Paradise, WV

In a poor West Virginia town decimated by the opioid epidemic, teenagers Henry and Jane have it worse than most. Their father is Hollis Lusher, a convicted serial killer known as "the Blind Spot Slasher."
Despite being bullied and ostracized, the siblings maintain their father's innocence. But now, a popular true-crime podcast is coming to town, and their presence turns all eyes to the Blind Spot Slasher's case . . . and Henry and Jane.
Meanwhile, an eager young officer, Lieutenant Elena Garcia, is put on the case of a missing girl. Despite warnings from her superiors, Garcia begins to dig deeper into the case and realizes there may be other mysteries buried in the flood of opioid-related crimes. With many deaths quickly labeled as overdoses, or "No Human Involved," she fears the drug epidemic has created the perfect storm for a Blind Spot Slasher copycat to thrive. Unless that is, they never caught the real Blind Spot Slasher.
An amateur private investigator is also on the case: Henry's new friend, Otis. A home-schooled genius with his own family issues and a suspicion their father might be innocent, Otis makes it his mission to help Henry and Jane find the real killer. As the three probe into the evidence, they discover a possible connection between the killings and a doomsday, snake-handling cult-propelling them all down the dark backroads of Appalachia to find justice for Hollis and themselves.
"An infectious mix of thriller and social commentary... brilliant." -Publishers Weekly
"Unsettling and unforgettable, Paradise, WV walks a line between pulp fiction and compassionate storytelling." -Foreword Reviews
"Paradise, WV is chock-full of transient characters seeking truth and belonging amid bleak circumstances. Rufus adeptly explores the often-overlooked angles of the opioid epidemic and true crime fascination: empathy and hope. Between the eerie backroads, disturbing killings, and a snake-handling cult-I couldn't look away! If Flannery O'Connor's fiction and Metallica's music had a baby, it would be this book." -Jennifer Moffett, author of Those Who Prey