It has been quite a long time since Officer Peter Silone has been back to Tipple Hollow, the small Appalachian town where he spent many childhood summers with his uncle and his now-deceased younger brother. So when a job opens up in neighboring Gilchrist, Kentucky, Pete naturally jumps at the chance to escape big city police work, and spend some time taking it easy in the country. Nothing in rural Appalachia is as it seems, however. A meth amphetamine epidemic is sweeping the land, and Pete hears pray tell that monsters roam the hillsides and coalmines where no man has ventured in quite a long time. That all changes, however, when a reclusive and mysterious billionaire named Rufus Petulengro sets up camp in Tipple Hollow, and begins to conduct research in the long-dormant mines. He claims he wants only to help the environment, and to undo the damage he wreaked as a commodities trader exploiting the world for its natural resources. As Pete’s curiosity leads him on, deeper into the country and finally into the mine, he discovers a dark secret, hiding within the black bowels of the coalmine.
Author
Joseph Hirsch's books Ohio at Dusk and Flash Blood were both published by Damnation Books. His novel War-Crossed Eyes was published by Mélange Books, and his novels Rolling Country and The Last Slice of Pizza were published by Moonshine Cove Publishing. He has sold work to Underground Voices and Zahir Tales. His novella House of Crystal was published by Silverthought and his novella Orphan Elixir was serialized in The Western Online. His short stories were also featured in 3 AM Magazine. He previously worked as a sports correspondent for Fight Hype covering boxing matches around the globe, and he was also a finalist in a Glimmer Train Short Story Award Competition for New Writers. His novels Kentucky Bestiary and The Dove and the Crow were published by Paragraph Line Books. His novels Veterans' Affairs, The Bastard's Grimoire, and Touch No One were published by Black Rose Writing. His novel, My Tired Shadow, is available from Underground Voices. More information can be found here: www.mytiredshadow.com He served four years in the U.S. Army, wherein his travels took him to Iraq and Germany. He currently lives in Cincinnati, Ohio. He can be found online at: www.joeyhirsch.com
