Coal Bones — Karen Rose Cercone

To bring up the rock that fueled the nation, coal miners worked themselves to the bone, rarely glimpsing the light of day. It was a dangerous job. They could be crushed, suffocated - or slowly poisoned by the very air they breathed.

But the unidentified man; whose body was found in western Pennsylvania's Bull Creek Mine died from something else - namely, a stiletto to the ribs. The hired gun for the coal company already has an immigrant in custody for the crime, but Detective Milo Kacvhigan has his doubts. With a labor strike looming, and big money at stake, he and reporter Helen Sorby think the truth may be buried. And unearthing it may prove as perilous as the coal mining business itself...