Chris Offutt’s Mick Hardin novels have their ups and downs for me. I loved the first in the series, The Killing Hills, and then I seem to appreciate all the odd-numbered ones more than the even ones. The Reluctant Sheriff is the fourth to feature Mick Hardin, an ex-Army CID officer. He returns home to the hills of eastern Kentucky, steps in to help his sister, Linda, who is sheriff. But, now that she’s laid up, recovering from a gunshot wound in the line of duty, Mick’s filling in as sheriff. I like Mick. I love the descriptions of the hills and backcountry of the area. But, the divided storyline with one set in Kentucky and one set in Corsica, didn’t work for me.

Mick’s the only law enforcement in the area, and he’s reluctantly drawn into a shooting at a local bar. He has a different interpretation of the crime scene than the local police chief, whom he’s able to work with. But, he was drawn into the case because of personal connections that make him uncomfortable. When several other men are killed, Mick’s able to find a connection due to his knowledge of the area and the people. But, he needs help, and he hires Raymond Kissack, a retired Marine, as his deputy.

He’s forced to hire a deputy because he sent the previous one, Johnny Boy Tolliver, to Corsica. That’s where Mick always intended to retire, but problems in Kentucky interfered with his plans. Johnny Boy, a fish out of water, eventually learns to cope in Corsica, but finds himself caught up in someone else’s problems there.

The descriptions in The Reluctant Sheriff are exquisite. Offutt’s writing is always beautiful. I love his descriptions of Mick. “He’d always maintained a sense of decency and honor, even through his own pain, and he refused to compromise that part of himself.” During a firefight that brings characters and plots together, Mick’s sister, Linda, thinks about “A side of her brother that Linda had never seen – the coldly efficient battlefield soldier.”

Offutt can define a setting or a character in just a sentence. Although I’d read all the books in the series, the storyline with Johnny Boy Tolliver lost me. The book came together, but I didn’t need or care about that section of the book. Give me Offutt’s descriptions of eastern Kentucky, the people and the hills. That’s what I’m looking for in The Reluctant Sheriff.

Chris Offutt’s website is http://chrisoffutt.com/.

The Reluctant Sheriff by Chris Offutt. Grove Press, 2025. ISBN 9780802164032 (hardcover), 288p.

FTC Full Disclosure – I received a galley through NetGalley in order to review the book for a journal.