When a farmer is shot as he starts up his tractor in the early morning, even though the farm isn’t in his jurisdiction, Big Ray wastes no time poking around in the surrounding bushes and cornfields looking for clues. If anyone can locate the sniper, Big Ray can, and Ben Cooper, sheriff for that area, is happy to have his help. While everyone hopes this is a one-off killing, the local gossip mill starts turning, and when it does, everyone begins questioning if the killing was indeed simply an accident or something else. A primary suspect emerges but he has vanished. A BOLO fails to locate him. Then an aspiring teen footballer is shot in the leg. Big Rae’s instincts tell him this could be the start of a spree, so Big Ray slaps a curfew on the town to protect the good folks of the Split Tree community. Everything quietens down for a few days, and Big Rae’s office manager suddenly disappears. What is going on? Where is their primary suspect? Hold onto your stetson in The Evil to Come by Thomas Holland. 

The Evil to Come is the fourth book in the series featuring Police Chief Big Ray Elmore, and if you’re ready to slip back to the rural south in 1964, you’re in for quite a ride. Despite the laid-back narration by Big Ray, you’ll be turning those pages faster than you expect. The Evil to Come is that engaging! I just love the character of Big Ray Elmore who narrates the story. Yes, he’s fictional, but under Thomas Holland’s pen, between Big Ray’s on-point narrative, his introspections, and the care and love of his wife, he jumps off the page with life and credibility. Holland treats readers to short chapters that subtly tease as they try to work out who is doing the killing. I never did figure it out until Big Ray pressed a gun into the killer’s brow. Will you? But if you think that’s where the story ends, it doesn’t. The big reveal, the answer to why the killer embarked on the evil spree is yet to come. Ah…what a way to keep us glued to the very last words of the novel. Thomas Holland…you’ve done it again: you’ve given readers another great story. Thank you.

The Evil to Come: A Big Ray Elmore Novel by Thomas Holland revolves around the titular Big Ray Elmore, the chief of police in Split Tree, Arkansas, who is thrust into a challenging case when Dave Tucker is critically shot. As Elmore investigates, he discovers quite a lot of salacious local rumors and not-so-neighborly issues, alongside a suspicious rifle and conflicting alibis. The case escalates with a second shooting at a high school football game that has all the hallmarks of a skilled sniper. Elmore uncovers connections between the shootings and members of the community, particularly focusing on Cook Stewart, whose disappearance and a suspicious truck seem to pin him to the crimes. As the investigation unfolds, Elmore faces mounting pressure, including a call for his firing and a potential threat to his safety, all while trying to understand who's who in a tangle of one suspect's convoluted family tree and where the heck his officer went.

Thomas Holland is an incredibly talented writer, taking the seemingly mundane and flipping them into something spectacular in The Evil to Come. The best of this is in his portrayal of Split Tree, Arkansas, drawn as more than just a setting—it’s a vital character that deeply influences every aspect of the story. Holland portrays the town’s decline and rich history, pulling them into the fabric of the story. There's even the triple-first-name trifecta, Billy Tom Wade, who just wants to play ball and walk off the field. I loved all the small-town politics and personal grudges, of which there are loads. Subplots like a council meeting proposal to fire our hero enrich the main mystery with local color, as does the dialogue, which Holland makes pitch-perfect for the time and place. Holland employs cinematic observations to gradually unveil the story, keeping us and Elmore guessing on the whodunnit, and why, right until the end. Very highly recommended.