and there are pictures that might help identify the area. I liked the environmental aspects and surprising end. I thought it was an excellent read.

I agree, the story wrapped a lot of history in with the mystery, especially the destruction of mountain habitat. Nice review on that site...
Carolyn wrote: "I was able to write a post about this book https://thenewbookreview.blogspot.com... and there are pictures that might help identify the area. I lik..."

Thanks to everyone who contributed to the discussion. I know at least a couple of people are still reading the book, so you are welcome to weigh in.