I picked up this book on a whim because I scanned the description and it sounded great, and I have heard wonderful things about Julia Keller. The Cold Way Home is a mystery thriller with a lot of depth to the plot and the characters. When I realized it was the eighth book in a series, I worried I’d struggle to connect to the story. I didn’t experience that at all. This could have been the first book, which is a compliment to a long-running series author.

The book centers around a complex woman named Bell Elkins, who has lived in Ackers Gap, West Virginia her whole life. Elkins works as a self-employed private investigator, though we learn that she was previously the town prosecutor. This story arc happened in the first seven books, but Keller does a great recap of it in The Cold Way Home that helped me understand Elkins—her history and who she is now.

Bell’s past as a prosecutor in West Virginia makes her a uniquely qualified character to solve the complex mystery in this small town. Bell’s experience as a lawyer isn’t her only experience with the law—we learn that she also served a prison term for killing her abusive father as a child. As the book opens, Bell is waiting to reapply for her law license and working as a private investigator in the meantime with two friends and colleagues: retired sheriff Nick Fogelsong who is in the process of a divorce, and former police officer Jake Oakes who was shot in the line of duty and is now in a wheelchair.

The Appalachia are in the midst of the opioid crisis, particularly the Huntington area where they live. The story opens with a startling and powerful scene that launches the reader straight into the story. A teenager named Dixie Sue is missing and her mother has contracted Bell, Nick, and Jake to find her. Jake is pursuing leads to locate Dixie Sue. Meanwhile a body is discovered in the woods near the ruins of a former mental institution outside of Ackers Gap and Bell accompanies the sheriff to notify the family.

It turns out the victim is not Dixie Sue. It’s a woman named Darla Gilley who had left her husband and was living in her family’s attic. Her brother Joe is close friends with Nick. Joe’s wife Brenda had given Darla a ride to town that morning. They also learn that her grandmother had been murdered at psychiatric facility, but the case has gone cold.

Darla mailed a family diary to Nick before her death that was written by her grandmother Bessie who worked at the young age of 14 at the mental institution, Wellwood. Bessie’s diary details her time working there and people she met, as well as horrible accounts of the lobotomies performed at the psychiatric institution and mistreatment of patients.

Bell and her colleagues pursue and clear different suspects and follow leads, including Darla’s ex-husband and a truck driver who had given her a ride and returned her purse to her family. Other leads suggest the possibility that a second diary exists. As the investigation continues, the case gets more complicated and information from the diaries seems to hold the key to solve the case.

A troubling case with compelling characters and relationships make this a gripping mystery. I liked Bell and want to go back and visit books where she was still serving as a prosecutor. I would imagine she was even more tenacious and intelligent than she was in this book. This is a story about despair, family, pain, and loyalty. It’s also a novel that ultimately provides hope despite darker themes.

This is my first book written by author Julia Keller. I enjoyed her writing style….it flowed beautifully. I would like to go back and read the previous books. I think this would give me more insight into the backstory of the characters.
Private investigators working together to investigate the murder of a young woman.
The setting is in a small Appalachian town.
The characters are engaging with strong personalities.
A very engrossing story that will keep you engaged throughout the story.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Two different storylines going on in this one -- both were good, but they were so distinctly different that they didn't seem to work with each other. A woman is killed in West Virginia, found dead in the woods in the ruins of an old asylum, near where her grandmother (who had worked at the asylum) had been killed years before. Keller digs into the history of asylums and the way women were sent away -- and in some cases lobotomized to make them "more compliant". Solid mystery with an end I didn't see coming.

Eighth book in this compelling series. a series that is centered in a small town in Wv .A town that is afflicted with mental health issues the opioid crisis .A cast of characters that come alive that feel real .Highly recommend this series that could come from today’s headlines.#betgalley #st.martinspress

My mom was born in Huntington West Virginia and I live across the river in Ohio, thats what drew me to this book. I am so glad I chose to request this book. I really liked the mystery and the development of the characters. I have bought the first two books in the series and plan to read all of them.

This was a contemporary mystery featuring three private detectives trying to solve a murder centered around an abandoned psychiatric hospital. It's book 8 in a series; I didn't realize that when I requested it, but it didn't detract from my reading experience. I really liked how realistic the dialogue was, but I feel like in order to understand the characters more I should have started at the beginning of the series. 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4!

The Cold Way Home is the right book in the series and the first I have read. This is a great book that touches on a lot of issues that all towns face and could be read as a standalone. I am going to go back and read the other books. Written well and great characters.

Bell may not be Acker's Gap county prosecutor anymore but she is still making a difference. she and Jake and the former sheriff, Nick Fogelsong have formed there own private detective agency. When they are asked to look for the missing Dixie Sue Folsom, they get more than they bargained for. The story turns on the old state mental hospital moldering in the woods. Bad things happened there and some people are still trying to keep those things buried. I just loved Keller's books about Acker's Gap. Keller always gives us a good mystery but what she does brilliantly is show us the pathos of Appalachian America and the terrible straits it is in.

Minotaur Books and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of The Cold Way Home. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Bell Elkins is no longer a prosecutor in the small West Virginia town of Acker's Gap, but is trying to help law enforcement fill in the cracks in the system by working as a private investigator. Joined in partnership with former sheriff Nick Fogelsong and former deputy Jake Oakes, the team is given the case of a missing teenager that leads them straight into the tortured past of the region. Will the investigation lead the trio straight into danger?

I have read all of the previous novels featuring Bell Elkins and I do not necessarily like the direction that the author has taken. Bell's abilities as a member of the legal profession gave her more depth, leading the character on a very different path than now. The historical background was more interesting than the novel itself, which was a disappointment to me. I really like Bell for her honesty, her intelligence, and her abilities as a first rate investigator and lawyer, but none of this came through in this novel. Readers new to the series should absolutely start at the beginning, but I am hesitant to recommend this novel.

The novels that Julia Keller, a Pulitzer Prize winning author, writes are never easy reads...but, boy, are they good! Each book is set in Ackers Gap, West Virginia, a place that faces far too many harsh realities. There are many drug problems, crushing poverty, a lack of resources and yet...people persevere.

This title is the eighth in the series which began with A Killing in the Hills. Long time readers will want to catch up with Bell Elkins, a former attorney (to know why "former" you need to read the earlier books), Jake, who is disabled (to know why, you need to read the earlier books) and Nick, the former sheriff. The three now run their investigative firm. Each has a rich and complex backstory of life events and relationships. Because of the depth of backstory, old readers, like me, are eager for updates but you can also read this novel as a stand alone.

I have learned to trust this author, even when the official book description sounds bleak. In this one, the devastating story has to do with a former hospital where lobotomies were performed on women who were "troublesome" and certainly not capable of giving consent or even asked about consent. This historical malpractice figures in the story that takes place in the current day even though the hospital has been long closed. So...oh, no is what I thought. Not sure I can go there but...I am so glad to have read this title.

There is despair in this one but also glimmers of hope. There is also a death to be investigated, lots of local color and beautifully delineated characters, even minor ones such as a trucker and a librarian.

I give The Long Way Home 5 stars, not something I do often. I recommend it most highly.

Many, many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this book in exchange for an honest review. I am already longing for the next in the series.

This is the third Belfa Elkins book of Keller's that I have read, and they are all excellent. Belfa (Bell) is a strong female character. Formerly a prosecutor, Bell is now working with two friends (Jake and Nick) as private investigators in Ackers Gap, West Virginia. In Keller's talented hands, Ackers Gap is as much a character as Bell and the others. In fact, as a reader, I felt overwhelmed by the grayness and coldness that is WV winter. I also felt overwhelmed by the hard times that places like WV are going through right now, with unemployment and hard times and opioids. Keller draws quite a picture., and honestly, I felt thoroughly depressed as I read The Cold Way Home.

As the novel begins, Bell and her partners are hired by the mother of a teenaged girlfriend who is missing. As Bell searches for the missing girl, she stumbles upon a dead body deep in the woods of Ackers Gap, on the site of a demolished sanitarium. The town sheriff then hires Bell and company to help her solve the mystery of the murdered woman. As opposed to other books in the series that I have read, I just couldn't really get into this one. I felt that the murderer's motivation was really weak and not at all compelling. Nonetheless, fans of the series will definitely want to pick up this latest offering. It's also an easy book to read as a stand-alone

My thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan for providing an advance soft copy of this novel in return for an honest review.

4.5 rounded up.
This is the 8th in the series and I had read them all but this one could be read as a stand alone. Keller really brings you into the bleakness of WVA and slams home the effects of the opioid epidemic on the area. These characters live tough lives and you feel that without becoming despondent over it. The story also brought in the story of what was done to spirited women in the past. While this is a fictional book these are events that did happen. The mystery was solid. I did not suspect the murderer at all until the reveal.

Even at 8 books this series stays solid.
I was given a copy from Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

The Cold Way Home – Julia Keller

It’s another night in Ackers Gap, WV, and Deputy Brinksneader is ready to call his shift done, and head home to his wife’s cooking, when a call comes in to assist with an incident at the Burger Boss. Upon entering, it becomes apparent that paramedics are treating yet another drug overdose in the grimy bathroom stall. Until they find a just birthed infant in the toilet…

Meanwhile Bell, a former prosecutor, Nick, the former Sheriff & Jake, a deputy who is wheelchair bound after line of duty injury, are settling into their investigative office to review their ongoing cases. Most pressing is the disappearance of a young teenager. Following a lead, Bell walks deep in the woods to the grounds of an old psychiatric hospital in search of the missing Dixie Sue, and stumbles across a prone body that bears the evidence of a homicide.

As local police arrive and turn the victim over, Bell realizes it’s not the missing teen at all – its Darla Gilley, the sister of a local, Joe Gilley. But why in the world would she be up at the old Wellwood Hospital site? And who would want to kill her? Why?

Nick & Bell visit the family in hopes of finding some clues, and what they learn is perplexing. As they work to find the missing teen, they also work to solve Darla’s murder, As Bell digs deep, she finds and old diary, and learns some very unpleasant things about the old psychiatric hospital in the woods…and in doing so, she inadvertently crosses paths with a killer. A killer determined to keep the past where it belongs…

This is my first novel by Julia Keller and I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed it! The main characters are all likeable and I enjoy the insights into their pasts as well as who they are today, particularly the dilemma that Jake and girlfriend Molly have to contend with. I do not know if this is a standalone or not, but I sincerely hope that these characters appear in future works – I’d love to learn more of Nick & Bell’s past, which she alludes to a bit in this story. So, here’s hoping!! Ms. Keller gets an A+ from this reader! I look forward to reading more of her works!

I was fortunate to receive this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley, in exchange for an objective review. This review will also publish to my blog, tropicaldelusions.blog,.

Bitter River was my introduction to Acker's Gap, West Virginia and Bell Elkins. Acker's Gap, a small town in Appalachia must deal with the problems of poverty, unemployment, and drugs that have typified areas of Appalachia. The Cold Way Home is the 8th book in the series, and an awful lot has happened to the characters since Bitter River. (I intended to continue with the series, but somehow never did.)

Although I missed all the books in between, The Cold Way Home can be read as a stand-alone as the plot is contained within the pages of the novel.

At least ten years have past since Bitter River, and Bell has had quite a few live changes: she is no longer the county prosecutor, her daughter is grown, Nick Fogleman has retired and there is a new sheriff. The lives of the characters have continued and situations have changed--as they do in the normal course of living.

Currently, Bell, Nick , and Jake Oakes have formed a small detective agency, often assisting the sheriff and prosecutor when they are overwhelmed with other problems. The three decide to take the case of a missing young woman: Dixie Sue is nineteen, but "simple" as her mother tells Bell.

Someone has seen Dixie Sue and her new boyfriend in the woods near Wellwood, a psychiatric hospital that burned to the ground in the 1960's, and when Bell treks up the ruins of the hospital, she discovers the body of a woman. The body is face down, and Bell assumes it is Dixie Sue, but once the sheriff and coroner arrive, the body turns out to be Darla Gilley.

Who would want to kill Darla? The detective team gets involved with the investigation and all kinds of secrets eventually come to light--especially concerning the hospital itself and those who worked there.

The early treatment of the mentally ill was especially grotesque, and patients were committed for reasons that were not always medical. Although Wellwood may be a fictional facility, Walter F. Freeman was a real person and practiced until 1967. Spoiler: (view spoiler)

NetGalley/St. Martin's Press
Mystery. August 20, 2019. Print length: 320 pages.

THE COLD WAY HOME
Julia Keller
Minotaur Books
ISBN 987-1250191229
Hardcover
Mystery

I have developed an affinity to Julia Keller’s Bell Elkins/Acker’s Gap series. Acker’s Gap exists in that foggy neverland between fiction and reality, modeled after a real-world small town on the outskirts of Huntington, West Virginia which has been assimilated into its big brother’s city limits but continues to exist as a neighborhood. Bell Elkins, Keller’s complex heroine, has lived in the area for all of her life. Her circumstances have changed as the series has evolved so that the former town prosecutor is now self-employed as a private investigator. The story of how this came to be is set out in full in the previous seven volumes of this series but is summarized in the newly-published THE COLD WAY HOME, which takes Elkins further along the path which BONE ON BONE, the preceding installment in the canon. And which gives Elkins’ experience as a resident of the area a leg up on solving a bizarre crime which has its roots many decades in the past.

The opioid crisis which plagues Appalachia generally and the Huntington area specifically is displayed front and center as THE COLD WAY HOME commences with a startling vignette that will launch any number of readers (including this one) out of their seats. Keller, who honed her writing chops as a reporter for the Columbus Dispatch and the Chicago Tribune, knows how to get the attention of her audience and keep it, and displays this knowledge early on. The vignette in question hovers like a shadow over the book from beginning to end. It shares space, however, with a search that is undertaken when a young woman, one who has not learned the lesson of the evil of bad companions, goes missing. Her mother hires Elkins’ team of investigators, which includes former sheriff Nick Fogelson and former deputy Jake Oakes, to find her. A rumor here and a tip there lead Elkins to a grim discovery, that being a dead body with a fatal wound that is obviously anything but self-inflicted. The location of the find is almost as grim as the discovery. The body is located on the ruins of Wellwood, a notorious psychiatric hospital for the poor that burned to the ground decades before. The woods around the destroyed hospital was a play area for Elkins during her childhood, but for the most part, the area has anything but good memories for her. Elkins and her team, not to mention local law enforcement, are faced with an uphill battle while trying to speak for the dead woman. They must uncover why she was where she was at the time of her death and the motive for killing her in order to bring the murderer to justice. All that they have going for them, at least at first, is a mysterious meeting that the deceased had with someone at the town diner. Then, a package is received at Elkins’ office, one which helps to slowly unravel the the dark and mysterious ribbon that is wrapped around the box that hides the mystery. Meanwhile, Elkins, Fogelson, and Oakes are each attempting to deal with their own issues in both the past and present, all of which have an effect upon the ultimate outcome of the story and with the series going forward. Surprises abound as revelations occur. Keep yourself strapped in as you read.

Keller in THE COLD WAY HOME reminds me of Helen Fuller Orton, a prolific children’s mystery author who wrote books which were often set in rustic settings. Orton could wring every bit of mystery out of a situation without the reader knowing it and make it look interesting while populating her books with identifiable and sympathetic characters. While Keller’s Elkins series (and THE COLD WAY HOME) is most definitely not for children, her ability to dig dark, less than obvious plots out of dark landscapes is noteworthy. One takes the sense in THE COLD WAY HOME that she is just getting started with her tales of Bell Elkins and the streets of Acker’s Gap, and I for one will be happy to read them as long as she continues to write them. Recommended.

Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
© Copyright 2019, The Book Report, Inc. All rights reserved.

This was a great addition to the Bell Elkins series. I cannot wait to read the next one, as each of these books is full of drama and mystery with great characters and stellar writing!

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley!

This was my first book by Julia Keller, and I was NOT disappointed. This book touched down on small town issues such as mental illness, drug addiction, and more. There was suspense, great characters, and relatable story. I plan on reading many more by this author!

Ever since her first book in the Bell Elkins series, Killing in the Hills, I’ve been a huge Julia Keller fan and even on her 8th book in the series, she does not disappoint. Keller vividly paints a picture of Ackers Gap, WV, with all its local color. Always when reading her books, I feel like am a part of the setting.

In the Cold Way Home, Bell’s story continues as she and her two friends and business partners try to solve a murder that takes them on a scavenger hunt into Ackers Gap’s sordid and not talked about past. Each character is brought to life and very real, including Bell herself. Keller is genius in creating just the right amount of suspense throughout and this was a definite page-turner. The series and writing style is similar to that of Paul Doiron and Allen Eskens. I loved everything about this and highly recommend it to all fans of contemporary mysteries. This is a series not to be missed!

Many thanks to Netgalley, Minotaur Books and Julia Keller for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I tend to be partial to books set in West Virginia, not because I'm prejudiced or anything, but it is my home state. This series by Ms. Keller, set in the fictional town of Acker's Gap, is one of the best. The latest entry in the series is exceptional.

Bell Elkins finds herself immersed in a baffling murder mystery with ties to a dark part of the area's history. With the help pf her two partners she will unravel horrid truths and deep secrets to discover the killer.

Ms. Keller has a realistic grasp of the problems that plague this beautiful state, from drug addiction, mental illness, to economic stagnation. Underlying it all, submerged in the human soul, is HOPE.

Highly recommended!