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Bell Elkins #4
Last Ragged Breath
From the night-black depths of a coalmine to the sun-struck peaks of the Appalachian Mountains, from a riveting murder mystery to a poignant meditation on the meaning of love and family, the latest novel in the critically acclaimed series strikes out for new territory: the sorrow and outrage that spring from a real-life chapter in West Virginia history.
Royce Dillard doesn't remember much about the day his parents-and one hundred and twenty-three other souls-died in the 1972 Buffalo Creek disaster. He was only two years old when he was ripped from his mother's arms. But now Dillard, who lives off the grid with only a passel of dogs for company, is fighting for his life one more time: He's on trial for murder.
Prosecutor Bell Elkins faces her toughest challenge yet in this haunting story of vengeance, greed and the fierce struggle for social justice. Richly imagined, vividly written and deeply felt, Last Ragged Breath is set in West Virginia, but it really takes place in a land we all know: the country called home.
Royce Dillard doesn't remember much about the day his parents-and one hundred and twenty-three other souls-died in the 1972 Buffalo Creek disaster. He was only two years old when he was ripped from his mother's arms. But now Dillard, who lives off the grid with only a passel of dogs for company, is fighting for his life one more time: He's on trial for murder.
Prosecutor Bell Elkins faces her toughest challenge yet in this haunting story of vengeance, greed and the fierce struggle for social justice. Richly imagined, vividly written and deeply felt, Last Ragged Breath is set in West Virginia, but it really takes place in a land we all know: the country called home.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published August 13, 2015
138 people are currently reading
1694 people want to read
About the author
Julia Keller
29 books482 followersJulia was born and raised in Huntington, West Virginia. She graduated from Marshall University, then later earned a doctoral degree in English Literature at Ohio State University.
She was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University and has taught at Princeton and Ohio State Universities, and the University of Notre Dame. She is a guest essayist on The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer on PBS and has been a contributor on CNN and NBC Nightly News. In 2005, she won the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing.
Julia lives in a high-rise in Chicago and a stone cottage on a lake in rural Ohio.
She was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University and has taught at Princeton and Ohio State Universities, and the University of Notre Dame. She is a guest essayist on The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer on PBS and has been a contributor on CNN and NBC Nightly News. In 2005, she won the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing.
Julia lives in a high-rise in Chicago and a stone cottage on a lake in rural Ohio.
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August 26, 2017
There are few authors who are more better appreciated by me than Julia Keller. I have not met her like so many current writers I have seen at book signings and festivals, but her art and skill have done more for my belief in reading than this exceptional writer.
I read many books and marvel at the plots and interaction of characters yet I am seldom moved to feel captured in the story, care so much for fictional events and be transported to a world imagined by other where I'd gladly spend more time inhabiting.
Like the rarest flower or a special treat I have to ration my reading of Julia Keller as this is only the fourth Bell Elkins novel set in Acker's Gap, West Virginia as one of her books has to be treated with care. I love live sport and nothing compares with a big sporting event; an England international, a test match or a knock-out competition. But these our more elevated by watching together with family or friends. Julia's books are a selfish pastime and but for the need to review a title can be read unnoticed but for that lighter step you take or a satisfied smile on your face. Her writing is multilayered full of vivid and engaging stories, about simple folk who we rarely take time other but who comprise and sustain whole communities.
"Here was where they worked, and dreamed of better days. Here - in a place most people left just as soon as they were able. Leaving was easy; staying was hard."
"Because in the end, that's all any of us really have - our story."
"History wasn't a set of ancient fables but a daily reality that you felt and tasted. It lived in your skin. It lived in the dirt and the sky, just as it lived in the hardships and the sorrows that stretched back into a common past that would never be forgotten. History mattered here. It told people who they were and what their lives really meant."
These is a terrific work of fiction but it reflects some real events - The Buffalo Creek diaster of February 26, 1972.
That Keller acknowledges this from the start must mean she weighed every word, emotion transcribed and fictional actions and memories of her central character, in this book, Royce Dillard. It is the account of his traumatised life as a child surviver who became a loner unable to share, touch and interact with others. When a pushy coporate salesman is murdered and found on his land he seems to have had the means, motive and method to have committed this crime and despite Bell's better judgement as county prosecuter she knows she can win in court while seeking a real balanced justice for this man who had struggled all his life.
It also recounts the loneliness and sense of longing in Bell's life not dissimiliar in parts to Dillard's emotional trauma. Manifested here in her unforgiveness to Nick for leaving her life by retiring as Sherrif, her inability to share her feelings, sense of betrayal with her oldest friend. Also her loss in her love in allowing Clay to move on without sharing her love for him and believing she deserved happiness with a man.
Never a wasted page, a redundant paragraph or any misplaced sentense, Keller weaves her lyrical magic through words and feelings that fully immerse the reader into this fictional world. Making us recognise dispair, loneliness and a sense of loyalty. Where people matter, folk care but even the strongest relationship are tested.
The author writes a modern account of the same corporated greed that led to the Buffalo Creek disaster and through the eyes of Dillard puts on record the waste of human life and the lack of regard executives can have for whole communities. This is powerful writing that never reaches beyond itself and is able to share grief without sermonising or ignoring the dilemmas faced in poverty. The need to work to live and to work and live quite literary in the shadow of death.
I loved the sense that a scientist afraid of global warming could visit a coal mining community and although not seeing visible signs of former pits can express views against an industry that once but death but also hope through high paid jobs. The trip down a mine could be taken out but at what cost. It is insightful, full of hope and self-awareness and captures eveyone's fears. We should never forget those who risked their lives to earn a living mining coal.
Finally, the reflections on a past disaster are wonderfully expressed as resonant with many similar atrocities, disasters and mass loss of life that makes news in our own reality.
"There were all ages, Bessie said: old people and newborn babies, and every age in between, like a ladder of sadness, and no rungs got skipped. Every single step in life was there, up and down the ladder. Every age."
"Male and female:they died. Fat and skinny: they died. Smart and dumb:they died. Generous and stingy: they died. Good people, bad people: they died. Didn't matter who you were. If you lived in that valley, chances were , you died or saw someone close to you die."
The skill of the writing is further enhanced by the use of dogs; Dillard's life and saving grace, non-judgement pets who cared where humans forgot. His imprisonment before his trial brings his animals into temporary care of new owners as each is re-homed. A better novel that reflects the devotion, unconditional love and companionship of dogs I have not read in a mainstream thriller / crime novel.
Makes me want to have a dog of my own!
I read many books and marvel at the plots and interaction of characters yet I am seldom moved to feel captured in the story, care so much for fictional events and be transported to a world imagined by other where I'd gladly spend more time inhabiting.
Like the rarest flower or a special treat I have to ration my reading of Julia Keller as this is only the fourth Bell Elkins novel set in Acker's Gap, West Virginia as one of her books has to be treated with care. I love live sport and nothing compares with a big sporting event; an England international, a test match or a knock-out competition. But these our more elevated by watching together with family or friends. Julia's books are a selfish pastime and but for the need to review a title can be read unnoticed but for that lighter step you take or a satisfied smile on your face. Her writing is multilayered full of vivid and engaging stories, about simple folk who we rarely take time other but who comprise and sustain whole communities.
"Here was where they worked, and dreamed of better days. Here - in a place most people left just as soon as they were able. Leaving was easy; staying was hard."
"Because in the end, that's all any of us really have - our story."
"History wasn't a set of ancient fables but a daily reality that you felt and tasted. It lived in your skin. It lived in the dirt and the sky, just as it lived in the hardships and the sorrows that stretched back into a common past that would never be forgotten. History mattered here. It told people who they were and what their lives really meant."
These is a terrific work of fiction but it reflects some real events - The Buffalo Creek diaster of February 26, 1972.
That Keller acknowledges this from the start must mean she weighed every word, emotion transcribed and fictional actions and memories of her central character, in this book, Royce Dillard. It is the account of his traumatised life as a child surviver who became a loner unable to share, touch and interact with others. When a pushy coporate salesman is murdered and found on his land he seems to have had the means, motive and method to have committed this crime and despite Bell's better judgement as county prosecuter she knows she can win in court while seeking a real balanced justice for this man who had struggled all his life.
It also recounts the loneliness and sense of longing in Bell's life not dissimiliar in parts to Dillard's emotional trauma. Manifested here in her unforgiveness to Nick for leaving her life by retiring as Sherrif, her inability to share her feelings, sense of betrayal with her oldest friend. Also her loss in her love in allowing Clay to move on without sharing her love for him and believing she deserved happiness with a man.
Never a wasted page, a redundant paragraph or any misplaced sentense, Keller weaves her lyrical magic through words and feelings that fully immerse the reader into this fictional world. Making us recognise dispair, loneliness and a sense of loyalty. Where people matter, folk care but even the strongest relationship are tested.
The author writes a modern account of the same corporated greed that led to the Buffalo Creek disaster and through the eyes of Dillard puts on record the waste of human life and the lack of regard executives can have for whole communities. This is powerful writing that never reaches beyond itself and is able to share grief without sermonising or ignoring the dilemmas faced in poverty. The need to work to live and to work and live quite literary in the shadow of death.
I loved the sense that a scientist afraid of global warming could visit a coal mining community and although not seeing visible signs of former pits can express views against an industry that once but death but also hope through high paid jobs. The trip down a mine could be taken out but at what cost. It is insightful, full of hope and self-awareness and captures eveyone's fears. We should never forget those who risked their lives to earn a living mining coal.
Finally, the reflections on a past disaster are wonderfully expressed as resonant with many similar atrocities, disasters and mass loss of life that makes news in our own reality.
"There were all ages, Bessie said: old people and newborn babies, and every age in between, like a ladder of sadness, and no rungs got skipped. Every single step in life was there, up and down the ladder. Every age."
"Male and female:they died. Fat and skinny: they died. Smart and dumb:they died. Generous and stingy: they died. Good people, bad people: they died. Didn't matter who you were. If you lived in that valley, chances were , you died or saw someone close to you die."
The skill of the writing is further enhanced by the use of dogs; Dillard's life and saving grace, non-judgement pets who cared where humans forgot. His imprisonment before his trial brings his animals into temporary care of new owners as each is re-homed. A better novel that reflects the devotion, unconditional love and companionship of dogs I have not read in a mainstream thriller / crime novel.
Makes me want to have a dog of my own!
January 11, 2018
I seem to have a knack of picking up books that are part way through a series. This is apparently book 4 in this series. It didn’t matter a bit. I was quickly drawn into this story where a man is murdered. Ed Hackel was the marketing manager for the planned Mountain Magic Resort. Since the body is found on Royce’s property and he has had a previous altercation with Hackel, Royce Dillard taken in to custody.
A young child of two at the time, Royce was a survivor of the Buffalo Creek Disaster back in 1972. Both his parents died. Dillard is known to be strongly opposed to selling his land, which is critical to the plans of Mountain Magic going ahead. It seems he has good reason to have committed this murder of Hackel. Though, all the evidence points to Royce, Bell Elkins, the county’s prosecuting attorney, feels there is more to the story. Some things don’t seem to add up. How can this man who has such love and care for a whole number of dogs be a brutal murderer? Just the issue over the land does not seem to be enough reason. Surely there must be an underlying reason that has not been uncovered?
Bell Elkins is an interesting character. Her own tragic background is referred to at times in the course of the story. Her strong friendship with Nick Fogelsong is also a central theme, as Bell adjusts to working with the new sheriff Pam Harrison. Fogelsong used to be sheriff till he gave it up to take on a job that would allow him more time with his wife, who has mental issues. Bell is still hurt at the way it all happened.
The writing is beautiful and the characters well-crafted and interesting. Two passages that tell us a lot about Bell are. ‘Dating after forty was a risky business. It was like shopping at the Goodwill store over in Blythesburg: Everything on offer was used, picked over, random. It had been discarded by someone else. Just like me, Bell thought ruefully. Sure, you could fine some hidden gems, but you had to be especially careful. And definitely selective.’ And then later about her date, ’She liked this man, liked the way they could disagree vehemently about an issue and yet keep the conversation amiable, liked the way he defused the tension with a breezy comeback. Bell had opinions, and she expected other people to have them too; if their opinions happened to coincide with hers, fine, but if they didn’t- well, that ought to be fine, too.’ I could have plucked many more quotes that give you an idea of the characters and the quality of the writing but that is enough to give a taste.
This is my first book by this author and I thoroughly enjoyed it. There is some use of the f word and other language but it is mostly in keeping with the characters using it. This book held my interest throughout. I liked the way the story was crafted and will be keen to read another book by this author. I’m inclined now to go back and read the rest of the series leading up to this book because the characters and writing interest me. Don’t you just love it when you find a new author to read?
A young child of two at the time, Royce was a survivor of the Buffalo Creek Disaster back in 1972. Both his parents died. Dillard is known to be strongly opposed to selling his land, which is critical to the plans of Mountain Magic going ahead. It seems he has good reason to have committed this murder of Hackel. Though, all the evidence points to Royce, Bell Elkins, the county’s prosecuting attorney, feels there is more to the story. Some things don’t seem to add up. How can this man who has such love and care for a whole number of dogs be a brutal murderer? Just the issue over the land does not seem to be enough reason. Surely there must be an underlying reason that has not been uncovered?
Bell Elkins is an interesting character. Her own tragic background is referred to at times in the course of the story. Her strong friendship with Nick Fogelsong is also a central theme, as Bell adjusts to working with the new sheriff Pam Harrison. Fogelsong used to be sheriff till he gave it up to take on a job that would allow him more time with his wife, who has mental issues. Bell is still hurt at the way it all happened.
The writing is beautiful and the characters well-crafted and interesting. Two passages that tell us a lot about Bell are. ‘Dating after forty was a risky business. It was like shopping at the Goodwill store over in Blythesburg: Everything on offer was used, picked over, random. It had been discarded by someone else. Just like me, Bell thought ruefully. Sure, you could fine some hidden gems, but you had to be especially careful. And definitely selective.’ And then later about her date, ’She liked this man, liked the way they could disagree vehemently about an issue and yet keep the conversation amiable, liked the way he defused the tension with a breezy comeback. Bell had opinions, and she expected other people to have them too; if their opinions happened to coincide with hers, fine, but if they didn’t- well, that ought to be fine, too.’ I could have plucked many more quotes that give you an idea of the characters and the quality of the writing but that is enough to give a taste.
This is my first book by this author and I thoroughly enjoyed it. There is some use of the f word and other language but it is mostly in keeping with the characters using it. This book held my interest throughout. I liked the way the story was crafted and will be keen to read another book by this author. I’m inclined now to go back and read the rest of the series leading up to this book because the characters and writing interest me. Don’t you just love it when you find a new author to read?
June 3, 2015
The Hook - I enjoyed the first three books in BellElkins Series. Minotaur Press and Edelweiss kindly provided the e-galley due to be published August 25, 2015.
The Line – the dedication –
”To Virgie A. Ramey, Effie Baker, and
Marvel R. Scarberry, three real-life
victims of the Buffalo Creek disaster
of February 26, 1972.
Chosen at random, as they were by the water.”
The Sinker – The anger Bell feels at the retirement of Sheriff Nick Fogelsong is woven throughout Last Ragged Breath. This anger is almost obsessive in nature. Well, not almost, it is. Bell could have used a friend like me to run her feelings by. But there is no friend she trusts. If there were it probably would have been Nick. This was hard for me watch. I felt for her but wanted her to get on with the story. She’d start to and then hiccup right back to her fury with Nick, the hell hath no wrath kind.
The essence of the mystery is based on the real-life Buffalo Creek Flood, in Buffalo Creek Hollow, a West Virginia mining town. Within minutes there were 118 lives lost and over 4,000 were left homeless.
In Keller’s version, Royce Dillard is a miracle baby, wrenched away from his mother as the water overtakes their home but somehow saved by his father who tossed him to rescuers who kept him from drowning. Tragically, his father does not survive but is always considered a hero for saving his son’s life. It’s the one good story that comes out of so much sorrow, one that is repeated through time. It becomes Royce’s claim to fame throughout his otherwise lonely existence. Living a singular life with only his seven beloved dogs for company, Royce is accused of murdering Edward Hackel, a man sent to convince Royce to sell his prime piece of land, allowing the building of a resort called Mountain Magic. As the prosecutor Bell must get to the truth of who killed Hackel.
Working with Pam Harrison, the new Sheriff, is not exactly working for Bell.
I feel Julia Keller missteps, not making it clear as to the true focus of her story. Is it Bell’s displeasure with Nick Fogelsong, the history of coal mining, the flood or the change that Mountain Magic would mean to the daily life to the residents of Acker’s Gap? Bell’s inability to put aside her hurt feelings at what she perceives as Nick’s offense in not including her in his decision to retire did start to annoy me but I tried to see it from Bell’s point of view.
As always I learned a bit more about Belfa Elkins appreciating this description of her appearance:
”She was an attractive woman with a slender build, medium-length straight brown hair, and a quiet intensity in her gray eyes. Those eyes seemed to take in everything all at once, filing most of it away for later; there was nothing cursory or slack about her gaze, nothing casual. She was closer to forty-four years old than she was to forty-three, but she looked younger than that, owing in part to an edgy restlessness, a sort of spirited impatience, in her manner.”
A solid 3.5 on the Belfa Elkins scale.
The Line – the dedication –
”To Virgie A. Ramey, Effie Baker, and
Marvel R. Scarberry, three real-life
victims of the Buffalo Creek disaster
of February 26, 1972.
Chosen at random, as they were by the water.”
The Sinker – The anger Bell feels at the retirement of Sheriff Nick Fogelsong is woven throughout Last Ragged Breath. This anger is almost obsessive in nature. Well, not almost, it is. Bell could have used a friend like me to run her feelings by. But there is no friend she trusts. If there were it probably would have been Nick. This was hard for me watch. I felt for her but wanted her to get on with the story. She’d start to and then hiccup right back to her fury with Nick, the hell hath no wrath kind.
The essence of the mystery is based on the real-life Buffalo Creek Flood, in Buffalo Creek Hollow, a West Virginia mining town. Within minutes there were 118 lives lost and over 4,000 were left homeless.
In Keller’s version, Royce Dillard is a miracle baby, wrenched away from his mother as the water overtakes their home but somehow saved by his father who tossed him to rescuers who kept him from drowning. Tragically, his father does not survive but is always considered a hero for saving his son’s life. It’s the one good story that comes out of so much sorrow, one that is repeated through time. It becomes Royce’s claim to fame throughout his otherwise lonely existence. Living a singular life with only his seven beloved dogs for company, Royce is accused of murdering Edward Hackel, a man sent to convince Royce to sell his prime piece of land, allowing the building of a resort called Mountain Magic. As the prosecutor Bell must get to the truth of who killed Hackel.
Working with Pam Harrison, the new Sheriff, is not exactly working for Bell.
I feel Julia Keller missteps, not making it clear as to the true focus of her story. Is it Bell’s displeasure with Nick Fogelsong, the history of coal mining, the flood or the change that Mountain Magic would mean to the daily life to the residents of Acker’s Gap? Bell’s inability to put aside her hurt feelings at what she perceives as Nick’s offense in not including her in his decision to retire did start to annoy me but I tried to see it from Bell’s point of view.
As always I learned a bit more about Belfa Elkins appreciating this description of her appearance:
”She was an attractive woman with a slender build, medium-length straight brown hair, and a quiet intensity in her gray eyes. Those eyes seemed to take in everything all at once, filing most of it away for later; there was nothing cursory or slack about her gaze, nothing casual. She was closer to forty-four years old than she was to forty-three, but she looked younger than that, owing in part to an edgy restlessness, a sort of spirited impatience, in her manner.”
A solid 3.5 on the Belfa Elkins scale.
November 16, 2018
I read through several Bell Elkins books from my library...West Virginia setting and people - Not for me.
February 6, 2017
Another excellent book in this beautifully written series set in the geographically breathtaking and economically bleak coal mine country in West Virginia. Bell Elkins, a prosecuting attorney, goes after the truth in this fascinating tale based on the historic tragedy that took 123 lives in the Buffalo Creek disaster of 1972. One of the survivors of this horrific flood, Royce Dillard, was a two year old toddler when he was thrown to the arms of safety by his parents who were then swept away and drowned. A grown man now and clearly profoundly affected by his history, this man has now been arrested for murdering an aggressive representative of a hotel chain planning to build and needing to purchase a strip of land belonging to Dillard for Interstate access. This man is sensitively and tenderly drawn, a shy, dog-rescuing, seemingly inarticulate loner who Bell and her team suspect may not be completely guilty of this crime. There are backstories aplenty here, all compelling and some rising from previous situations and characters in previous books. There's Cliff, Bell's love who suffered a crippling injury and returned to the East Coast, the retirement of Sheriff Fogelsong, a friend and confidant without whose council Bell is bereft and resentful, there's the desolation of the local people and their lives devastated by the loss of coal mines that killed them and sustained them at the same time. The writer's beautiful words and eloquent phrases bring vibrancy to characters, landscape, dialogue, and the heartbreakingly impossible struggle between defending a livelihood that brought a decent standard of living while it destroyed environments and lives. The bitterness and hopelessness doesn't overshadow the beauty, though, of the setting and the people with their fierce determination to survive in spite of the odds. The people in Bell's life struggle mightily as well--with change, tragedy, disability, depression. I don't know which I love more about this author: her lyrical passages describing scenery, her riveting narration, her wonderful, fully-fleshed characters who step right off the page and sit next to me on the couch. Julia Keller is one of the best mystery writers out there. My only complaint: her novels take me longer to read than most because her beautiful prose keeps compelling me to go back and re-read whole passages.
Here are two brief examples: "The road wore its battered end-of-winter face. The two-lane stretch that ran from Acker's Gap into rural Raythune County looked like a boxer who'd refused to stand down despite being severely overmatched, and so had wobbled under the blows in hopes the referee might finally halt the thing out of pity...."
"Landscape like this. Tangled woods, a disintegrating road, a sense of isolation and despair that drifted in and out of the reaching branches and trailing vines and rotting stumps like an insinuating whisper. The whisper of a story told over and over again, until even the rocks and trees seemed to have it memorized."
Here are two brief examples: "The road wore its battered end-of-winter face. The two-lane stretch that ran from Acker's Gap into rural Raythune County looked like a boxer who'd refused to stand down despite being severely overmatched, and so had wobbled under the blows in hopes the referee might finally halt the thing out of pity...."
"Landscape like this. Tangled woods, a disintegrating road, a sense of isolation and despair that drifted in and out of the reaching branches and trailing vines and rotting stumps like an insinuating whisper. The whisper of a story told over and over again, until even the rocks and trees seemed to have it memorized."
September 3, 2015
Everyone has story...what if someone threatened to destroy yours..this is the dilemma posed by author Keller in Last Ragged Breath.
Last Ragged Breath is the 4th book in the Bell Elkins series by Julia Keller. I love love love this series. Keller has opened my eyes to the beauty and the darkness of West Virginia. I have treasured every book in this amazing series. Julia Keller is a memorable writer and storyteller.
In each book in this series we learn a little more about Bell Elkins. She is not happy in this latest book. Her mentor and friend has stepped down as sheriff. And her boyfriend is pursuing his own dreams at MIT. The previous stories have focused more on Bell's family and her past but in Last Ragged Breath we can see that Bell is coming to grips with her past. This story focuses more on others. Royce Dillard has never really done well around others. He is content to live with his dogs on his isolated property. But modern times catch up with Royce as a development company is desperate for his land. When a dead man is found on Royce's property..the same man who had been hounding him to sell his land, Royce is quickly implicated.
I love all the twists and turns at the end. The ending was very satisfying. The story was believable and engrossing. I really enjoyed this tale.
Looking forward to the next Bell Elkins book already! Highly recommend!
Last Ragged Breath is the 4th book in the Bell Elkins series by Julia Keller. I love love love this series. Keller has opened my eyes to the beauty and the darkness of West Virginia. I have treasured every book in this amazing series. Julia Keller is a memorable writer and storyteller.
In each book in this series we learn a little more about Bell Elkins. She is not happy in this latest book. Her mentor and friend has stepped down as sheriff. And her boyfriend is pursuing his own dreams at MIT. The previous stories have focused more on Bell's family and her past but in Last Ragged Breath we can see that Bell is coming to grips with her past. This story focuses more on others. Royce Dillard has never really done well around others. He is content to live with his dogs on his isolated property. But modern times catch up with Royce as a development company is desperate for his land. When a dead man is found on Royce's property..the same man who had been hounding him to sell his land, Royce is quickly implicated.
I love all the twists and turns at the end. The ending was very satisfying. The story was believable and engrossing. I really enjoyed this tale.
Looking forward to the next Bell Elkins book already! Highly recommend!
September 24, 2015
Another solid installment in the Bell Elkins series. It will be interesting to see how all the characters progress in the next book - I feel like everyone was left in a tentatively hopeful place.
My one complaint would be that I could do with a little less of the "we are Acker's Gap, West Virginia, home of the downtrodden and emotionally bankrupt." I mean set it up at the beginning of every book if absolutely necessary (although maybe by book 5 assume the reader remembers?) And most of all, I get that Bell is mistrustful and doesn't let people in easily. Considering her backstory, I don't blame her! But I don't need to have it mentioned on every page. Like this line on page 238 actually made me roll my eyes: "Hugs were something that happened in other people's lives, not theirs." Turns out that mentioning a lack of emotion constantly actually seems like emotion, in this case.
I know, there's always something for me isn't there? :) Complaining aside I'm ready for #5!
My one complaint would be that I could do with a little less of the "we are Acker's Gap, West Virginia, home of the downtrodden and emotionally bankrupt." I mean set it up at the beginning of every book if absolutely necessary (although maybe by book 5 assume the reader remembers?) And most of all, I get that Bell is mistrustful and doesn't let people in easily. Considering her backstory, I don't blame her! But I don't need to have it mentioned on every page. Like this line on page 238 actually made me roll my eyes: "Hugs were something that happened in other people's lives, not theirs." Turns out that mentioning a lack of emotion constantly actually seems like emotion, in this case.
I know, there's always something for me isn't there? :) Complaining aside I'm ready for #5!
October 12, 2015
I am running out of things to say about these mystery series I read. They are good, not great. I eat them up. I fall in love with the leads, like Bell Elkins. How can I NOT want to know what she's up to? Even if it means reading a book that's got a slightly predictable plot, and focuses too much on backstory? I'm only human. And I'm stuck on this series. Good word to end on: I'm grateful to this book for introducing me to the history of the Buffalo Creek disaster. I had no idea, and I'm glad I do now.
P.S. The title and cover are EXTRA cheesy for this one. Good golly.
P.S. The title and cover are EXTRA cheesy for this one. Good golly.
February 11, 2019
New investment is at to happen in Acker's Gap with the inception of the Mountain Majic resort, that is until the body of Edward Hackel, their chief goffer/land agent, is found dead on Royce Dillard's property. Dillard lives the life of a recluse and has little contact with the outside world following the 1972 flood disaster when he was orphaned. Belfa Elkins, still smarting from the departure of sheriff, Nick Foglesong, is determined to obtain a conviction in court but is there a niggling doubt in the back of her mind?
Belfa (Bell) Elkins comes across as a single minded and driven woman with tunnel vision, seeing the case only from her perspective. The character is only softened by the love interest Clay Meckling . The whole scene in the Acker's Gap courthouse is becoming over-run with female characters, the new sheriff, Bell, her assistant Rhona Lovejoy etc. Probably does not reflect rural West Virginia in real life. I could be wrong.
Julia Keller's descriptions of the mountains, the mines and the run down state of the town and the determination of the people are all well described and you can feel yourself slipping away to Royce Dillard's cabin and the reclusive life. The down side is the scratchy line of the investigation and only some life awakening force brings her to the correct conclusion. The new Sheriff rather drifts out of the story.
A good read if not spectacular. 3 to 3.5 stars
Belfa (Bell) Elkins comes across as a single minded and driven woman with tunnel vision, seeing the case only from her perspective. The character is only softened by the love interest Clay Meckling . The whole scene in the Acker's Gap courthouse is becoming over-run with female characters, the new sheriff, Bell, her assistant Rhona Lovejoy etc. Probably does not reflect rural West Virginia in real life. I could be wrong.
Julia Keller's descriptions of the mountains, the mines and the run down state of the town and the determination of the people are all well described and you can feel yourself slipping away to Royce Dillard's cabin and the reclusive life. The down side is the scratchy line of the investigation and only some life awakening force brings her to the correct conclusion. The new Sheriff rather drifts out of the story.
A good read if not spectacular. 3 to 3.5 stars
December 7, 2018
I bought my book from The Works as part of 3 books for five pounds. Looking back after reading Bitter River by Julia Keller I much preferred Bitter River than Last Ragged Breath, but that is my own personal choice.
March 19, 2017
In Last Ragged Breath, a man walking a dog finds a body. Or more correctly, Goldie the dog, discovers the body. It's a brutal murder and all evidence points to the property's owner, Royce Dillard. The victim was a salesman working for a corporation with plans to build a vacation resort in the West Virginia mountains. Dillard's property fits nicely into their plans. The two men have had several negative encounters over Dillard's refusal to sell. The community rejects the idea that Dillard, a recluse with seven dogs, could be a murderer. Bell Elkins, the local prosecutor, believes otherwise.
The Bell Elkins series is a favourite mystery series. Set in an impoverished area of West Virginia, Julia Keller's writing is respectful of the hardscrabble lives many people in this area are living. She acknowledges the impact of the coal mines on people's health and the environment, but also asks the question what now? This is the industry that was supporting families for generations. The future is bleak for many people.
I'd recommend this series to anyone who enjoys character driven mystery novels. Start with A Killing in the Hills to gain an appreciation of Keller's writing.
The Bell Elkins series is a favourite mystery series. Set in an impoverished area of West Virginia, Julia Keller's writing is respectful of the hardscrabble lives many people in this area are living. She acknowledges the impact of the coal mines on people's health and the environment, but also asks the question what now? This is the industry that was supporting families for generations. The future is bleak for many people.
I'd recommend this series to anyone who enjoys character driven mystery novels. Start with A Killing in the Hills to gain an appreciation of Keller's writing.
September 29, 2015
Last Ragged Breath is my favorite book in the series thus far. Looking forward to the next one. Have also read the Bell Elkins ebook short stories and thoroughly enjoyed them. Thank you, Julia Keller!
March 19, 2016
This is a must-read for mystery lovers! Julia Keller is a natural storyteller, and her novels in the Bell Elkins' series are set in West Virginia where she grew up and went to school. Her deep understanding of the people and their history is clear and riveting.
December 29, 2015
Julia Keller's exquisite writing shines in hew new Bell Elkins mystery. Interesting plot line and well done character development makes this a must read.
September 5, 2015
Cannot say enough good about this author. Her writing is beautiful and the murder mysteries are always exciting. Couldn't read this one fast enough.
February 12, 2019
Maybe the best of this series. Also the last, unfortunately. At least for a while. The plotting is excellent here. An outsider who is holding up a major development near the town is accused of murdering the company representative who has been hassling him to sell his land. All the evidence points to him being guilty. Bell pursues the prosecution but has a nagging doubt that all is not as it seems. The twist, when it comes, is skillfully done and believable. Nick is no longer the sheriff either, having not stood for re-election and there is a good sub-plot here too.
April 7, 2018
I don’t rate this series very high and yet I keep reading on! The author milks the plot to the very last drop - too much description, very slow moving and Rhonda and Goldie were the only characters I liked! The coal mine scene made my stomach lurch but mining and poverty in West Virginia hold no interest for me. Why do I keep reading theses books, I don’t know but I’m hooked - off to book 5 as the saga continues.
November 11, 2021
AUDIO. An excellent narrator- one of the best I've listened to - and in my opinion the best story in the series so far. I really enjoyed it.
June 3, 2021
4 stars. It would be 5 but the ending became so convoluted to be almost laughable. Up to that point, I would give it 5 stars. A good page-turner.
November 30, 2018
I loved this book, as I have loved the other mysteries I've read by Julia Keller. Not just the usual mystery, these: they combine compelling characters and stories with Keller's signature well-researched background information to provide layers of depth not commonly seen in many books of this genre.
This story takes place in Ackers Gap, WV, a hard-luck community to which prosecutor Bell Elkins has returned after time as a high-powered lawyer in the Washington, DC area. It's her home, one filled with people she loves and a past she'd rather not revisit. She has friends, an ex-husband, a now-adult daughter, and a new sheriff with whom to work, Nick Fogelsong having recently retired from that office without running for re-election. Bell hasn't quite forgiven him for that -- she misses their partnership terribly -- but she has respect for Pam Harrison, who has taken his place, and it is with this new sheriff that she must work to solve the newest murder case in her career.
Ed Hackel has been found dead on the property of recluse Royce Dillard, and all evidence points to Royce as the culprit. He alternately confesses to the crime and recants his confession, and while Bell must prosecute the case after he is charged, something just doesn't seem to right. It's true that Dillard is "not quite right" himself, but he's never been known to be violent. He just rejects the society of humans, preferring to be left alone on his parcel of land with the seven dogs to whom he is devoted. And with good reason, the townspeople think, because they know about his past, his personal story. Royce is a victim of the Buffalo Creek floods of 1972, his life forever changed by that experience. The author seamlessly weaves the real-life story of those floods into the fabric of her story here, probably using a mix of her own recollections (she grew up in West Virginia) and her journalistic research skills to do so.
Ed Hackel and the development company he works for want Royce's land. They have a huge resort development planned, and part of Royce's land will provide them with the only good access to and from the interstate highway. Royce refuses to sell. Hackel finds what he thinks will be a terrific, though devious, way to change Royce's mind. But, pardon the pun, he turns out to be dead wrong about that. And as Royce Dillard sits in jail, awaiting the trial in which Bell will prosecute him, Bell continues to search for the truth, to make sure she isn't going to send the wrong man to prison.
She'd love to talk everything over with Nick, but in her anger at his retirement she can't seem to allow herself to do so. And then the unthinkable happens: Nick is shot and finds himself fighting for his very life. Now there is a murder and an attempted murder, and the reader gets the feeling that they have to be connected somehow. But Nick has had nothing to do with the resort or its company or the case against Royce Dillard. So what, exactly, is going on here? The conclusion to both of these mysteries is believable and quite satisfactory.
What is apparent throughout the novel is that the author knows, loves, and respects her home state and its citizens. The portrait of West Virginia she paints is true in its many perspectives: the natural beauty of the hills and valleys; the contributions and desecrations brought by big coal companies; the struggle to move from a coal-based economy and history to whatever might come afterward; the pride of its people; and the intelligence of its citizens. Bell, her staff members, the sheriff and her deputies -- they are as smart and determined to do the right thing as any big-city, sophisticated attorneys and law officers. All characters here, both white-collar and blue, educated and uneducated, have contributions to make to the investigation and to their community as a whole. They are each portrayed fully, realistically, without sentimentality. Readers who are unfamiliar with anything beyond the usual stereotypes of West Virginia and West Virginians will surely find themselves with a fuller, truer understanding of place and people after reading this book. And they'll gain that understanding almost without realizing it's happening because the storytelling is so fine.
I recommend this book, and others by Julia Keller, to those who enjoy a good mystery that goes beyond the usual. You'll want to return to Ackers Gap for another visit once you've let Keller take you there for the first time.
This story takes place in Ackers Gap, WV, a hard-luck community to which prosecutor Bell Elkins has returned after time as a high-powered lawyer in the Washington, DC area. It's her home, one filled with people she loves and a past she'd rather not revisit. She has friends, an ex-husband, a now-adult daughter, and a new sheriff with whom to work, Nick Fogelsong having recently retired from that office without running for re-election. Bell hasn't quite forgiven him for that -- she misses their partnership terribly -- but she has respect for Pam Harrison, who has taken his place, and it is with this new sheriff that she must work to solve the newest murder case in her career.
Ed Hackel has been found dead on the property of recluse Royce Dillard, and all evidence points to Royce as the culprit. He alternately confesses to the crime and recants his confession, and while Bell must prosecute the case after he is charged, something just doesn't seem to right. It's true that Dillard is "not quite right" himself, but he's never been known to be violent. He just rejects the society of humans, preferring to be left alone on his parcel of land with the seven dogs to whom he is devoted. And with good reason, the townspeople think, because they know about his past, his personal story. Royce is a victim of the Buffalo Creek floods of 1972, his life forever changed by that experience. The author seamlessly weaves the real-life story of those floods into the fabric of her story here, probably using a mix of her own recollections (she grew up in West Virginia) and her journalistic research skills to do so.
Ed Hackel and the development company he works for want Royce's land. They have a huge resort development planned, and part of Royce's land will provide them with the only good access to and from the interstate highway. Royce refuses to sell. Hackel finds what he thinks will be a terrific, though devious, way to change Royce's mind. But, pardon the pun, he turns out to be dead wrong about that. And as Royce Dillard sits in jail, awaiting the trial in which Bell will prosecute him, Bell continues to search for the truth, to make sure she isn't going to send the wrong man to prison.
She'd love to talk everything over with Nick, but in her anger at his retirement she can't seem to allow herself to do so. And then the unthinkable happens: Nick is shot and finds himself fighting for his very life. Now there is a murder and an attempted murder, and the reader gets the feeling that they have to be connected somehow. But Nick has had nothing to do with the resort or its company or the case against Royce Dillard. So what, exactly, is going on here? The conclusion to both of these mysteries is believable and quite satisfactory.
What is apparent throughout the novel is that the author knows, loves, and respects her home state and its citizens. The portrait of West Virginia she paints is true in its many perspectives: the natural beauty of the hills and valleys; the contributions and desecrations brought by big coal companies; the struggle to move from a coal-based economy and history to whatever might come afterward; the pride of its people; and the intelligence of its citizens. Bell, her staff members, the sheriff and her deputies -- they are as smart and determined to do the right thing as any big-city, sophisticated attorneys and law officers. All characters here, both white-collar and blue, educated and uneducated, have contributions to make to the investigation and to their community as a whole. They are each portrayed fully, realistically, without sentimentality. Readers who are unfamiliar with anything beyond the usual stereotypes of West Virginia and West Virginians will surely find themselves with a fuller, truer understanding of place and people after reading this book. And they'll gain that understanding almost without realizing it's happening because the storytelling is so fine.
I recommend this book, and others by Julia Keller, to those who enjoy a good mystery that goes beyond the usual. You'll want to return to Ackers Gap for another visit once you've let Keller take you there for the first time.
Read
June 27, 2016This is a contemporary mystery based on a true West Virginia flood in 1972 that eerily echoes the West Virginia flood of 2016. Few authors do such an excellent job of helping readers really see and understand the people of the Appalachian region. Keller's description of its small towns where everyone knows each other along with all their mannerisms and values makes a reader feel like they could just sit down and order a piece of pie at the local corner cafe. Keller does not sugarcoat the region, knowing there are extreme poverty problems and many crimes involving the drug trade, but she also captures the heart of its people including their pride, loyalty and resiliency.
As is commendable of her Bell Elkins series, she deftly inserts some type of social issue into her mysteries. Here, it is about the effects of trauma on a child and how that plays out many years later. She also gives a strong nod to the value of dogs and their possible role in helping dysfunctional people get through life. Readers will love the sense of vastness among the mountains and the sense of community nestled among them. -gd
Click here to place a hold on Last Ragged Breath .
The first (highly recommended!) book in the Bell Elkins series by Julia Keller is A Killing in the Hills .
As is commendable of her Bell Elkins series, she deftly inserts some type of social issue into her mysteries. Here, it is about the effects of trauma on a child and how that plays out many years later. She also gives a strong nod to the value of dogs and their possible role in helping dysfunctional people get through life. Readers will love the sense of vastness among the mountains and the sense of community nestled among them. -gd
Click here to place a hold on Last Ragged Breath .
The first (highly recommended!) book in the Bell Elkins series by Julia Keller is A Killing in the Hills .
July 19, 2015
Every West Virginian remembers the Buffalo Creek Flood of 1972, one of the worse coal mining disasters in our state's long history of such disasters. This particular one figures prominently in the background of Julia Keller's 4th Bell Elkins' thriller.
Royce Dillard was only two years old when the sludge damn ruptured send thousands of gallons of death through the coal mining valley wiping out whole communities. He survived but the trauma of his ordeal followed him for the rest of this life until he finally retreated from society with just his dogs to keep him company. When the body of a local developer, who has been after Royce to buy his property for a high-end resort, is discovered near Royce's property he is immediately the prime suspect.
This is another wonderful addition to this series and Ms. Keller does justice to this fictional West Virginia town of Acker's Gap caught in the throes of a dying coal industry and the looming possibility that another industry will come in and change the dynamics of this community. The author makes it quite clear which side the mining industry she is on, but still does justice to the brave men and women who deal with this dangerous job every day and depend on it for their livelihood.
Enjoy!
Royce Dillard was only two years old when the sludge damn ruptured send thousands of gallons of death through the coal mining valley wiping out whole communities. He survived but the trauma of his ordeal followed him for the rest of this life until he finally retreated from society with just his dogs to keep him company. When the body of a local developer, who has been after Royce to buy his property for a high-end resort, is discovered near Royce's property he is immediately the prime suspect.
This is another wonderful addition to this series and Ms. Keller does justice to this fictional West Virginia town of Acker's Gap caught in the throes of a dying coal industry and the looming possibility that another industry will come in and change the dynamics of this community. The author makes it quite clear which side the mining industry she is on, but still does justice to the brave men and women who deal with this dangerous job every day and depend on it for their livelihood.
Enjoy!
July 23, 2016
I am not really into Mysteries like this and especially when I have jumped into the series, although a quarter of the book reiterated what happened in the previous books, it only does a little clipping so I wasn't really none the wiser as I obviously didn't know who was who and what was what.
That is my fault for choosing a book that obviously is not a stand alone in a series. I wish the publishers would say that in the description as it can put us readers off.
I did like the sound of the plot and what it entailed.
I learnt about Buffalo Creek disaster, I had no idea or any idea it even happened, so that was a learning curve and I have learnt something new.
I see lots of people saying they loved the series, I am sure i would have too if I started from the beginning.
Thank you to the publishers and to Bookbridge for my copy
August 9, 2016
Belfa Elkins came home to West Virginia to become the prosecuting attorney for Aker's Gap. Royce Dillard was a child when the floods came down the mountains and ripped him from his mother's arms; both his parents perished and he survived. The coal company responsible for the slurry dam breach paid some insurance and Royce has lived high in the woods with his dogs ever since. Now, Royce is accused of killing a man who wanted to buy his property -- the only place Royce feels safe. Bel has to unravel the knots to ensure justice is done.
September 13, 2018
Rather disappointed in the book. I was looking forward to reading another book about the people of Appalachia along the lines of Donald Pollock (Knockenstiff, The Devil All the Time, etc.) but this book missed the mark. The author's main character was a lady prosecutor who obsessed over a former sheriff with whom she had a deep professional relationship; too much was made of the relationship which I thought detracted from the story. Guess I'll have to wait (and hope) for Donald Pollock to write another book.
February 3, 2016
This is more like 4 and 1/2 or 4 and 3/4s. What a fantastic book. This takes place in West Virginia coal country. The characters are smart and we care about them. There are dogs (over 7!) and they are important to the story. People learn about themselves, and they learn not to give up on their dreams. The murder mystery--I have a bit of mixed feelings about it which is why I can't give this 5 stars, but it comes around. I heard the audio book. Fantastic. Highly recommend this work.
September 6, 2015
4 1/2 stars. Keller's writing flows seamlessly connecting vivid descriptions of the desperation and beauty in the West Virginia town, Acker's Gap. I care about that town. My only quibble was Bell's immature response to Nick's career change. The Buffalo Creek Flood of 1972 is a horrific tragedy that I should have remembered but didn't. I'm completely hooked on this series.
September 19, 2015
Clearly I love this series and I was thrilled when I got my copy of Last Ragged Breath. Like the three previous books, this one is engaging and exciting. The setting is wonderful and Keller has left us hanging and now waiting for #5. If you haven't read any of the others, just start with #1 and work your way through. You won't be sorry.
August 31, 2015
The beginning of this novel was plagued with too much character introspection and too little editing. The author finally found her groove in the last quarter of the book. I love the vivid character's in this series, however some of their thoughts are best left out of the book.
September 4, 2016
What started out as an intriguing mystery in Keller's series, set in West Virginia, became a very, very good story about how people view themselves and fit into each other's lives.
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