Member Review

The Reluctant Sheriff by Chris Offutt is another wild ride in the hills of Kentucky with Mick Hardin, the one person you can rely on to have your back in whatever situation, in the lead. Continuing from where his previous outing – Code of the Hills – ended, Mick is still the stand-in sheriff of his hometown, impatiently waiting to hand the charge back to his sister, the original sheriff, who is convalescing from a gunshot injury, and be on his way to a new life. Before that, though, there are murders – one first, then two more – to be solved, a choice – between the law and justice – to be made, and gunbattles involving gangsters and mercenaries to be fought.

The Reluctant Sheriff is only the second novel by Offutt I have read, but he has already become a favourite. This book has all the things that worked for the previous one – superb characters, an intriguing storyline, a fast-paced plot, crisply rendered action, and an immersive description of the settings. Mick and the other recurring characters feel more familiar than such a short acquaintance would suggest, and two of the new ones – Mick’s associates from long ago – certainly deserve more appearances. Contrasting with the action in Kentucky is the convalescence – of the mind and soul this time – of Johnny Boy Tolliver, the former deputy whom Mick had helped to get away from a tricky situation, movingly described by Offutt. The ending of The Reluctant Sheriff suggests that Offutt is not finished with this series, and I am eager to follow his characters wherever he takes them.

I am thankful to Grove Atlantic for the Digital Review Copy of The Reluctant Sheriff through NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review.