I've been on a roll, lately. Of the last six books I've read four of them have been in what I call Rural Noir (I don't like the term "country noir". It makes me think of bad radio.). The styles have all been different. "Wicked Temper " and "The Kestrel Waters" by Randy Thornhorn were almost lyric...
Donald Ray Pollock is the most powerful author I have read in a long time. His plots are intricate and woven deftly. His writing style is flawless and his characters are spell binding. A caveat: Pollock's characters for the most part are despicable and without redeeming value. The one that I...
In this unforgettable work of fiction, Donald Ray Pollock peers into the soul of a tough Midwestern American town to reveal the sad, stunted but resilient lives of its residents. Knockemstiff is a genuine entry into the literature of place.Spanning a period from the mid-sixties to the late nineti...
Motley was coming back from making an offer on a pristine stand of hardwood down below Buchanan when he came around a curve and damn near ran over the black man standing in the middle of the road. He didn’t mind at all giving him a ride—some of the best days of his boyhood over in Lancaster had b...
For the most part, he didn’t give a damn how Sandy carried on her sorry life, but she wasn’t going to peddle her snatch in Ross County, not as long as he was sheriff. Fucking around on Carl was one thing—hell, he couldn’t blame her for that—but working it for money was something else entirely. Al...