The Code of the Hills

Ozarks Mystery Series, Book 1

By: Nancy Allen

Narrated by: Emily Beresford

In the Missouri Ozarks, some things aren't talked about...even abuse. But prosecutor Elsie Arnold is determined to change that. When she is assigned to prosecute a high-profile incest case in which a father is accused of abusing his three young daughters, Elsie is ready to become the Ozarks' avenging angel. But as Elsie sinks her teeth into the case, everything begins to turn sour. The star witness goes missing; the girls refuse to talk about their father, who terrorizes the courtroom from the moment he enters; and Elsie begins to suspect that their tough-as-nails mother has ulterior motives. To make matters worse, Elsie receives gruesome threats from local extremists, warning her to mind her own business. While Elsie swears not to let a sex offender walk, she realizes the odds - and maybe the town - are against her, and her life begins to crumble. But amid all of the conflict, the safety of three young girls hangs in the balance.

©2014 Nancy Allen (P)2017 Tantor

Critic reviews

"What a terrific book - strong, tough, smart and powerful." (Hank Phillippi Ryan, Agatha Award-winning author of The Wrong Girl)

A well told story about filth in society

This story brings to life some of the atrocities committed against children. It’s not always incest and it’s not always in backwoods places. There is chid abuse and human trafficking going on in our nation and all over the world . It’s time we know, face the evil truth and do something about it. Kudos to Nancy Allen for enlightening more people.
I give the narrator a 4..5. Often her tone was overly intense which takes away from the times when it needs to be intense. But, boy-could she voice those gruff backwoods old bullies!!! Great job on the many voices she portrayed so well. Think about how hard it is to keep the voice changes accurate with each line by a different character.

Fantastic story and wonderful reader

The hills of the Ozarks are places many of us have gone. This story puts a new spin on the area which is different from when I visited. I can’t imagine living there with the Code of the Hills. Well done.

Great Read!!

This book deals with the sexual abuse of teenage girls, even within their own families
It is a “feel good “ story when the abusers are brought to trial & convicted against all odds.

Enjoyed it

really looking forward to the rest of the series of Ozarks Mystery. love this neck of the woods.

Exciting listen!

This was an exciting book and very well narrated! I really enjoyed it. I listen while I am at work and was tempted to listen while at home but I wanted something to look forward to at work so I held off.

The Awful Narrator

Are authors checked out when narrator’s are hired to read the author’s work? I keep stumbling onto these disastrous narrator’s.
The book could have been better without the bad narration and the corny colloquialisms. It was free so, meh…

Over-explained! Bad pronunciation…

Meh. Story was predictable. No atmosphere to speak of unless you count redundant courtroom jargon. Author has zero trust that readers can keep up or remember a major detail from one chapter to the next. Setting is supposedly in the Ozarks, but when the narrator can’t pronounce the town names correctly, it’s hard to buy into.

5 stars

I loved everything about this book and narrator. It was suspenseful, funny, and so much more. I am getting ready to start book 2 in the series!