Thank you for the advance review copy of this book.

I love true crime stories - they fascinate me. In 1999, when this crime happened, I was a similar age to Ashley and Lauria who were having a sleepover. Teenage girl stuff. The next morning, the girls were missing and Ashley's family home was on fire. The case was never solved, the girls never found.

Jax Miller took it upon herself to travel to Oklahoma and what she found was a lot of drug use, bad policing and more similar cases to boot.

I had never heard of this story before reading this book, it was so very sad and so enthralling at the same time.

A must read for true crime lovers.

Hell in the Heartland by Jax Miller sets a new benchmark for True Crime books. The crime in question is the murder of Danny and Kathy Freeman,whose charred bodies were found in their burned out Trailer in December 1999, and the disappearance of their daughter Ashley and her friend Lauria Bible. The reason for the killings and the whereabouts of the young girls, who were celebrating Ashley's 16th birthday was shrouded in mystery with rumours of drug debts, conspiracies and police collusion.
Despite threats from various sources and either extreme incompetence or a deliberate attempt by the local Police to stymie the investigation Lauria's formidable and indefatigable mother Lorene refused to give up in her search for justice and the return of her daughter. In 2016 author Jax Miller became interested in the case and went to Oklahoma to launch her own investigation.
The result is a quite stunning book, Miller's investigation took years and involved face to face meetings with anyone she could find with any link to the murderous events. Often these meeting were with extremely dangerous people, more than one of whom blatantly threatened her and she stirred up a Hornet's Nest with plenty of people advising her to "let it go" or "don't mess with these people". Inspired by the doughty Lorena Bible she persisted despite being terrified and journeyed into places sensible people avoid cajoling and provoking people who wanted to be left alone with their memories. One of the suspects was so scary that even after he died people were still afraid to talk about him. The story is one of people in fear of very bad men, a police force that is corrupt,incompetent or both and possibly criminal. It's about the Meth epidemic that has ripped the heart out of former mining towns and turned parts of America into lawless wastelands. It's also about those who don't give in no matter how many threats or how much is stacked against them. Jax Miller is a very brave person who puts herself at risk despite the fear and anxiety within her and along with Lorena Bible is the hero of the piece.
The book will move you and make you very angry, without spoiling things for those who haven't read the book the outcome could have been very different and there are those who have no business being able to sleep at night and with some very pertinent questions to answer that they never will.
I doubt anyone will read this book and not be affected,from a mother's love and determination to the sheer depravity of some of those who walk amongst us,the extremes of humanity are here..
This is the "In Cold Blood" for the 2020's and my book of the year so far.

Thanks to Jax Miller, Harper Collins UK and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Wow. Quite simply an incredible true crime book. I hadn’t heard of the Freeman/Bible murders and I’d hazard a guess that most people outside of the USA won’t have either. Jax gives us something rare, a glimpse into her own life and it’s relationship to her dogged investigation to try and bring answers to the victims families. She is raw and honest about her struggles with anxiety and her bravery in coping with this while picking up rocks put down by dangerous men is quite remarkable. Her writing style is so engaging and evocative.. having never wanted to visit Oklahoma I’m now really keen to. “The warm wind tangling their hair” was just one delicious line that transported me to the prairie.
Beautiful language and an author’s introspection could be horribly wrong for such a heartbreaking and serious true crime story as this but Jax is an author of two halves. The book is wonderfully broken down into distinct sections and within that, dates and facts are clearly stated. Her research is meticulous and her commitment to the families and to those who she spoke to both on and off the record is clear.
I really hope that Jax is, as we speak working on her next true crime book because I will he first in line to read it!

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for the arc of Hell In Heartland.


December 30, 1999, in Oklahoma USA, Ashley Freeman who was 16 and her best friend, Lauria, were having a sleepover. next morning, the Freeman family trailer was in flames and both girls were missing.
the case unfortunately remain unsolved and the girls were never found....

In 2015, the Author of this book Jax Miller decided in which to travel to Oklahoma to find out what really happened on that night in 1999,.... What she found was more than she could have ever hoped for:high levels of police negligence and corruption, communities whom are addicted to methamphetamine, and a series/number of interconnected murders with an ominously familiar pattern!!

This true crime case really had me gripped i had a little insight of this before i read this as i have heard a little about this before, and to read more about it was really gripping for me, i thoroughly enjoyed this book, i recommend to all whom like true crime!

5 stars⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Jax Miller presents a fascinating account of a devastating incident which took place in Welch, Oklahoma at the tail end of 1999. Her writing takes us right into the prairie heartland - the scenery, the climate, the residents. She is unflinchingly honest about the toll investigating and writing this book has taken on her. Jax Miller isn't fearless; she's incredibly courageous and tenacious. If more were like her, less families would have to endure a lifetime devoid of answers. Law enforcement officials would benefit from an ounce of Miller's grit and determination. "Hell In The Heartland" is a shocking, and deeply disturbing, yet brilliant read.