Young Will Schumacher considers himself lucky. Though poor and often hungry, he has steady work as a reporter for Seattle’s Daily Star, and a guaranteed one meal a day at the lodging house where he boards. That’s a lot more than most can say in 1933, with the whole country in the throes of the Great Depression. Even though he’d been forced to move out west by dire circumstances back in his Missouri hometown, he has a job he enjoys, with prospects for advancement, and the interest of a beautiful girl.

Will’s luck shines even brighter when he gets a phone call early one morning from the city’s most celebrated police detective, Ernie Blunt. The chief detective has a tip for the rookie reporter, concerning a shooting in a glamorous nightclub up on Profanity Hill. Will rushes to the scene and discovers a story that could turn out to be the case of the century. If he plays his cards right, he might be able to make his name in the process.

George Miller, the owner of the Pom Pom Club, claims that former prizefighter Frankie Ray had been demanding money and threatening him with a gun while in a drunken rage. Miller swears that he wrestled the gun away and only shot Ray in self-defense. Rumor has it, though, that the fight was really over a beautiful woman. Blunt quickly puts paid to Miller’s original story, sending the case to trial. Given the titillating circumstances and colorful characters involved, all of Seattle – if not more of the country – is soon agog, breathlessly following coverage of the proceedings. Will is proud to be the reporter with most of the breaking news and, under the guidance of his editor Howard “Phish” Phishbaum, most of the narrative pizzazz.

But the longer the trial continues, the more convinced Will becomes that greater political machinations are at work behind the scenes. He might have once been a relatively naive kid from the Midwest, but his career as a reporter so far has honed both his curiosity and his smarts. Corruption, he realizes uneasily, is far more prevalent in Seattle than he’d expected, especially once he sees the list of the Pom Pom Club’s wealthy and powerful patrons. Despite the police releasing this list to the city’s three major newspapers, Will is surprised that not one of them has decided to print it. While he expects that chicanery from the other, more partisan papers, he’s puzzled that Phish hasn’t published:

QUOTE
[I]t seemed like the kind of information Phish thrived on. He steadfastly maintained the <i>Daily Star’s</i> independence from such politics. When I asked him about it, Phish had a ready answer.

“You and I both know what we received isn’t the full list,” Phish said. “We’re being partially fed with the hope our curiosity will be satisfied. If we publish some but not all the names, the impact–were we to later obtain the full list–would be diluted. By not publishing the list, we maintain leverage–the fear that we know all the names on the list, and we won’t be hand-fed by the police or the politicians. We remain independent.”
END QUOTE

As Will continues to cover the trial and investigate the circumstances surrounding it, he finds himself caught in moral quandaries that have no easy answers. Who can he trust? Who can he believe? And who will have no hesitation about lying to his face before shooting him as soon as his back is turned?

Not even his personal life can remain untainted by political affairs outside of his control. While the initial success of reporting affords him both a raise and the ability to properly court the girl he’s interested in, her father, an Italian baker, has other ideas:

QUOTE
Mr. Giovacchini’s eyes widened, then narrowed. He said, “Schumacher?”

“Yes,” I said. “William Schumacher.”

“German,” he said.

“Yes,” I said. “Both my parents are German. They–”

He cut me off with a raised hand and shook his head. “No. My daughter will not go out with a German sympathizer.”

“I’m… I’m not a German sympathizer,” I stuttered.

“No,” he said again. This time his voice louder and gruffer. “Get out of my pastry shop.”

“Papa,” Amara said.

“Do not question me,” Mr. Giovacchini said. “My daughter will not go out with a German sympathizer.”

“Arturo,” Amara’s mother said, stepping forward.

“No!” he said again, more adamant. Then to me, “Out! Get out!”
END QUOTE

Robert Dugoni perfectly captures both the personal and political matters that swirl around his fictional protagonist, even as he skilfully bases this historical novel on a very real crime. Actual nightclub owner George Moore had been brought to trial for the “underworld” shooting of Frankie Ray under very similar circumstances. The famed Seattle trial attorney who defended him posited the relatively new strategy of self-defense in hopes of an acquittal. The newspaper coverage of the time inspired Mr Dugoni to recreate that milieu in this wildly entertaining and convincingly authentic legal thriller. Will makes for a very sympathetic narrator, guiding modern readers through the nuances of the time with heart, moral depth and more than just a little bit of the panache that does his employer proud.

A Killing on the Hill is a captivating historical thriller by Robert Dugoni, known for his mastery across genres. From his Charles Jenkins mysteries to the Tracy Crosswhite series, Dugoni's latest work seamlessly blends historical fiction with a gripping legal thriller. With each venture, Dugoni proves his ability to mesmerize readers with his storytelling prowess.

From the outset, I was completely drawn into the narrative of A Killing on the Hill. Witnessing William's rise to fame, alongside his family's struggles back in Kansas City, set the stage for a gripping tale. As William becomes entangled in a mystery with potentially dire consequences, I found myself unable to tear myself away from the book.

Blending elements of historical fiction and legal thriller, this engrossing novel kept me guessing until the very end. Once I began reading, I knew I wouldn't be able to put it down. So, I dove in headfirst, allowing the story to consume my attention, even at the expense of neglecting chores and work.

In addition to the captivating mystery, readers are treated to a tender romance that adds depth to the protagonist's journey. Dugoni ensures that every facet of William's life -professional, personal, and romantic - is thoroughly explored.

As I delved deeper into the story, it played like a movie in my head. Certain scenes, particularly those involving William and Amara, I could envision it accompanied by the perfect soundtrack - Frank Sinatra's Strangers in the Night.

In conclusion, A Killing on the Hill by Robert Dugoni is undoubtedly a must-read thriller of the year, offering a riveting blend of intrigue, romance, and suspense that will leave readers eagerly turning the pages until the very end.

A fantastic mystery set in the early 1930s in Seattle. It's full of absolutely wonderful characters and completely transported me to the era. I really hope to see these characters again!

Robert Dugoni is an impressive author who has such great range in his writing. I found this story fascinating, made even more so after reading the author's note at the end.

In A Killing on the Hill Dugoni sets the stage, moderately paced, before the compelling court action and story whisk the reader through a serpentine web enmeshed in the Trial of the Century. With characters keeping you vigilant, twists catching you off guard, this well-told legal thriller includes romance, wherein a disheartening rift has you rooting for the young couple and turning the pages to see how it is resolved.

Dugoni indicates he originally wrote the story from the attorney's point of view, and the reporter kept getting in his way. And I am glad he did! Shoe is a practical, likable character, although quite naive, and is unexpectedly faced with a moral dilemma toward the story's end. I won't say any more about that - no spoilers here. Shoe's boss is delightsome, throwing in some surprises as do some of the underworld individuals and professionals. Nicely done, Dugoni! I highly recommend this mystery thriller, the author's first historical fiction, set in Seattle in the 1930s during Prohibition and the Great Depression. Having recently read The World Played Chess, I am now a Dugoni fan.

A Killing on the Hill
By: Robert Dugoni
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Length: 380 pages

5💸💸💸💸💸

Seattle in 1933 is in the middle of the Geat Depression. With Prohibition and a murder, things are bleak as corruption is rampant.
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A young reporter William “Shoe” Shumacher gets a tip which can make his career when a murder happens. Frankie Ray, was a former prizefighter.
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The court scene makes up a majority of the novel. The testimonies are detailed! Who is telling the truth?
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This novel is a nail-bitter, full of vivid details. This was my first novel by this author.

Bestselling award winning author, Robert Dugoni’s first historical novel, A Killing on the Hill, is set in 1933, during the Great Depression when most people were struggling. However, there was a lot of corruption going on across the country. Seattle had its share of “underworld” characters, and on a morning in June, George Miller, who owned the Pom Pom Club which few could afford to patronize, shot Frankie Ray, a boxer, and told the police a story that didn’t add up. Ernie Blunt, the Chief Detective on the case, along with the prosecutor, were at the hospital when Frankie died, and it was thought that he had been shot over Ray’s $55.00 Cadillac payments and an $80.00 hospital bill for his girlfriend. Young William Shumacher had just come to Seattle from Kansas City to take a job with the Daily Star newspaper as a reporter, and Blunt called him to accompany him to the crime scene and hospital so the paper would get the correct story. Shumacher, who was called “Shoe,” saw that this was his chance to make it big in his new profession, and since jobs were very hard to get, he wanted to do well. He puts his all into the investigation, to find a real motive and to keep the stories going each day from the courthouse during the trial. His ambition and drive would easily lead to his success or death.

Dugoni is a brilliant storyteller, and in this one, he not only does a genius job of storytelling, but also making readers feel that they are a part of the time period and living this story in real time. The characters are developed so well that most of us who had grandparents or great-grandparents will be familiar with those who lived during that time, and these characters ring true.

Dugoni’s first historical novel is fabulous, and will keep readers on the edge, as well as take them back to a time of gangsters, prohibition, and poverty. Hopefully Shoe will be back in subsequent novels.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.