Earl Marcus is now working as a private investigator in the North Georgia mountains. At the request of his 'friend' Ronnie he and girlfriend Mary arrange to meet him at night in the cornfields belonging to Lane Jefferson. But Mary goes missing.
Couldn't take to the story or any of the characters. It might have been better if I had read Book 1 in the series.
A NetGalley Book ( )

I enjoyed the first Earl Marcus book o much, and was so impressed with the writing, that as soon as I finished Heaven's Crooked Finger, I immedioately went online and ordered the next book in the series, this book: In the Valley of the Devil. Last nght I literally stayed up until almost 5am reading, I couldn't put it down until I finished it. I could not stop turning the pages! I wanted to know what was going to happen next.

I think Hank Early is a remarkable writer, and his books should be getting a lot more attention than they are. The characters are real and the background struggles that many of them have that tie them together is as fascinating as it is horrible. As someone with an abusive childhood myself, although not anything to do with religion, I could relate to so much of the anger and dysfunction that Earl and his friend Rufus, and his cousin all struggled with over the years trying to overcome the abuse and ugliness they were raised in. They aren't perfect people, but they feel real. People aren't all good. They make mistakes and act stupid sometimes, and they can do evil as well as good. That comes through in spades as Hank Eary allows Earl to grow and evolve as he tries to come to terms with his psychological and emotional pain. Growth is life, and working through a past filled with anger is difficult, and can go a lot of different ways as people make choices in their lives. As Earl notes in the book, it's easy to believe that someone who does horrific things is born evil. It's easier to see the world in black and white.

Earl's blind friend Rufus is a good balance to Earl, and shows him that even when the problems are too big for one lone man to fight, it's still worth doing ... it's still worth speaking out, even if it just makes a few people think. There are plenty of dangerous, selfish and greedy people in the world who care more about making a buck or hurting others than anything else, but Earl realizes that people who you care about are worth fighting for, even when it would be easier to write them off and give up. I really liked the emotional growth that happened with Earl in this book, and his thoughts on happiness and love. The writing was powerful and moving, and stood out as so genuine and stark.

The social commentary on social classes and privilege, and the lack of empathy and compassion in so many people these days is spot on. The anger and aching heart that Earl and his friend Rufus feel, especially when they are looking at young children born into poverty and an abusive situation... it's a stark reminder of how some children seem born with so many obstacles in front of them, and too many just don't seem to care as they fall between the cracks.

A lot of racism and xenophobia and ignorance has been on the rise lately, and this book really looks at what that can be like in a small town where the rich and powerful have a lot of ugly beliefs and feelings buried just under the surface of their public faces. I highly recommend it! In fact, I plan to immediately go order the next book in the series, and I hope that Early keeps writing. ( )

In the Valley of the Devil by Hank Early is a tension-filled mystery in which racism and corruption figure heavily in the storyline. This second installment in the Earl Marcus Mystery series can be read as a standalone, but I highly recommend reading the previous novel for important backstory.

Private Investigator Earl Marcus is content with his decision to return to his small hometown in Riley, Georgia. He is involved in a long distance relationship with Atlanta cop Mary Hawkins and in between their visits, he has plenty of business to keep him occupied. While exploring a nearby cave with Mary, they discover a skull along with the puzzling message "Old Nathaniel" and "AOC". Newly hired Sheriff, Doug Patterson, dismisses the findings but Earl's curiosity is piqued. Turns out "Old Nathaniel" is a legend about a ghostly Confederate soldier who kidnaps and murders African-Americans in the area. When his friend, Ronnie Thrash, enlists his help with some strange goings on at a nearby cornfield, Mary disappears. Turning to his blind friend Rufus and Ronnie for help, Earl battles white supremacists and unearths a shocking plan as he races against time to rescue Mary before it is too late.

Earl's friendship with Ronnie is somewhat uneasy and when Ronnie comes to him for help, he very reluctantly says yes. With an ominous sense of foreboding, he and Mary follow Ronnie's directions for their rendezvous at the mysterious cornfields. After Ronnie fails to meet them, Earl and Mary decide to investigate the cornfield, but the field is a confusing maze that is impossible to navigate. Just as they are about to leave, Mary literally vanishes into thin air, and Earl begins his desperate quest to find her.

During his investigation, Earl runs up against newcomer Jeb Walsh who plans to use the small community to spread his racist rhetoric as he enters the political arena. Earl is convinced Jeb is connected to Mary's kidnapping. Earl also continues to stumble across other people who recount their sightings of Old Nathaniel to him. As he attempts to make sense of these very confusing bits of information, Earl arrives at a shocking conclusion that adds to his urgency to locate Mary.

In the Valley of the Devil features a good versus evil storyline that mirrors true to life issues. Racism is an ugly but very real problem in America today and Hank Early incorporates this difficult subject matter into the novel with sensitivity. Earl solves the mystery surrounding Mary's disappearance but trouble still looms in Riley which leaves him in a quandary about his future. It will be very interesting to see what lies ahead for him and his friends in upcoming installments of the Earl Marcus Mystery series.
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3.5 I was quite taken with the first book in this series. in this, the second Earl Marcus, now a private investigator is in a long distance relationship with his girlfriend Mary, when she goes missing. He thought he had dispelled the evil, in his own father, but it seems there is an unending amount of evil in those hills. As Early tries to find out what happened to Mary, he encounters a strange corn field, extreme racial prejudice, and an old folk legend come to life.

I like the mix of different elements in this series. Old friends, old secrets, old fears and unending hate are all part of this story. It was quite long, I felt it could have been shorter, there was quite a bit of running around, with Marcus managing to escape dangerous situations again and again. Beat up quite badly many times. Strained credibility. So while entertaining, it wasn't as tightly plotted as the first.

A likable series, gritty with interesting characters, I will definitely read the third.

ARC from Netgalley. ( )