The Cold Way Home

A Novel (Bell Elkins, Book 8)

By: Julia Keller

Narrated by: Shannon McManus

"[An] emotion-charged mystery....Keller's sleuths are easy to like and the murder story is moving; but the object of fascination here is Wellwood, a state-run mental institution with a dark history as a repository for 'rebellious, unruly women.'" (The New York Times Book Review)

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Julia Keller welcomes listeners back to West Virginia, where her lyrical and moving stories of the people of her native state have unfolded since A Killing in the Hills, the acclaimed first novel in the series.

Deep in the woods just outside Acker's Gap, West Virginia, rises a ragged chunk of what was once a high stone wall. This is all that remains of Wellwood, a psychiatric hospital for the poor that burned to the ground decades ago. And it is here that Bell Elkins - prosecutor turned private investigator - makes a grim discovery while searching for a missing teenager: A dead body, marred by a ghastly wound that can only mean murder.

To solve the mystery of what happened in these woods where she played as a child, Bell and her partners - former sheriff Nick Fogelsong and former deputy Jake Oakes - must confront the tangled history of Wellwood and its dark legacy, while each grapples with a private torment.

Based on a true chapter in the troubled history of early treatment for psychiatric illness, The Cold Way Home is a story of death and life, of despair and hope, of crime and - sometimes, but not always - punishment.

©2019 Julia Keller (P)2020 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“A gritty tale of despair, family pride, hope, and second chances.” (Kirkus Reviews)

“This is a strong addition to the series that can easily be read as a standalone.” (Publishers Weekly)

“Keller's Bell Elkins series sets a standard for its evocation of place and for the sensitive portrayals of its characters, with Bell the most masterfully drawn of all. This is introspective, literary crime fiction at its best.” (Booklist, starred review)

Too Predictable

I have listened to a number of the books in this series. Bell Elkins has run her course. Every major event in the book was completely predictable. No more Bell, Nick and Jake for me!