A Southern Noir, full of twists and humour. A well plotted and gripping story that kept me hooked and turning pages.
I'm loving this series and this was the best installment so far
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Chris Offutt returns with his latest offering in his wonderful Mick Hardin series, he has left army CID after serving 20 years, retiring with plans to go live in Corsica, but feels the need to return briefly to Rocksalt in the Kentucky hills, and see his sister, Linda, the sheriff. He is apprehensive at seeing dispatcher Sandra Caldwell again after leaving and not contacting her again in the 2 years since. It's a delight to return to the Appalachians location which Offut skilfully brings alive and a set of what have become a familiar supporting community of offbeat characters, such as RayRay and Shifty Kissick. A local mechanic, Pete Lowe, has been shot dead, with Linda and Deputy Johnny Boy Tolliver short on any leads in their murder investigation, when another dead body is discovered, along with a rattlesnake in a box.

Matters take a serious turn when Linda is shot at a scene where a man is later found to have been killed, shot dead, with Linda never having used her gun. Linda has everyone worried sick as she undergoes emergency surgery at the hospital, meaning she will not be returning as sheriff for some months as she faces a tough road ahead of recovery and rehabilitation. Johnny is now the temporary sheriff, he mulls over the appearance of a stranger whose facial features feel familiar, feeling out of his depth, he makes Mick his deputy. A determined Mick is going to get to the bottom of what happened to Linda, whatever it takes, and this includes him going to Detroit in Michigan, where to get information, he makes a deal with the terrifying Charley Flowers that is likely to bring nothing but trouble in the future.

As Mick gets to the bottom of all the mysteries, he chooses to deploy what his grandfather referred to as 'the code of the hills', which to be honest I am really not sure about. However, other than that, this is a gloriously entertaining and humorous Southern read, with its cock fighting, snake poison, the law being called out for ghosts, revenge and more. What pleases me is that it looks like Mick will be hanging around in Kentucky and Rocksalt for the forseeable future, so I look forward to his next adventure! Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

Mick Hardin is back in the hills of Kentucky, he planned to only stay for a little while before heading to France to mark the end of his army career. His sister the sheriff in Rocksalt is investigating a murder of a local mechanic working at the racetrack named Pete Lowe and when a second body is found she wonders if the murders could be related, when a third one is found and she finds herself in harms way Mick is deputized again and uncovers evidence of illegal cockfighting and attempt to connect all the crimes.

Mick has finally retired from the Army and he's set to live on Corsica but first he's back in Rocksalt-and now he can't leave. His sister Linda is the sheriff and she, along with her deputy Johnny Boy, find themselves with a mess of a murder case involving a man who worked at the speedway and raised chickens. And then Linda is shot when she goes out on a domestic violence case. Johnny Boy becomes acting sheriff and he deputizes Mick, who knows more about investigating than the others will ever learn. He's angry, he's worried about his sister, and he's going to use all his old sources to find both Linda's attacker and the answer to the murders. I like this series a lot for the atmospherics and for the characters- not just the main three but also Mama Shifty, Ray Ray, Sandra, and the rest. And that Mick sees shades of grey that others don't and is willing to blur the margins without subverting anything. You might not agree with all of his decisions here but you will understand them. This is thoughtful and thought provoking. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. Terrific read and I'm curious about where this will go next. Oh- and I'll never look at a chameleon the same way.

Mick Hardin is back in the Hills. He has come to say goodbye but as ever the local community where he grew up won’t let him go.

The 3rd in this series set in deep America, is another seriously fine slice of Crime Noir from an author who writes with a blistering pen and brutal authenticity.

Mick Hardin is tough, uncompromising character, you could call him Reacher, but it’s very much a more adult, serious Reacher.

The book isn’t huge so with the great pacing, it really does fly by. It’s superb writing, easily read as a standalone but read them all because it’s top tier US Crime.

The sense of place is outstanding, the atmosphere really reverberates off the page.

And there is clearly more to come.

Top Class.

4 stars. This was an enjoyable read and I love the cover. I'll try more books by this author. Apologies for the late review.

Mick Hardin has quit the army and is on his way to Corsica but before this - he is on his way home where he gets pulled into an investigation (again) and somehow manages to become the worst sheriff ever
Favourite bit was when he was considering the water emerging from the tap
A great addition to the Mick Hardin series

I'm really sorry to say that I struggled with this one.
I found the writing style required for a novel set in a rural USA town just too hard going and I stumbled with it.
I'm sure the author has a great following so it's probably just me but I'm afraid I had to pass on this one.

Quick paced, exciting,engaging read. I’d be interested in reading more by this author! Main character was overall likeable and easy to invest in.

Code of the Hills is the third adventure for Mick Hardin. Having done his 20 years in the Army, Mick is home for a few days before starting his new life living in France. As with the first couple of books, Code of the Hills is set in the Appalachian Hills, and a great deal of the pleasure is the interaction of the cast of characters. A murder occurs, then quickly followed by another and Mick is tasked with using his CID skills to solve both. There is never any doubt will work it all out, it is just the method he uses, and the solutions to all the problems along the way that will keep the reader very entertained. There is a very strong hint that there will be more Mick Hardin mysteries in the future, I will be reading them all.

I first encountered “Jimmy Hardin’s boy, Mick” and his supporting cast of colourful and engaging characters in ‘Shifty’s Boys’ and I gave it a 5 star review. I was delighted to be given the opportunity to renew acquaintance with the Rocksalt folk, and the unique Kentucky hill country culture and atmosphere that Chris Offutt portrays so well, in ‘Code of the Hills’ and this book also gets the full 5 stars from me. It is a pacey, witty yet thoughtful story which centres on the importance of family and what men and women will do to protect theirs. A riveting read.

Mick Hardin, civilian. That will take some getting used to. Twenty years in the US military and out. Whilst assisting his sister, herself in law enforcement, Mick finds some dark corners in Kentucky and some even darker individuals. There’s a delicious noir vibe to the narrative. It’s widely known that the U.S. states have different laws between them and that aspect is cleverly capitalised on here. In terms of the backbone of the story, Mick’s sister is integral but the focus is very much on Mick and what he can and indeed wants to achieve. More so than the first two novels in this series, Mick isn’t taking any prisoners and being fresh from the military, he’s highly charged. A really broody read and one that showcases Mick Hardin as a man to keep on the right side of.