Review of The Killing Grounds by Joan Tierney
The Killing Grounds by Joan Tierney (Neon Hemlock, 2023) is a dark near-contemporary novella, set in a dystopia that doesn’t look too different from our own world. It’s an often grim look at the haves and have-nots, while dealing with issues of memories, family, and small communities.
Bina works for a passenger transportation company, but her world and job are upended when her co-workers are attacked by a passenger. Her co-workers kill the passenger in self-defense, but soon find out he was a notorious serial killer who had been based out of Bina’s hometown. Back in said hometown, Bina reconnects with her family members and learns more about her mother’s disappearance.
The story in The Killing Grounds is quite dark and does not shy away from that darkness in the slightest. There are murdered and mutilated female victims of a serial killer, plus implications of sexual assault. The latter are not particularly graphic but remain unsettling. A good deal of that aspect of the book was, I think, intentionally vague, which lead to the need to read between the lines to understand one major aspect of the story. Overall, though, the story flows well, the characters are fascinating (if not necessarily universally likeable), and Bina finally finds the answers she’s spent her life looking for.
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