In a small town, everybody is next of kin to everybody else. When a local high-school student - sixteen, promising and pregnant - is found murdered in a car in Bitter River, the hunt is on to find her killer. Prosecuting Attorney for Raythune County Bell Elkins is on the case, and determined to bring justice for the girl whose death devastates the whole population of Acker's Gap. But there are even more sinister events taking place in the isolated West Virginia town, and in the shadow of the Appalachian Mountains the strength of small community ties is tested by catastrophe. As Bell and Sheriff Nick Fogelsong set about uncovering the truth behind the violence shaking the area, one thing is for certain: no outsider can fully understand the power of the bond between inhabitants of Acker's Gap. The brilliant sequel to A KILLING IN THE HILLS, BITTER RIVER is an electrifying thriller, which throws a devastating light on an America that is often forgotten.