Fast Falls the Night

Written by Julia Keller

Narrated by Shannon McManus

In the powerful mystery from Julia Keller, a murder investigation leads West Virginia prosecuting attorney Bell Elkins to the shattering truth about her own past.

Based on a real-life event, Pulitzer Prize-winner Julia Keller’s Bell Elkins novel Fast Falls the Night takes place in a single 24-hour period, unfurling against the backdrop of a shattering personal revelation that will change Bell’s life forever.

The first drug overdose comes just after midnight, when a young woman dies on the dirty floor of a gas station bathroom. To the people of the small town of Acker’s Gap, West Virginia, it is just another tragedy. It is sad―but these days, depressingly familiar.

But then there is another overdose. And another. And another.

Prosecutor Bell Elkins soon realizes that her Appalachian hometown is facing its starkest challenge yet: a day of constant heroin overdoses from a batch tainted with a lethal tranquilizer. While the clock ticks and the bodies fall, Bell and her colleagues desperately track the source of the deadly drug―and engage in fierce debates over the wisdom of expending precious resources to save the lives of self-destructive addicts.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Aug 22, 2017
• ISBN: 9781511328548

Julia Keller

Julia Keller, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and former cultural critic at the Chicago Tribune, is the author of many books for adults and young readers, including A Killing in the Hills, the first book in the Bell Elkins series and winner of the Barry Award for Best First Novel (2013); Back Home; and The Dark Intercept. Keller has a Ph.D. in English literature from Ohio State and was awarded Harvard University’s Nieman Fellowship. She was born in West Virginia and lives in Ohio.

Reviews for Fast Falls the Night

[hobbitprincess · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Bell Elkins continues to try to make Acker's Gap, WV, a better place for the people there. This book overs one 24-hour period and a rash of overdoses. As you approach the end of this book, you will want to have the 7th book, Bone on Bone, handy. Trust me!

[alphawoman_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It's a good read. This is the 2nd book I've read in this series and u should have started from the beginning to follow the progression. Not a lot to really understand in back story to understand the narrative yet it would be nice to have more feeling for the characters.Otherwise good pace good story.

[beamis12 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another one I jumped into without reading the previous in series. Two reasons for this. Richard's wonderful reviews of this series, and a conversation I recently had with a good friend of mine and my husbands. He was born and raised in West Virginia in a mine family, ten of them and they were very poor, he still has family there. We were discussing how so many have left, and how drugs have ravaged these declining towns, where jobs have dwindled away. Then I saw this on Netgalley, and the place and the theme just called out.For those responsible for the people in Akers Gap, West Virgina, the law enforcement, the paramedics, Belle, the prosecuting attorney, the next 24 hours will be unforgettable. An unprecedented number of heroin overdose, some unable to be revived, and a new and dangerous strain being sold keep them running from one scene to another. Who is selling this and can they be caught?Love Belle's character, her toughness and willingness to purse this case despite knowing people are doing this by their own choice. A shocking secret will be revealed to her, a personal matter that will leave her reeling. This is I can see a series than can become addictive. It is finely written, evenly paced and shows the truisms of desperate people willing to risk everything even their own lives to momentarily escape the misery of their lives. The author herself explains why she wrote this book and what it meant to her. A book that hits home as the scourge of drugs is not just affecting this area but in many areas in the United States. The lure of drugs seems insurmountable. Another very good and timely read. Now I fully intend to go back and read the five in this series I have missed. Luckily, I own the first.ARC from Netgalley.

[debkrenzer · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I first discovered Julia Keller and her Bell Elkins series through Read it First, now called First Look Book Club. A site that readers can subscribe to and get the first few chapters of a book of their latest offerings. Then they can decide if they want to buy and read the book. I had the pleasure of reading the first few chapters of "A Killing in the Hills" and I was hooked and have been ever since.In this, the 6th in the Bell Elkins series, things are not looking good for Acker's Gap in rural West Virginia. Bodies are falling all over the place as it's discovered that a new shipment of heroin has hit the town laced with a drug used to fell elephants. Yikes! That has to be some pretty powerful stuff. There are, of course, other crimes and accidents that the small police force of Acker's Gap has to handle. It's a VERY busy, action filled night.And this is a VERY busy, action filled story. A hostage situation and the surprise of very well kept secret that gets out adds to the drama of this excellent read. One that kept me up very late turning those pages. I just love this series, however, things are changing with the characters in the story. The abrupt ending leads me to believe we are going to be seeing a lot of new developments in the next book in the series and I can't wait!Huge thanks to St. Martins Press and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.