Bearskin - Softcover

McLaughlin, James A

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0062864394 ISBN 13: 9780062864390

Publisher: Harper Large Print, 2018

Synopsis

WINNER OF THE 2019 EDGAR FOR BEST FIRST NOVEL

"Bearskin is visceral, raw, and compelling--filled with sights, smells, and sounds truly observed. It's a powerful debut and an absolute showcase of exceptional prose. There are very few first novels when I feel compelled to circle brilliant passages, but James McLaughlin's writing had me doing just that." --C.J. Box, #1 NYT bestselling author of The Disappeared

Rice Moore is just beginning to think his troubles are behind him. He's found a job protecting a remote forest preserve in Virginian Appalachia where his main responsibilities include tracking wildlife and refurbishing cabins. It's hard work, and totally solitary--perfect to hide away from the Mexican drug cartels he betrayed back in Arizona. But when Rice finds the carcass of a bear killed on the grounds, the quiet solitude he's so desperately sought is suddenly at risk.

More bears are killed on the preserve and Rice's obsession with catching the poachers escalates, leading to hostile altercations with the locals and attention from both the law and Rice's employers. Partnering with his predecessor, a scientist who hopes to continue her research on the preserve, Rice puts into motion a plan that could expose the poachers but risks revealing his own whereabouts to the dangerous people he was running from in the first place.

James McLaughlin expertly brings the beauty and danger of Appalachia to life. The result is an elemental, slow burn of a novel--one that will haunt you long after you turn the final page.

About this title

Review:

"A secret past, old foes, bloodthirsty locals, and the destruction of the natural world converge in McLaughlin's debut novel. An intricately written thriller that explores the darkest parts of human nature against the beauty of unspoiled American wilds." --Ace Atkins, New York Times bestselling author of Robert B. Parker's Old Black Magic and The Sinners

"A journey into the wilds of Appalachia. . . . Tightly plotted and beautifully written, Bearskin marks an auspicious debut."--Nylon Magazine

"Bearskin is visceral, raw, and compelling--filled with sights, smells, and sounds truly observed. It's a powerful debut and an absolute showcase of exceptional prose. There are very few first novels when I feel compelled to circle brilliant passages, but James McLaughlin's writing had me doing just that."--C.J. Box, #1 NYT bestselling author of The Disappeared

"At once brutal and beautiful, Bearskin is a tense, haunting thriller brought to life by McLaughlin's deft and vivid rendering of the rugged mountain landscape and the beasts that dwell within. A powerful debut."--Laura McHugh, author of The Weight of Blood and Arrowood

"Bearskin--a gripping tale written in spare, beautiful prose--tells the tale of Rice Moore, a reluctant hero, competent, resilient, and utterly engaging. McLaughlin is a gifted storyteller, and Bearskin is a remarkable debut."--Scott Smith, NYT Bestselling author of A Simple Plan and The Ruins

"A powerful and often profound debut. . . . Bearskin constructs a riveting narrative, set within a natural world that, should it vanish, McLaughlin suggests, might take part of us with it."--USA Today

"Part thriller, part crime novel, part dreamscape, James A. McLaughlin's Bearskin refuses to be contained. . . . Smart and sophisticated, with animals both wild and domestic acting as metaphors, [it] is a gritty, down-home tale told with brute force."--BookPage

"Taut as a crossbow and as sharp as an arrowhead. . . . Smoothly orchestrated. . . . A thrilling, thoroughly satisfying debut."--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"[A] twisty, knuckle-gnawing thriller. . . . Remarkable. . . . Terrifying."--Jonathan Segura, Publishers Weekly (Staff Pick--Best of Summer 2018)

"Explored in vivid and often dreamlike prose. . . . Successfully [straddles] the line between the evocative erudition of Gabriel Tallent's My Absolute Darling, Tom Franklin's Poachers, and page-turning suspense of C.J. Box."--Library Journal

From the Back Cover:

ice Moore is just beginning to think his troubles are behind him. He's taken a job as a caretaker for a remote forest pre-serve in Virginia, tracking wildlife and refurbishing cabins. It's totally solitary--perfect to hide from the Mexican drug cartels he betrayed back in Arizona. But when Rice finds the carcass of a bear killed on the grounds, his quiet life is upended.

Rice becomes obsessed with catching the poachers before more bears are harmed. He partners with his predecessor, a scientist who hopes to continue her research on the preserve. Together, they descend deep into the Appalachian wilderness to try and stop the bear killings. The undertaking is far more dangerous than they anticipated and his care-fully constructed anonymity is blown up--they have hostile altercations with the locals, black marketeers, and even the law. His past is catching up to him in terrifying ways and he's running out of ways to escape it . . .

About this edition

• Publisher: Harper Large Print
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 0062864394
• ISBN 13: 9780062864390
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 480