It Dies with You is a delightfully gritty southern crime thriller that drives home an optimistic message of finding your purpose in the unlikeliest of places.
Written in the first person POV narrative-style, the story infuses readers with 29-year-old Hudson Miller, a former boxing champion and now part-time bouncer and bartender. Working his way back to a boxing career after suspension, his world is turned upside down when his estranged father is murdered, surprisingly bequeathing Hudson with his dad’s junkyard business. Begrudgingly, Hudson steps into his childhood town to take reins of the sinking business, teaming up with his father’s trusted employee and Vietnam vet, Charlie Shoaf. Soon after, a body is unearthed at the junkyard. Is it linked to the murder of Hudson’s father? To uncover a sinister conspiracy hiding in the shadows of a town with skeletons in every other closet, Hudson, Charlie, and a tenacious teenager named Lucy will search for answers, woefully unaware of the dangers that lay on that road.
Scott Blackburn’s straight-forward and constantly engaging writing style help keep a consistent reading pace as the suspense builds up smoothly without rushing any important character or plot developments. The essence of the story are the charming characters whom you can believe and root for when their actions turn a shade or two of despair in ugly situations. The Southern small-town vibe is captured vividly along with the modern landscape of ripped-from-news topics like police brutality and immigration.
If you’re looking for an old-school good vs evil tale of retribution in a crooked town from the lures of old westerns, It Dies with You is a highly enjoyable debut that marks Scott Blackburn in the list of brand-new authors to keep an eye out for.
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Purchase It Dies With You
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Barrington Books
Chapter 2 Books
Murder By The Book
Once Upon A Crime
The Book Dragon
The Poisoned Pen
