Rob Rufus

Paradise, WV Rob Rufus

In a poor West Virginia town decimated by the opioid epidemic, teenagers Jane and Henry have it even worse than most: their father is Hollis Lusher, a convicted serial killer known as "the Blind Spot Slasher." However, despite being bullied at school, the siblings still believe in their father's innocence. And now a popular true-crime podcast is coming to town and stirring things up. Meanwhile, an eager young officer, Lieutenant Elena Garcia, is put on the case of a missing girl. Digging deeper, Garcia realizes there may be other recent abductions of young women buried in the flood of opioid related-crimes, with many deaths quickly being labeled as overdoses. She fears the drug epidemic created the perfect storm for a copycat of the Blind Spot Slasher to thrive. A private investigator is also on the case, Henry's new friend, Otis. A home-schooled genius with his own family problems, Otis has made it his mission to help Henry and Jane find the real killer. Otis discovers 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. Filled with strange and fascinating characters, Paradise, WV delivers a thrilling tale while creating compassion for those often overlooked in our true-crime obsessed culture?the ones often left to pick up the pieces when the system falls apart.