Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: Ten-Acre Rock by Kris Lackey

Ten-Acre Rock by Kris Lackey (Blackstone Publishing, 2023) is the fourth book in the fine police procedural series with Johnston County, Oklahoma, sheriff’s deputy Hannah Bond and Chickasaw Lighthorse police sergeant Bill Maytubby. Kris Lackey is a native of Oklahoma who lives in Norman, Oklahoma. His books exude authenticity of people and place.

Bond and Maytubby are finishing lunch when a backwoods eccentric they’ve dealt with before calls, saying he’s found a skull in a homemade kiln. They verify his discovery and since they can’t tell if the kiln is on Chickasaw land or Oklahoma state land, they both mark the area with crime scene tape and take photos, then send the location to their respective bosses.

Hours later someone runs the backwoods hunter’s truck off the road. When he survives, his determined assailants visit his house after dark with mayhem in mind. Bond and Maytubby juggle their search for the identity of the charred skeleton and for the owner of the property where it was found while trying to protect the hunter who firmly resists their help. They aren’t completely altruistic; it’s obvious his attackers are linked in some way to his discovery of the kiln. 

One of the charms of this series is the use of real places and landmarks. A helpful map at the beginning of the book shows Chickasaw, Choctaw, and southeastern Oklahoma lands with place names. Ten-Acre Rock is ten acres of granite in Johnston County. The granite is an unusual pink, white, and black, some of it was used in the State Capitol building.

Well-constructed, beautifully written story that incorporates Native American issues. Maytubby’s fiancé is a public health doctor who visits reservation schools to promote nutrition early to try to reduce the epidemic of diabetes among the tribes.

Maytubby and Bond are original and realistic. I am so pleased that there is no budding romance between them, as is so often the case. They are law enforcement professionals who work well together and they focus on getting the job done. Very refreshing and lifelike. Seamless nonstop action, this story would translate to a screen easily, although casting Bond might be a challenge. Think Frances McDormand, only taller.

No need to start at the beginning of the series but it helps. Highly recommended. Kirkus starred review.

 

·         Publisher: Blackstone Publishing (July 11, 2023)

·         Language: ‎English

·         Hardcover: 204 pages

·         ISBN-10: ‎1982689307

·         ISBN-13: 978-1982689308

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2023

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.