ARC Review: Blood Red Summer by Eryk Pruitt

Blood Red Summer
Author: Eryk Pruitt
Series: Jess Keeler Thrillers (Book 2)
Publication: Thomas & Mercer (May 14, 2024)

Description: Second in the Jess Keeler Thrillers series, this moody installment follows the podcaster’s investigation of one brutal, bloody summer in a former mill town and the shocking truths brought to light.

Hot on the heels of her podcast debut, Jess Keeler looks for another unsolved crime to investigate―this time with a documentary crew in tow. But she can’t seem to find the right case…until a handsome stranger approaches her in a bar in Lake Castor, Virginia, with an incredible story about wrongful conviction.

The Lake Castor sniper struck in 1984. Terrorizing the historically Black part of the old mill town, the killer claimed five lives. No one seemed worried about the first four victims. But when journalist Hal Broadstreet was killed, the police were suddenly interested. They arrested a suspect two days later.

But did they get the right man?

As evidence emerges pointing to a false confession and a murky connection to three bootleggers’ murders, Jess closes in on the truth―and risks landing in the sights of the true sniper.

My Thoughts: Jess Keeler had success with her first podcast about a cold crime in her hometown of Lake Castor. However, success has led from podcasts to true-crime documentaries complete with a crew who don't necessarily share her viewpoint or reasons for investigating cold cases.

When she meets a man in a bar with a story about his uncle who he feels was wrongly accused of being the sniper who killed five people and wounded a sixth in an event that happened in 1984, Jess agrees to interview his mother and becomes interested in the case. 

Since all but one of the victims was Black, there was little to learn about the crime and the police seemed to just push it aside. The only one who really seemed to look into it was Hal Broadstreet -- the only reporter left on a failing newspaper that is turning into a tabloid complete with stories of alien abductions. It happens that he was the final victim of the killer known as the Lake Castor Sniper.

The story is told in two time periods. In the present, Jess Keeler is looking to make a documentary about the Lake Castor Sniper and being pressured by the money men funding the production and the local police to look into the unsolved murder of a local bootlegger that happened at the same time. 

The second time period is told by Hal Broadstreet who is looking into both crimes. He had been with the bootlegger earlier in the evening on the day someone broke it and brutally murdered him and two other men who were at the apartment. His focus is on solving that crime and wondering at police indifference when it turns out that the main suspects were members of a motorcycle gang. It is only when another of his friends who was at the murder site was killed by a sniper that Hal learns about the random killings in the Back Back - the Black part of town. 

This was an interesting story that was packed with action. I could feel Jess's frustration with her new job which she felt pulled her away from her goal of finding out the truth and put the focus on making an exciting documentary even if it ends up not being a truthful one. 

This is the second book in a series. 

Favorite Quote:

"Dear Jesus," Jess sighed. "This may actually be the lowest point in my career."

Sandy blinked her eyes in disbelief. "Are you kidding me?" she asked. "You're the producer of a true-crime documentary that -- with any luck -- will be the number one streaming show."

"I wanted to tell the truth. I wanted to find justice."

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.