Quite good. There are hundreds of ratings by smart readers already out there, so I'll just recommend this for mystery fans.

Thanks very much for the review copy!!

Thanks to Poison Pen Press and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The Rock Hole is the first book in the planned Red River Mystery series by Reavis Z. Wortham. It is set in 1964 in a small rural community near the Oklahoma border in north Texas. The main characters are ten-year-old Top Parker who has just come to live with his grandparents and his tomboy cousin Pepper. Their grandfather Ned is the county constable. This is very much a coming of age story as well as a mystery. The author does an excellent job of recreating small town life in Texas and throughout the South. It talks of friends and neighbors, both white and black, good and bad, that make up the small community. Top and Pepper help out on their grandfather’s farm and go hunting with their uncle Cody. But always lurking on the edge of the story is the shadow of the man who becomes known locally as “The Skinner.” At first Ned finds the tortured remains of animals, but newspaper clippings left at the scenes hint that he will soon graduate to human victims, even children. And Ned’s family seems to be a particular target for the sadistic criminal. As a rural constable Ned is used to dealing with drunks, domestic disputes, fights, and speeders, but is he out of his element tracking a serial killer?

Having grown up in the rural south about this same time I really felt connected to this story. It reminded me of spending time with my grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles. The places they visit all bring back memories. The author sets the time and place well, including the racial tensions taking place at that time. I look forward to reading the next book in the series and recommend this book enthusiastically.

This is the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last as I loved.
It kept me on the edge till the end even if it made laugh at times.
I loved the contrast between the idyllic life of the small town and evil in action. The multiple POVs helped to see different sides of the story and loved Top.
A tightly knitted plot, excellent character development and storytelling, a solid mystery.
I can't wait to read another book in this series, this one i strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine