Black Hills

Although this book shows its age a tiny bit, it looks unread and in great condition. It is also likely the only book on the planet featuring South Dakota as the setting.  (I used to live there so I can trash talk it. hahaha.)

A summer at his grandparents’ South Dakota ranch is not eleven-year-old Cooper Sullivan’s idea of a good time. However, things become more bearable when he discovers the neighbor girl, Lil Chance, and her homemade batting cage. With each of Coop’s annual summer visits, their friendship grows deeper, evolving from innocent games to stolen kisses. But one shared experience will forever haunt them: the terrifying discovery of a hiker’s body.

As the seasons change and the years pass, Lil remains committed to her aspiration of becoming a wildlife biologist and protecting her family land. In contrast, Coop struggles with his father’s insistence that he attend law school and join the family firm. Twelve years after they last walked together hand in hand, fate brings them back to the Black Hills, where the people and things they cherish are at risk.

When small pranks and acts of destruction escalate into the heartless killing of Lil’s beloved cougar, memories of an unsolved murder in these very hills resurface. Coop springs into action to keep Lil safe. They both know the natural dangers lurking in the wild landscape of the Black Hills. Now, they must work together to unearth a killer with twisted and unnatural instincts who has singled them out as prey.