"Life brings many crossroads," and when your day starts with
chasing a skunk through the office, only to go downhill from there,
you've arrived at Innocence Slain by Kit Karson. The story takes
place in Anderson, Montana, where Peter Elliot heads the small
local police force. Sheriff Elliot, with his deputies and doughnutloving
dog, Zack, aren't battling significant crime. Most of the time,
they find themselves babysitting inebriated, wayward tourists.
However, events take a dark turn when one of the tourists
disappears, and what starts as a routine missing person case
ominously escalates into something far more sinister, testing
Peter's abilities to the max. With the help of his crew and recruit
Birdie, who has a secret agenda of her own, Peter must reconcile
the fact that while he can't alter the past, he can shape the future.
Innocence Slain by Kit Karson is a compact, well-crafted crime novel
that surprised me with the measure of information a couple of
hundred pages can contain. The setting is vividly described and
could be any rural town in the U.S. The characters are welldeveloped
and diverse, ranging from the stoic Sheriff Elliot to the
lovable Helen (who is the quintessential definition of a "Mama
Bear.") Having said that, where this book truly excels is in its ability
to build tension. The buildup is subtle but effective, like a low-grade
campfire gradually turning into an inferno that threatens to engulf
the forest. Despite its intensity, the violence is at an absolute
minimum, and the author doesn't rely on brutality to create a sense
of danger. Overall, the book is an engaging read that left me
craving more.

Author Kit Karson has crafted a riveting and suspenseful novel that
kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish with its wellpaced
plot and fantastic revelations. The confident narrative
structure is filled with tension, mystery, and heart-pounding twists. I
was particularly impressed by the way the atmospheric details of
the descriptions matched these different moods and set each scene
up for the discoveries that awaited Sheriff Elliot and readers. The
characters, particularly my personal favorite, Birdie Bradshaw, are
well-developed and compelling, drawing readers into their personal
struggles and motivations. I loved the way that their unique
dialogue styles characterize them at once, and there was some
great use of dialogue to give the key plot exposition a chance to
shine too. The small-town setting was a great choice to highlight
the tight-knit community's response to tragedy and the challenges
faced by law enforcement in rural areas. Overall, Innocence Slain is
a gripping thriller that I would not hesitate to recommend.