"An unpretentious gem written to the hilt and harrowing in its unpredictability."—Kirkus Reviews STARRED reviewThe first book in the Texas Red River Mystery series, The Rock Hole is the gripping story of a rural community shaken to its core by a killer, and the man who will stop at nothing to protect his own…When your family's safety is threatened, what wouldn't you do to defend them?Lamar County, Texas: Summer, 1964. Life is idyllic for ten-year-old Top Parker, who has come to live with his grandparents in the small, rural town of Center Springs. Yet while Top runs the woods and countryside with his near twin cousin, Pepper, his Grandpa Ned—a small town constable—witnesses the spreading menace of a deranged killer. Out of his element, Ned reaches out to neighboring law enforcement and then the FBI.Local news sources tag the budding serial killer "The Skinner," and the label is chillingly accurate. Beginning with the torture and killing of small animals, the monster quickly moves to hu